Hate ’em or love ’em, Sandals resorts are to Caribbean tourism what bees are to Earth’s eco-system: Necessities of life. And signs of health.
Of vim and vigor. Of zip and zing. Of rum and punch (perfect for buzz-seeking newlyweds honeying their moons).
So, it was distressing when swarms of the mega-brand’s hives shuttered back in late October of 2025 when Cat 5 hurri-cidal maniac Melissa ripped through Jamaica, the insular birthplace of Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and current home to seven of its 17 region-wide eponymous properties.
(All of this comes on the heels of 2024’s relatively light lashing of its newest Caribbean outpost, Sandals Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, by Hurricane Beryl.)
While it was surely a colony collapse on Jamrock, you can’t keep a good smoked apiary down for long. Sandals (and Beaches, another SRI offspring) properties in Ocho Rios and Negril were among the first to welcome guests back in December and, as of press time, more have been restored in all of their glorious all-inclusivity.
Sandals Dunn’s River — dubbed for a nearby waterfall that doesn’t quite pour through it, but inspired its design — is good to go with its signature sky pools, rooftop bars, Rum Club and luxe suites.
On Seven Mile Beach, Sandals Negril is back to jerking you around with its nicey-spicey chicken (mandatorily chased with swim-up cocktails, just to be safe).
Live your best djinnic life over at fully in-swing and now beach-clubbed Sandals Ochi, where its new four-bedroom villas come with butler service.
In that same “You rang?” vein, if you never thought you could say “boutique,” “all-inclusive” and “Jamaica” in the same sentence, just try romance-minded Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios where it’s ready to do thy bidding inside its 74 intimate, all-stewarded rooms.
And not to be overshadowed by its strappingly named sisters, Beaches Negril was another one of SRI’s rapid rebounders that resumed ops just in time for last winter’s travel blitz.
Still, three SRIs remain licking their wounds — but they’re building back better with the help of a $200 million self-injection.
Green-forward Sandals South Coast, reopening Nov. 18, will debut its Butch’s Island Chop House, SRI’s signature meatery whose name honors the brand’s founder, along with Blum Coffee, a new bean stop designed for artisanal Blue Mountain joe-sipping and pastry-munching mornings.
Flagship Sandals Montego Bay (a Gen Xer, it was the first to open in 1981) will rise again on Dec. 18 with Buccan, a new open-fire Caribbean dining concept inspired by trad-knife local cooking methods; think smoky flavors, communal chow-downs and live-fire theatrics.
Last but not least, Sandals Royal Caribbean, a fellow MoBayer, will also un-close the week before Christmas with a stylish new long pool designed for all-day veg-out-ification, the debut of bite spot Suppa and the launch of the Parisol Beach Club on its private island.
How was all of this seemingly impossible recovery made possible?
As cornball as your favorite influencer makes it sound, teamwork really does make the dream work. SRI chummied up with global humanitarian dot orgs like Chef José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen and Team Rubicon/Medicorp, helping to deliver thousands of meals, emergency supplies, medical support and cleanup assistance across the island. Food was distributed. Schools were restored. Local families were assisted.
So, good karma?
Not to mention, to put it in the words of Adam Stewart, executive chairman of SRI: “With more than four decades of experience operating across the Caribbean, natural events including hurricanes are something we have extensive experience preparing for. Our preparedness begins as early as the design and construction phase of our resorts, which are built with safety and resilience in mind, and continues through dedicated response teams, extensive training and strong community partnerships that help us act quickly and responsibly when needed.”
On Jamaica, what’s old is new again. But a short time ago, in a galaxy near, near away, what’s new is new again.
SRI has just opened up its $150 million, 100-acre Treasure Beach Village at Beaches on Turks and Caicos, its sixth such Village addition. Perched on Provo’s Grace Bay, what this butler- and penthouse-optional property expansion lacks in footwear nomenclature, it makes up for with a 15,000-square-foot pool that overlooks the sea, a food hall-style restaurant and a 32-seat movie theater.
In short, SRI’s entire hive mind is taking the W in 2026 as its adults-only bees return to pollinating the Caribbean. In the slightly tweaked words of the late Jamaica immerser Muhammad Ali: Float like a butterfly, sting like a beach.
Reserve a stay at Sandals.com.
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