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We are going to Jamaica in April with 15 and 17 year old daughters. Currently have room on hold at Beaches Sandy Bay but Tripadvisor reviews have me concerned. Considering switching to Rui Palace Tropical Bay. Any chance you've seen both resorts? 1. At Sandy Bay we would have four in one room -- are the rooms big enough for that? At RUI we would have two rooms but it costs more too.

2. The bathrooms and pools at Sandy Bay are getting really bad reviews - what's your take?

3. Activities/entertainment for teens available?

4. We have never taken 'resort' vacation and I'm a little hesitant to spend so much money on one place but our kids are asking for a relaxing vacation instead of hiking up mountains and keeping busy all day so we're going to give it a try :)

5. Any recommendations on what to consider and what to ignore in all the reviews?

Thanks so much for your time and suggestions!

Cassie

We were at BSB this past July for our second time. My kids were 18 and 20 this trip; were 16 and 18 first trip. They were both soooooo happy going - both times! They always found stuff to do, whether it was water sports (my son), laying on the beach reading (my daughter), hanging with the entertainment crew, or meeting other older teens. They loved it and had a great time!

First time we stayed we had a 2-br suite. This time we booked two premium rooms (one king bed, one 2 double beds). Both rooms were fine. Yes, bathrooms and rooms are a little dated, but we were fine with them. They were clean, comfortable, and the housekeeping staff were wonderful. Our rooms had a refrigerator stocked with bottled water, sode and juices.

Hope this has put your mind at ease. Feel free to ask more questions! BSB is one of my favorite topics! :-)

Too funny - I hadn't noticed that your original post was from 2006! Thanks so much for your updated report - very helpful.