Our plane out of LAX left on time 10:40 pm on 4/23 and it was full due to a flight cancellation on 4/22. They we small children crying through the night and the temperature in the plane seemed quite warm. We had a woman pilot and had her in Sept. also and arrived at 5:50 am. on 4/24. The airport is looking great and we had to wait for a while for our luggage as there was so much to unload. Everything went great and we waited in the Sandals lounge for about 20 min. and then left for SDR around 7:00. Made one stop to use the restrooms and then the shuttle dropped off some guests at the RIU. That is one big lavender resort and it's right next door to SDR. SDR has a beautiful long entrance and we were greeted and given cold towels and took care of our paper work. Our room wasn't ready so we looked around the place and had the buffet breakfast. We saw Cheddi Brown, it was so good to see her again and she sat and talked with us for a while and then introduced us to the GM, Theo Duffus who has been with SDR for 3 yrs. now. He sat with us for a while and we talked about the resort and had mentioned that the resort was full. We got to our room around noon, it was in the Florence Bldg. Room 2601 on the 6th flr. Our room over looked the entrance to the resort but it was a great view and you could see the RIU next door. The fridge was fully stocked with everything and balloons were on our front door and champagne chilling in our room. The decor was very nice and the rooms smelled so fresh and clean. It had a walk in closet with a safe and the sink was separate from the bathroom and shower. The maid came in every night to turn down our sheets.

The first night there was International Buffet. They all are pretty much the same at all resorts and the food was great. Chairs and tables were out around the pool and music. We were still so tired that we went to bed early that night.

Fri. is the day for the Craft Vendors, we just browsed around and we had breakfast at the Columbo every morning. Cheddi joined us for pizza. Bill decided to try the pepperoni pizza and I had the veggie pizza. Bill said that the pepperoni was very spicy. I found the veggie very tasty. The weather was very nice with just a breeze blowing everyday. There were a few beautiful weddings each day. The beach is small but maintained nicely. We spent most of the time in the large pool with the falls as there is another pool across from the grill. We had two dinners at Marco Polo. Grilled vegetables with goat cheese cake and roast rack of lamb is what I had, it was delicious and Bill had shrimp bisque soup and the surf n turf sirloin and choc mousse with rum for dessert. Entertainment was Children of the drums. On the 26th we took the shuttle over to SOR, had a rain shower and partly cloudy. We only visited half the resort as we wanted to be able to make it back to SDR by noon. It was ok but we didn't care for it and the lay out. Didn't care for the beach area and we were never greeted by anyone. The grounds were ok and we did talk to some guests out on the deck area.

Entertainment for Sat. night was the opera singer Shawna Gae who was taking Rory's place while he was on vaca. Also had a snake man and men and women dancers along with a cyclist.

Sun the 27th we visited RP. Had dinner at the Columbo. It seemed to take a very long time to get served each course. We never did try the other restaurants, maybe next time as we would love to return to SDR.

We left on 4/28 at 8:30 am for SMB.

Had a great experience here. Great staff, friendly and helpful.

Book the candlelight dinner for two - very worth it!

The only complaints I would have was that the massage (we did a couples massage for $220) was one of the worst I've ever had and then they screwed up the reservation for the candlelight dinner and had to move nights. ALso, the entertainment staff seems to think they are strippers and dance like that which is not really appropriate for a adult couples only resort.

Otherwise the staff was very accomodating and the food was about the best we've ever had at an all inclusive. The shuttles run smoothly - we golfed every day and it went well. The airport shuttle was great too.

The beach is great - way better than the Ocho Rios Sandals.

The evening entertainment is the best of any all inclusive we've been to as well, and we've been to many.

Our room was great but small - get an ocean view if you can!

We'll go hear again for sure!

We came back from Sandals Dunn Rivers a couple of weeks ago. We had a very good time there.
Arriving was great. By the time we go off the plane went through customs our bags were waiting for us. We went to the room Sandals has set up for their guest but since it was late at night I guess it wasn’t up the standards they had in the advertisements. There was nothing to eat or just some pop to drink. The draft beer just gave out as foam.
The trip to the resort was quick about 80 minutes. The driver said he would not be talking too much because at night he has to concentrate on his driving more which was great by us.
Arriving at the hotel we were quickly registered and assigned our room and our questions were put off until the morning when we could speak to the concierge. Maybe they handle us this way because it was late 10:30 or that we were the only ones but we felt that we were keeping the person from something else they wanted to do.
The room was a bit of a disappointment since it faced away from the pool looking onto the new hotel besides Sandals and very dirty vents below us. We requested a pool views a few time before we arrived. After questioning them every day about switching to a pool view they did finally gave it to us. It was fantastic. We were on the 5th floor and what a view. It was great having breakfast on the balcony a couple of mornings. They do an excellent job of setting it up for you including table clothes. This couldn’t of have been better.
The Japanese restaurant was fantastic. We were with 3 other couples that were very friendly. A great Chef made the difference. A very quick wit with little jokes coming all of the time. The food was also very good. The Chef told us that this was the first time he did the cooking by himself which was very surprising. The manager came into our room just before we went for desert and asked our opinion of our meal and the Chef. He just wanted to make sure everything went well.
Ristorante Colombo was a big disappointment. This restaurant was their top restaurant with white glove service. Our waiter could of been the problem. He had to come back to redo our choices, our food arrive with him mixing up the orders, bringing out the food in the wrong order and it was cold. They have a Beach buffet on Mondays and an International Buffet by the pool on Thursdays. They don’t have the midnight seafood buffet anymore.
The beach is very small with people trying to sell you sea-doo rides and/or “smoke”. At times all you could smell was their exhaust. The pools were very nice. We really liked the quiet pool (piano bar) facing the water. The pool bars service could have been better. It did make a difference if you slip the bartenders a bill now and then even though they were wearing buttons saying they are not suppose to accept tips. Those people did get better service.
The people working there were very friendly especially when you started to talk to them one on one. They were always willing to talk to you and help you out in any way. We went on one tour since we wanted to see more of the island. We took the Blue Mountain Bike ride. Excellent trip. Saw how people lived in the mountains and a few villages we went through. The nightly shows were good.
We enjoyed our trip, great resort but wished the beach was bigger. We felt closed in
Any questions send us a message.

My husband and I decided to elope at this resort. It was just the two of us, no other family or friends with us, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding/honeymoon. We stayed for 1 week, from April 22 to April 29. We are a younger couple, and have never been on a vacation before, so we were a little worried about what to expect. Once you get to Jamaica, however, it's all about "no worries mon."

It's a 1.5 hour bus ride to the resort from the airport, but it's really not bad because you get to see the country and the bus driver keeps you entertained with interesting facts about what you are seeing. Once you arrive at the resort, your bags are taken away to your room, so you don't have to deal with them, and you are given cold champagne during your orientation. The whole time we were there, we were treated with great respect and kindness by all of the Sandals staff, and our wedding was a breeze to plan. They take care of everything. The ceremony was beautiful, the reception was great and the pictures were amazing. I would recommend doing this to anyone.

The remainder of our stay was just as fun. The entertainment crew (particularly Ray, Afiya and Prince Charming), keep you busy and laughing the entire time. We became so close with the staff that we exchanged emails, and plan to keep in touch. There was also extremely good night entertainment. The steel drum band was my favorite, but the talent show and live bands were great too. Every day has something new and fun for you to experience.

As for excursions, you cannot stay at this resort and not go the Dunn's River Falls. If you are going to go, GO ON THE PARTY CRUISE!! It's $80 per person, but well worth it. They call it the "Booze Cruise" and for good reason. The trip to the falls has no liquor (because you are going to be hiking up 600 feet of waterfall), and they also take you snorkeling, but the trip back they open the bar, and show you how to party like a Jamaican. The falls themselves were breathtaking, and the hike up is amazing. I would recommend getting a waterproof camera, as we did, to get amazing photo opportunities.

The food is also something to boast about. So many choices, so little time! On Thursdays they close all the restaurants and do a huge buffet in the middle of the resort. It was great! I was worried about not fitting into my wedding dress after all the food I ate! The drinks are all included as well, so be sure to pace yourself...they don't use shot glasses to measure. They just stop pouring whenever they feel like it!

If you're thinking about going to Jamaica, GO TO SANDAL'S DUNN'S RIVER. You won't regret it! We're already planning our next trip for our 1 year anniversary.