Beaches Negril is still a few steps behind that. In fact, if you go to my YouTube page you can see I have a video from my stay in the same room category in 2015 and then again this year and you can see the differences. We were in room 317, the Tropical Beachfront Concierge King (BCK) category.

Here is the video from our stay in 2015:

Here is the video from this stay in 2022:

The bathroom is also set up so the sink and closet are in an entry area, then there is a door and the toilet and tub are in that little room together. It's great for being able to use the sink when someone is in the toilet. But there is no door separating the sink area from the bedroom area and there is also no way to turn the light in the bathroom on without turning one in the one in the sink area. Which means, late nights you have to sit in the bathroom in the pitch black so no bright light is on keeping everyone in the room up. It also means you can't use the bathroom light as a nigh-light like we do at most hotels.

Also, there is also nothing in the room to help keep the floor of the tub from being super slippery. Several times while showering off my son he slipped and fell in the tub. It would have been nice if they provided those anti-slip mats like many hotels have standard in their bathrooms. If you think that may be a problem, consider bringing a cheap Dollar Tree anti-slip bath mat you can use and toss.

Otherwise, the room fit us well. We would have loved a one or two bedroom, but at the time we booked space was very limited so we went with the best possible option we could find.

There is construction going on at the resort, as they're adding the new village at the end of the property. Our room overlooked that construction. They aren't very far along in their work, so we didn't hear much of anything but as the work progresses the noise may be an issue for anyone traveling with small kids who will need mid-day naps. Then again, Miles was so exhausted from running around all day he probably would have slept through a high speed train going by the room at that point. Construction was from around 9-5 every day, which most of it was while we were out of the room and didn't affect us much. If you're on the ground floor you won't see any of it because they have privacy walls erected which have photos of renderings of what the finished products will look like. Here are a few of the photos I took.

 

The room renderings look gorgeous and I can't wait to see them in person some day soon. It's a much needed luxury addition to this property. But I would have loved to see some money go into giving a proper facelift to the full property first (more on this to come).

Back to our room... our son slept on the trundle bed, but we didn't trust he wouldn't fall off of the top one since he moves so much in his sleep. So the top trundle ended up being a place we left our suitcases for easy access to clothes we needed, and then we pulled the bottom trundle out and wedged it in the corner of the room and built a little pillow fort around it in case he rolled out of it.

Everything else we needed we had in our room. There was a mini-fridge with apple juice, water, and we could request beer and in-room liquor if we wanted. When there are kids in the room they don't generally automatically put it in there, they ask if you want it added. We aren't drinkers, so we didn't bother to request it.

The AC unit was perfect the whole stay. Blew out ice cold air and kept the room frigid, just how you want it while on vacation in the tropics. We never had an issue with anything electrical. We never ran out of places to plug things in. There are USB plugs on the alarm clocks and in the bedside table lamps which meant we had plenty of places to plug in smart devices to charge without needing a wall outlet.

I book a lot of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, and like I mentioned, I travel there regularly. I know the ins and outs of the different room categories and the secrets to understanding their long and confusing names. This is one of the few times I've felt the resort chain needs to rename their category. This "beachfront" is not a beachfront view at all. It's an "ocean view", if that. At other Sandals properties this would be named "ocean view" or "tropical view" with "limited ocean view" in the description. I'm sure if the construction wasn't going on the view would be much less limited, but I definitely think any BCK rooms in the Santa Cruze building need to be renamed to "ocean view".

I'm going to start off by saying this resort is absolutely perfect for families with toddlers. The fact that we could easily get around the entire resort in just a few minutes and everything we needed was just steps from our room made this property incredibly easy to navigate with a little one. By day two he knew where everything was and could basically lead us where he wanted to go. We would definitely travel here again before we made the trip to Beaches Ochi or Beaches Turks with him at this age.

The only downside was we both felt the resort needed a facelift to bring it into the new era of Sandals/Beaches. I'm sure it will happen soon, especially with the new room block coming, and we look forward to seeing it when it does.

The grounds are meticulously kept, like with all of the properties. There are beautiful flowers, shrubs, and towering palm trees all over the resort. At night everything is lit up and the sound of the tree frogs provides the most relaxing sounds that remind you that you're in paradise.

Everything is clean and taken care of on property. We saw staff working night and day to keep the resort maintained and they did an excellent job. But, bear in mind, the resort is older and shows many obvious signs of wear and tear. I look forward to what it will look like in the future when they can finally give it the updates it deserves.

 

This is where the resort really shines. The staff here truly goes out of their way to be helpful and make your day. It's clear they love seeing kids day in and day out, and their faces light up every time they interact with the kids which makes the little one's vacations that much better.

For example, Stephanie at the breakfast buffet greeted our son with a big smile when we arrived for breakfast the second morning. She reached out and took his hand and walked him to the table where she helped him sit down in his chair and unfold his napkin. He was in awe of her the entire time.

We also checked out the live shows at night. One evening, right after the Sesame Street character tuck-in we booked (more on that below) our son was too wired to go to bed, so we walked the whole resort in his pajamas and ended up at the live show in the theater. Instead of being on the dance floor running around like the other kids, he was curious about the stage and started trying to go up onto the stage (we later realized he was trying to get back stage to find Cookie Monster and Elmo, who he saw go back there earlier in the evening). One of the playmakers saw him and decided to bring him up on stage in the middle of the show and dance with him. Of course, our son just wanted Elmo and Cookie monster, so he was confused and then came down with stage freight which made the moment even cuter. It was very sweet that the playmaker went out of his way to do that. I just wished in the moment we'd gotten his name.

We also loved Annesia at the BBQ pit. She always had a bright smile for our son and knew his order and brought it to him. She would stop and talk to him and he'd put on his shy flirtation act with her.

Dwight from the XBox lounge was great, too. By the end of our stay he knew exactly what Miles wanted to play with and they would fist bump each other. On our last day, Dwight was inside the booth at his desk and when we went to leave Miles stopped at the door and knocked on it. He didn't want to leave until Dwight came out and he could get his fist bump. It was pretty precious.

Nickesha at YoYo's was also wonderful with Miles. YoYo's was his favorite spot on resort, hands down. He ate there breakfast, lunch and dinner, and sometimes in between. Anytime she was there she'd get a big smile when he would walk in. She got a big kick out of how on the first day he was pretty conservative about his ice cream, just a little bit and some sprinkles. By the last day he had a cup overflowing with ice cream and pretty much every single topping they had (by his own doing).

There were so many staff members who we got names of and many we didn't, all who helped make our vacation so memorable. The staff at this resort shine.

The entertainment staff was great. Miles enjoyed the nightly Sesame Street show that started at 6PM every night (except for the night of the Sesame Street Parade). We would make our way into the theater after dinner and watch the show while we enjoyed ice cream from Cafe de Paris right nearby. The kids would always rush the stage and dance around. It took him a little while to warm up but he enjoyed dancing along with them eventually.

The show is only 30 minutes long. Around 8PM the entertainment staff comes out and does regular entertainment like songs and dancing. We only caught that one night and Miles enjoyed dancing to the Electric Slide.

This is another area where this resort shines. Having been to all the Sandals and Beaches properties, I have to say Beaches Negril knocks it out of the park when it comes to the food. I've felt this way since my visit in 2015, so it's nice to know they're still doing it right.

Soy - This is our absolute favorite place to dine while at Sandals/Beaches. Some resorts it's a hit or a miss and this Soy is always a hit. The restaurant is indoors, which is nice when you need the air conditioning. But there is also lovely outdoor seating if you don't mind the heat. We choose indoor. They also were able to accommodate Miles and bring him just plain white rice and soy sauce, despite it not being on the menu.

The Venetian - This is the Italian restaurant on property and is the only restaurant that has a "resort evening" dress code [see our blog post about breaking down the Sandals/Beaches dress code here]. This meant we had to put long pants and nice shoes on our toddler. Surprisingly, he did well with it. We let him order his own drink (he picked a sweet tea) and butter his own bread. He even kept the napkin on his lap until it slid off. He ate pasta in white cream sauce.

Mariachi - We did try eating here once for lunch. My husband tried the quesadilla (which he said was a bit bland and he probably wouldn't get again) and we both tried the Mahi fish tacos which were delicious. We got the fried Mac and Cheese balls for Miles to try, but he barely touched them. I ended up eating them and they were very good.

Kimonos - Hibachi is our family favorite at home, so Miles was very excited to see a hibachi restaurant at the resort. Our chef was excellent. She kept us all laughing and Miles danced and clapped and sang along with her through it all. He even ended up trying some of the meat and fish because he saw us eating it all. It's one of the reasons we loved traveling here with a toddler, because they can try anything they want and it doesn't cost any money to order food he may not end up liking.

The Mill - This is the only buffet restaurant on property and it's located near the theater and overlooks the main pool. Breakfast is the same every day with a varieties of fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads, and eggs. There is also an omelet station and a fresh smoothie station.

We didn't dine here for lunch, as the BBQ Park was our son's favorite spot. For dinner each night they do a different themes. I believe it was Italian, French, Seafood, Indian and Jamaican (the beach party). When the beach party happens on Thursday night, they move the buffet out to the beach on the other side of the pool, unless weather is an issue and then the beach party will be indoors at The Mill.

We did dine there two nights for dinner and it was when they had their French and Italian menus. The food was good and it gave us a nice spot to watch the sunset in the distance. 

There were plenty of different things to try. On Italian night Miles ended up eating three small plates of cut up penne that was supposed to be used for the Minestrone soup. He couldn't get enough of it. That night they had "make your own pasta" and it was very good. Not as good as the Venetian upstairs, but great for a quick service meal. 

For the French night we barely got to eat because there wasn't much Miles was interested in, so we sampled a little bit of things as quickly as possible and then got our hangry toddler to the BBQ Park for his favorite meal. That's the beauty of an all-inclusive resort with a toddler.

The BBQ Park - This is the place our son practically lived at for the entire trip. Between the BBQ Park and YoYo's, he basically went back and forth like a ping pong ball. He affectionately named this place "Happy" in reference to McDonald's happy meals, because he always ordered chicken nuggets and fries. Every day we'd get out of the pool when he announced he was hungry and we'd make our way over to the little courtyard in front of the BBQ Park. One of us would go up and order the food and the other two would grab a table. While our toddler lived on chicken nuggets and fries, we tried different menu items. I liked the Jerk Chicken and coco bread best (always my favorite). The Memphis BBQ chicken was good, as was the cheeseburger. My husband tried the Mahi wrap and loved that. The only thing we didn't try was the pulled pork, although the idea of pulled pork on coco bread sounds delicious and now I'm kicking myself thinking about how great that would have been. Several times we grabbed this food to go but we also enjoyed being able to sit there and dry off while we ate, too.

Cafe de Paris - This is a cute little coffee shop that we loved to stop into for coffee, tea, and even hot chocolate. I know the idea of drinking hot chocolate in a hot climate sounds crazy, but their hot chocolate is just too good to pass up. Of course, our toddler loved that he could pop in there at 8am after breakfast and order cookies and ice cream. 

Dino's Pizza - I'm really bummed to say we only ate here once. Total rookie mistake on our part. Our son loves pizza and because this was located across the resort, we didn't spend much time over there. But one afternoon my husband ran down to Concierge for something and decided to pick up a pie to go and bring it back to the room for when Miles woke up from his nap. The kid devoured it like he'd never eaten before. Definitely one of the better Dino's Pizzas we've eaten on our Sandals/Beaches trips.

YoYo's Frozen Yogurt - There is no limit to the amount of ice cream our toddler can consume while on vacation. We've tested it. This was by far the highlight of our son's trip. When I say he camped out in front of this place every morning, I'm not exaggerating. Because our room was right behind the YoYo's building, he'd ask for it every time we went to or from the room. We started having to take the long way around the building just to keep him from asking when we knew it was closed. He'd eat some and then a moment later he'd ask for more. I can't even explain how happy this place made him. He'd scream "ice cream truck" the moment it was in sight (all ice cream shops are "ice cream trucks" to him). The variety of flavors and toppings were plentiful and it was a nice place to sit down and eat something cold in the air conditioning.

Room Service - Something important to note, if you're familiar with the Sandals brand you may expect that a Concierge (Club) level room will have room service. That is NOT the case at any of the Beaches properties (as of right now). The only way to get in-room meals is to order at the restaurant and bring the food back to your room or if you have a butler level room, you can request the butler bring food to the room. That's an unfortunate downside, as other family-friendly all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico do offer 24/7 room service (even for all level rooms), which is helpful for families with little kids who need mid-day naps or get tired out early in the evening.

This was one of those places we didn't even think about taking our toddler until we were looking for somewhere other than the room or YoYo's to take a break from the heat. Once inside he was pretty much in awe of everything. Not many kids were in there but I put him down in a chair and thought I'd just let him pretend to play like we do at home. Dwight, the guy who managed the lounge, came over immediately and asked if he could put something on for Miles. I told him sure but explained that he didn't really know how to play, he just liked to press the buttons. Imagine my surprise when Dwight put on Paw Patrol. Talk about knowing your audience. Miles' eye lit up and the game was so easy he quickly figured out what buttons to press to make them jump and run. He was having a great time. 

But, as with all toddlers, their attention span is pretty short. After a little while he wanted to check the whole place out, so we walked around the small rooms. What caught his attention most was a race car game tucked into the corner. It had a bucket seat and a steering wheel and peddles. He ran to it. Dwight explained it didn't work right now, but I told him that wasn't a problem. My son's obsessed with pretending to drive cars, and he sat in that seat staring at a blank screen for at least a half an hour, getting up to press the peddles and making race car sounds as he turned the wheel back and forth. Best part was that there was a nice cushioned couch right across from it that my husband and I could relax on while he had fun. That became our go-to place to get out of the heat for a little while and let him have some fun.

I'm a little embarrassed to say we didn't use the Kids Club at all. We had two reasons - one, Miles was still getting over a cold and still had a slight runny nose and cough. They ask you not to bring your children if they have any cold symptoms. But also, he was in that in-between age group where he isn't a baby but isn't potty trained to go with the older toddlers. We felt we'd hold off until he was potty trained before we sent him to Camp Sesame. There will be plenty of years to come for him to enjoy it. We did think the activities they had scheduled looked like fun.

The staff did seem really good with the kids. We saw them throughout the resort walking with their little groups and playing games with them. At one point we were on the beach next to a group playing beach games and Miles was having a meltdown over the fact he couldn't play on the blue tractor the resort uses to clean the sand. It was one of those times where he was completely inconsolable. My husband ran back to the room for something we forgot and I was left there with a two year old kicking and crying on the sand.

One of the Kids Came counselors came over and asked if I could use some help with him. I'd never felt so embarrassed in my life, but I was also feeling exhausted and over it all, so I let her have a try. She got down and talked to him and invited him to play with the big kids in the group. While he didn't want to go with her, he did calm down a lot after that because she'd distracted him. Moments later he was in the ocean with us laughing up a storm. Typical toddler... am I right?

They have a schedule up on the wall by the gift shop which shows what activities are done each day. Bring a plain white t-shirt for your kids for the weekly tie-dying activity. We saw the shirts hanging up to dry and they all looked so cool.

We'd done the character breakfast in the past on a work trip to Beaches Ocho Rios, so we had an idea of how it went. We figured Miles would enjoy it and allow him to see and meet all of the characters up close with a guaranteed interaction. At only $14 per adult and $18 per child, it was worth the money. That price included a la carte breakfast, character cupcakes, drinks, Sesame Street table decorations with a party hat and a party horn, a finger puppet (we got Cookie Monster with a chef's hat on), and a covered cup with a straw.