Sandals and Beaches are run by the same parent company, but they are built for very different kinds of couples and travelers. Sandals is adults-only: two people per room, no children, ever. Beaches welcomes everyone, including couples who would rather not spend a week surrounded only by other couples. Here is how to match the right resort to your trip.
What Every Sandals Resort Includes
Every Sandals stay is billed as “Luxury Included.” That covers your room, all meals and drinks (including premium spirits), tips, land and water sports, scuba diving for certified divers, and airport transfers in most destinations.
Two things are worth knowing before you book. In destinations with more than one Sandals, such as Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Jamaica, you can often dine and spend the day at sister resorts nearby, which gives you more restaurant variety than a single property would. And the top room categories come with a butler who handles reservations, unpacks your bags, and serves drinks at your pool. For a honeymoon or anniversary trip, that upgrade is often worth it.
Which Sandals Resort Fits Which Couples
Within Sandals, the resorts differ more than most people expect. A quiet week in Grenada and a lively week in Ocho Rios are two different vacations, even though both carry the same brand name.
For Honeymooners and Romantics
Sandals Grenada is small and peaceful, with four themed villages and rooms that have soaking tubs. It sits about five minutes from the airport, one of the shortest transfers in the Caribbean.
Sandals Grande St. Lucian sits on a narrow peninsula with water on both sides and is known for its overwater bungalows and views of Pigeon Island. Saint Lucia’s dramatic scenery, including the twin Pitons, makes it a classic honeymoon pick, though the airport transfer is long and winding.
Sandals Halcyon Beach, also in Saint Lucia, is the smallest of the island’s three Sandals. It feels intimate and easygoing, and you can still eat at the other two.
For Luxury Lovers
Sandals Saint Vincent opened in 2024 on an island far fewer travelers visit. It has two-story overwater villas, and new butler villas with private pools open there in November 2026.
Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, is an all-butler boutique resort with just 74 suites on a cliff above the sea. It feels more like a private estate than a resort.
Sandals Royal Barbados has a glass infinity pool, a rooftop pool, and butler suites, and sits next to Sandals Barbados, so you get both resorts’ dining.
For Energy and Activity
Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios is lively, recently renovated, and close to the famous falls, with a wide range of restaurants and plenty going on day and night.
Sandals Ochi, also in Ocho Rios, is social and fun, with a swim-up bar, beach parties, and nightly entertainment. It is often one of the better values in the lineup.
Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau is a short flight from much of the U.S., which makes it a solid pick for a long weekend, and it includes access to a small offshore island.
For Divers, Snorkelers, and Foodies
Sandals Royal Curaçao, opened in 2023, sits on an island known for some of the clearest water in the Caribbean. The landscape is dry and rugged rather than lush, and the resort is built more around pools than a classic wide beach. Divers love it anyway.
For Beach Lovers and Golfers
Sandals Negril sits on Jamaica’s Seven Mile Beach, known for calm water and some of the best sunsets in the Caribbean. Sandals Grande Antigua, on Dickenson Bay, is a popular choice for weddings and first-time guests. Sandals Barbados is the quieter, more value-focused side of the twin Barbados resorts. If golf matters more than any of that, Sandals Regency La Toc in Saint Lucia has its own course, plus hillside butler villas with private pools.
Jamaica Resorts Reopening After Hurricane Melissa
Hurricane Melissa damaged three Sandals resorts in Jamaica in fall 2025, and all three are being rebuilt and upgraded. Sandals South Coast, known for a quiet two-mile beach and overwater bungalows, is scheduled to reopen November 18, 2026. Sandals Royal Caribbean, with its own private offshore island, and Sandals Montego Bay, minutes from the airport, are both scheduled for December 18, 2026. Reopening dates after a storm tend to shift, so confirm the current status with your advisor before you book.
When Beaches Fits Better Than Sandals
Choose Beaches over Sandals if you are traveling with your children or grandchildren, a group of friends, extended family, or a wedding party that includes kids on the guest list. Beaches has kids’ camps, water parks, Sesame Street character experiences, and teen clubs, none of which exist at an adults-only Sandals.
There are currently two Beaches resorts. Beaches Turks & Caicos, on Grace Bay in Providenciales, is the largest and most elaborate, with a major water park and suites that range from standard rooms to multi-bedroom villas. Beaches Negril sits on Seven Mile Beach in Jamaica. Beaches Ocho Rios closed permanently in 2025, and a new Beaches Exuma in the Bahamas is in development with no confirmed opening date yet.
The Short Version
- Honeymoon or romance: Grenada, Grande St. Lucian, Halcyon Beach
- Luxury and butler service: Saint Vincent, Royal Plantation, Royal Barbados
- Fun and energy: Dunn’s River, Ochi, Royal Bahamian
- Diving and snorkeling: Royal Curaçao
- The beach above all: Negril, Grande Antigua
- Golf: Regency La Toc
- Traveling with kids, friends, or family: Beaches
You can see the current resort list and photos at Sandals or Beaches, though inventory and reopening dates change often enough that it pays to check before you build a trip around a specific resort. If you are also weighing a cruise against a resort week, our post on cruising versus an island stay walks through that trade-off, and it is worth reviewing how to pick travel insurance before any all-inclusive booking, since storm season overlaps with several of these islands.
Want help narrowing it down to one resort? Reach out and we’ll match the right Sandals or Beaches property to your group.