First of all, please note that this is our 11th visit to Jamaica. We absolutely love the Island. We have been to many islands and find the people and food absolutely amazing in Jamaica. This is the island that coined the phrase "All-Inclusive!" This was an awesome family vacation.

Do not go looking for a plush resort. The rooms and starirways, etc... are run down and due for a remodel. However, the restaurants are fine and the pools and water park are terrific!!!

We took a family of 10 which included omy hubby, me our 2 kids, boys ages 8 and 9, my parents, ages 67 and 65, my sis and her hubby and their girls,14 and 17 year olds.

My boys loooooved the kids camp and the water park. We could barely get them to spend time with us! They enjoyed the mac n cheese i the Venetian Restaurant the most, along with there desserts! They also like breakfast n the main restaurant and were thrilled with the make your own ice cream and strawberry daquiris!

The 14 year old liked the water park the swim up bar in the main pool and the hot tub. She very much wanted to join in on the teen activities which looked great (we saw the group at night together having fun, but she couldn't get her sister to go with her.) The 17 year old just like laying by the pool and the swim up bar. She is a little bit of a stick in the mud, though.

My parents (67 and 65) enjoyed the food and the relaxation, and by the way, climbed the waterfall...AAGH! They did not enjoy the stairs! They had a great room but had to climb 70 stairs to get to the main restaurant ,and having a father with severe arthritis, this was a major drawback!

The food was on average, just okay. Eleanor's, the over age 12 "adult" restaurant, was great. The beef tenderloin and the shrimp appetizer is the way to go. It is also air conditioned, so it was a nice change, since the others are not! We loved breakfast and lunch was okay because they had a variety. Dinner could be hit or miss in the main dining room so we stuck to the specialty restaurants. Arizona's had some wonderful nachos and great Jerk Pork...especially if you like it spicey!

The rooms were dated. They were very clean and they were fine.
Our refridgerator was stocked each day and it was nice having the water bottles for the gym

The gym was fine. It had treadmills, ellipticals and a bike. The free weights were plentiful and they had towels for you to use and a water fountain. We hit it every day and sometimes twice a day. Some in our party had a great water aerobics workout that left them sore for 2 days after!

I would be remiss if I did not mention Michelle and Jason from the front desk. When we checked in there was a slight problem that our rooms were not near each other as we requested and a guest decided not to leave so we could not get my parents on the same floor with us. They were very accomodating and upgraded us. As I mentioned earlier my parents room was a great location down on the beach, but not great because of it's proximity to the main areas due to too many stairs.

Michelle also suggested a party for my husbands 40th birthday that occurred while we were there. She planned it all, including reservations in a restaurant for the 10 of us, a gorgeous cake and decorations. It was above an dbeyond in my view.

All in all i would recommend this as a family vacation if you go into it with realistic expectations. This is not a 5 star resort like the Ritz, but it is a wonderful family oriented vacation. If you are okay with "decent" accomodations, "decent" food, awesome kids activities and good drinks and relaxtion with your family, you will only be disappointed if you are just bound to be unhappy anywhere.

BEACHES BOSCOBEL JAMAICA
Our vacation was absolutely nothing short of fabulous would definitely return . food was to die for.. the staff was very courteous, kind, caring and accomodating.. Just ask and they were there for you ..Love eating the fresh local fruits on display each morning in the buffet..........I would like to thank each of the staff but could only remember a few names, like Francis, Shaw, Anika, Richard and Alicia from entertainment. the gang from concierge .. Thanks for making our stay a wonderful time.. Thanks again .. The Persaud family, Compton, Indira and Austin

Bottom-line: We had a great vacation with our 2 sons (ages 12 and 5).
The drive:
It is what it is. Sit back, enjoy the scenery and it does pass by quicker than you'd think. The ride there was 2 hours but the ride back was 20 minutes shorter for some reason.
The room:
We signed up for a delux family suite in the main building but we were pleasently surprised to be upgraded to an ocean front, conceirge room. We were called several weeks b4 our trip and offered the chance to upgrade for $600 but we turned it down. The room was vey nice and clean. No signs of wear and tear. The view was fantastic!
Kids Kamp:
A+++ Our 5 year old waas excited to go everyday and we had to drag him out every afternoon. The nannies are fun but firm with the kids. They go out of their way (including one who took it upon herself to fix our son's souvenier necklace that accidently broke during the last day of his camp). Our 12 year old bounced between XBOX lounge, the pools and the beach. We felt very safe letting him do his own thing and interacting with the other kids.
Food:
Elelanors and Ventitian are close to 5 stars. Arizona is a solid 4 star and the Bayside and the BBQ grill are 3 stars plus. There is something for everyone. Go to Appletons Bar. Nobody seems to find it and it has the best view with a steel drum band serenading you every night (the "singer" is a little strange but friendly none the less).
Actvities:
Slide pool is great. The big pool is relaxing with the swim-up bar (although the bartenders service at this bar was a little spotty) and keep an eye out for the pool volleyball games in the late afternoon. My 12 year old and I had a blast doing that. The beach is small and the ocean swim area is even smaller but it was still big enough for a refreshing dip and we never had an issue getting chairs down there (the pool, as stated by other reviewers, is another story.... reserve a few chairs by throwing your stuff down no later than 8am). We did countless banana boat rides and several HobieCat rides.
The only off-site trip we took was DunnRivers Falls. This is a must!! We debated on taking our 5 year old and we're glad we didn't. It is a challenging climb but a ton of fun.

I don't want to be too repetative with the other reviewers but I'll end by saying:
My take on the bad reviews: On any vacation to anywhere there is always the chance that something could go wrong. The bad reviewers either had bad luck or they are very picky. (Don't go expecting a 5 star resort).
Boscobel was a hit with us.
I'm fairly easy going and a realistic optimist by nature but even my picky (but lovely) wife (who had reservations and doubts going into it) was very happy and would gladly go back in a second.

Our daughter and new son in law were married on the beach and everyone at Beaches Boscobel were more than eager to make sure that their special day was nothing less than wonderful. Including the bride and broom, there was 32 of us that attended and thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the resort. Our week could not have been better.
I, myself would like to thank all of the employees at Beaches Boscobel for their kindness and friendliness but I was especially impressed by the young men who served our dinner almost every night of our at stay at the restuarant, Eleanors. The food was delicious and I have never eaten anywhere where the service was any better. Hats off to these young men!!!!!!!
We definitely would love to return to Jamaica soon. We all absolutely loved the island and the people.
Linda,
Roanoke, VA