Dominica Is Getting a Second Nonstop Flight From New York — Just in Time for Winter
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The $200 million reinvention of Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals South Coast, and the newly renamed Sandals Caribbean Cay brings overwater villas, homegrown Jamaican dining, and a fresh identity to the island where the brand began.
Something big is taking shape in Jamaica this fall and winter, and it’s happening at the resorts that started it all. Sandals Resorts is investing $200 million to transform three of its most storied Jamaica properties, and the first look at what’s coming has just been revealed.
The reinvention spans Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals South Coast, and the resort formerly known as Sandals Royal Caribbean, which is being reborn under an entirely new name. Together, the three properties are gaining elevated accommodations, a wave of fresh dining concepts, and a lineup of experiences built around Jamaican culture, cuisine, and natural beauty.
It’s a homecoming of sorts. Jamaica is where the Sandals brand was born more than four decades ago, and this investment reads as a deliberate return to those roots.
There’s also a thread running through every detail of the project. From the food to the design to the room categories, the goal is a more evolved guest experience that still feels unmistakably Jamaican.
The flagship is leading the way. Sandals Montego Bay, the resort that opened the brand’s very first doors more than forty years ago, returns Dec. 18 with 255 rooms and a completely reimagined feel.
The arrival experience alone is being rebuilt from the ground up. A transformed welcome will greet guests with a redesigned lobby framed by sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea.
At the center of it all will sit a completely redesigned main pool, built to be the social heart of the resort. New swim-up accommodations and spacious ocean-view suites are designed to bring guests closer to the shoreline than ever before.
The dining is where things get genuinely exciting. The guest-favorite Buccan arrives in its first waterfront setting in Jamaica, serving island favorites cooked over an open flame.
Seafood lovers have something new to look forward to as well. Scrimshaw, the first of its kind in Jamaica, pairs wraparound sea views with a refined coastal menu meant to be lingered over.
Some history, though, is staying exactly where it belongs. The Caribbean’s first-ever swim-up bar remains the centerpiece of the new Parisol Beach Club, and the original bricks, carved with decades of guest names, have been carefully preserved.
That sense of legacy carries into the resort’s newest gathering spot. Bay Roc Rum Club pays homage to the property’s origins as the Bay Roc Hotel & Villas, with hand-painted murals, memorabilia, and creative cocktails on tap.
It’s the kind of room designed to tell a story before a single drink is poured. The space leans into the spirit of early Caribbean music and the history that helped shape Montego Bay into a travel icon.
The biggest headline of the project, though, might be the name change. Sandals Royal Caribbean is becoming Sandals Caribbean Cay, a fresh identity inspired by its one-of-a-kind offshore island experience, and it also reopens December 18.
The transformation will start at the entrance. An open-air lobby is set to open onto uninterrupted views of the main pool and the Caribbean Sea beyond, connecting guests to the water from the very first step.
The culinary lineup here leans into something deeply personal. Suppa, a homegrown supper-style restaurant, is an ode to the Jamaican tradition of gathering around the table for Sunday dinner.
The whole concept is built to feel like a modern Jamaican home. Keynote Rum Bar will play the role of the cozy parlor, pouring premium Caribbean rums, while Heart & Sol is set to handle lighter moments with grab-and-go juices, sandwiches, and nourishing bowls.
The room count is growing in a meaningful way. Sandals Caribbean Cay is adding 84 new rooms to reach a total of 291 contemporary Caribbean accommodations.
The new categories are exactly the kind that tend to sell out fast. Signature SkyPool Suites overlook the ocean and brand-new Swim-up Suites put the water right at your door.
There’s even more coming after the reopening. A collection of Oceanview Butler Suites is set to arrive next June, extending the transformation well into the new season.
Then there’s the part that makes this resort truly singular. Sandals Cay, the resort’s private island reachable only by boat, becomes a laid-back retreat anchored by its own Parisol Beach Club.
Guests will be able to settle in for a full meal or simply grab something quick between swims. The new Parisol dining venue is set to sit alongside a casual Jerk Shack, a swim-up bar, a pool, and palapas lining the sand.
A few more touches round out the island escape. A state-of-the-art fitness center delivers panoramic ocean views, and elevated Overwater Butler Villas float directly above the waters of Sandals Cay.
The third piece of this transformation is arguably the most serene. Sandals South Coast, wrapped in a 500-acre nature preserve, reopens a month earlier on November 18 with 380 rooms.
This is the resort for travelers who crave seclusion above all else. Its evolution builds on a long-standing reputation for quiet luxury along one of Jamaica’s most captivating coastlines.
The pool experience now melts seamlessly into the landscape. Lush tropical greenery and inviting lounge areas surround the water, while the lobby design draws playful inspiration from the resort’s famous roaming peacocks.
The signature villas are back, and better. The iconic Overwater Butler Villas return with refreshed interiors inspired by the Caribbean, joined by the brand’s first-ever Beachfront Club Two Queen Junior Suites, designed with groups in mind.
Those new suites point to a broader change across the whole project. Sandals is debuting its first-ever double queen room concept as part of the transformation, a clear nod to friends and families who want to travel together without compromise.
Dining at Sandals South Coast begins with your morning cup. BLŪM serves Jamaica’s renowned Blue Mountain coffee alongside artisanal pastries and light bites.
Evenings bring a vibrant new place to gather. Butch’s Island Chop House debuts on Jamaica’s south coast with a dedicated martini bar, built for lingering long after the sun goes down.
And the rum keeps flowing across the island. A new rum bar is in the works here too, set to become the fourth in the Jamaica collection.
That rum thread is one of the quiet pleasures of the whole project. Between Bay Roc Rum Club, Keynote Rum Bar, and the two additions planned across the resorts, the transformation doubles as a celebration of Jamaica’s spirit in every sense.
The man behind it all frames this as far more than a renovation. Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts, calls Jamaica the heart of the Sandals story.
He describes the vision as a Sandals 2.0 experience, one that elevates the guest journey while staying connected to home. Every new cuisine and design detail, he says, was shaped by the island’s traditions and natural beauty.
That philosophy is what separates this from a routine refresh. Rather than simply adding more, the brand is reaching for something more evolved, with the original Jamaica magic kept firmly at the center.
Part of what makes this project compelling is how distinct the three resorts remain. Rather than turning them into copies of one another, the transformation leans into what already made each one special.
Sandals Montego Bay is the heritage play, the flagship where the brand’s whole story began. You go there for the sense of history, the preserved swim-up bar, and a front-row seat to one of the Caribbean’s most famous shorelines.
Sandals Caribbean Cay is the one for travelers chasing novelty and variety. Between the new name, the private-island day trips, and the overwater villas, it’s built for guests who want their vacation to feel like an adventure.
Sandals South Coast is the quiet luxury option. Surrounded by 500 acres of protected nature, it’s the pick for couples and groups who want seclusion, slow mornings, and the rare feeling of having a stretch of Jamaica mostly to themselves.
There’s a reason the brand is leaning so hard into food and rum across all three. The modern all-inclusive traveler expects dining that feels like a destination in itself, and these menus are clearly built to deliver exactly that.
The experiences lean local in the best way. From Blue Mountain coffee at dawn to jerk on a private island to a nightcap at a rum club steeped in the resort’s own history, the throughline is a deeper taste of Jamaica at every turn.
So what does all of this mean for your next Jamaica trip? It means three reimagined reasons to book, each opening in time for the peak of the Caribbean winter season.
The timing makes the planning easy. If a December escape is calling, both Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Caribbean Cay swing open their doors on December 18.
If you’d rather get there even sooner, there’s an earlier option waiting. Sandals South Coast welcomes guests back on November 18, just as the island slides into its most glorious stretch of weather.
The through-line across all three resorts is impossible to miss. This is a brand pouring real money into the island that made it, betting that the future of Sandals looks a lot like its beginning.
It’s also a notable statement about Jamaica itself. A $200 million investment of this scale signals deep confidence in the destination at a moment when travelers have more Caribbean options than ever.
And if this first look is any indication, the wait will be more than worth it. Three brand-new reasons to fall for Jamaica all over again are arriving this fall and winter, each one carrying the story of where it all began.
Karen Udler
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