11 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SANDALS RESORTS
If you are thinking about planning a romantic tropical vacation or honeymoon, you have probably stumbled upon Sandals Resorts and may be a little confused about all of your options. There is so much to know about this fantastic resort experience and the information below might just prove helpful in narrowing things down. If not, you can contact us for more assistance and we would be happy to make it even more clear.
Sandals Resorts was founded by the late Gordon “Butch Stewart in 1981 with the birth of Sandals Montego Bay, their flagship resort. Mr. Stewart was born and raised in Jamaica and has great pride in his country and its culture. When you stay at a Sandals Resort in Jamaica, you truly feel the heartbeat of the island. Sandals now has 20+ resorts under its umbrella with 6 in Jamaica, 3 in St. Lucia, 2 in the Bahamas, 2 in Barbados, 1 in Antigua, 1 in Grenada, 1 in Curacao and a handful of other family-friendly sister resorts including the world renowned Beaches Turks & Caicos.
Every Sandals Resort has a distinct personality. No two are the same. Some are big and lively and an excellent choice for those who love the nightlife and activities. Some are smaller and more intimate and a better fit for those who want more of a boutique style experience. There are options for beach lovers, pool lovers and those who want it all.
All Sandals Resorts include round-trip transfers from the airport to the resort. In destinations where there is more than one resort, your shuttle may stop at another before yours so you have the option to upgrade to private, non stop transfers but that additional cost is not a requirement as transfers are one of the many “extras” that Sandals includes with your package.
All Club Level & Butler Rooms come with a fully stocked in-room bar. Your room will have a refrigerator with sodas and juices, beer and wine for your enjoyment during your stay. The concierge department is also available to stock your room with full liquor bottles at your request, so no matter which spirits you prefer, they should be able to accommodate*. (*Note: Islands of the Caribbean do have to import all items so certain labels may or may not be available at any given time depending when you visit)
Sandals includes scuba diving & golf as well as many other non-motorized water sports! Not many all inclusive resorts can say that but it is just another example of the luxury inclusions that you receive when staying at a Sandals Resort.
You can stay at one and play at all! No matter which Sandals Resort you stay at, you have the option to visit any of the others on the island and have full dining and entertainment privileges at each resort for the entire day. If you visit another in the same town, Sandals will even provide the transportation between the two. (*The only exception to this is Sandals Royal Plantation which does have privileges at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, however due to the intimate size of Sandals Royal Plantation, they can not extend the same option to guests of Sandals Ochi Beach).
Tipping is not allowed. It is true! You may have stayed at another all inclusive resort in the past that said tipping was included but during your stay you felt inclined to tip anyway. That is not the case at Sandals. It is 100% included and their staff are not even allowed to accept tips. The only personnel that are able to receive gratuities are in the spa and your butler, should you book a room that comes with one. Sandals does relax their “no tipping” policy for these staff members only.
Sandals Resorts was designed for couples in love. All rooms come with a king bed only. While Sandals does accept same sex couples as well as the occasional wedding guests who are not in a romantic relationship, no rooms have 2 beds available. Select resorts do have roll away bed options upon request only but the theme of the brand is for guests who share a room to also share a bed.
As of 2024, each resort has a new virtual assistant for Guest Information and Assistance, GINA, is a communication platform via WhatsApp, allowing guests to easily reach the resort team for support and quick responses throughout the day. To connect with GINA, you can simply follow these steps:
1- Download WhatsApp from the App-Store
2- Upon arrival at the resort, you can scan the QR code found in your room, public areas, and on digital screens to be automatically connected for anything you may need. (Guests can also find the link for GINA directly on the Sandals App.)*Please note that while GINA is designed to handle many guest inquiries efficiently, for more complex or specific requests, the dedicated team on resort will be available to provide additional assistance.
Sandals has a charitable organization called SandalsFoundation.org… This is an amazing organization that assists the entire Caribbean community through donations and acts of volunteerism… The foundation loves for guests to bring school supplies for local schools and even offers a reading road trip excursion once a week on most islands so feel free to check out their website before your trip if you would like to become more familiar with their work.
If you love your stay at Sandals and want to book another, you can visit the Loyalty & Travel Department on property for a discount on a future vacation. Just be sure you let us know when you return so we can review and ensure you have gotten all discounts applicable to you!
Hopefully this has given you a small glimpse into the wonderful company that is Sandals Resorts and how amazing your vacation can be when you stay with them.