Jamaica

I recently stayed at Beaches Negril in Negril, Jamaica with my husband and 4 year old son.  this resort is amamzing and perfect for adults and kids of all ages.  There were so many activities ranging from water sports such as snorkeling, glass bottom boat rides, kayaks, water skiing, and banana boat rides to land activities  like beach volleyball, tennis, lawn chess, etc.  Beaches Negril sits on the most amazing stretch of Negril's seven mile beach.  If you are a beach lover, this is the place to be!  They also have two main pool areas each with the always popular swim up bars.  Not only do the adults enjoy that feature but also the kids where they can get smoothies and non-alcoholic fancy drinks.  My son particularly liked the "Superman" and "Bob Marley" drinks.  They also have a water park with 2 large water slides for older kids and adults, a lazy river, and splach grounds with 2 slides for young children.  We spent a lot of time in the lazy river on our vacation!

The food was amazing!  My favorite restaurant at Beaches Negril is the teppinyaki restaraunt called, Kimonos.  We also ate at the Seville (Italian) and Arizona's (Tex-Mex) which we enjoyed as well.  The beach grill is a must for lunch with Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Jamaican Beef Patties.  They also have added Dino's Pizzeria which was a favorite of my sons with made- to-order brick oven pizzas.  One night a week they have a beach party where they set up an amazing buffet on the beach with food from each of the resorts restaurants.  The entertainment at the beach party was also great with lots of music, dancing, local talent, etc.  There are plenty of daily activities and nightly entertainment options for those of all ages. 

We also had the opportunity to experience Butler Service at Beaches Negril.  The butlers will take care of your every need.  From the moment we checked in, he took care of us even taking us to our room for the check-in process.  He asked us if we were beach or pool people in which we responded beach people.  Every morning of our vacation, our butler set up a special spot on the beach for us with a fully stocked cooler for the day.  He also helped us set up a trip to Rick's Cafe which is home to the famous cliff divers and some of the world's most beautiful sunsets.  Our butler, Conrad, was amazing and I would highly recommend him to anyone who wants to go to Beaches Negril to experience this great level of service.

Beaches Negril is a perfect resort for anyone wanting to relax on the beach or have many options as far as water and land activities go.  I travel to Jamaica at least once a year and can't wait to go back!

For more information call me, Brandi, at  402-390-9291.

Sandals & Beaches Resorts in Jamaica

The Sandals/Beaches FAM this year was very informative. We toured 4 Sandals Resorts and 1 Beaches Resort. I have listed some great information about each resort below.

Sandals Grande Riviera

All I have to say is "WOW!" I stayed here last year and loved it, however they have had numerous changes. Sandals Grande Riviera has added 3 restaurants: Neptunes by the Sea, Kimonos, and Gordon's on the Pier for butler guests. Neptunes is a Mediterranean Seafood restaurant that sits right in the sand close to the ocean. Kimonos is a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant that has been added to the Riviera side. Gordon's on the Pier is an International Cuisine restaurant that has been built right on the pier giving dinner guests a great view of the ocean. The rooms at Sandals Ocho Rios have all been renovated, giving them a fresh and more contemporary feeling. I loved this resort and cannot wait to go back! 

Beaches Sandy Bay

This wonderful Beaches Resort sits beachfront in Ocho Rios. The cove-shaped beach is great for snorkeling and windsurfing which is included with your stay. About 95% of the rooms have been renovated with new furniture, drapes, and linens. The remaining rooms will be finished by the end of 2011. The pool area has added 2 large water slides for the kids and adults to enjoy. This is a great family resort as well as a great destination if you enjoy a laid-back, smaller resort atmosphere. 

Sandals Montego Bay

Our last night was spent at Sandals Montego Bay. The beach is AMAZING! It is one of the largest beaches in Jamaica and is very private. The resort has 5 star accommodations with most of the rooms having some kind of ocean view. A beachside grill was added which not only has fabulous brick oven pizza, but also Jamaica's famous jerk chicken and beef patties to grab for a quick snack. The water sports included at Sandals Montego Bay include glass bottom boat tours, water skiing, knee boarding, tubing, wakeboarding, snorkeling, and scuba diving. It's the only Sandals in Jamaica that includes all of these motorized water sports. 

Sandals Royal Caribbean

This is Jamaica's only resort with a private offshore island, housing an authentic Thai restaurant. It is also available for private rentals for weddings or corporate meetings. Sandals Royal Caribbean has magnificent swim-up crystal lagoon suites which are perfect for anyone wanting a room that's only seen in the movies. This British-style resort offers 5 great dining experiences that everyone will love. 

Sandals Carlyle 

Sandals Carlyle is the smallest of the Sandals resorts offering a great atmosphere and real Jamaican charm. Room service is included for all rooms 24 hours a day. All rooms have been renovated within the last year. There is a complimentary shuttle bus to the other Montego Bay Sandals Resorts so this is a great option for anyone on a budget. 

Palace Resorts in Cancun and Riviera Maya

Riviera Maya:

I just returned from visiting several of the Palace resorts in the Riviera Maya, Cancun, and Cozumel.  Each resort had similar restaurants, rooms, and amenities, but each resort had its own distinct personality.  Each room had a huge double occupancy Jacuzzi and a mini fridge that was restocked daily.  No matter what category you book, you receive 24-hour room service.  The room service menu had three full pages of items you could order.

The food was excellent.  I had some of the best sushi I have ever tasted at the restaurant Mo Mo No Ha Na.  The thing that I loved about each restaurant was that they each had a large menu with a variety of meals to choose from.  You could eat at the same restaurant every night and still try something new!

Playacar Palace had a beautiful white sand beach.  The resort was located within walking distance to downtown Playa del Carmen, where there were several shops, restaurants, bars and clubs.  This location is perfect for groups as well as couples.  The resort is located next to the ferry dock, where you can pay $13 for a ticket to go over to Cozumel where you can enjoy all the amenities at Cozumel Palace at no extra charge.

Cozumel Palace is great for scuba divers.  This area has some of the best snorkeling and scuba in the world.  The infinity pools are beautiful.  There were man-made sections of beach you could lay out on, but the majority of people were spending their time at the pool.  This resort does share exchange privileges with Playacar Palace, so if you are a beach person, you can always take the ferry.  My favorite part about this resort was their wedding gazebo located on the roof.  They provide the wedding party with connecting rooms to get ready in.  The bride has a secret door she can come out through and a long walkway to the gazebo.  The location of this gazebo is perfect for wedding photos!

Aventura Spa Palace and Aventura Cove were beautiful properties located next to each other.  This resort had an authentic look to it.    In front of the resort are lagoons, with man-made beaches.  The wedding photos we saw were very unique.  In the background were large rocks where you can get great photos of the waves crashing against them.  The wedding gazebos were all beach front!  We were taken on a horse-drawn carriage ride through the property, which is an option for wedding packages.  The spa was my favorite part about this resort.  This is the only resort where you can use your full amount of Vacation Dollars on spa alone.

Moon Palace was a very large property.  There are three sections to the property--Grand Moon, Nizuc, and Sunrise.  the Sunrise section is the largest of the three.  This area of the resort had the night club and the more active pool.  The Nizuc section was beauiful.  It is centrally located and has what they call the sporty pool.  They had a volleyball net, basketball hoop, and soccer was being played on the beach.  The newest section is the Grand Moon section.  This side was quiter and has a beautiful and relaxing pool.  They also have a gorgeous golf course on the property.  For those of you who enjoy golfing, I would recommend staying in the golf villas.  With this room, you are close to the golf course, and you get your own golf cart to use at your  convenience.  The beach was very long and narrow and the ocean was very calm.  The majority of the water activities were taking place here.  They have 15 restaurants and 16 bars to choose from at this property.

Cancun:

Sun Palace is located in Cancun, and is a couples only resort.  The white sand beach at this resort was beautiful.  They have several pools to choose from at this resort.  This resort only has 252 rooms so the service is very personalized.  The resort is located within walking distance to shops, restaurants, and bars in the Cancun area.  I loved the restaurant located on the rooftop!

LeBlanc was an extremely nice property.  The spa at this property was the nicest spa I have ever seen.  this resort is extremely classy.  The beach is absolutely beautiful.  There are three large pools and two of the infinity pools face toward the ocean.  There are two swim up pool bars.   This resort is a very nice, relaxing resort and is great for adults who want a truly luxurious vacation.