Sandals Montego Bay vs Negril – Which Is the Better Resort?

This post will explain the differences between Sandals Montego Bay and Negril Resorts in Jamaica, as well as Sandals Royal Caribbean. I was fortunate to experience all of these resorts and thought it might be helpful to share some firsthand photos and knowledge of our stay…. in case you just can’t decide which Sandals resort to stay at in Jamaica!

• Click here for Sandals Montego Bay’s current rates.
• Click here for Sandals Negril’s current rates.
• Click here for Sandals Royal Caribbean’s current rates. 
• Click here for current UK-specific Sandals Resort sales!

I wrote in-depth reviews of both Sandals Montego Bay and Negril if you would rather get into every little detail about our stay then….

• Click here for the Montego Bay review.
• Click here for the Negril review. 

Otherwise, I’ll share what I liked and didn’t like about each resort below, and which one was my personal favorite. 

If you are curious about what it is like to visit a Beaches/Sandals resort during COVID, please read this post.

Sandals Montego Bay Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Sandals Montego Bay is HUGE. It’s 26 acres of resort!
• Private beach – only Sandals guests get to use it. 
• Stay at 1 play at 2 – you can also experience the restaurants and activities at Sandals Royal Caribbean for no extra charge. 
• New over-the-water bar and chapel. (I really loved the bar!) 
• Recently renovated butler suites. (They are AMAZING. Click here for more pics.)
• 12 restaurants 
• It’s close to the airport – so, you don’t waste too much precious vacation time riding in a car.
• Kitties are free to roam the resort (but see cons…)

Cons:

• It’s close to the airport. This is also a con because you can hear the planes as they land and take off. But it’s not constant (maybe 5-8 planes in the late morning + early afternoon). 
• There are kitties who roam the resort, they are pretty well cared for. And I like cats… so, I loved that they were there. However, if you happen to not like cats, this could be annoying to you.

My Quick Opinion of Sandals Montego Bay:

This resort has A LOT going on and it has plenty of beach area to go around. While it’s a larger resort, it has a more private feeling too, as you aren’t right on top of all the other guests. It’s recently renovated too, and some of the rooms are brand new! We were fortunate enough to stay in one of their new butler suites and it was phenomenal – as was the butler service!

The planes could get a bit annoying, if we were having a conversation outside, we’d have to wait for the plane to pass. It wasn’t too terrible though, and they only fly at normal times of the day. (So, it’s not as though you’ll get woken up by an airplane taking off in the middle of the night.)

• Click here for Sandals Montego Bay’s current rates.
• Click here for current UK-specific Sandals Resort sales!

Sandals Negril Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The beach and water are simply GORGEOUS in Negril. I think Negril is one of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever seen. 
• Many of the rooms are right on top of the beach. You literally open your door and walk onto the beach! (See the photo below.) 
• 7 restaurants
• Sandals Negril has a quieter more romantic vibe. A very relaxed atmosphere. 

Cons:

• The beach here is rather narrow, and if you do have a room right on the beach… you will have a lot of foot traffic right outside your room door.
• It’s a smaller resort coming in at 12 acres (which can be a positive, though, if you’re looking for a more intimate experience).
• Not as many dining options as Sandals Montego Bay.
• It’s a long way from the airport. (It took us on average 1 1/2 hours to get to and from the Montego Bay airport.) But then… there are no planes flying over you!

My Quick Opinion of Sandals Negril:

Having a room practically on top of the beach was neat… but I can see how having that much foot traffic right outside your room can get a bit annoying. This didn’t make the room feel very private at all.

But that being said, the beach is PHENOMENAL here. So beautiful! Sandals Negril is definitely a more relaxed and intimate vibe than Sandals Montego Bay as well. 

• Click here for Sandals Negril’s current rates.
• Click here for current UK-specific Sandals Resort sales!

Sandals Royal Caribbean Pros and Cons

I didn’t actually stay at Sandals Royal Caribbean – I only came here to have lunch and tour the resort, so this Pros and Cons list is not as extensive, as I can’t say for sure what a stay here would be like.

Pros:

• Overwater bungalows!! There are overwater bungalows in the Caribbean folks and Sandals Royal Caribbean has them. 
• Close to the airport. (It’s not far from Sandals Montego Bay.) 
• Stay at 1 play at 2. Same deal as Montego Bay – you get access to all activities and restaurants at the Montego Bay resort too!
• You have access to a private island that is only a couple minute boat ride away. There are pools, bars and a restaurant on the island as well. 

Cons:

• Again, close to the airport. You’ll be able to hear planes taking off and landing – same as Montego Bay.
• Not much for beach area here. It’s made up for with the private island… but the resort itself hardly has any beach area. 
• Much smaller than Montego Bay at 15 acres. 

My Quick Opinion of Sandals Royal Caribbean:

I didn’t actually stay at this resort, so I can really only give first impressions for this resort – not a very well-formed opinion. However, this resort just left a bad taste in my mouth. I was touring this resort on a press trip* and the sales rep who was in charge of showing us around had such an attitude problem. Which, I know the average person staying at this resort is not going to be dealing with their sales department… so who cares? But I had met various other members of the staff at the other two resorts and these staff members were all SO nice and excited to be working for Sandals. It was nice to see at the other two resorts just how happy the various levels of employees were… and disappointing to have such a snotty employee showing us around here.

The overwater bungalows are super cool, though..as is the private island! I’m not sure if this makes up for the fact that there is hardly any beach area, though…

• Click here for Sandals Royal Caribbean’s current rates. 
• Click here for current UK-specific Sandals Resort sales!

So… Which Resort Is My Favorite? 

Sandals Montego Bay was the winner for me! (Pictured above.) I personally loved how large this resort is and all the different dining options were great. The fact it is so large and spread out made it feel more private… as the guests weren’t right on top of each other. The recent renovation to this resort was really well-done too! 

That being said, I really don’t have anything against Sandals Negril – other than the drive and the rooms not being very private feeling (as most are right on top of the beach). It’s a really nice resort that I would return to in a heartbeat. I also think if I were to have a destination wedding, Sandals Negril would be a better option, given that it has a more intimate feeling and you would be married on the most stunning beach! I just personally had a better experience staying at Sandals Montego Bay.

Sandals Royal Carribean has some interesting aspects to it with the private island and the over-the-water bungalows. I would be curious to stay at this resort if I could stay in one of those bungalows! Which, you can reserve them for a minimum of 3 nights and then transfer to another resort for the rest of your vacation… I would be interested in doing that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any desire to go back to this resort. It just didn’t quite seem to live up to Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Negril in terms of beaches and experience for me. 

• Click here for Sandals Montego Bay’s current rates.
• Click here for Sandals Negril’s current rates.
• Click here for Sandals Royal Caribbean’s current rates. 
• Click here for current UK-specific Sandals Resort sales!

If you are thinking of purchasing a trip to Sandals Resorts – I appreciate you clicking my links before doing so. I make a small commission off any purchase made through my website. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make this blog possible!

If anyone has any questions about any of these resorts – please feel free to ask in the comments section at the end of the post! I would also be curious to hear your experience if you’ve stayed at any of these resorts? 

I wrote in-depth reviews of both Sandals Montego Bay and Negril if you would rather get into every little detail about our stay then….

• Click here for the Montego Bay review.
• Click here for the Negril review. 

If you are curious about what it is like to visit a Beaches/Sandals resort during COVID, please read this post.

Travel Insurance

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*Press trip (a.k.a. FAM Trip) – these are trips where I do not pay for my stay. The resort or hotel where I am staying pays for my stay and expenses. I am never required to write a positive review about my experience, and for this press trip with Sandals, I wasn’t required to write anything at all! They just wanted Have Clothes, Will Travel to experience their resorts.

I am writing this review because I thought it would be helpful to my readers – Sandals does not compensate me for a positive review. I do believe this is a good place to go for an all-inclusive vacation! (If you need proof that I do indeed write negative reviews for trips like these that I do not enjoy, check out this post.)

However, I do make a small commission if you click my Sandals links in this post and make a purchase. I appreciate you supporting the businesses that make this blog possible!