My wife and I have been frequent visitors to Jamaica during our 27 years of marriage. Our first big vacation as a couple was to Ocho, and we've stayed at Ocho, Mo Bay and Negril. We dearly love Negril, even with its warts. We've stayed at little joints, all-inclusives and boutique resorts and have enjoyed them all for what they were and had to offer.

The Beachcomber Club was once a boutique but is now a joint on the beach. The rooms (we had three of them before we got one we could accept) are all suffering from deferred maintenance, and while some new bedspreads and curtains brighten things up, the paint and plaster patches don't begin to address the greater needs this place has. Nearly everything about the place could use some attention. That said, we got what we paid for, this being a relative bargain thru Apple Vacations (altho I think Apple gave this 3 stars, which is pretty generous). We had a good time in spite of the facilities and due to its connection to the fabulous 7 mile beach of Negril, possibly the greatest show on earth that can be enjoyed from a beach chair with an umbrella drink in your hand.

The service level at Beachcomber is spotty; some of the desk staff were very eager to help, and some of the housekeeping staff were very nice, but most everyone else was indifferent, tho never rude. I think the place suffers from two problems. We were told that the husband and wife owners are splitting up, which accounts for the deferred maintenance. The other problem is next door; Margaritaville. I think that Margaritaville both pulls business away from Beachcomber (I never saw more than 2 tables in the restaurant occupied for dinner) and drives clientele away from the resort (the loud music starts before noon and lasts until after midnite, and the annoying DJ exhorting people to party and drink can be maddening). Some people probably see Margaritaville as an exciting attraction (we did for the first couple of days), but I think many more don't care for the distraction, and if the customers/tips go next door, it's pretty hard to whip up capitol/enthusiasm at Beachcomber.

The beach front was well kept, but the equipment (chairs/pads/towels) were worn out. Beach attendant service varied day to day from very good to just ok, and you need to arrive early to stake a claim to one of the few thatched roof palapas. On the upside, picnic tables at each palapa meant that you could set up camp and spend your whole day on the beach, just bring your own cooler for beverages (we bring an insulated vinyl bag and ask for ice at the bar).There is no drink service on the beach, but the bar is close. We would buy some Red Stripes down the beach, get a couple of patties or some jerk from the neighboring stands and settle in for the day. As always in Negril, everything else you want will come by on the beach, from any kind of watersport ,to lobsters, fruit and juice, to all manner of smoking materials (legal and illegal), to every kind of souvenir. Just know that these Jamaicans are a polite people trying to make a living; don't be rude or ignore them, Be open to them and you will have some fascinating conversations, learn much about the place you are visiting, and have all the fun of shopping without wearing out your shoes.

In summary, the Beachcomber is a fine place for extended stays or family groups where kitchen facilities and connecting rooms are a big plus, and for the laid back traveller who can handle a place that is not very much like home. This is not a good choice for the traveller who is squeamish or fussy, or is looking for a high end experience.

P.S. - I'm pretty amazed by the other reviewers who have given this place top marks. They must have radically different standards than we do. I wonder how they would rate a place like Sandals or Couples?

My husband, 15 year old son and I just returned from a wonderful stay at the Beachcomber. We have stayed here many times before. Yes, the place is becoming a bit run down. But it has so many things that other "hotels" don't offer.

We rented a one bedroom apartment. The oven, microwave, refrigerator, freezer and washer/dryer all worked well and we were able to do breakfast in and then explore for lunch and dinner. The hideabed in the living room that my son was to sleep on was not in good shape so we asked for a bed and within an hour we had a great single bed.The maid service was quick and thorough, we always had enough towels and when we asked for extra pillows they arrived that same day.

We always felt secure and have never had any money, credit cards or posessions stolen from the room or the beach. The beach chairs received brand new mats when we were there and fresh beach towels were available every day at the beach hut. Bartender Ian makes the best dirty bananas and Sparrow the taxi driver outside the hotel is wonderful. This is not the Ritz but if you are patient (remember you're on Jamaica time) and friendly to the staff you will have a terrific time.

I have traveled to Negril 2 times a year, usually in May and November for the last 3 years. I've stayed at Beach Comber 4 times. The staff APPEARED to be very friendly and I felt secure knowing that security was right outside my front door. I usually stay in a one bedroom apartment because it was me and 2 of my friends.

The staff knew me by name and would give me excellent customer service because I was a regular there. On one particular night my friends and I were asleep, our sleep was disturbed by a slammed door. I jumped up because I was the only one that heard the noise. I told everyone to get up and we look around, we saw nothing. So, we all went back to sleep because they thought I was dreaming. I really had a gut feeling about this and I was sure it wasn't just a DREAM!

Well, that morning when we got up to go to breakfast, we noticed that our purses were moved to the living area. We were puzzled until we started looking through our purses and realized that our credit cards and $50.00 cash from my wallet was missing. We then realized that the noise I heard at 3:00 a.m. was an intruder. I immediately went to the front desk and staff acted so DUMB FOUNDED. They acted really unconcerned like it was not a big deal. They kept asking are we sure we did not misplace or lose our money and credits. It was horrible. Needless to say they put us in a room without a security latch and normally we had one on the door. It felt like a set up, since I was a regular there and someone felt comfortable enough at 3:00 a.m. to take a chance and enter our room.

I will NEVER stay there again and customer be aware. Someone has sticky fingers lurking around Beach Comber!

If your looking for a high end place, dont stay here. If your looking for a beautiful beach, friendly staff and calm atmosphere,stay here. I usually stay at big name places but this was a nice change of pace. If your bringing kids here be prepared to go to town for groceries. The only placs are small huts along the road or beach to get food. This place has a refridgerator. Smelled mildew but once you get past that its ok. The beds are 4 poster but hard. Overall cleanliness, not so good but the price made it bearable. The pool is small but we used the beach. Small children would like it here. You can rent the whole suite for familys with grandparents, it would be nice. I just went with my husband and it was very quaint. The resteraunt never opened for dinner but we had coffee in the morning. They charge you 2 cups a serving so all you coffe lovers beware. No large latte cups here but if you go down the beach to a place called, Marabellas, Denise will serve you a nice latte for 250 J money. There is a Berger King in town but thats it. Your in Jamaica, have some Jerk. The venders come around everyday. We had lobster on the beach and it was wondrful. Fresh fruit is good too. There is alot of weed here so be wise. We rented wave runners and one ran out of gas and when we got back after being stranded for a while in the ocean, they tryed to charge us more. I would avoid this recreation at all cost. The beachcomber needed a little TLC but for the cost, you really cant beat it. We would go back