Beaches Boscobel, Ochos Rios, Jamaica
Travel Dates: June 5-12, 2008

Our family chose Beaches Boscobel based on the reviews of fellow Trip Advisors and the recommendation of a travel agent who promotes Sandals/Beaches properties. The all-inclusive aspect combined with the kids activities were the main factors that sealed the deal for us. All together eight of us went including me, my husband, & our two boys (ages 3 & 5) and my sister, her husband & their two kids (boy, age 7 and girl, age 10). Although I have traveled to many different Caribbean all-inclusive and non-inclusive destinations including a previous stay at Sandals, this is the first time I have gone to an all-inclusive family resort with the kids.

A bumpy start: Days 1 & 2--
After landing in Montego Bay and clearing customs we easily found our way to the Sandals/Beaches lounge in the airport. After approximately ten minutes we boarded a bus that took us to the Beaches property. We were expected to and we tipped the guy who toted our luggage from the lounge and loaded it onto the bus. Some of the less positive commentaries about the bus ride on Trip Advisor made me a little skeptical about the trip but I did not find it to be uncomfortable in any way. I was mentally prepared for three cramped sweaty hours of winding, narrow roads; hairpin turns on the edges of cliffs, and extremely hazardous driving. Instead I got a nice air conditioned mini bus with lots of room and a lovely two-hour coastal drive through Jamaica. You will see your share of third-world country conditions and devastating poverty on the trip to Ocho Rios but you will also see rich tropical landscapes, interesting wildlife, and colorful houses perched on hilltops.

When we arrived, we tipped our driver (expected), identified our luggage, and were welcomed by a few Beaches staff members who offered us Champagne, beer, non-alcoholic punch and rum punch. One staff member escorted us to the lobby where check-in went smoothly. Four months prior when we made the reservation my sister and I requested adjoining or connecting rooms. Regrettably, our rooms were separated by one occupied room which connected to ours. Our room was located around the corner from my sisters. The purser left before we had a chance to react to the fact that we were not at all in proximity physically or visually. While the rest of my family went to find something to eat I waited first in our room and then at the front desk for a supervisor to return from lunch. After about a half hour I was escorted into the manager’s office and told that there was nothing they could do about our room situation and there was no way we could change rooms at any time during the trip if we wanted to stay next to each other. It was starting to feel to me like the Beaches approach to service is “no problem” as long as there is no problem. Disappointed, I returned to the room, unpacked and joined my family for dinner.

We went on an orientation tour of the resort after dinner. Unfortunately, the first things the Beaches guide talked about were excursions, photos, the gift shop, and the spa—all the stuff that costs extra. I was starting to feel nickeled and dimed but the guide ended up informing us about the inclusive stuff too. The tour was followed by an adorable live Sesame Street show on the main stage. My kids really enjoyed the characters and the singing.

After spending most of the day traveling we were all pooped and retired early to bed. I pulled out the couch on my own for the kids and called room service to request some blankets for the bed. It took them 45 minutes and two calls to make the delivery. It also turned out that our rooms faced the nightly live entertainment which didn’t stop playing until around 11 pm. The bass from the band was so strong our walls actually vibrated and both families could not sleep. The next morning, my husband did the talking to the same manager and a miracle happened…All of a sudden two adjacent ocean front rooms opened up and we were relocated to them right away.

Though somewhat smaller, the oceanfront rooms were more private, cleaner (except for the pullout sofa and blankets- grungy), and in better condition than our previous “premier” level rooms. Once we moved in we were much happier with our situation. Both families shared a balcony which allowed us to get together at night after putting the kids to bed. By the way, the picture of the rooms on the website showing a step down into a sitting area was not our norm… The rooms we stayed in were on one flat level. The kids slept on the pull-out right next to us.

During Our Stay
We dropped the kids off for their first day of kids camp at 9:00am. The counselors appeared to be caring, competent, and security conscious. The activities that they had planned for the morning looked fun. My 10 year old niece was escorted to an 8-12 year old room, while my 5 year old son and 7 year old nephew went to another room, and my three year old was stuck in a room with mostly infants (0-3 years). He was not happy because he expected to play with and do the same activities as his brother. When I asked if he could join the 4-7 year olds, I was told no (another disappointment). Figuring that my three year old would get into the groove of things, I left.

During our first day we discovered that Appeltons bar is one of the best kept secrets on the compound. Although the chairs are not especially comfortable, the view is spectacular no matter where you sit.

Drinks
I am not a big drinker at home but I have been known to throw back a few on vacation and run up quite a bar tab so I was looking forward to excess imbibing at all-inclusive Beaches. Unfortunately I didn’t get my money’s worth but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Every bar at the resort served drinks in minuscule 6 oz plastic cups. I had to order two of every drink and it took the bartenders a fair amount of time to whip them up. Trying to carry the little cups down to the beach four floors (if the elevator was broken or wait was too long) was too challenging and not worth the effort. Most of the drink promotions and specials were rum drinks because rum is produced in Jamaica and therefore less expensive to pour than other hard alcohol drinks. Consequently, the 6 oz cups were mostly full of dark rum. They melted quickly and took some getting used to.

Since Beaches is known for service I figured that waiters would have trays of drinks to hand out or at least have staff circulating and taking beverage orders. Even though the pool and beach area was brimming with workers who didn’t look busy, only one trainee did that. His name was Ricardo and he was very nice but it took him at least ½ hour to come back with drinks. He also spent a lot of time trying to get us to book a photo session so he could earn a referral fee if we bought pictures. I am the first to admit that I am lazy on vacation and don’t like to constantly go get drinks but for the money I expected better drink service with fresh fruit ingredients and garnishes in large cups or even glasses. After day two, I splurged on an $8 plastic cup from the gift shop to hold my ice water while I was not near a bar.

One other big problem with the little cups is that none of them had lids. A family-oriented resort with lots of small children should provide spill-proof cups as a regular staple. So many cups containing sticky, syrupy drinks were knocked over by kids that the wait staff was kept busy with mops and sponges. Lids and straws would have prevented a lot of extra clean up duty.

Food
The food was what I expected so I was not disappointed. However, I expected less redundancy and better preparation for the price I paid. The jerk chicken was phenomenal and most other foods native to the Caribbean were well prepared. There was fresh fruit served with almost every meal but a lot of it was not cut or peeled. Oranges and apples were placed on fruit trays whole and mangoes and papaya was served in huge cut up chunks with skins on and pits/seeds still in place. Again for the four-star cost, I think they could at least core the apples and peel skin off of the fruit. The dull knives at the tables were hard to work with. We found out about half way into our trip that they did have a stash of plated peeled fruit but you had to ask for it.

The staff at the restaurants worked hard to keep the places clean. I never saw dirty dishes or tables during my dining experiences. There was a really yummy ice cream machine (it was only broken for one day) and they had one staff member dedicated to filling the machine and keeping the counters clean and bug-free. He did a great job. All other non-native food like cold-cuts and Italian entrees were mediocre.

Kids Club
I was hoping the Kid’s Club would live up to its fabulous Trip Advisor reputation but I have to say this was one of the biggest let-downs of our Jamaican get-away. My first impression was good. The caregivers greeted me and my sons warmly when I went to drop them off. My five year old and his seven year old cousin were assigned to the same group so leaving them was no problem. My three year old really wanted to be with his older brother but the caretakers insisted that he stay in the 0-3 year old group. This was bad news because infants comprised most of the population with the exception of my son and a couple of younger toddlers. After prying my three year old off of me, we dropped off my ten year old niece, who was put into a group of mostly eight year olds so she was not very enthusiastic.
My sister and I read Kid’s Club daily itinerary and were alarmed to notice that the kids were given only one forty-five minute time slot for swimming (either at the beach or the pool, depending on the day) each 8-12 hour day. That is not enough water time, especially when the resort is equipped with a kid water park with lots of waterslides and fountains. Maybe my three year old would be satisfied with that amount but the other kids were severely disappointed. Since the kid pools were only open from 9-5, the responsibility fell on us to pick up the kids from the club if we wanted them to have more time in the water. Consequently, we retrieved the kids around lunchtime and took them to the pools for a few hours each day. Lunchtime was a great time to pick the kids up because it prevented a trip up three floors to get the kids and because the food offered to the club kids lacked any semblance of nutrition. There were no vegetables like carrot sticks or fruits to accompany the faux chicken nuggets and fries that they served daily. I had to write instructions in the sign up book not to give my kids soda or too many sweets.

Most of the fun activities at the camp were planned for the morning anyway but I couldn’t sign up for the adult water sports in the afternoon because I knew I would have my kids with me. Activities called “chill-out time” followed by “movie time” which involved a lot of sitting around were scheduled at the club after lunch. Until lunchtime I tried to stay away from the kids camp activities as much as possible to avoid seeing the kids and risking a possible meltdown. On one occasion I ran into my son in a common area and he clung to me like he was holding on for dear life. After the scene ended, the camp counselor chastised me for allowing him to see me. Unlike the children of other Trip Advisor contributors, my kids (who are accustomed to day camps and usually enjoy themselves) begged me not to drop them off and were elated to see me at pick up. They did not want to stay. I noticed a lot of other parents not taking full advantage of the Kids Club.

One of the other major flaws of the camp was the staff. Although they were friendly, they did not seem particularly engaged with the kids. When we dropped the kids off on days 2 & 3 the same counselors would reintroduce themselves as if it was the kids first day, asking the kids their names and whether it was their first day of camp. I had to remind them on two separate occasions that they already knew my kids. With only 5-10 kids in each group, I thought they would at least be able to remember first names. When we were by the pool one day we observed the kids for their 45 minute water time and noticed the counselors did not want to get wet so they hung around the side of the pool albeit keeping an eye on the kids but talking to each other. I rarely saw the counselors playing with or genuinely enjoying the children during the duration of my stay.

The final straw happened when my sister and her husband left the kids at Kids Club during dinner time. After their meal as they were walking back to the room, they encountered their seven year old son at the bar roaming around by himself. Evidently he got separated from his group during the Sesame Street show and the counselors left him behind. They did not take a head count and did not notice his absence when they returned back to the camp. He was away from his group for over 20 minutes and was not missed. Thank goodness he was not some three year old who could have decided to take a swim or wander away from the compound. Yikes. On the upside when my sister made the staff aware of the situation, it was clear that they took the incident very seriously. The hotel managers initiated a meeting with my sister and her husband to give her an update on new measures that would be put in place so it would not happen to anyone again.

The bottom line is that the Kid’s Club is ideal if you want to drop your kids off for small amounts of time during the day but don’t expect to be able to take full advantage of it without feeling a little guilty.

Although in writing this review I have put myself at serious risk of being labeled “Wendy the Whiner”, I wanted to point out some of the specific things that I think Beaches can improve upon to match their stellar 4 star rating. It sounds nitpicky but these little things add up and can impact the vacation experience as a whole. Just some extra training and staff management could improve things greatly.

I also want to note that they do plenty of things quite well. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained, service was friendly albeit slow, the Sesame Street characters added a special experience for the kids, and the rooms and pools were very clean. I felt safe and I really enjoyed some of the food and culture. The beach was small but well manicured and the water sports were enjoyable. Overall, I would rate my experience at Beaches as good but not worth the steep cost. I would only recommend it to others with older children if they could get an extremely discounted rate or if I was certain that corrective measures have been taken to address problems with Kids Camp and other services.

If you decide on Beaches Boscobel I hope you have the appropriate expectations based on this review. My best advice: when you go bring a big insulated cup and plenty of medicine. Their selection of OTC meds is very limited and a doctor’s visit costs a minimum of $210. Also be prepared to use the Kid’s Club in moderation.

Cheers,
Williamsburg, VA resident & passionate traveler

We vacationed the second week in June. Overall we had a wonderful time. The kids were never bored. We have a 6, 11 and 15 year old and there was always something to do. We went on the banana boat which we all loved! It runs everyday from 2-4. Two of the kids went snorkeling and enjoyed it. We did not use the kids camp, but did see the kids doing various activities throughout the days and nights. It looked like the kids were having fun and there were different things they did each day and night. The main stage had shows every night. We found ourselves getting there early to enjoy the shows. The entertainment team does a great job in getting the guests involved. Our family had a blast dancing or participating in games. I think it is great that they gave the kids a chance to be a star up on the stage. During the day there are shows/games at the main stage also.

The waterslides and pools were excellent. The waterslides are open from 10-5. The main pool opens earlier and you are able to swim well into the evening. We saw people in the pool at least until 10 if not later. Getting chairs was not a problem. We were usually down there about 9:00AM. We saved chairs at the waterslides and swam in the big pool until the slides opened. If you get to either pool after 10 it might be a problem getting chairs. We really didn't use the beach except for the banana boat rides. It is a small beach. It is very well maintained.

The room was fine. The only complaint was that the door made a screeching sound when opening or closing. It was probably from the humidity. I accidentally reset our safe and did not know the code. I called the front desk and someone came down right away. When he was done, he asked if there was anything else. Our remote for the TV was not working and he immediately put new batteries in. Our room was right off of the main stage. While it was loud if we sat in the balcony, we never heard a sound once we were in the room. The location was perfect as we were in and out during the day. There are alot of stairs throughout the resort and can be tiring but we didn't mind it that much.

The food was OK. It seemed that the American food was off just a little. We ate at all the restaurants except for Eleanor's (adult only). We like the Arizona the best, It is beautiful eating right on the water. We ate there when it opened at 6:00 and the sunset was breathtaking.

We did 3 excursions, shopping to Ocho Rios ($15.00 per person), golfing and Dunne Falls. The golfing was 80.00 for one person. The 2 younger kids did not golf as there was not enough time. We asked the tour desk about the times of the buses and were told the wrong times. We also asked about lessons for the kids and there is a cost. We ended up going back to the desk a second time because there was conflicting information. When we asked if the clubs rental, cart and etc could be charged to our room, he did not know. I then had to ask him to find out...then he called the golf club....and yes, costs can be charged to the room. We also did Dunne Falls. That was worth every penny. I believe it was 180.00 for 2 adults and 3 kids. It was an incredible experience, We also purchased a DVD for 40.00 as we didn't bring our camera.

The weather was good. It rained the day we arrived. By the time we got checked in and settled, the kids were able to swim. It also rained in the morning on the last day we were there. The sun came out just as we were leaving. In between the weather was fine. Clouds come in around lunch time. At that point it is nice to have a break from the sun.

The staff was great. Always saying hi, how are you, asking if we needed anything.

Again, we had a wonderful time despite a couple of issues. This was the first time we did this type of vacation and we feel like we really had a vacation...no worries.

We would probably not go back. Not because of our experience, but it would be neat to see another place. We are already talking about going to Turks & Caicos in a couple of years.

We just returned from Beaches Boscobel and had a wonderful time. I read some of the reviews before we left but really didn't remember them. I just read a review where the person wrote that he felt tipping was expected! We DID NOT FEEL that way or see anything of the sort!!!!!
Everyone did their best to make sure our stay was fun, comfortable and relaxing!
The major complaint I had as the airlines---Continental but that is for another day!
The Resort: One thing I DO recommend is that you go to the orientation they offer--twice a day. One of the "players" takes you on a tour and explains everything to you. Alicia was our "player" she always made sure we were happy, asked if we needed anything and always stopped to talk to us or our son!
The beach is small but it is relaxing---the vendors that are floating in the ocean really don't bother you. The ocean staff was great--we don't SCUBA but met people who do and they spoke very highly of the dives and instructors. We were able to go out on the hobies and do the banana boat as many times as we liked. I do wish they had someone to bring drinks along the beach, though. As stated in previous reviews their is a group of vendors who stay by the water sports desk and try to get you to "cross the fence" to their "stores" The hotel knows about this and during orientation, we were advised NOT to go over the fence. There is security there who will sign you out then sign you back in to the resort! There is security all over so we didn't worry about unknown vendors!
The pools were very clean and the lifeguards were very alert to what was going on. The water park was SUPER!!! I was very impressed with the amount of lifeguards and staff around all of the slides! Our 4 year old closed down the slides everyday. I wish they stayed open later then 5PM, though!
Our room was a Jr. Suite with a balcony over looking the pool and the ocean. It was great, kept very well and stocked with towels, a fridge stocked with juices, sodas and bottled water.
My son attended the kids camp and loved it. They have a great program and keep the kids engaged with art, science, games and 2 activities a day with the Sesame Street Characters! As an educator, I was impressed with the programs offered and the ratios of kids to adults!
I also did arts & Crafts with Aunt Pat who has been there 20+ years!!
We ate breakfast every morning at the buffet and I had Mimosas for breakfast! We normally don't like Buffets for lunch and dinner so we ate at the Venetian--great Lamb and Ziti!!!
The manager, Ava, took a special interest in my son and they ended up becoming buddies! We got to know the servers and Ava very well!
Arizona had great steaks and a great Club sandwich!! They also got to know us very well.
Yes, there are some kinks and somethings that can be improved but, overall we and our son had a fantastic vacation!
We had a BLAST at Boscobel Bay and are looking forward to returning!

Just got back from Beaches at Boscobel and it was okay. I always go into things with high expectations, so it was a little of a let-down for me. My kids that have never been to an AI loved it. My 9 yr old son loved the kids camp. My 13 yr old daughter didn’t like the teen activities, but participated in the talent show and hung around the Piano Bar (with adult supervision). Well, let me start on the review:

The Good:

The people were nice and friendly. Everyone we met seemed to be very pleasant and cheerful.

The beach was small, but never too full. The Hobie Cats were always available and the staff is very knowledgeable, willing to give you pointers.

The pools were very clean and well maintained with a swim-up bar in the big pool (but I don’t drink so I can’t give you a reference on the bar). The slides were exceedingly fun! I think the adults had the most fun at the slides (Green – fastest, Gray – long and turning, and Orange – slow and turning). There were also smaller slides for the younger set that were fun for the younger kids (no experience because my kids were “too old” for those slides).

The Snorkeling was good. The fish and reefs were not the best but they were alright. They did make you wear a life vest during the snorkeling which did make it quite hard to closely view the fish.

The restaurants were surprisingly good! My wife’s favorite was the Venetian (the Italian restaurant). My daughter’s favorite was the Arizona (“Tex-Mex” style restaurant – quotation marks because don’t expect anything spicy). My son’s favorite was the barbeque grill (as the name implies it primarily grill items – good Jerk Chicken). I didn’t have a favorite. My least favorite was Eleanor’s (their dress-up restaurant), all other restaurants were very good.

The Bad:

Peddlers were all over the beach area always beckoning you to come see their wares or braid your hair or what ever.

All-Inclusive is very limited – they had very few beach crafts outside the Hobie Cats and the Kayaks. It even cost to get a resort scuba certification for my wife ($70). All excursions were quite pricey. It even cost over $50 to go into Ocho Rios. I was very disappointed with the extra costs (but was expecting them). Everyone was hinting at tips from the moment you get off the plane to the moment you return.

Scuba diving was poor (I am a PADI Certified diver). The sites were badly beaten up and I saw more fish and better choral on the snorkeling trip. The dive masters were knowledgeable, but not very safety conscious. They did not enforce the buddy system (they mentioned it, then said we are using a group buddy system where everyone is your buddy – yeah, that will work). They did not keep a good track on your air supply – one guy was down to 200 lbs of air and was one of the “Resort Certified” divers that didn’t know that he was really low on air. I had a leak in my BC and the dive master said “No Problem Mon” and ignored it. Our dive trip was an hour late without any explanations (they had us waiting on the dock in the sun for over an hour). I was not happy with the Scuba diving!!!!

Eleanor’s was terrible! The food was average, the service was poor (by my standards if I say the service is poor, it was very bad by most other people’s standards). The waiters were flirting with the girls at the next table so all of their engagement with us was flippant.

The rooms smelled of mold. The beds were quite firm (if you like that, then it would be a good thing). The pillows were very small. The air-conditioning was loud.

The workout facility was small, hot and smelly. The equipment was badly in need of a tune-up. But, it sufficed. I was able to workout every day. Some days it was empty, other days the facility was packed. It just depended on how many people were getting married that day (as if one day of working out will overturn years of neglect).

The Ugly:

It rained most of the time we were there which confined us to the very limited covered areas. I know that the rain was not the resort’s fault, but the way they entertained you during that time was. They didn’t have many (if any) activities during the rain.

So, all-in-all, this was an okay vacation. I don’t think I will return to Beaches Boscobel. I’ve been to a few AI resorts, this was average at best. I can understand some of the reviews about having a great time (if you don’t place too much emphasis on the bad and the ugly, then you too should have a great time). I can also understand some of the reviews about having a terrible time. It is all in perspective. I had an alright time (not a great time, but not a terrible time).