TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

My first trip to Azul. Now my husband wants to move there. Azul was a yearly vacation and we enjoyed every moment. It started from the drive from the airport which is also an experience. Ask for Pringle if you want a safe trip to Azul. All staff gets five stars in delightfully making you feel at home… My favorite part was the meet of couples to travel with which was exciting and fun to hang out with during our stay. My husband and I really enjoyed our week there. Thank you Azul family. We’re be back!!!!

I’ve learnt to take negative comments about hotels (especially when it comes to Jamaica) with a grain of salt. I’m so glad I didn’t let the bad comments make me any less excited about the trip, because I LOVED it. I recently stayed at Azul for 12 nights at the end of November-start December, flying in from London. It was me and my partner - for context we’re both late 20’s and have done a lot of travelling. I’m Jamaican and this wasn’t my first visit to Jamaica, but my first time visiting Negril. I will say, if you’re comparing this to a luxury 5 star hotel in places like Greece, for example, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. In the UK, the travel tour operators (like TUI, First Choice and Virgin Atlantic) rate this hotel as 4.5 stars and 4 stars using their own rating systems, so if you’re coming from the UK you should already have an idea that this resort is not going to be the standard of a 5 star hotel (that and the fact that the price for this tends to be cheaper compared to other 5* options in Negril). Check in: I booked a Deluxe Ocean View Suite. Prior to arrival, I emailed the hotel to ask if it would be possible to be allocated a room ending in 01/02 for a more ‘full on” ocean view as the trip was for my boyfriend’s birthday. They advised that they would prioritise the request but couldn’t guarantee it (understandably). At check in, the friendly lady (didn’t catch her name) informed us they had upgraded our room to a Premium Ocean View Suite because the trip was a birthday trip. I think it may have been Adults only as it was next to the adults only swim up pool, but there was so few children around it wouldn’t have made a difference to us either way. When we got to the room, they’d provided a small birthday cake and a bottle of rum cream, which I thought was a lovely gesture! Also worth noting, the security incidental deposit to be paid at check in is 200 USD, which can be paid by debit/credit card or cash. If paying card, it’s just a pending amount that is released back at checkout. Room: We stayed in room 82002 and we thought it was great and exactly as pictured. The room was not in immaculate condition (there was minor signs of wear and tear) but nothing super noticeable, and nothing that impacted our stay. I loved the view from the balcony. The bed was SO comfy. Housekeeping did a great job at making our room up every day, with towels and toiletries replenished. At the entrance to block 8 was the beach towel hut which was really handy, and everything (lobby, bars, restaurants) were only a short walk away. Restaurants: I don’t want to invalidate people’s opinions, but I genuinely can’t understand why the food here gets the amount of negative comments as it does (!) I’m a big foodie and my partner is quite particular about food, but we enjoyed everything we ate. Ackee in particular was really good (small portions but loved the food itself - the curry goat was very tasty). Loved the Italian restaurant and the Asian restaurant too. Dinner at mahogany on Jamaica day (I think Saturday) was incredible (and the only night we ate buffet dinner, so can’t comment on the usual dinner offerings). Lunch at Oceans was good (service could be slow some days so don’t wait til you’re starving before ordering lol). Best in the West (down the road from the hotel) is a great alternative if you fancy lunch or dinner outside the hotel. Breakfast was great - both Palms and Mahogany offered lots of options so struggle to see how anyone could say they couldn’t find anything. I loved the ackee and saltfish at Mahogany, and loved the mackerel and Hyacinth’s omelettes at Palms. I also found the app accurately reflected the opening times of the restaurants and bars. Service: Every member of staff I interacted with was friendly - from the lifeguards to bartenders. Some made the effort of remembering my name and always said hello. This is probably more of a note to travellers coming from England because I know tipping culture is very different in England. Please make sure you are tipping. Bring some dollars - the reception are more than happy to change any bigger notes into 1,2 and 5 dollar bills. I didn’t feel like staff necessarily expected a tip, they just genuinely were being nice and friendly. I found that the only thing the swim up bars ran out of (for me) was sparkling wine in the afternoon, but the Amber bar never ran out so wasn’t an issue. We weren’t Prestige guests so didn’t get a beach ‘butler’, but staff would come round and take drink orders regularly. When you’re on the beach you’re always quite close to one of the swim bars anyway so it’s not a huge issue if they’re not coming round super often. We’re not bothered at all by entertainment when we go away so I’m probably not the best person to comment on it, but the snippets of things we did catch (evening shows, karaoke, foam parties) seemed fun. If you want a lively party atmosphere you’re probably best going Montego Bay. Tips: - By around 7am practically all the Sun loungers/beds had been reserved, so you’ll have to get up early to grab one, or ask one of the lifeguards to reserve one for you - If you (like us) run out of sun cream and don’t want to pay $30 in the gift store, ask one of the lifeguards for some - Like loads of other people on this page, I recommend Sheldon for a boat trip (snorkelling and visiting Booby Cay) - Visiting YS Falls, Black River and Floyde’s Pelican Bar makes for a really good fun day out and is a great opportunity to see more of what Jamaica has to offer - this will be down personal preference, but I personally don’t think the swim up rooms are worth the extra money just because 1)the sea is so beautiful 2)they don’t seem to offer much privacy. Again, this will be a preference thing. - The bars didn’t always have straws available so bring some with you if you’re set on having straws/plan on drinking frozen cocktails - Get a fresh beach towel in the evening (we was doing this around 5pm) rather than trying to get one in the morning as they sometimes didn’t have fresh ones til late morning (or bring your own). - If you want to watch any live sports, walk a few minutes up the beach to Boardwalk hotel&restaraunt (if you’re facing the sea, go right) - they have a couple TVs that you can watch with a nice view of the sea and good food - If you need to take cash out (US or Jamaican $) and want to avoid a high fee, there’s a bank at the Boardwalk Shopping Village (about 30 mins walk/couple mins in a taxi) that charges very low fees. Overall: If you’re looking for a luxurious 5 star resort stay where every little small detail is thought of, then this won’t be the place for you. If you want to stay on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world where the staff are friendly and hardworking, the rooms are nice & comfortable, and there are lots of food and drinks options then you’ll have a great time here.

My stay was completely Amazing! The staff were friendly. The room was clean. The view of beach was perfect! My daughter and had a great time. This was the perfect stay for my birthday vacation! My daughter and I really enjoyed ourselves!!!!!!

Our experience at this resort was a complete disaster and far from the luxury we were promised for our anniversary. From the start, the airport transfer was a nightmare—advertised as 1.5 hours, it took 4 to get to the hotel and 3 on the return, with locals confirming it’s never as quick as advertised. To make things worse, the TUI bus left without us, leaving us stranded. The hotel was equally disappointing. The “Gourmet” dining was a joke—most of the food was inedible, basic condiments like vinegar or lemon were unavailable, and food safety was appalling due to cross-contamination. Many of the à la carte restaurants advertised were closed, leaving us with limited, subpar options. The staff were rude and impolite, making the experience even worse. The entire property was falling apart—poorly maintained, with visible signs of neglect and very poor hygiene. The room was uncomfortable, with humidity, noise, and bad conditions making it impossible to relax. Instead of enjoying our holiday, we spent the week counting down the days to return home. Be warned: most positive reviews focus on the staff, as guests are encouraged to rate interactions rather than the terrible facilities and overall experience. While the staff may be kind to some, it doesn’t excuse the shocking state of the resort. This resort is nothing like what’s advertised. Don’t waste your money—look elsewhere.

I stayed at the Azul many times and have always enjoyed myself. I've met a lot of staff over the years, and they are all awesome. I'm returning for my birthday on Dec. 1st for 10 days and want to make a special request since we're arriving the day off. I've emailed the Azul 5x and even spoke to someone there and haven't gotten a reply. I'd hate to change my reservation to someplace else as I really miss the staff there and the beach and the vibe. Can someone tell me who to write to, please? I just returned from the Azul and after being there, so many times, I was truly disappointed. I didn't even get supper for my birthday and went to bed starving. None of my requests were noted, and I will never return to this broken down resort. The food was terrible, and we had to survive with meals outside the resort. We almost didn't make it to the airport in time because the taxi desk said they called, but they canceled the cab without letting us know. I'm mot kidding, avoid this place at all costs. I'm so dissapointed, I'm going to let every traveling site know to not waste your money at this resort. Can you imagine, going for your 65 th birthday and not even getting dinner. Never again. Their was atleast 2-5 issues daily and forget about getting a seat unless you get up at 5:30am, this is supposed to be a holiday. Avoid this resort at all costs.