Guest User
February 12, 2025
We were very disappointed with the service at Sandals Negril. The miserly level of service was apparent from check-in, where we were presented with a computer tablet to do our own check-in, no welcome drink and no significant contact with a human being. The front desk staff had no record of a spa gift certificate that had been pre-paid from Canada. It took three prolonged visits to the front desk and a call to our travel agent in Canada to sort this out. We were told repeatedly that the problem would be resolved, only to find on the following day it had not been sorted out and the new set of front desk staff knew nothing about the problem. When we were finally provided with the spa gift certificate, they gave us an additional $50 gift certificate for our trouble. However, it took us at least one hour of wrangling to get Sandals to apply the $50 against a gift shop purchase. A note in our room informed us the main buffet restaurant was undergoing emergency repairs that would be finished in two days. Walking through the work site every day, it was clear that everything was being replaced, and it was far from finished the day we left. There were barely enough chairs on the beach to accommodate everyone, so we needed to go out and mark our chairs before 7 am. There were no staff available on the beach to provide additional chairs. Staff shortages resulted in long waits at the coffee shop and failure to ensure the do-it-yourself coffee machine (located in the middle of the construction site) had sufficient milk. The range of fruits and vegetables available in restaurants was very limited. Other menu items were often unavailable. What was advertised as beef tenderloin was beef, but definitely not tenderloin. I expect these types of shortages in Cuba because of the American embargo. I don’t expect them in Jamaica. In previous years, we stayed at the Hyatt Zilaria in Montego Bay where the staff were always professional and friendly, the food was always generous and high quality, and you could always find an empty chair on the beach regardless of the time of day. Therefore, I am sure the problem with Sandals Negril lies with the Sandals corporate management who appear to have been far too aggressive in cutting costs for staff, food and supplies. We will go back to Jamaica, but we will never go back to any Sandals any where in the Caribbean.