Sun, sand, family fun

NEGRIL, Jamaica — Tropical haven using overgrown cartoon characters and video games as a draw to its seaside paradise?

Yes, and I had to see for myself when I heard that Beaches Negril Resort & Spa was using them to lure guests to Jamaica’s sandy shores.

Beaches has resorts in Ocho Rios and Negril, but Beaches Negril enjoys the island’s prime real estate along the northwestern tip. It is this bit of heaven that Beaches has dedicated to the perfect Caribbean family vacation.

As island and sea meet, the land changes into another experience for the traveler to the tropics. During a sometimes harrowing journey from the airport past changing coastlines and mountains, through towns and shanty villages, one realizes that the beach’s inland backdrop is not more sand with a few scattered trees, but a forested paradise offering trips on horseback or all-terrain vehicle.

Actually, guests at Beaches Negril have no need to leave the property.

Smiling and gracious staff members give arriving guests immediate comfort with a chilled citrus-scented cloth and a tropical fruit juice to sip as they are escorted to their rooms.

Guests are enrolled quickly in activities and then get comfortable, which means changing into bathing suits to frolick in one of four large pools or the swirling waters of the Lazy River, race through the misting pool or plunge down the 200-foot tube slides at Pirates Cove.

An immediate goal might be to find the resort’s private seven-mile stretch of white-sand beach.

The resort is a perfect location for leisurely breakfasts and late-morning naps. With 20 lush, jasmine-scented acres on which to play, guests can find almost anything that combines the sun, surf, sand and pleasure.

With comfort in mind in the island-inspired architecture and decor, down to the terra-cotta floors and vibrant in-room color schemes, everything is “No-problem, mon.”

This island idiom becomes part of a visitor’s language, offering an immediate connection with the largely native staff.

Beaches Negril is an all-inclusive resort, and that means just about everything is there for the taking — all the beach-side amenities, water-sports equipment, snorkeling and scuba diving.

The resort has a variety of restaurants open and waiting and full-service bars ready for walk-up or swim-up requests ranging from a soda to the drink of the day, usually a creation of tropical juice and Jamaican rum.

Call room service for wine, and a chilled bottle is delivered cheerfully to the room.

Amenities are offered graciously before guests realize they are wanted. When asked about this service, one staff member simply responded, “We are always ready in case you might want them.”

Aside from entertainment such as Elmo sightings and games in Xbox Oasis rooms, what makes this resort a perfect family destination is that the comfort of guests is foremost, including making sure mom gets a chance to relax and enjoy her vacation.

A few in-room perks rate attention, such as a refrigerator filled with Red Stripe beer, soda and water. Guests are welcome to take advantage of the entertainment, water, sports and exercise equipment and programs.

All this means that dad never has to say no to a teen who wants to take out a Hobie Cat or a young child who wants to test golfing skills at the nine-hole minigolf course.

There is, without doubt, something for everyone — plenty of relaxation for dad, fun games and activities for every family member, steaks and hamburgers to eat and, for mom, the world-class Red Lane Spa and fine-dining choices.

All this and an extraordinary dedication to children — ensuring that the smallest ones have a vacation as memorable and fun as their older siblings and parents.

For infants and toddlers, the red-shirted Nanny Brigade is constantly prepared to offer its young charges plenty of fun, often with the accompaniment of beloved Sesame Street characters. The beach is kept free of peddlers and beggars.

The Beaches Resorts’ Caribbean Adventure With Sesame Street leads to merriment as parents exclaim, with youthful enthusiasm, “Look, honey, there’s Cookie Monster,” and speed away with video camera in one hand and child in the other.

Those furred and feathered friends are visible leading parades and dining with the children. Special activities include baking cookies with, of course, Cookie Monster, dancing with Zoe, taking a tropical nature hike, or sitting in on late-afternoon storytelling with Elmo.

Sitting in on the resort’s own Professor Teddy’s science class, children and adults alike laugh as baking-soda volcanoes erupt and air-propelled bottle rockets head into the sky.

All the staff seems to take time to know the children — and know which adults brought them. Every staff member is right there to help a lost child become reoriented, soothe one who has tired from too much fun or is missing parents who have taken the opportunity to venture off property for an island tour.

For older children and teens, the X-Box Oasis rooms are destinations in the evening when the beach is quiet and they don’t want to sit in the room.

Each of two cool, darkened rooms holds about 20 games, with plenty of variety, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob games to recent Harry Potter, racing and X-Treme sports titles. These games are available to children for free unlimited play.

It’s not unusual to find dad and children sitting together to get relief from the sun — or the rest of the family — as they enjoy a bit of friendly competition.

Conversations with young gamers indicate that this diversion, particularly at night when the sun, sea and surf activities are closed, puts Beaches Negril a notch or two higher on their vacation list.

Finding something to do during the day, on the other hand, is hardly a problem, and during our visit, the need to go off-resort never arose.

A typical day at Beaches Negril includes tennis clinics for all levels and lessons for children; family beach games; pool exercise programs; fitness classes; plenty of games — ballgames, horseshoes, billiards and water polo — and lessons in making hats.

All of this is available without even venturing to the beach, where water sports are offered. At surf’s edge, guests find a variety of watercraft such as canoes, kayaks, wind surfers, banana boats, Hobie Cats and sailboats waiting to be taken out with, or without, a staff member.

In Jamaica, the undersea mountaintops, or seamounts, create world-class reefs that give the water its deep green color under the bright sun that warms the beaches in the afternoon.

Make a reservation, preferably a day or days before, as space is limited on the boats, and take off for an underwater excursion snorkeling or scuba diving under the guidance of certified staff who know the ocean floor as well as they know the land.

There is joy in watching a young child or water-phobic parent doing ocean-reef snorkeling.

By using life jackets and taking instruction, all ages over 6 can be found marveling at the undersea world, barely able to contain their excitement as manta rays and sea turtles glide by at what seems to be just feet away. Or giggling with delight as a Nemo look-alike is seen darting into the colorful coral reef.

The mysterious underwater environs are elegantly balanced by the island’s lush interior. This island is not all sand, and the Negril coastal front is protected by interior elevations that cumulate in the famous Blue Mountains of gourmet coffee fame.

At more than 7,000 feet, the Blue Mountains dominate the island, creating an environment that is diverse, ranging from dense habitats to grazing land for wandering goats.

Negril’s position at the western end of the mountain range benefits from particularly mild days that are filled with gentle breezes, even when temperatures are high.

The mountains also create a net for clouds that stay into the cooler evenings, when they often drop their bounty into lush pools, rivers and waterfalls.

Known for its relaxed, kicked-back attitude, Negril once was inhabited by 1960s-era hippies whose calm “no problem” outlook still influences the culture.

Keeping things that way at an all-inclusive resort means that guests don’t have to take cash, credit cards or checkbooks out of their rooms. The staff is not allowed to accept tips; however, a kind word, a smile and a thank-you will always result in a broad smile and “No problem.”

Dining at Beaches means never being bored. The Mill is an open-air restaurant with a buffet of international cuisines alongside the resort’s main pool. It is a perfect place for families: resort-casual and with a variety of food stations and a children’s buffet, which serves tot-arousing treats such as macaroni and cheese, chicken, and spaghetti noodles with or without sauce.

Though the food here is buffet style, it far exceeded expectations on many levels. However the favorite food hangout for my group was the Last Chance Saloon. During the day, grilled burgers, tuna and swordfish, hot dogs, salads, soup, deserts and just about anything else one could want is available fresh and made to order.

In the evenings, hearty appetites will devour tender Kansas City strip steak, ribs, fish and other excellent dining options in an environment perfect for mom, dad and the children, who have a bit of freedom to venture around the open-air restaurant.

Cafe Carnival is a spot for a slice of pizza or a made-to-order sandwich or to create your own pasta dish with a variety of sauces.

The pizza was a surprise. Freshly baked in a brick oven, it was loaded with cheese and toppings and generously available.

Another surprise was the excellent selection of Japanese foods. Younger guests are treated like royalty with the Junior Emperor’s Platter with breaded shrimp, chicken and sushi.

The Japanese feast continues with either shrimp or leek-and-miso soup and then follows with a main course that has everyone trying scallops and a fisherman’s catch seasoned with ginger and sake; chicken; beef tenderloin; pork; vegetable stir-fry; and fried rice, all served by a Jamaican chef eager not only to cook, but to entertain his table-side guests.

For adults only, the Seville provides an evening of white-glove service in a Georgian-style restaurant serving Jamaican cuisine.

The Seville’s chefs have created a menu that delights with appetizers such as Jamaica MiCrazy, grilled fritters with yam puree or the West Indies’ lobster-and-pumpkin bisque.

After salads such as the Limbo Dancer — enhanced with pineapple, pecans and cinnamon croutons — or the St. Elizabeth — mixed field greens crowned regally with fried plantains — diners can choose a remarkable crouton-crusted snapper; Appleton Estate Jamaican rum-flamed beef tournedos; jerk-seasoned pork loin with fried plantains and rice with peas; or honey-and-herb roasted rack of lamb.

This restaurant serves a delightful and unexpected menu that has been designed to surprise and amuse with its selection and presentation.

The Beaches Negril restaurants offer something special.

From a well-trained and amenable staff to a never-ending buffet of activities and food choices, this is one family travel destination worth saving to visit.

This was certified by something I had not seen before in many years of travel: children and adults walking solemnly from their rooms, bags in hand and tears in their eyes, as Daddy promised, “We can come back next year, we really can.”

This reaction probably can be credited to a combination of the resort’s wish to provide what the parents think are a child’s entertainment needs — and the fact that seeing 7-foot-tall Zoe dancing in a pink tutu along the breezeway at 8 a.m. promises a smile, regardless of one’s age, that will last all day.