Sea Splash Hotel

We were supposed to have our wedding at SeaSplash on Dec 4th. After Hurricane Ivan we called the hotel and were told that minimal damage occurred, but that the hotel would be repaired by the time we arrived. In November, I called to make sure that they received our documents and was told by Marsha that the hotel was in really bad condition (under construction) and that all the guests were leaving in mass exodus and were really angry. We were given rooms at a hotel named Shields but were told that the travel agency didn’t transfer the funds to SeaSpalsh so we would have to pay separately and Marsha would make sure we received refunds for the rooms. Michelle also cashed our wedding deposit check and said she would send us a check. This is December 20th, and we have been lied to and given the run-around so many times we are now getting a lawyer involved. The hotel is now under construction. There is NO beach and the shore is very coarse. I'm sure this would have been a nice place to stay, but the integrity of the staff is so severely lacking, I couldn't recommend this hotel to anyone. In addition, harassment is at an all time high. This is not the first time we've visited Jamaica. Being pleasant and saying "No Thank You" is definitely the way to go. I would recommend taking the commuter plane instead of the bus as the view is terrific and the ride takes 15 minutes instead if 1.5 hours by ground transport.

I came into Negril one evening from another part of the island, had no reservation, and tried another place up the beach first -- Nirvana, where I was quoted a high price that didn't seem justified for what I was shown, and the owner didn't seem to care that I didn't take it even though the place looked empty. It was during the low season, Negril was kind of dead, so I knew I wouldn't have a problem even though it was around 9pm. I decided to try Seasplash, and I wasn't disappointed. I probably was lucky that the only thing they had available was a one-bedroom suite, or at least that was what I was told, because it was an upstairs suite which meant I had cathedral ceilings and it felt very spacious. The kitchen was more than adequate and better than I've had in Negril before except when staying in a private home. The mattress was not spectacular -- no real complaints, but it was just not special -- but it was good to have a king-sized bed which is not always available in smaller properties in Negril. Seasplash gives you a rare commodity in the suites that is highly sought in Negril, where people crave Blue Mountain Coffee--a coffeemaker in the suite. They would gain many points with guests if they just supplied the first night's packet of coffee, and enough filters for the stay. Filters especially -- they are not very expensive but are hard to find in Negril. I had to buy some from a restaurant. I had heard about Norma's restaurant, and it is a lovely beachside place, so I tried that for breakfast. I have to say I would not recommend it for breakfast more than once because it is overly pricey for Jamaican breakfast in Negril; by the time I added in juice and coffee and a tip I was over $15 US, and you don't have to pay that at all in Negril to get a great Jamaican breakfast. Dinner however was another matter; I had lobster nuggets in a curry sauce, and it was very nice and reasonably priced for the quality; everything there is a la carte however. . I will agree with other posters here that portions at Norma's are not very large, so if that is your thing you might not like that part. I was not interested in stuffing myself, so it was fine. And of course Americans eat too much generally, we all know that. They also had a promotion advertised in the room about going to various places in town and getting some special freebie, a drink or whatever, and for Norma's it was a rum punch and a dessert. So I went there for dinner and asked for that, and the people acted like I wasn't entitled to it, which was puzzling. They claimed that promotion did not apply for Norma's if you stayed at Seasplash--but nothing in the literature indicated that. I insisted they honor the offer. The desserts were very nice, and I think they make a mistake in not offering this offer to their guests at least once because it is a good incentive to eat there instead of at the many other options available in Negril. The pool is small, but most pools there are small, and the pool is not that necessary with the ocean right there. The closet in the suite was huge, and the bathroom was probably the nicest I have had in Negril, very spacious tub, dressing area was nice, hair dryer, iron and ironing board. I did not like the sofa at all -- springs were gone on one end and the thing should have been discarded -- so didn't use it, just used the chairs. Nice dining table, and another dining table on the balcony. There was a loft, but I didn't need that. For a family that is a nice feature. There is a nice sense of privacy at Seasplash, and the place seemed very secure. More private feeling than most places on Negril beach for sure. They spent a lot of money making the place very comfortable and attractive. It is very well-built. The suite was very quiet. I could not tell anyone else was even staying there when I was in it. Rates are a bit on the high side, but you can negotiate, which I did, and I recommend other guests try that and give Seasplash a chance. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it is Jamaican owned, and it is very important to support locally owned businesses in Negril, which is gradually being taken over by foreign owned corporations and all-inclusives. Seasplash had to close for repairs for a while after Ivan, but I recommend trying this place and giving them your business when they re-open. Someone commented on this website that it is not a resort but a hotel. I think that is a strong plus. No one is trying to get you to do anything or try anything or participate in anything, but anything you could possibly want to do is available in Negril, where there are few quality hotels. Seasplash is definitely one of them. I thought it was very charming.

.Istayed as a guest at Sea Splash two previous times and found it to be quite acceptable. On my last trip to Negril I also arranged to stay there with two of my friends. The suites are large and we could all sleep in our own beds. We made the reservations four months in advance and called to confirm our reservation three times. The last time we called was two days before our arrival. Each time we were given a confirmation number. When we arrived on April 21,2004 we were greeted by TerryAnn and she said "Welcome Home!". After we told her our partys name she told us that someone would be right with us. Marsha informed us that she had no room for us but she would bring us to another hotel. We found that completely unacceptable. When we asked why our room was given to someone else she that there was a large wedding party here. We asked to speak to a manager but were told that Michelle was busy. We had to stay at the other hotel for the first four nights of the seven day stay. we asked for a meeting with a manager several times but were never given one. The other hotel that they provided has only one bed and a pull out couch. We did get what we were promised or what we paid for and they could have not cared less. How could anyone ever trust them for keeping a reservation. We could of booked a package deal for a lot less money and at least stayed at the hotel we would of chosen. On the last day of our stay at sea splash we ran out of toilet paper and called for some more two times. Finally after two hours we had to track down a maid ourselves. No one should risk making a reservation with them. You might get the room or you might not. But don't worry they will sure as heck charge you for it. I'm going back to Negril in November and I guess you know were I won't be staying.

Stayed at seasplash durning hurricane Ivan and had a interesting experience on survival skills durning a hurricane. Six guest left at a 23 room resort durning a hurrican with 160 mile winds. Sounds pretty scary but it was not and the part that I enjoyed most is that everyone stayed togehter and became one big family. I really would not trade that adventure for all the tea in china or alll the gold in fort. knox. SeaSplash, we'll be back mid-2005 to celebrate the grand opening. Best of luck to you all and God Bless.

My husband and I stayed at The SeaSplash Resort from 8/26-8/31, 2004. When we arrived it was late and we were greeted with a heartfelt smile from Terryann (Receptionist). She went over everything with us in detail, she gave us a lock (a credit card WAS NOT needed for a deposit). Our room was on the beach we could hear the water hitting the shore (how romantic)!! The room was clean, it wasn't dirty at all. We did encounter a couple of problems, we informed the front desk and they upgraded our room without hesitation. Do to the fact that our luggage was lost, we had to purchase a few items until the bags arrived. The front staff hooked us up with a cool, knowledge, easy going taxi driver by the name of "Sparrow". Sparrow took us around town to get the necessities that we needed as well as gave us an informative tour. During our outing Terryann called to inform us that the airlines had called and our bags would arrive at the resort between 2-4pm. They were very concerned and friendly. Anytime we had a question they happily answered it. Norma's Restuarant staff wasn't to friendly, they acted as if you were bothering them when you asked for something and would try to cheat you if you paid for your food with American money. The portions of their food was very small so therefore it wasn't fulfilling at all. We found ourselves eating at Rick's Cafe, The Rockhouse and Sweet Spice. All in all I would stay at THe SeaSplash Resort when we decide to go back. Word of caution if you're not used to seeing poverty and getting ripped off ( Jamaican's think American's have alot of money) then Jamaica is not for you. Mayfield Falls was the BOMB!!! I recommed this for everyone. There's alot of beauty in Jamaica and The Seasplash is one. Remember to bring alot of OFF! with Deet in it you will need it the mosquitos just seems to love us Americans.

Stayed one night at Seaplash in July 04 and was pleased with the property. The rooms are a little small especially the superior room but still okay. Big king size beds are in every room and especially liked the one bedroom suite. Has an upscale feel to the place and elegant decor compared to similar properties in Negril. Lovely grounds. Pool, bar and restaurant are all top notch. You did have to leave a CC on file but nothing was held on the card so really no problem. No problems with towels/hot water etc. Huge closet with a full size iron and ironing board...unheard of in similar properties in Jamaica. Plan to return later this year so I would definitely recommend.

This was my first trip to Jamaica and I wanted to cry everytime I had to return to the room. We were at sea splash 8/19 - 8/22. Dont be fooled by the name "Junior Suites", the rooms are very small for any type of suite. The window leaked when it rained, we were unable to secure the door locks and they wanted to hold a credit card to give us keys to the safe NOT. The room was humid all the time, and smelled of cigarettes and mold. We are both non-smokers and we tried to get moved to another room but because this place is so small there was no place to move and the office staff didnt appear to be concerned even though I stressed how unhappy I was. There was rust on the airconditioning unit, and in the bathtub, the room was dirty everywhere, walls, floors etc. We left our clothes in the bags and I did not even want to step on the floor without socks. (We we returned home and unpacked everything smelled of cigarettes--yuck) The furniture, the barely working fridge, everything in this room was old and needed to be thrown away! They are on a budget so the maid did not replenish the towels everyday, she brought us 2 washcloths at 6 pm one night and we had to ask for toilet paper. We had a great time on the beach, the food was good but overpriced for the portion size at Norma's, so we went away from the hotel to eat as well. Taxi service is reasonable and available in abundance. The roads are fine they have been fixed and the drivers were not nearly as bad as I had heard. Every time we left the room it was like stepping out into the jungle around the property. We had to run off the kitten size frogs and there were lizards galore! Thankfully not in the room or I would have lost it. They really need to have some landscaping (more than just the leaf blower) done to upgrade this property. This NOT a resort, it is a hotel! I will return to Jamaica but not to sea splash. I will stay at one of the newer more modern all inclusive resorts, lesson learned the hard way! This place is not a resort as you know it, it is a low budget establishment and unless your are on a low, low budget, you can do much better. I understand the economic status of this country and I did experience culture shock by the poverty that I saw on the hour plus drive up and throughout Negril, but I was very surprised at the condition of this hotel. Sorry this is all true.

Beware! Our group booked and paid for 5 vacation packages for Seasplash in February for a Memorial Day week trip. We found out a few weeks before departure the hotel was oversold. Our Travel Agent called them almost daily and they promised they would find rooms and keep our group together. One person cancelled their trip because they did not believe the hotel would produce the rooms. She was correct, upon arrival they only had 1 room for the 3 remaining reservations which had been paid several months in advance. The reservationist told us that the three of us would have to share a room and one of us would have to sleep on a couch. We told them this was unacceptable, our party included a senior citizen, all of us paid for individual rooms and none of us were going to sleep on a couch. They had to walk us and we spent our entire trip next door at Native Son, in a three bedroom villa, so the three of us did not spend even one night at Seasplash. They tried to make amends with a complimentary breakfast and a bottle of rum but it really did not make us happy considering we had to deal with this type of controversy on our vacation. There is no excuse for this kind of error in a hotel this small. They only have to track reservations for 23 rooms! To add insult to injury, about six weeks later the Seasplash reservationist contacted our Travel Agent asking us to mail our hotel vouchers...she forgot to collect them when we checked in. They really need to get it together!

We stayed here and it was great. The dining room/bar is right on teh beach which is so convenient. The pool is also right there next to the restaurant. They have pretty good food and very reasonable prices. I would only recommend a suite b/c when we moved to a jr. suite it was VERY small - basically you walk in and are sitting on the bed. They didn't have enough rooms available - so this is all there was and we ended up moving to a differnt hotel. Thsi was not good and there were some problems with our refund - but the hotel itself is very nice and the staff is reasoanbly friendly as well. It is also located in a very convenient area - it is very central. There is a jerk chicken shack across the street - Ozzie's that is absolutely great. You can get a 1/4 lb. white meat chicken and bread for about $2.50. It was delicious. Also up on the west end there is a place called 3 dives that had even better jerk chicken. It is a little far but it is very good and worth the trip. Also - don't miss the cliff diving at Ricks in the West End.

I went to Seasplash for a couple of days in July 04. I was kind of taken aback a first, because we drove past it the first time. When we finally pulled into the small driveway all I saw was trees, plant, flowers....I kept thinking to myself, "the mosquitos are going to each me alive here..." I checked in with my fiance' (who is Jamaican) and we walked to our room. we had a Jr Suite and I must say that it was HUGE!! It was clean & there was a partial view of the ocean, but the room itself was really nice. There are 2 ceiling fans, and 2 air conditioners & a HUGE walk in closet! the TV was kind of small for the room to be so large, but it served its purpose. The ants were coming in through the kitchen window, but as long as we kept the window closed & kept food off of the counter we were fine. I saw some beautiful humming birds flying around the flowers outside & I must say that I was in awe to see them up close like that. My fiance' told me that they are called "doctor birds" by the locals, and they are gorgeous! The restaurant was expensive, and the food was average, but we found a local to drive us around and he took us to this little restaurant name, "Sweet Spot" near downtown Negril, & the food was AWESOME, & cheap! I got a Tbone w/3 sides for like $5 US! Also, there is a wonderful little Jerk place named Ossies across the street & down about half a block. The staff was nice but there were a couple of waitresses w/an attitude at the restaurant which kept me from eating there as often as I would have. It rained everyday that I was there, but I still had a nice time. The hotel was nice, & clean. There was hot water all the time, and having been to Jamaica 4 times in the last year, I know that hot water IS a luxury! I really don't have any complaints about Seasplash, but I probably wouldn't go back there because the mosquitos DID eat me alive, but if you take a citronella candle, as one of the previous reviewers suggested, or don't mind walking around with repellent on, then you should be fine.