Sandals Resorts in Jamaica Compared

Sandals began in Jamaica, and the island still has more Sandals resorts than anywhere else: seven, from the original on the Montego Bay shore to the overwater bungalows at Whitehouse on the south coast. Four are open now. Hurricane Melissa closed the other three in October 2025, and Sandals is rebuilding them as what it calls Sandals 2.0: Sandals South Coast reopens on November 18, 2026, and Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Caribbean Cay on December 18, 2026. Every Sandals is adults only, for guests 18 and over, and designed for couples. Here’s how they compare, and which one suits whom.

Sandals in Jamaica at a glance

Transfer times are Sandals’ own estimates from Sangster International in Montego Bay (MBJ). Sandals’ FAQ says included transfers in Jamaica are from MBJ, so if you plan to fly into Ian Fleming (OCJ) near Ocho Rios or Kingston (KIN), confirm the transfer with Sandals first. Sizes are given only where Sandals or its June 2026 announcement publishes them.

What every Sandals in Jamaica includes

The basics are the same at all seven, according to Sandals: meals and drinks, all tips and taxes, round-trip airport transfers from MBJ, Wi-Fi in every room, water sports, and scuba for certified divers (bring your certification card and dive log). Golf green fees are included in Jamaica. Spa treatments, off-site tours, private dinners and weddings cost extra; for the legal side of a wedding, see getting married in Jamaica. Some dinners need a reservation, and Sandals’ evening dress code applies at some restaurants: for men, long pants and dress shoes or sandals, no flip-flops.

Stay at one, play at another: the rules

Sandals’ exchange program lets you use a sister resort’s restaurants and bars. In Jamaica it works within a town, not across the island: Sandals’ FAQ says transport to neighboring Sandals is included within the same town. Here’s how each resort’s own page describes it.

• Ocho Rios: Royal Plantation, Ochi and Dunn’s River. Royal Plantation guests can eat and drink at Sandals Ochi, with complimentary round-trip transportation; Sandals calls it Stay at One, Play at Two. Dunn’s River guests get all of Sandals Ochi’s amenities. Ochi is the hub of the trio, and its own page doesn’t promise access the other way, to Royal Plantation or Dunn’s River, so ask before you count on it.
• Montego Bay: Sandals Montego Bay and Caribbean Cay. Caribbean Cay guests can use the restaurants and bars at Sandals Montego Bay, with round-trip transportation included. Sandals Montego Bay lists shuttles to Caribbean Cay on select days and hours. The pairing starts again when both reopen.
• Negril and South Coast. Each is the only Sandals in its area, so there’s no exchange partner nearby.

Sandals’ Jamaica page also advertises “stay at 1, play at 6”, which reads as if every Jamaican Sandals is open to you. The resort pages and FAQ describe the town-by-town exchanges above, so check what your booking includes before you plan dinners at a resort an hour away.

Free Jamaica trip checklist

Want the printable version?

Get my free Jamaica trip checklist, then guides for the part of the island you're visiting.

Leave this empty

First name

Email address

When are you travelling? (optional)Choose…In the next 3 monthsIn 3–6 monthsIn 6–12 monthsNot sure yet

Get the checklist

Unsubscribe any time.

Sandals 2.0: the three rebuilt resorts

Sandals is using the closures to rebuild its three Montego Bay and south-coast resorts. In its June 2026 announcement, Sandals chairman Adam Stewart described the goal as “a Sandals 2.0 experience that also feels connected to our home”. Sandals notes that renderings and product details are subject to change.

• Sandals South Coast (from Nov 18, 2026): new landscaping, a new pool, Butch’s Island Chop House with a martini bar, the Blūm coffee bar and a new rum bar. Travelweek reported that the Overwater Butler Villas return with refreshed interiors, alongside Sandals’ first double-queen room concept, the Beachfront Club Two Queen Junior Suites.
• Sandals Montego Bay (from Dec 18, 2026): a new lobby facing the sea, a completely redesigned main pool, new swim-up rooms and ocean-view suites, and two new restaurants, Buccan for open-flame cooking and Scrimshaw for seafood. The Caribbean’s first swim-up bar stays, as part of Parisol Beach Club.
• Sandals Caribbean Cay (from Dec 18, 2026): the former Sandals Royal Caribbean, renamed after its offshore island, Sandals Cay. It adds 84 rooms, for 291 in all, including SkyPool and swim-up suites, a bigger main pool, the new Suppa restaurant and Keynote Rum Bar, and Parisol Beach Club on the island. New Oceanview Butler Suites follow in June 2027.

My take: the rebuilt resorts should be worth the wait, but give any freshly reopened resort a few weeks to settle before booking a once-in-a-lifetime trip there.

The four open now

Sandals Royal Plantation

The small, quiet one. Every room is a Butler Suite on a coral bluff over a cove beach in Ocho Rios, with five restaurants, afternoon tea and Jamaica’s only Champagne and caviar bar, according to Sandals. It has two pools, not a big pool scene, and for a livelier night you ride over to Sandals Ochi.

Sandals Ochi

The big one, and really two resorts: the Ochi Beach Club, with swim-up bars and music, and the Butler Villas up the hill in a 100-acre garden. Sandals lists 16 restaurants, 11 bars and 105 pools, with golf at Upton Estate included. Expect to use shuttles between the two sides.

Sandals Dunn’s River

The modern one, on its own beach at Mammee Bay. Despite the name, it isn’t at the falls; Dunn’s River Falls is a short drive east. Twelve restaurants and nine bars, SkyPool suites and round Rondoval villas with private pools, plus all of Sandals Ochi when you want more. It has only two pools.

Sandals Negril

The beach one, on the widest stretch of Seven Mile Beach, facing the sunset. Water skiing, wakeboarding, Hobie Cats and scuba are included. With eight restaurants it has half Ochi’s choice, but Negril’s beach bars and the West End cliffs are close if you want to eat out.

The three reopening soon

These three are closed until the dates below, and Sandals is taking bookings from those dates. For any trip before then, book one of the four above.

• Sandals South Coast, reopening Nov 18, 2026: Sandals’ overwater bungalows in Jamaica, on a quiet beach at Whitehouse, far from the north-coast resort strip.
• Sandals Montego Bay, reopening Dec 18, 2026: the shortest transfer of any Sandals, on a long private beach beside the airport runway, so planes overhead are part of the deal.
• Sandals Caribbean Cay, reopening Dec 18, 2026: the private island and the overwater villas, about 20 minutes from the airport on calmer Mahoe Bay.

Who should pick which

• Quiet, personal service, a milestone trip: Royal Plantation.
• The most restaurants, pools and things going on: Sandals Ochi.
• A newer, stylish resort with plenty of choice: Sandals Dunn’s River, with Ochi on top.
• A proper beach and water sports: Sandals Negril.
• Overwater bungalows and nature, from Nov 18: Sandals South Coast.
• The shortest transfer, from Dec 18: Sandals Montego Bay.
• A private island or an overwater villa, from Dec 18: Sandals Caribbean Cay.

Traveling with children? Look at Beaches

Beaches is the Sandals group’s family brand, and in Jamaica that means Beaches Negril, on the same wide stretch of Seven Mile Beach as Sandals Negril. Beaches lists 13 restaurants, the Pirate Island water park on the sand, Kids Camp with certified nannies and teen activities, and the Caribbean’s first certified autism centers. Beaches Ocho Rios closed on May 31, 2025, and Beaches no longer runs it. Beaches Runaway Bay, on the old Jewel Runaway Bay site, is under development with no opening date, so don’t plan a trip around it yet.