Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma

Stayed a few nights during our holiday

Positives : Definitely the location and the beach it has the perfect setting The wrist bands which has your door key The food was actually decent and a good range

Negatives: We found some of the staff particularly at the food halls to be unwelcoming and cold, often not talking and just using hand gestures The property could do with some adjustments and re decoration confusing the price you pay for your stay Our room was not ready at 4:30 and check in is at 3, however we were upgraded to a different room due to this

Overall we did enjoyed our stay for a short break but wouldn’t stay longer than 4/5 days

The below is an honest review of the advertised Azul Negril 5 Star Luxury Resort.

This is not a 5 star luxury resort and would rate it 3 stars, and that would be generous. I have stayed in better 3 star hotels for a significantly less cost at the same time of year.

Do not believe that the photos on the resort & travel agents websites, they are in no way reflective of the actual condition of the resort.

Where do I start?

Rooms: The room allocated on arrival was not representative of the accommodation advertised on the hotel's own website. The issues included: • Furniture was painted white, worn and damaged, and did not match
• Bathroom was dated and not cleaned to an acceptable standard. • No bathrobes or slippers were provided • Sound dock was not present. • Toilet door would not close properly. • Balcony door could only be opened and closed with force and slamming it. • No table was provided on the balcony. • Bolt missing from glass balcony meaning it was unsafe. • Balcony furniture consisted of worn plastic chairs • A heavy metal section of the shower door detached because it had not been fitted correctly. This presented a significant safety risk and could easily have caused injury. • The wardrobe was located within the bathroom, resulting in clothing becoming damp due to steam from the shower. • The outdoor circular daybed bore little resemblance to that shown in promotional photographs. The cushions were dirty, the retractable canopy was missing, and the frame was deteriorating. • Although we had booked and paid for a Deluxe Sea View Room, the sea view was almost entirely obscured by palm trees.

After 3 nights we were moved to another room however replacement room suffered from many of the same issues, including: • The outdoor daybed again did not resemble that shown in promotional photographs, having no cushions initially, no retractable canopy, and a deteriorating frame. Two cushions were only supplied after we specifically requested them. • Shower gel was not replenished daily and had to be requested repeatedly. • Towels were not replaced consistently. • The bathroom was extremely small for a room marketed as Deluxe and only had one sink where a his & hers are advertised

Resort Areas: The overall condition of the resort fell well below the standard expected of a five-star property. • Broken, damaged and unrepaired decking throughout outdoor walkways and seating areas. These have the potential for someone to have a serious accident, especially to someone wearing high healed shoes and small children • Damaged and broken spindles on bridges crossing the swimming pools. • Extensive flaking external paintwork on several buildings.

Beach: Promotional photographs show cushioned sunbeds with a parasol for every pair of loungers. In reality, there were very few parasols available outside the Prestige area, no cushions on sunbeds, and many parasols were unsafe, requiring ropes to secure them due to missing fixing pins. Though there were wicker covered cozy beds these did not provide shade from early afternoon. When showing resort customer care the website photo they smiled and said " I have worked here for several years and have never seen the beach laid out like that"

However on a positive note the beach is spotlessly clean, nice sand and water is clear. Good selection of non-motorised watersports equipment, paddleboards, Kayaks & Hobby cats

Restaurants & Bars: Several were either closed throughout our stay or operated on a much more limited basis than advertised. Closed Throughout Our Stay • Indigo Denim Bar. • Gourmet Corner Snack Restaurant adjacent to the main reception.

Palms Restaurant: Upon arrival we were advised this restaurant was available for breakfast only. However, it remained closed for breakfast throughout our stay. It occasionally opened for dinner when the Mahogany Restaurant was closed, although this was never communicated via the hotel app or resort information.

Mahogany Restaurant Our experience at the main buffet restaurant was consistently disappointing. • The majority of staff were unhelpful and unfriendly, although there were a small number of exceptions. • On our first evening we were never approached to be offered water or drinks during the entire meal. • Food quality was poor Breakfast items, particularly the sausages and hash browns, sat in pools of liquid fat in the bottom of the trays. • The only available four-slice toaster required approximately seven to eight minutes to toast bread. • Empty food stations were frequently left unreplenished. On more than one occasion bacon, beans, scrambled eggs and sausages remained unavailable for more than ten minutes. • We were sometimes seated at tables that had not been laid, despite numerous clean and fully prepared tables being available. • Breakfast tea bags were unavailable on three consecutive mornings, forcing us to use those supplied in our room.

Specialty Restaurants: Ackee Jamaican, Di Romana Italian and Hua Hin Asian were not all open each day, significantly limiting the dining options available despite these restaurants forming part of the advertised facilities Ackee & Di Romana - Decent food, good staff Hua Hin - Limited options, some areas of room are nice others are a bit drab. Service was poor first visit, good second visit.

Summary In my opinion, Azul Beach Resort Negril falls significantly short of the five-star standard under which it is marketed by both Travel Agents and the hotel itself. The accommodation, facilities, maintenance, food quality, service and overall presentation were consistently below the standard reasonably expected of a luxury five-star resort. Several advertised facilities were unavailable throughout our stay, the room was not as described, and many maintenance issues remained unresolved and are a safety hazard. Having stayed in numerous three-star and five-star hotels, I would rate this resort no higher than three stars, and even that assessment is generous.

Please refer to my photos.

We had such high hopes for this resort, but unfortunately it fell well below what we’d expect from a five-star hotel.

The resort was generally unclean, and even after moving rooms we still found cockroaches. Housekeeping was inconsistent, towels regularly weren’t replaced, and the mini fridge was rarely stocked as promised. On more than one occasion we waited up to two days for it to be refilled, despite reporting it.

The service was equally disappointing. While a handful of staff were fantastic, several others were rude, and we even experienced staff tutting if they weren’t given tips. Tips should be a reward for good service, not something guests feel pressured into giving.

The food was another let-down. We travelled to Jamaica hoping to enjoy authentic Jamaican cuisine, but instead we were repeatedly offered Mexican and Chinese-themed nights. It felt like the resort had forgotten where it was. We wanted to experience Jamaica, not menus we could find almost anywhere else.

Entertainment was practically non-existent. On the nights there was entertainment, it often felt completely disconnected from the destination. Silent discos? A Michael Jackson tribute show? They may be enjoyable elsewhere, but they don’t exactly scream “Jamaica.” We came expecting reggae, live Jamaican music, steel drums, cultural performances and local entertainment, but there was very little of that throughout our stay.

The biggest disappointment was that the resort lacked any real Jamaican identity. Aside from the beautiful scenery, it could have been located anywhere in the world.

The people who genuinely made our holiday were the beach security team and a few of the lifeguards. They were friendly, welcoming, and always happy to chat or help. They deserve recognition because they provided the warm Jamaican hospitality that the rest of the resort was missing.

Jamaica is an incredible country with an amazing culture, but sadly this resort didn’t showcase it. For the price we paid, we expected a luxury five-star experience and an authentic taste of Jamaica. Unfortunately, we got neither. I hope management takes these comments seriously because this resort has so much potential, but in its current state, I wouldn’t return.