My sister and I just returned from a 5 night stay at BSB and it was a HUGE disappointment. I, like many others, read the reviews - good and bad - but still decided to book this vacation because I know every resort may have a SMALL issue here and there and because I trust the Sandals product. My husband and I have been to Sandals Dunn's River twice, Sandals Whitehouse twice and Sandals Regency St. Lucia once. I wanted to show my sister the wonderful things I have experienced at a Sandals and expected the same satisfcation at Beaches. Unfortunately, that didn't happen - at least not at Sandy Bay! If you don't like to read long reviews than skip this one, but I believe that if a traveler is going to write a negative one the resort and future travelers deserve to have the specifics listed.

ARRIVAL: Normally when your airport shuttle arrives at the property, a Sandals/ Beaches employee is standing right there waiting for your arrival. Someone immediately takes your bags from the driver, greets you with that infamous cold, wet white towel and immediately offers you a drink while you register. When we arrived, no one was there. The driver had to shout several times into the lobby, "Hello" to get someone's attention so he could give them our bags and then it was still awhile before we were officially greeted. So, my sister and I just sat there alone. Nice start, huh?

ROOM: I also had a broken ankle at the time and had notified Jolene, the Sandals Select MGR ahead of time. BSB does not have elevators, so we were placed in a ground floor room (not what we paid for, but hey, not their fault I broke my ankle) near the activities. I was disappointed that we were not upgraded to a one bedroom suite which was one category above what I booked. I know upgrades are based upon availabilty, but they were below capacity and this was the first time I was not upgraded and this was my 6th trip! Anyway, our room would have been ok except our bathtub was stained with dirt streaks and crawling with ants. We issued a complaint with the manager on duty, David McIntyre (a very nice man) who apologized and later that evening he had someone spray for ants and he sent up a bottle of champagne to make up for it. However, the next afternoon, there were still ants and when I called the front desk, the receptionists' response was , "well you know this is not a 5 star resort". I was stunned she would even say that. From there we went back to both managers on duty because they already knew us quite well from other issues (those details to come) and informed them about the additional ants and the receptionist. From there they directed us to Anne-Marie and Andrea in Guest Services who listened to us, but acted like they didn't care and said they would look into transferring us to Beaches Negril (which is what I asked for). I also asked to be transferred to a Sandals. I realize that is for couples, but even when I booked our vacation the Beaches/Sandals rep said my sister and I could stay at Sandals. Anne Marie refused to send us to a Sandals. She said she would look into Beaches Negril, but never got back to us. Later that afternoon, my sister wanted to take a nap. She pulled back the covers and laid her head down on the pillow only to find a bug lying right beside her. She wrapped it in a tissue and took it down to Anne Marie and Andrea and showed them and they really didn't care. My sister insisted we be moved immediately. We told them - forget about my broken leg, I would climb steps, just move us. They wouldn't do so until we returned from dinner that night at Beaches Negril. When we got back from dinner, our room on the second floor and a longer walk for me was ready, but at least it seemed better. We never saw ants actually in this bedroom. They were, however, swarming on the balcony and in our bathroom. Housekeeping was so-so. The floors were gritty. I don't think she ever swept or mopped. We never got our 2 dirty glasses replaced with fresh ones. We caught her one afternoon and asked her for them and she said we had to go to the bar to get them replaced! I have never heard of such laziness from housekeeping. Also, the clock in our room did not work and maintenance had to come fix it and the remote control to the TV had dead batteries. Those are things that should have been checked before a guest enters a room. Our air conditioner was covered in cigarette butts outside.

FOOD: Overall, it was average. I have never gotten sick on any of my five previous stays at a Sandals resort. However, I vomited 4 of the 6 days I was here. And no, I didn't have a flu bug. It started the morning after I had my first meal there and then continued a few hours or even sometimes immediately after eating. The Bayside was swarming with flies. Very sad. I never had dinner there, but had a full breakfast once and on my final am, I just ate a bagel because I was sick again and even then I had flies crawling all over me. The Sesame Grill was hit or miss. My biggest issue with them was that I wanted a simple BLT sandwich which wasn't on the menu. My first afternoon there, the guy on the grill said, "No problem Mon". I thought - this is great because I love BLT's and I'll be very happy on vaca and they always make them at the Sandals. The next day, I went to order one. A different guy was working the grill and a girl was taking orders. When I asked for a BLT she tells me I can't have it and proceeds to yell at the grill guy for taking the special order. And I mean, yells. Then she yells at me. So, I told her to stop yelling at him because it wasn't the same guy and told her to forget it because I would just go get the manager, David. And I did, who also brought in Suzette, the Restuarant manager to handle the situation. About 1/2 hour later Suzette hand delivered my BLT to me and I was able to get them from then on, but it should have not been such a situation. By now, we have spent the majority of our 5 days inside the lobby issuing complaints. On a positive note for the restaurants, Suzette prepared a nice table for us at the Sundowner on our final evening. I didn't really care for the food, but the setting was nice and I truly appreciate her effort. We also ate at The Seville at Beaches Negril twice and it was incredible and also Kimonos at Beaches Negril. This Kimonos was not as good as the ones at Dunn's River or the Regency St. Lucia.

Bar: The bartenders were great! Very entertaining and made the drinks well. There is only one bar open during the day and there are no stools and the disco bar which is open late night untl 2am smelled very musty so I only went there once to get a drink and never visted again.

Pools: There are 2. I only visted the larger main pool which is still very small. There are only about 8 lounge chairs by the pool and they are away from the stage so you can't see anything going on during the day. Also, the chairs are on the opposite side of the pool from where the ladder is to get into the pool. I only saw the pool get cleaned one time as opposed to daily at my previous stay at Sandals.

Employees: There was an overall haphazard feeling to the way they worked. Maybe they didn't want to be there, either, but they didn't have that genuine "No, problem mon" attitude that most have had at other Sandals. Costomer service was not there priority. Rarely did I see a smile. Yes, a few of them did, but they were few and far between. In the end, the General Manager, Winston Anderson did give us a voucher for our 5 nights back. Even that was not what he originally offered to keep us at his resort, but I've kept you reading long enough to get into that saga. However, I do appreciate his efforts and especially those of the other managers David Lawrence and David McIntyre. Renovations are due to begin in September. If you still insist on going here, do yourself a favor and wait until the renovations are complete.

Me and my best friend stayed at beaches Sandy Bay, we were
very impressed by the welcome that we received on arrival,
(great rum punch!!). We were then taken to our room which was
a good size, looking over the sea. Which was a stone throw
away. The only thing i could say about the rooms it was in need
of a update. Food was great, had loads to choose from and
loads of it. Different themes every night. I must say that the
bar staff kept us well entertained and the drinks were flowing.

Would recommend the hotel, to friends, families and to any one,
loads going on, with great entertainment. The hotel was also
a great place to chill out or give you loads of activities. The
beach was beautifull from white sand to crystal clear water.

From start to the end it was one of the best holidays that i
have been on!!!! Would recommend this to anyone!!

We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Sandy Bay. Our family, including 7 grandchildren, was there to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.

I was a little anxious about booking there after reading some of the negative reviews. There were so many more good reviews than bad so we decided to go for it. Having just been there, I don't understand the negative reviews. True, the rooms are in need of some updating and paint, but they're clean and comfortable.

Every room is either on the beach or near it. It's a small resort so everything is close by. Security is good on the beach and at the entrance. We had no problem letting the 9 year olds wander. It wasn't crowded so we had no problem getting beach chairs right in front of our rooms.

All the water sports are good. The guys working there are very helpful. There's such a variety of things to ride, no one got bored!

We had dinner at the Sundowner and at Vista Sul Mar. Very good food and service. The wine kept coming too. We spent one day at Beaches Negril to do the water park and lazy river. We had dinner at Kimonos (the Japanese steak house) It was very good and the cooks were quite entertaining. It's a much larger resort than Sandy Bay. We enjoyed the quietness and ease of getting around at Sandy Bay. If you like a lot of activity, the other resort is the one for you. Our grandkids enjoyed Sandy Bay better also. The oldest ones are 19 and 20. They just all enjoyed being together on the beach.

I can't forget about the bar. The drinks were delicious and the bar tenders were great.

The bus ride from and to the airport was good. The van was airconditioned and comfortable. We had a good driver.

One bit of advice - have some $1.00 bills ready for the porters that handle your luggage. They're not a part of Beaches and definitely are looking for tips.

All in all, we had a wonderful time and are so glad we chose Sandy Bay in spite of the bad reviews. It's a great place to have a fun time and a relaxing vacation.

FYI: We stayed at Beaches Sandy Bay 4 days and Sandals Negril for 4 days. Most of this review will focus on BSB. Although the property of Sandals is more elaborate and couple-oriented, we preferred the size and friendliness of BSB. Guests at Sandals kept to themselves and were sometimes snobby. We ran into many Sandals guests like ourselves returning to BSB for good conversation and to visit the staff. We spent most of our time at BSB.

Before and after booking our weddingmoon at Beaches Sandy Bay, we read multiple reviews on this site. Most of the negative reviews did not discourage us. After returning from Negril last night, we could not wait to share our experience. BSB exceeded our expectations.

I am sad to return home, and wish I was hanging out in Jamaica drinking a daiquiri with some of our new Jamaican friends.

SERVICE:
The service at BSB was amazing. The property is smaller and intimate, and everyone knows your name. Although everyone was accommodating, there were particular people who stood out.

CHRISTOPHER-was the first face we saw entering the resort. He was helpful in getting us to our rooms and getting drinks!:)

The worst part of the trip was due to the weather back home. Half of our guests flights were canceled due to Midwest flooding. Christopher and others helped us when we were stressed about finding out where our family was.

GAVEAN- Our wedding planner. She was fabulous and did not pressure us to upgrade anything in the wedding. She answered many questions and was always on-time for appointments. The wedding itself was exactly how we wanted, simple and beautiful.

RICHARD-The best bartender in the world. . .hands down! We would sit at the bar and have a conversation with other guests or workers, and Richard (or BOBBY or VINTON or JOSEPH) would have already filled up our drink before it was half empty. My husband is more of a beer guy, but fell in love with the daiquiris. My step-son loved the kids daiquiris, just like his dad!The kids' menu is extensive as well. They have a variety of drinks. .. or just ask Richard to make you his favorite. My only regret is that I didn't order a Dirty Banana until I had been there for 3 days. It was my favorite! The hardest part is not tipping these guys. If I had service like this in the states, I would be tipping at least 25%.

DONNA- At the gift shop remembered all our family members' names and called us friends. Unlike the people at Sandals gift shop (where we stayed for our honeymoon), she was not pushy when you shopped. She was so friendly and kind. I will miss her!

SONIA and SHANE- At the Snapshots shop. We bought wedding pictures (very pricey), but Sonia spent lots of time letting us come back in and pick them out and decide over a few days. She always pulled the number of pictures right up when we walked in. Shane was a fun photographer that made us laugh over and over again. I don't remember the name of our wedding photographer, but pictures are worth a thousand words. . .and he was beyond words!!!

THE ENTERTAINMENT STAFF- These guys and girls are incredible! The night before the wedding, my Maid of Honor and I went up the the "Disco" (not too much nightlife at BSB, but if you are like us you will be tired by 11!) We felt like we were at the afterparty at Dirty Dancing watching these incredible performers. They did not have formal dance training but were the best dancers I had ever seen. Do not miss the Monday night beach party!

THE NURSE- I wish I remembered her name. . .My dad has a heart condition and forgot his nitro at home. She gave him a nitro spray and was so kind and professional. She is a certified nurse. I felt sick the morning of the wedding and she gave me some Pepto as well. She was very concerned until I told her I was getting married that day, and then she laughed and told me I was just nervous. She was our lifesaver on the trip, and we are eternally grateful.

FOOD:
The food was incredible. Anyone who says otherwise just did not take the opportunity to explore all options.

The Bayside usually has a buffet. Any meal with fresh fruit and cheese (GALORE) and crackers in my book is the best!!!

Our wedding dinner was wonderful. Included with our wedding was a 4 course meal. The staff was accommodating to let all of our 11 guests sit with us. We originally scheduled our dinner at the Sundowner Caribbean restaurant, but it was closed, so we ate at the Italian. We had beef wellington, shrimp, soup, an incredible dessert, etc. and our family ordered delicious food from the menu.

The Sundowner was good as well. We ate there another night and had an incredible view of the sunset at dinner time. I tried the roasted lamb and would definitely recommend it.

The Beach Grill is fine for the in-between meal times. The jerk chicken was AWESOME!

HAWKINS was definitely our favorite at dinnertime. The whole staff made every meal special.

A little note about SANDALS NEGRIL. . .the best meal we had there was at the Bayside on an a la carte (not buffet night). Lobster and shrimp skewers. You have got to meet SHANNON. .. the Irishman. He was the most friendly face at Sandals. No question.

THE GROUNDS CREW--
WOW! They were the most friendly, conversational people! They raked the beach every day. They cared for all the Hibiscus trees every day as well. They were the first faces we saw every morning and were more than willing to engage us in friendly conversation.

WATERSPORTS-
There is so much to do! If you don't know how to sail, they will give you a quick lesson. I am not the most experienced person while my husband and step-son are more waterbabies. . .they were willing to help all, even letting my mother-in-law ride on the boat while we snorkeled and offered to CARRY HER in the water so she could try. She declined, but was so surprised by the kind offer.

At Sandals, MACKEY was very entertaining (Flavor Flav!) and offered to teach me how to snorkel better.

Things you must do. . .
Sail
Snorkel or Glass Bottom Boat if you are not a snorkeler
Banana Boat
(I heard scuba was incredible, and they have a resort class that's pretty affordable)

Tips:
1. Bring US dollars to shop with. You can't get any at the resort, and it's much easier to shop with US $. You can negotiate with vendors. They want your money. If you aren't interested in ANY merchandise. . .(medicinal included), just say, "No thanks, mon." and keep walking. If you go in town, get money from ATMs in the morning. They run out fast!)
2. Try new foods AND drink the water. . .no matter what you hear. This is some of the best water in the world. We have been all over the US and Europe, and this water is the best!
3. Have fun with the drinks. Don't just stick to your American bar drinks. .. Ask every bartender to make you his or her favorite. You will probably get some off the menu.
4. Buy Rum at the airport. You will hear that the resort rum is the cheapest! That is not true! The airport duty-free shop is great for those items. Try Appleton Special Rum. They use it on the resort, and it is our new favorite!
5. If the 18+ men you travel with would like adult entertainment, go to the Scrub a Dub in Negril It seems scary, but Jamaicans take care of the tourists. (My husband's contribution)
6. Bring sunscreen AND USE IT! If you are light skinned, definitely tan before you go. It saved me from getting burned. (I had just a slight burn for a day)
7. Take advantage of Beaches Negril for a day. Pay to stay at the less expensive but our favorite BSB, but Beaches Negril will provide a change of scenery, water slides, and Lazy River, and some different food options. There seemed to be a bit more nightlife there as well. Of all the three, this may be the one for the after 11p.m. crowd.
8. Don't wear jewelry or room keys while doing watersports or swimming. My husband of 2 days lost his wedding ring, but luckily it happened in Jamaica, so my attitude quickly changed to "No problem, mon!" Leaving keys and jewelry on the snorkeling boat or with the staff is fine. We had no problem with staff theft. ..that is not a question. The day I thought I lost my camera (too much to drink) they helped me look for it. I found it in the room, and they just laughed.

One bad thing about BSB. . .

We aren't there. You have to go home eventually.

I would like to say that we are fairly modest people, and most of our guests have tight budgets. If we would have taken this same vacation in Florida, for example, and paid for hotel, food, drinks, watersports and entertainment separately, we may not have been able to afford it. Book early and book often. This is an affordable family vacation, and whether we return with or without the kid(s), we would stay at Beaches Sandy Bay instead of Sandals any day. It is the best!