Resort Review: Grand Pineapple Beach Negril

While in Jamaica, I was able to visit several different resorts include Grand Pineapple Beach Negril, a Sandals property in Negril.  This affordable alternative to the luxury properties found in the Sandals product is a pleasant surprise for anyone looking to enjoy Jamaica, but for a little less money.  If you’re thinking you’ll find all the typical Sandals bells and whistles at Grand Pineapple, you won’t, but what you will find is a clean, professional, and well run resort on a beautiful strip of beach in Negril.  That in itself is worth the trip to Jamaica!

From the Grand Pineapple Beach Negril web site:

Nestled amidst lush greenery, swaying palm trees and manicured lawns, featuring whimsical, vividly hued architecture and a prime spot on one of the world’s most beloved beaches, every inch of Grand Pineapple Beach Negril invites you to submerge yourself completely in the heart and soul of the tropics. Dig your toes into sugary white sands. Stroll aimlessly through luscious, scent-laden foliage. Lose all track of time in this intimate getaway, as you swim endlessly in sparkling turquoise waters. Experience the very essence of the islands at Grand Pineapple Beach Negril.

This all-inclusive resort is one that caters to everyone, be it singles, couples, or families.  With only 65 rooms, it is the perfect vacation destination for anyone looking for a secluded vacation with a touch of Jamaican vibe. The resort is situated within walking distance of Negril’s shopping areas, craft markets, and Negril Village. Additionally, since it is located in the heart of Negril’s entertainment zone, Grand Pineapple Beach Negril is in close proximity to Negril Village nightlife where live reggae bands and restaurants are just minutes away.  As a result, the small resort provides the best of both worlds with a secluded resort and access to everything one might need in Negril.

Grand Pineapple Beach Negril is a 70-minute ride from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) and five minutes from the Village Center of Negril.  The all-inclusive resort with its authentically Caribbean architecture featuring gingerbread trim and bright colors sits on 250 feet of white sandy beach along Negril’s world famous 7-Mile Beach.  The resort is small, but extremely well cared for as you can see in everything around you from the buildings to the landscaping to the pool to the beach.  The resort’s 14 multi-colored cottages and Manor rooms bring back memories of Jamaica’s Old Planation Great Houses with their spectrum of colors in over four acres of luscious gardens drenched in privacy, creating a peaceful retreat throughout the entire resort.  You immediately feel a sense of calm and peacefulness upon arrival to the resort as a result of the colors all around you, but also because of the friendliness of the employees who are there to make your entire stay a memorable one.  This moderately priced resort is a quiet oasis designed to give you the essence of Negril, which is casual, relaxed, laid back, and unhurried.  Spend a few days here and you will feel as if you are truly in heaven!

The resort’s cottages are complemented by two blocks of manor rooms on the Beach and Gardenside of the resort, each replicating the past Jamaican architectural magnificence. What that means is that the resort resides on two sides of Norman Manley Boulevard with one set of rooms on the beach side and one on the other side of the road, which is the Gardenside.  The rooms are slightly bigger on the Gardenside and that is the only difference between them, but for their location.    This picture is a view of the road in front of the resort, but don’t worry as there is a crossing guard always there to stop traffic to allow guests to cross back and forth between both sides of the resort.  If you’re worried because you’ll have children with you or someone with mobility issues, then you might want to consider staying on the Beach side where the main lobby, gift shop, beach, and restaurant are located.  However, it should be noted that Beach side rooms are not necessarily ocean view or oceanfront rooms.  The Gardenside has the pool, tennis courts, and spa.  I was unable to find a resort map anywhere, but I did find this aerial view of the area, which shows how the resort is laid out on both sides of the road.

There are four categories of room types at the Grand Pineapple Beach Negril resort and all rooms include air conditioning, coffee/tea maker, iron and ironing board, in room safe, cable color TV, clock radio, hair dryer, private bathroom with tub and shower, direct dial telephone (international direct dialing), and balconies/patios (Cottage rooms only).  There are Manor Building rooms or Cottage rooms on either side of the resort so in total there are Beachside Cottages and Beachside Manor Building rooms as well as Gardenside Cottages and Gardenside Manor Building Rooms.   Maximum occupancy in any room is 2 adults and one child or three adults. If you are traveling with a few couples, you could get occupy a block of rooms in a cottage and have the area all to yourself.  The cottages on the Beachside are located in 8 room blocks of 4 rooms each and on the Gardenside they are in 4 room blocks of 4 rooms each.

One of the rooms I looked at while at Grand Pineapple Beach Negril was room number 18, a Beachside Manor room.  Located on the main building of the resort above the lobby area, this room is on the second floor. These rooms are furnished with 2 Double Beds and a few have one Queen Bed with mahogany furnishings. Beachside Manor rooms feature a communal balcony with a view of the gardens and are available on the second floor only.  All room floors are tiled.  Rooms are clean and although not like what one might see at a luxury all-inclusive resort like the typical Sandals room, they are still clean.  I do know that the resort is always working to maintain the rooms and some areas have been renovated, but the overall bones of the resort is a functional, yet older resort.  So don’t be surprised with the old-style bathrooms and room safe.  If you are going for a high end room, then this might not be the resort for you.  If you’re the kind of person that lives on the beach and doesn’t spend much time in your room, this could really work well for you.  All of the pictures of the resort, including the rooms and bathrooms, will be up on the Travel Shop Girl FaceBook page so when you’re done reading this post, jump over there to see more pics.

If you can forgive the dated bedspreads and focus more on the beach and surroundings, you’ll certainly appreciate Grand Pineapple Beach Negril’s prime position on Negril’s sublime 7-mile beach!  Spanning a full seven miles, in a gently curving crescent that ends at the foot of a series of dramatic rocky cliffs, Negril’s 7-mile beach has been enchanting lovers of sea and sand for generations.  The resort sits on one of the widest stretches of beach in Negril, which means that you can sit right on the water or further back under a tree and still enjoy the beach.  Go for a swim, play a little beach volleyball, and then get a little sun, or maybe do absolutely nothing because after all, it is your vacation!

If you feel like something a little more adventurous, non-motorized waterspouts such as kayaking, Aqua Cycles, Sunfish sailing, and windsurfing are included at no extra charge and are available through the water sports shop located at the beach rom 9 am to 4 pm.  I think they should probably reconsider their hours of operation as some might want to do something earlier or even later and this limited window of opportunity might be seen as a negative by guests. Snorkeling and diving services are available at an additional charge. The Discover Scuba program is also available at an additional charge, but if you’re interested in learning how to scuba dive while on vacation, you can’t ask for a better location in which to learn.

Perhaps you’d rather swim in the pool. There is one freshwater pool located on the Gardenside area of the resort.   Pristine and clean, there was no one in or near the pool on the day I visited.  All the guests were either in their rooms, out of the resort, or at the beach so if you were looking to have a big pool to yourself that day, it could be all yours.  There is also one jacuzzi, which is located on the Beachside area of the resort.  Other activities like the lawn chess using the Giant Chess pieces is also on the Gardenside area of the resort.  When you’re all done sunning and playing, you can also visit the spa, which is run by Red Lane Spa employees, but is not a Red Lane Spa.  In case you don’t know, Red Lane Spa is a Sandals brand and their products and treatments are available at Grand Pineapple Beach Negril either at the Spa Boutique or at the Spa Gazebo at the beach from 8 am – 6 pm.

In case you thought I forgot about dining, bars, and entertainment, don’t worry — I didn’t!  The resort has only one restaurant, the Orchid Terrace restaurant, located on the Beachside of the resort.  The restaurant is an open air pavilion beside the beach with an emphasis on cuisine for the whole family.  Sit and enjoy a meal with an excellent view of the Caribbean and the bold drama of the famed Negril sunsets.  You can expect tasty local and international specialties served buffet stye in action stations.  Theme nights are a fun way to engage with others at the resort and so you can expect Jamaican night on Thursdays, Mexican night on Saturdays, and Gala night on Fridays as well as a few others.  The restaurant serves meals throughout the day as well as afternoon snacks of hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled sandwiches served from the chef’s kitchen.

Meal times are as follows:
Breakfast:
7:30 am – 10 am
Continent breakfast:
10 am – 10:30 am
Lunch:
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Dinner:
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Grill Service:
2:30 pm – 6 pm