The Ultimate Review of Sandals Dunn’s River Resort in Jamaica: What You Need to Know

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Let me share our honest review on our recent stay at Sandals Dunn’s River Resort in Jamaica. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm smiles and a refreshing welcome drink. The resort itself is nestled in a stunning location, surrounded by lush greenery and overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.

This review of Sandals Dunn’s River applies to the dates of September 24-29, 2023. It has been edited by Dan Bagby after a trip in 2024 and 2025.

Common Questions About Sandals Dunn’s River

Now that I covered a few important questions, let’s dig deeper into this review of Sandals Dunn’s River

Why We Chose Sandals Dunn’s River

Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, stood out for several compelling reasons:

Recent Comprehensive Renovation – Undergoing a $230 million transformation, Sandals Dunn’s River has been meticulously reimagined to provide modern luxury while retaining its Caribbean charm. The resort’s contemporary design and upgraded amenities promised a fresh and sophisticated stay. 

Proximity to Iconic Natural Attractions: Sandals Dunn’s river is close to the famed Dunn’s River Falls, the Blue Hole and several other attractions that make going in excursions easy and convenient.

Luxurious and Unique Accommodations: The new rooms like the Coyaba Sky Rondoval Villas with private pools and the Beachfront Skypool Suites featuring infinity-edge pools overlooking the ocean intrigued us as we planned out trip.  

Diverse Culinary Experiences: As foodies the food is very important, and with 12 on-site restaurants ranging from casual buffets to a la carte specialty restaurants we knew this would fit the bill, additionally we wanted to try the food at a new Sandals Resort.

These factors collectively made Sandals Dunn’s River the ideal destination for our unforgettable romantic escape.

The Amazing Staff: We couldn’t know this before going to Sandals Dunn’s River but the staff made our stay so much better and is why it is one of our top Sandals Resorts.

Before Getting To Sandals Dunn’s River

As always, anytime we travel to Jamaica, my husband and I use Club Mobay arrival & departure services. We love how it starts your vacation off on the right foot by helping you bypass long lines and have a knowledgeable representative guide you along your way and check your customs form.

If you haven’t already done the C5 form online, they will guide you to the appropriate kiosk to have you complete it, but if you want to save time, do ahead of time. Remember, the service to fill out the customs form is free and if a website asks you for payment, it is not a legitimate site. To make it easy for you, this is the correct link to the online customs form you should use. Make sure you fill it out 7 days prior to your intended arrival date in Jamaica.

Sandals also has a lovely lounge for you to wait in if you don’t have Club Mobay services. This is where you check in and get your bags tagged. There is also restrooms, snacks & drinks, and comfortable seats.

How We Got To Sandals Dunn’s River From The Airport

As you know from previous posts, transfers to and from Sandals Resorts are always included. Last year when we went to Sandals Ocho Rios, we spent a bit of time waiting for the bus to fill up before heading to the resort. With a 90-minute drive from Sangster International Airport, it was a lot of wasted time we could have been enjoying the resort amenities.

Instead, we opted to hire a private driver from Inside Tours Jamaica. Kemar Smile is a fantastic person to work with and we are so glad that we opted to spend a little extra and get the private driver. He was fun & knowledgeable and the 75 minutes to the resort went by very quickly.

Sandals also offers private transport services through their excursion partner, Island Routes, so you can also arrange it that way. Whatever method you decide on doing, make sure you contact Sandals via phone or chat and let them know that you have arranged private transfer. Just stop in at the Sandals lounge so the staff can tag your bags, and then you can head out on your way.

New for 2024: American Airlines has opened up a smaller flight from Miami International Airport on Wednesday and Saturday to Ian Fleming International Airport, a mere 25-minute drive to the resort. If you don’t mind a flight that involves a connection, this is a great option for cutting down on transport time to the airport.

Once We Arrived At The Resort

Once we arrived at the resort, we were given a cold towel and escorted to the Club Sandals lounge for check-in. Because we were butler guests, we simply had to wait for our butler to come and greet us and we did our check-in the room. I always do the online check-in and put a credit card on file so that we aren’t wasting time doing that once we get to resort.

Being part of the various Sandals Facebook groups, I had put in a request for our butlers when I filled out our butler preference form. As this was our first time at butler level, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know that requests are never guaranteed, so I was extremely excited to find out that we were assigned our first choice of butlers, the amazing team of Shawne & Tenneil!

Shawne gave us a tour of our room, did our orientation & check-in, and then got us lunch at our favorite lunch place, the Jerk Shack. We were at the resort celebrating my early-October birthday, and Shawne had it all decorated for me. I felt so absolutely special!

I have to tell you that this room was absolutely worth the splurge, and I am so glad that my husband had pushed me to change to the TSKY room when it was on the 777 sale. I go into a detailed look at this suite, and it will give you the full idea as to why this room was the best room we have stayed in so far in our Sandals journey.

Accommodation Options

Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, offers a variety of luxurious accommodations tailored to provide guests with exceptional comfort and unique experiences.

Luxury Level: Ideal for couples who plan to spend most of their time exploring the resort and its activities. These rooms provide elegant comfort with essential amenities. We recommend the Travertine rooms for a luxury room.

Club Level: Offers additional perks such as room service from 7 AM to 10 PM, access to the Club Sandals Lounge, and assistance from the Club Sandals Concierge for reservations and activity planning. The Travertine Beachfront Club Level Room give the biggest bang for you buck with breathtaking ocean views from a private balcony.

Butler Elite Level: Provides the highest level of personalized service with professionally trained butlers attending to guests’ every need, from unpacking luggage to arranging private in-suite dinners.

We stayed in a Butler suite this visit and there are couple great ones to choose from. The Tufa Terrace Skypool Butler Suites are a favorite, but some people don’t like that everyone can see your pool from below. For a more secluded getaway, the Coyaba Villa Swim-up Rondoval Butler Suites are amazing.

Each villa features direct access to a private pool sanctuary and a sprawling river pool, allowing guests to swim up to their suite. The interior boasts soaring conical ceilings, a custom king-size bed, and a lavish bathroom with a solid-stone soaking tub and walk-in shower. The outdoor space includes a private plunge pool, a shaded lounge area, and a personal butler to cater to every whim. 

A Note Of Observation

When we arrived in Jamaica at Sandals Dunn’ s River, this resort was only reopened to the public for a few months. I really have to say that if it was this amazing so soon, it is going to be even more spectacular in the months and years to come. Once they complete the construction on Sandals Royal Dunn’s River, this resort will probably be my top Jamaican Sandals Resort!

A Quick Review of The Restaurants At Sandals Dunn’s River

As always, food is a huge part of our vacations and why we love being at all-inclusive resorts. We often get to try many new dishes we would not normally eat and we can order a few of each thing because we are not paying extra for several appetizers or two desserts. Since we were only on resort for 5 nights, we did not get to try all of the restaurants, but we did enjoy the ones we got too.

There are 12 restaurants available at the resort, and probably some of my favorite!

Saltaire

A buffet-style restaurant that is open for breakfast and lunch. it is a favorite of ours because of the made to order egg station. My husband loves his omelets, and I enjoy my sunny side up eggs. They also have a great selection of pancakes, sides, fruits & pastries!

For lunch there is a daily buffet with a rotating menu.

Edessa

This is their Greek themed restaurant. During the breakfast hours, it serves a la carte menu items. For me it was all about the salmon eggs benedict.

Dinner was equally as good. And while service at both meals was slow in this restaurant, the food was well worth the wait!

Cascata

Italian cuisine is always a favorite of ours, so we were excited about heading here for dinner. Because no reservations are required, we ate here our first night. As always, everything was delicious! If we were staying longer, we would have done a second night here. The manager is actually Italian so we felt confident we were getting amazing food.

The entire menu was amazing, but our recommendation is to be friendly with your server and the manager and you might get offered an off the menu dessert like we were.

L’Amande Restaurant

This is the French restaurant at the resort. I have been to several French restaurants at Sandals, and I feel this is, by far, the best one. I decided to be bold and try something new since it was my birthday celebration meal. After talking to our server, I settled on the duck. It absolutely did not disappoint.

Both our desserts were delicious as well.

Zuka

This Latin fusion style dining was first introduced at Sandals Royal Curacao. I have heard so many good things about it from all the loyal Sandals fans that I couldn’t wait to try it. Truly, it was probably one of the best meals ever!

I can still taste how light and tasty that dessert was. I definitely cannot wait to enjoy them again. We are headed to Curacao in May 2024, so I absolutely cannot wait to eat there again. Be sure to check back later in the Summer when I give a full review of our experience there. Anything in particular you want to know about? Leave a comment, and I will make sure I address it.

Lunch Options

The three main places to get lunch were at Isola for Pizza, Galene the seaside grill, and, of course, the Jerk Shack. We enjoyed things from each of those places throughout our stay.

You absolutely cannot go hungry from this resort! There is also a self-serve ice cream machine next to Galene, and Blum Cafe serves lots of sweet treats!

Hanami

Most Sandals Resorts have a sushi restaurant, but this one is one of the best. There is a ton of variety and the fried appetizers are amazing. You can come here for your full meal or grab a roll or two as an appetizer.

Banyu

Banyu is a favorite because of the variety of food you can try in one meal. You can get a variety of small and large plates to share to sample a little bit of different asian cuisines.

So Many Bars, So Little Time

I think enjoying drinks is my second favorite thing at Sandals Resorts. And one great thing about this resort was the number of bars you had available to you. With it being a smaller resort, having more bars spread around the resort made getting and waiting for a drink a snap. We never waited long, and each place was absolutely unique. Of course, I did have a favorite, so let’s start there.

Dunn’s Rum Club

My absolute favorite place to hang out and get drinks. The snacks were awesome too! We ended up there almost every night.

Lapidus Lounge

This was a quite lounge and wasn’t very busy. It was incredibly well-decorated, and the drinks were fabulous. My only complaint is it is too quiet here so it was kinda awkward.

Greek Bar

Located outside of Edessa, it was another great place to grab a drink while waiting for dinner.

Courtyard Bar

Located at the center of the plaza where the restaurants are, a great place to grab a drink while waiting for a table or listening to entertainment.

Lobby Bar

This is the only bar we did not have time to visit during our short stay, it is another great option for getting a drink for evening entertainment.

Ocarina Bar

Located on the top floor of TUFA Terrace building too, a beautiful bar with stunning views of the resort. The cocktail menu is great but the bar is never busy.

Beach Bar & Laughing Waters Bar

I did not get drinks from here myself, but our amazing butlers did during the day while we were hanging out at the pool. Loved the convenient location of this bar, and it is set up in such a unique way.

Swim-Up Pool Bar

Swim up bars are always a favorite of mine, and the bartenders were amazing. Of course, Tenneil only let me get my own drink once at the swim up bar, but it was still the best drink ever!

Let’s just say, if you are thirsty when you are staying at this resort, you aren’t trying hard enough. Each bar had a unique feel and different drinks, and I felt like I did not have enough time to try everything that I wanted. Shawne & Tenneil always brought us drinks at the pool and at dinner, so we were never without a good beverage. Of course, I always started off my day with a breakfast mimosa at whatever restaurant we were enjoying.

The Resort Grounds

Sandals Dunn’s River is set on 25 acres of land and is a bit on the smaller side. But it is laid out so well that it doesn’t seem small at all. One of my favorite things to do in the morning was to walk up to Blum Cafe and grab my iced vanilla latte with Bailey’s and walk around enjoying the landscaping and grounds.

Directly across from that was the rondoval village where you can stay in the Coyaba Villa Swim Up Rondoval w/ Private Pool Sanctuary. One of these times I am going to really splurge and get one of these rooms, just as a treat. They looked amazing, and having the mini river pools is a bonus. I admit that I am a pool kind of gal.

I would then stroll down and say good morning to the guards at the entrance, and on my way back always ended up chatting with the groundskeepers. I could not get over the job they did in the few short months the resort was opened.

The lobby area is just so peaceful and serene, even when it’s busy with guests checking in and checking out.

The gift shop here was large and had all kinds of things in it. As always, a great deal of my spending is at the gift shop, as well as Epix. We always take advantage of the free photo shoot. I have learned from experience to get the digital version so I can print out what sizes I want.

And being Emerald members, we also get a discount for purchases at the gift shop & photo center. Hubs has learned that photo frames are a non-negotiable and they had some pretty new colors at this resort.

The main courtyard where the pool and restaurants were located were open and had many cool water features present.

The main pool is absolutely unique with the river style and infinity edge. We spent almost all of our time in one pool or the other.

And a unique space is the Laughing Waters beach bar. With a bar below and a lounging space above, it is the perfect place to relax and get a drink. They also had live music in the morning, and the DJ booth for afternoon entertainment.

And there is a great space for entertainment by the swim up bar. This is where they held the reception before the returning guest dinner.

While this resort maybe smaller, they have done an absolutely fantastic job with how it is laid out and how they use water features to tie everything together.

For those that may have mobility issues, this resort is flat and well-laid out. All buildings have elevators and many of the rooms are handicap accessible. There is also a beach wheelchair available, if needed.

The Beach

The beach is long enough to have plenty of chairs for guest, you don’t need to worry about getting up early to get a chair unless you want to be front row.

The only complaint we hear is that it can be rocky for the first few feet as you get into the water, but we didn’t notice any issues beyond that.

Things To Do At The Resort

One of my favorite things about being up early in the morning was the musicians they had playing near the Laughing Waters area each morning. Whether it was steel drums or a violin player, it was a unique way to start the day. To add more fun, they had a portable coffee bike from Blum Cafe to have fresh poured coffee to enjoy while listening to the music.

There is also the Aqua Center that offers the following water activities:

• Waterskiing
• Tubing
• Snorkeling
• Glass Bottom Boats
• Hobie Cat Sailing
• Paddleboarding
• Kayaking
• Scuba Diving for certified divers

We spent most of our late afternoons in the skypool watching people enjoy all the water activities. The water tubing was very popular and so many people talked about how much fun they were having doing it. We also saw several people water skiing too. The nice thing is the dock is right at the resort for snorkeling and scuba diving, so it is easy & convenient.

Every evening, they had entertainment in the courtyard area as well. There was also karaoke at the piano bar in the main lobby area.

This is where I have to give yet another shout out to the staff at the Rum Club! When we were there, our team was playing on Monday Night Football. The staff had the games on in the pool table room, and were constantly bringing us snacks and drinks, and making sure everyone had a seat. If you love sports, they will do their absolute best to accommodate you and making it a memorable experience.

On Tuesday nights, there was Techno Tuesday in the Ocarina Bar (however, from what I have read on Facebook, they moved that to the Rum Bar because it was disturbing the rest of guests in the skypools directly below it).

During the day there was always something happening at the pools, so you never lacked entertainment at the resort. I am an early riser, and I usually don’t end up going to entertainment. But most nights we ended up at the Rum Club because it was such a fun place to hang out and meet friends.

Entertainment at Sandals Dunn’s River

Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, offers a vibrant array of entertainment options designed to delight guests from sunrise to well past sunset.

Daytime Activities:

• Live Music Performances: Throughout the day, guests can enjoy soothing sounds from talented musicians, such as saxophonists or violinists, creating a serene ambiance by the pools and beach areas. 

Evening Entertainment:

• Themed Nights and Live Shows: Each evening presents a unique experience, from live bands and retro vibes to circus performances on the main beach. Notable events include the Silent Headphone Party and the Steel Pan Orchestra during the Beach Party. 

Most evenings start with singing from the entertainment crew and they have some amazing singers so its worth going to after dinner!

• Piano Sing-Alongs and Karaoke: For those who enjoy interactive entertainment, the resort offers piano sing-along sessions near the main lobby and karaoke nights, fostering a lively and engaging atmosphere. 

• Beach and Pool Parties: Experience the quintessential Caribbean vibe with beach and pool parties featuring live DJs, giving guests the opportunity to dance under the stars with sand between their toes or by the poolside.

Special Events:

• Silent Disco: A highlight for many guests, the Silent Disco offers a unique dance experience where participants wear headphones and can switch between different music channels, creating a personalized party atmosphere. 

• Cultural Performances: Immerse yourself in Jamaican culture with performances that may include fire dancers, steel pan bands, and reggae music, providing an authentic taste of the island’s rich heritage. 

Bars and Nightlife:

• Dunn’s Rum Club: A haven for rum enthusiasts, this club offers an extensive selection of Caribbean rums and craft cocktails in a cozy, intimate setting. Guests can also enjoy games like pool in the adjoining room. 

• Multiple Bars: With nine bars scattered throughout the resort, including a rooftop bar and swim-up bars, guests are never far from a refreshing beverage to complement the entertainment offerings. 

The Red Lane Spa

We were very impressed with the spa at Sandals Dunn’s River. The attendants were very friendly and helpful and the facilities are top notch.

Spa Facilities:

• Treatment Rooms: Luxurious spaces tailored for a variety of services, including massages, facials, and body treatments.

• Beauty Salon: Offers a range of services to enhance your vacation look.

• Steam Room and Plunge Pools: Ideal for unwinding and revitalizing the senses. These are open to everyone even if you are not getting a treatment.

Signature Treatments:

• Caribbean Glow Treatment (90 minutes): An illuminating service aimed at brightening and smoothing the skin. 

• Citrus Grass Foot Treatment (45 minutes): A revitalizing experience focusing on refreshing tired feet.

• Moon Dip Massage: A unique massage designed to relax and rejuvenate the body.

For couples seeking a shared relaxation experience, the spa offers specialized services such as the Scents of Love Couples Massage, which incorporates aromatic oils in a romantic setting. 

Fitness and Wellness:

In addition to spa treatments, guests can access a state-of-the-art fitness center equipped with modern exercise machines and free weights. The spa also offers complimentary fitness classes, including yoga and aqua-fit sessions, catering to various fitness levels. 

A Few Last Items Of This Review Of Sandals Dunn’s River

Are you looking to get married? The wedding team here will help you get started. Can you imagine saying yes with this as your background?

You can also have your wedding reception under cover if there happens to be some liquid sunshine. Or you could say I do in front of the amazing waterfalls, or up near Blum Cafe.

And if the beach is where you want to say those amazing words, there is a perfect spot they have available for you. We watched several beach weddings from our skypool and it was absolutely amazing. The possibilities are endless here, and the wedding team is sure to make it the best day possible.

And if you want to spend some time away from the resort, the Island Routes desk can help you get started. Located next to the wedding lounge, be sure to stop in and get your adventure on.

Since we were on a rest & recover kind of vacation, we did not take advantage of any excursions, but the next time (and there will be a next time, I can assure you that because we can’t wait to go back) we go, I am definitely heading to the desk and booking an excursion! With us being there for just a few days, I didn’t want to spend any time away from the resort.

I hope that you found this review of Sandals Dunn’s River to be helpful and that you are ready to book your stay here. Have questions? Make you send me a message via my contact form and can get in touch with you to help get you booked for your trip.

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