The newly renovated, 260-room Sandals Dunn’s River — the 17th resort in the Sandals portfolio — opened May 24, 2023, in a location on Jamaica's north coast that was particularly meaningful to Sandals Resorts International’s founder, the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart, who fished there as a boy.
The resort — once known as Sandals Dunn’s River Villaggio — was previously managed by the company before becoming a Jewel Resorts property. But when it went on the market during the pandemic, Butch jumped at the chance to make it a Sandals-owned resort; it was the last property he personally acquired.
“Ocho Rios has been the backdrop of some of my family’s most pivotal moments, including along this very beach, where my father grew up and turned a perhaps once unimaginable dream into one of the world’s most well-known hotel brands,” said Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International. “We celebrate innovation and a commitment to excellence as we unveil the next generation of Sandals Resorts in our home country of Jamaica. I cannot think of a better way to honor his legacy and acknowledge the incredible future of our brand.”
We celebrate innovation and a commitment to excellence as we unveil the next generation of Sandals Resorts in our home country of Jamaica.
The newly renovated resort is located on Jamaica’s north coast.
Credit: 2023 SandalsElevated Suites
The completely transformed adults-only, all-inclusive resort — dubbed “Sandals 2.0” — showcases the destination’s natural beauty with elevated suite designs, including a newly constructed tower with upper-floor Turfa Terrace One Bedroom Skypool Butler Suites, featuring glass-panel-edge infinity pools that offer panoramic ocean views, a first in Jamaica. A collection of Coyaba Rondoval villas with private pools is another “first-of-its-kind" room category, half of which also feature the brand's first open-air flat rooftops.
The resort’s SkyPool Suites feature glass-panel-edge infinity pools with panoramic ocean views.
Credit: 2023 Samantha Davis-FriedmanIn yet another “Sandals first,” a Stargazing Concierge will arrange complimentary viewing of the Jamaican night sky through a telescope on the private rooftops of the Coyaba Sky Villa Swim-up Rondoval Butler Suites (plus offer help identifying constellations and searching for meteor activity). Clients will also receive a custom star map to commemorate this unique experience.
“We are constantly listening to our guests and looking for additional ways to give them that ‘stellar’ stay,” said Deryk Meany, general manager of Sandals Dunn’s River. “Creating the perfect Caribbean evenings … under a canopy of stars, creates a new way to relax and connect while staying with us.”
New Culinary Concepts
Of the resort’s 12 global culinary concepts, several are exclusive to Dunn’s River, including the new Asian-fusion Banyu; the seaside Edessa, featuring a Greek-influenced menu; and Hanami, an izakaya-inspired sushi restaurant overlooking the lobby.
Among the resort’s new global culinary concepts is the seaside Edessa, featuring a Greek-influenced menu.
Credit: 2023 Sandals ResortsAdditional all-new concepts are Dunn’s Rum Club, featuring the largest selection of rum on the island of Jamaica (and any Sandals Resort), according to the brand; the Lapidus Lounge, a tribute to Morris Lapidus, the architect who designed the site’s first resort, the Arawak Hotel; and Blum (pronounced “bloom”), a first-of-its-kind coffee experience showcasing Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountain coffee.
“We’re selling ‘sand and sea,’ but we’re also selling the Jamaican culture,” says Jason Sharp, managing director of Coffee Traders Limited (the exclusive coffee supplier for Sandals since 2005). “So, Sandals is always looking for good-quality, unique Jamaican products.”
In addition to having his company’s Blue Mountain coffee served at Blum, Sharp’s artisan Likkle More chocolate bars are available at the on-site shop. The high-quality chocolate is also used by the resort’s pastry chefs — no doubt including the highly addictive chocolate chip cookies found in a seemingly bottomless jar in the lobby.
Dunn’s Rum Club features the largest selection of rum on the island of Jamaica.
Credit: 2023 Sandals ResortsIsland Inclusive
The brand’s first-ever off-site dining program, “Island Inclusive," was introduced last year with the opening of Sandals Royal Curacao and recently expanded to the Bahamas — with Jamaica coming soon.
When the program launches, Sandals Dunn’s River guests will be able to immerse themselves even further in the destination through opportunities to dine at local partner restaurants — including Miss T’s Kitchen in Ocho Rios — using a $250 dining voucher from the resort (complimentary roundtrip transportation is also provided).
We had the opportunity to enjoy a meal at Miss T's, and according to our server, Anastasia, Miss T wanted to create an authentic Jamaican dining experience “with great ambiance and great food," where guests feel at home. The reason meals at Miss T’s are served family style? That’s to conjure memories of being with family in the backyard, passing dishes around. Our table agreed that another benefit of family-style dining was getting to try nearly a dozen of Miss T's recipes.
“Building extraordinary resorts that make it easy for our guests to authentically experience our home countries and the people that bring these incredible places to life is the work of Sandals Resorts,” Stewart said. “The Caribbean is wide and diverse and brimming with flavor and fun. There is so much to discover here, and we want to bring our guests closer to it all.”
Getting There
Sandal's Dunn's River is about 60 miles from Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and about 55 miles from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. The resort offers complimentary roundtrip transfers for guests using both airports.
