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Located in Negril on the island's western coast, this is a pristine paradise featuring dramatic sunsets and tranquil waters, and where couples, families and friends can reconnect beneath brilliant blue skies and tropical sunshine. This ocean view suite hotel offers spacious, contemporary oceanfront accommodations, with special adults-only sections dedicated exclusively to romantic honeymoon suites. You'll find a variety of restaurants serving masterfully prepared and artfully presented International cuisine, enhanced by breathtaking ocean views. There's a world-class spa. Premium liquor. Live entertainment day and night. A near endless variety of activities on land and in the crystal clear waters. And supervised programs for kids and teens designed to make sure everyone has a great time. Within this vacation landscape, we've created two distinct luxury enclaves to suit your individual tastes.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma, set on the acclaimed Seven Mile Beach, is often celebrated for its stunning location and lively atmosphere. However, guests have called out the resort for its inconsistent service, which ranges from amiable to unresponsive. Many reviewers find the value lacking due to issues with subpar food, service, and room quality, leading to unexpected expenses.
Room conditions are frequently criticized for being run-down and unclean. In terms of amenities, guests report shortages of beach towels and chairs, alongside variable food and drink quality.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Run-down
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Limited
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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.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Dec 27, 2024
Dear Shan1696, Thank you for allowing us to host you during your recent visit and for taking the time to share your words of appreciation. We are thrilled to know you had such a wonderful stay at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma and cannot wait for you to experience another Karisma experience with us. We all look forward to the privilege of serving you on a return trip to the beautiful Island of Jamaica and the destination of Negril. Best regards, Hotel Management
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Where do I begin! I read all the negative reviews before booking and went ahead and booked anyway and NO REGRETS!! First off, this is a smaller boutique type resort which is why it appealed to me. I was not looking for a crowded with tourists resort and wanted some solitude and peace - this resort was perfect for that. Check-in starts at 3pm, so if you’re arriving earlier perhaps dress appropriately from the flight so you can enjoy the beach while you wait. There’s also a fantastic coffee bar in the lobby which was the highlight of my trip - their iced coffees and Frappuccinos were the BEST!! I travelled with a 9 and 6 year old and they both loved the pools. The beache is absolutely stunning (see pics) how clear the water is. We tried all restaurants and we loved Ackee the best, the view from Ackee whilst enjoying authentic Jamaican food felt like we were in a dream! Italian restaurant was good but their pizzas were not actually pizzas so perhaps order anything but that off their menu. Asian restaurant was also good. The staff at this resort were so accommodating especially Tanysha from Concierge - she was able to move us in to a different room that met our needs within a day of us arriving. Absolutely loved her. The lifeguard Rushine by the 2 leaning trees on the beach kept the beach so clean. We were always able to secure the same spot every morning and we would come to find him raking the sand and cleaning his section. He took so much care of the beach which we appreciated!! The entertainment for Emancipation day was fantastic and we just missed out on their Independence Day celebrations which we are gutted about but we’re looking forward to visiting again in the month of August as that’s when most of the celebrations are held. It seemed to be off peak season in Aug so we lucked out, the resort was not very busy at all. We were early risers and usually made it to breakfast at 6:30am and we never had any issues with food, towels, or finding spots on the beach. I think if you wake up later in the day and try to find a towel at after midday you’ll run into issues but we didn’t go with the intention to sleep at this beautiful place! Mahogany was the main buffet available and their selection was great and we really enjoyed all of the food. Jamaican cuisine is great and we found ourselves trying new dishes everyday! The only problem we had was with the news that this may be switching to an adults only resort - I really hope it doesn’t as not all families want to head to those bigger resorts designed for kids. Our kids loved the beach and pools and we would love to return in the future!! The best part that really made us fall in love with this resort were the locals that walked the beach selling things, they were so kind and had amazing stories to tell. Keep an eye out for Sledge Jamaica and his amazing vocals, as well as the other musicians, Eugene and the coconuts, Mr fireman with his lobsters, and Mama C offering jewellery and hair braiding. They made our trip extra special! Can’t wait to come back.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Wake up and start your day early if you want to avoid issues and this tip goes for anywhere you...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Aug 8, 2024
Dear 628amanis, Thank you for your kind words and great feedback. It is a pleasure to read about how much you enjoyed your Gourmet Inclusive experience. Splendid experiences should begin from the moment you arrive till the moment you depart and we are happy to hear you encountered just this. Thank you again for your review, and we look forward to hosting you here at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma many times more in the future! Best regards, Hotel Management
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Amazing Staff & Fabulous Resort January 2025 We are back!!!
Every year my entire family go on a well deserved vacation and this year was no exception. Knowing that our needs will be met is comforting. Our children have severe food restrictions, and Anaphylactic Food allergies to several foods. This makes it extremely difficult to travel with peace of mind. Our previous experience with the Azul team accommodating our family’s needs made us choose Azul resorts again.
Before we arrived, we contacted the GM Rudy Richardson. Rudy was able to connect us with his Head Chef Sergio and we carefully explained to him our food restrictions and allergies, unlike other resorts Chef Sergio knew exactly what to do and had it all ready for us at arrival.
Chef Sergio & his team also helped organize each meal very carefully to avoid any cross contamination. We are very gratefully thankful to Chef Sergio & his team🙏.
Everyday Chef Sergio and his team made a point to meet with us and discuss our reservation & menu. They went over & above to prepare the finest meals. Thank you.
The waitstaff are an amazing team of girls! At Mahagony; hats off to Adassa the supervisor, waitresses Marion, Tashanda, Ayana and Sanette! Thank you for having our drinks & table ready for us. They knew our girls allergies and coordinated with the chefs to make sure our girls food was safe. These ladies had it down to a T, they remembered what each of us drank, the sugar, honey & hot sauce! Thank you!
The Beach!!!! Is priceless even with the resort at high capacity we had 8 beach lounges and 1 beds every morning, fresh towels and freshly raked sands ... We walked the beach and I can tell you that Azul had the cleanest beachfront, no seaweed, and the softest sand ever! The water, well, thats why you go to Negril ... crystal clear waters ... if you go early in the mornings you will be greeted by 2 beautiful black sting rays and a large sand ray and if you are lucky a guest appearance of 3 dolphins. The most stunning sunsets I've ever seen!
Mr. Rudy Richardson, the General Manager, made it possible for our dietary needs to be met and our food allergies to be accommodated.
We enjoyed our stay so much and will definitely return, hopefully to a much needed renovation.
Thank you again
We will be back. The Dhalla Family
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Jan 8, 2025
Dear Rashidad397, Thank you for your wonderful review of your experiences at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma, it was a pleasure to host your vacation, and we are very happy to hear that you enjoyed your Karisma experience. There is nothing more rewarding than to receive the praise from our valued guests and we will certainly share your experiences with our employees. We are very happy to hear that the staff mentioned had such a positive effect on your visit and they will be rewarded for their efforts. Thank you again and we look forward to your next visit to the Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma. Best regards, Hotel Management
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Save your money and book Beaches Resort instead! From the moment we arrived, I regretted choosing this place. The staff was shockingly rude, and the food was terrible—even the Jamaican dishes were a huge letdown. The rooms are outdated, falling apart, and the entire resort is in dire need of a deep clean and major renovations. I deeply regret bringing my family here. The food on-site is so bad that we’ve had to spend extra money eating at restaurants off the property. In just 17 hours, this stay has been a complete nightmare. To make matters worse, my daughter was playing on the playground, and I discovered several sharp pieces of broken glass scattered everywhere. The staff showed no concern and made no effort to clean it up. This resort is a disaster from top to bottom. To add insult to injury, they don’t even have Jamaican chefs preparing the food, which explains why it tastes so inauthentic. Avoid this place at all costs—they even pay for positive reviews to cover up their poor service! Please request paper cups to drink from at the bars and restaurants, as the cups are only rinsed, not properly washed. This explains why I ended up drinking from dirty cups and using unclean dishes. Also, be sure to bring your own paper straws, ketchup, salt, and pepper, as the resort is out of these items 95% of the time.
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Date of stay: December 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Avoid this resort
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Jan 8, 2025
Dear H1456TBmorgans, Thank you for this exceptionally detailed and considered review of your stay at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma. We are very grateful to you for taking the time to share your experience of every aspect of your stay in such a constructive and positive way. Your comments and observations are invaluable and truly welcomed. Please know that we take all guest feedback seriously. It has never been more important to us than now, to listen to what our guests have to say. We care very much about how we make our guests feel and please rest assured that each part of your Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma journey will be carefully reviewed with the team. Thank you once again for your review. We look forward to warmly welcoming you again in the future to experience the Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma at its very best. Best regards, Hotel Management
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We just returned from this resort for a very relaxing weekend trip with me and my bf as it was his birthday getaway vacation. I must say when entering the resort it looks beautiful and kinda looks small however it was big enough and the lobby was nice for me. Let me now start with the NEGATIVE- We were checked into a room on building 11 which was beautiful however when we got to the room we notice that housekeeping was in the room about to set up the sofa bed, she asked us if we were traveling with a child which we said no that was some mistake, however after she left we went out on the balcony only to notice that the door lock was broken. My bf then went outside and saw a guy passing which he was an engineering I think but his name was Odain he came in and assisted us but had to get extra help. We also asked him for robes and slippers and within 5 minutes housekeeping came with the items. While waiting for engineering to fix the balcony door we saw our room door opening only to see another guest walking in on us. At this point I was upset with the balcony door lock being broken and housekeeping releasing a room like that then another guest walking in on us top the icing on the cake. I then called the front desk and ask for a room move the lady who answered I think her name was Latoya didn’t show any remorse like she cared she only said she would call me back. After waiting for 10 minutes my bf had to call back the desk only to hear that the bellman was on his way to the room to move us. If we didn’t call back she wouldn’t bother to inform us!!! We were then moved to building 4 to room 43003!!! Just when we thought things would be better it wasn’t that building was old and run down. Clearly it was under construction and it was dirty. I felt like we were the only guest on that building. How could you put guest on that building that was under construction and it wasn’t even maintained by housekeeping. The room was not really cleaned. It had no bath mat, robes, slippers and the room just seem old. The restaurant options were average as the occupancy wasn’t high so they had limited options to dine. The Buffet was the only restaurant that we ate on our last night I couldn’t eat anything because they had no options. I called for housekeeping service and after waiting 1 hour I had to call again. The jerk chicken at the Ocean restaurant was not good and we went to the bar Saturday night after dinner and the bartender Tashnell was not really nice. Positives- Taniesha at the buffet was the best we loved her hospitality and Shanna Kay was also amazing at breakfast. I think we would return but we would not want to stay on that building. Overall this hotel is average
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Oct 17, 2024
Dear Ren2345, Thank You for your Patronage of the Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma Please accept our sincere apologies for not meeting your rightful expectations. We at the Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma pride ourselves on our high levels of service and glorious offerings; we are terribly sorry if that did not come across during your visit. We have taken your feedback very seriously and every aspect of your review has been taken onboard. I take this opportunity in thanking you again for your Custom and for your Valuable Feedback, we look forward to hosting you in the future and we will ensure you that your next experience is nothing short of perfection. Best regards, Hotel Management
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This place is so bad now we left this hotel today and checked into another hotel. Our 3rd time at Azul and the service levels are now appalling . Arrived 25 hours late due to flight delay ti be informed our room was not ready and to return to check-in an hour. To be rated a 5* hotel is truly misleading and here are some reasons why We booked swim up adults only room and allocated room in children’s area. Lorna the asst Manager claiming TUI are selling customers incorrect rooms No beach towels at 10am. after an hour hunting, told they had return the following day. No available sun beds on beach. However, beach staff will produce towels and find sun beds, for $20 fee!!! No bacon at breakfast, no plates, no spoons so be prepared to stir coffee etc with a knife. Food is a total disgrace that’s not well presented and minimal choices. The hotel app is not correct to what is served, the app states many choices at restaurants but lucky if there’s 5 choices., No peach for ballini’s, no Corona and no white Jamaican rum, the “there’s none” is endless. Overall, we are not complainers but this hotel has gone so far down hill, our issues were endless and forced us to move to another hotel today. It’s a real shame Management are fully aware of the problems and don’t act to ensure standards, including the corruption over beds/towels is rectified. We are now in our new hotel and its definitely a 5* as advertised
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Not a 5 star resort!!! Where do I start? Food below average, we had an upgraded room, was run down with peeling wallpaper with old furniture. Food was below average, the only saving grace were some of the friendly staff in the Mahogeny buffet restaurant and in the Akee grill. No laundry service available, not even paid laundry service (even though they provided you with clean towels and bed linen) why not use the same company for that? it was offered in the package but not provided.... rude bar staff, rude serving staff on the beach, one in particular was so rude I don't know how she got the job. Paid a premium for this holiday and got less than substandard food and service. No premium drinks available at the bar, just watered down rubbish, no straws available for drinks. Our bedroom wasn't cleaned for two days as well, had to ask for housekeeping to come and clean the room. Flooded corridor outside our room.
Good parts: The night time entertainment was great as were the staff hosting it, would be better to start it a little later than 8 pm as most people are still eating in the restaurants....
The beach was the best in Negril, the only down side was people getting up at 4 am to take ownership of the sunbeds... first come first served....!! The hotel needs a lot of cosmetic improvements, broken tiles by the pool, flooded corridors, with a facelift and a shift in staff, this place could be how it was when it was run by Sensatori
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Date of stay: December 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Dec 18, 2024
Dear R5009MGdebrac, We are so very sorry to read your review and greatly appreciate you bringing these issues to our attention. We greatly regret that you sadly left the hotel with a poor impression of your time with us and I offer you my sincerest apologies, as you did not experience Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma at its best. On this occasion, it seems our usual warm welcome and caring service was regrettably missing and this is certainly not the level of service we wish for our valued guests. I trust you have received my communication to you, as your next experience must be reflective of Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma's high standards of service and quality. We take all guest feedback very seriously and so we thank you once again for sharing your experience and observations We do hope that we have the opportunity to welcome you back to the Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma in the future. Best regards, Hotel Management
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we set out on our trip sat the 5th of August. we flew American Airlines. we landed in montego bay jamaica it took about 1 hour and 40 minutes to arrive we were treated with friendly welcoming faces. we got checked into our rooms with a Concierge lady we got bracelets which get you in your room and food dining they said don't lose it cost I believe 150 USD. After the bag guy showed us our room which was on the 3rd-floor witch didn't like they were clean but could use updating pool right outside also pools all around the hotel complex there are 6 restraints on premisses lots of bars and swim-up bars there are 2 sides adult only and family side we stayed on the family side our beds were large and comfortable our rooms were cool showers weren't bad but the water was cold 2 times that wasn't cool. Room service was like 30 to 45 min but they did a good job our maids did a good job but you need to stay on top of the hotel with restocking water we had too all staff was friendly at dining entertainment was great plenty of music and activities for the couples lifeguard Chris was some he watched over us and took care us plenty free water activities. be aware when on the beach you'll get asked to buy stuff and the security is watching over you the whole time water is beautiful and warm don't worry about rain it only happens for a few minutes then goes back to hot weather. also soon as you check in download the app and book your food and dining books up fast if you want the best sunset go-to Tricks cafe which is 20 minutes away and enjoy cliff jumps and good food nice sunsets and music also one final thought please make sure to tip employees they could use it and appreciate it as well. we will be going back in the future. any questions ask ill do my best to give you honested answers.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jose Abreu, General Manager at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded Sep 3, 2023
Dear Rob D, Thank you for allowing us to host you during your recent visit and for taking the time to share your words of appreciation. We are thrilled to know you had such a wonderful stay at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma and cannot wait for you to experience another Karisma experience with us. We all look forward to the privilege of serving you on a return trip to the beautiful Island of Jamaica and the destination of Negril. Best regards, Hotel Management
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Like a lot of people, I was a little concerned about some of the negative reviews. However, after spending 4 night there last week for my 30th anniversary, both I and my (much pickier) wife left feeling completely satisfied.
As others mentioned, it's a long drive from the airport (2.5 hours on a weekday, 1.5 on a Saturday return), but our driver was enjoyable and made it feel like a tour. At the resort, we were upgraded to the adults-only section of the resort (though there was really only one section that seemed to have any kids at all...it seems to be primarily a resort for adults.) Food was very good (though asking for it to be as great as the best restaurants in your hometown is a bit unfair, though mane negative reviewers look like they expected that). Favorites were the open Palms Restaurant for breakfast, the two "gourmet corners" for lunch (as well as the excellent Jamaican patties at the Beans coffee shop), and the variety of the Mahogany buffet for dinner. Staff was almost entirely excellent, and the beach can't be beat, especially with the warm ocean water. My wife took advantage of the spa and said is was great, while I used the free water sports to try stand-up paddleboarding for the first time. Drinks were always cold, and the bartenders (at the multitude of bars) were friendly.
Only small complaints: As an older property, it's easy to find small issues with the rooms (e.g., doors, toilets, etc.) and the decking around the pools. From my years of experience, most places near beaches have the same issues due to relentless salt air and humidity. One real complaint would be that none of the showers for washing off sand when leaving the beach were working, meaning you had little choice other than to get it off in the pools. We enjoyed the walk, but it is probably a half-mile from one end to the other, which my be a concern for some people. Finally, we tried to visit the Nesta bar when the poolside entertainment wasn't to our liking (e.g., karaoke, with all its ups and downs), but they didn't even have music playing when we went in. I get that they don't want to compete with the main event, but some quiet Bob Marley for people who wanted to have a drink in comfort would have been a plus.
In the end, you can find things to dislike if you want, which is certainly also true of resorts that cost twice as much, but if you don't go looking for problems or expect perfection, it is likely that you will leave almost completely relaxed and satisfied (especially if you get a good deal like we did).
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Date of stay: February 2025
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shanique Gopaul, Owner at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma
Responded 2 weeks ago
Dear M jENENINGS, Thank you for this exceptionally detailed and considered review of your stay at Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma. We are very grateful to you for taking the time to share your experience of every aspect of your stay in such a constructive and positive way. Your comments and observations are invaluable and truly welcomed. Please know that we take all guest feedback seriously. It has never been more important to us than now, to listen to what our guests have to say. We care very much about how we make our guests feel and please rest assured that each part of your Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma journey will be carefully reviewed with the team. Thank you once again for your review. We look forward to warmly welcoming you again in the future to experience the Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma at its very best. Best regards, Hotel Management
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
In summary: there are a few things wrong with this resort (that have previously been pointed out in past reviews) which wouldn’t take much to put right. I will highlight these again, attempting to be positive suggesting ways to put them right: such as shame the Azul haven’t actually addressed these themselves! The reason we picked this resort was due to a previous visit around 10 years ago, when it was a Sensatori. We had a great time and had no hesitation going back, assuming even though it was now the Azul Beach by Karisma, we would have a similar stay. It turns out, since our last stay, the hotel has doubled in size without really adding any capacity in the restaurants or being able to cater for the increase in many ways. So, briefly the issues and addressing them in turn: there are no where near enough beach towels for the staying guests!! They are put out in 2 locations on 2 occasions in the morning, but there are never enough causing a “scramble” for towels. We only got a clean towel on 2 occasions, meaning we either had to keep the dirty, damp ones at the end of each day, or use one of the towels from the bathroom! Easy to fix, provide many more towels, or better still (which most resorts now do) provide a towel each in every room on a daily basis. Not enough sun beds on the beach: if you don’t get up between 05:30 and 06:00 every morning and put your now smelly towel on a couple of sunbeds, you miss out! (unless you provide around $20 to one of the “lifeguards”) Again, easy to fix, get rid of most of the Kabanas and provide more sunbeds. Not enough space in the restaurants for the peak times each day: this can vary, dependant on the time of week due to change overs and time of day, but there are many issues. The major one for us is the main buffet restaurant, of which the variety and amount of food provided is no where near the same standard as ALL the buffets we’ve been to at very similar types of resorts over many years! Also (and on a positive note) the 3 non-buffet restaurants are ok, but very difficult to book on the App if you arrive later in the week, as you can book for the whole week on a Sunday. The easy fixes for us are: more choices of food at the buffet: and better still, open up the original buffet in the centre (I think its called The Palms) for lunch and dinner as well, to cater for the “peaks” and give people more choice. It was not all bad though and the resort still has a lot going for it. A great beach, well stocked bars, a well equipped gym, clean rooms of which most have amazing views over the sea. On the whole the staff are helpful, especially Kaydene who made our breakfast a special experience every morning.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No, you do not (as of my visit last week). Only the Italian restaurant was on a wait each night, but there is a bar with a great view of the beach and ocean 5 feet away, so the 30-minute wait wasn't a problem at all.
Even though you may have arrived and already left, Rocky's Taxi and Tour service is fantastic. We only use his services whenever we're in Jamaica, and this has been for several years running.
There are more places to choose from in the Negril area.
PRICE RANGE
$344 - $517 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Sensatori Jamaica by Karisma
LOCATION
CaribbeanJamaicaWestmoreland ParishNegril
NUMBER OF ROOMS
285
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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