We thoroughly enjoyed our Weddingmoon at this FABULOUS resort last month. Sandal’s has the wedding coordination down to a perfect science. You honestly do not have to do much at all. So stress free! Just wonderful!
It is 100% true that the ONLY time you will hear any staff member (or any Jamaican for that matter!) say, “NO”, is ONLY when it is immediately followed by “Problem”. “No Problem” was the motto of our wedding in Paradise!
Even though the staff amazingly learns all the guests name the day after you arrive, I LOVED being called “Princess” and “My Lady” intermixed within my real name.
I was worried that I was expecting too much for our wedding day and this would lead to some type of disappointment, but let me assure you that there were NO PROBLEMS at all with any aspect of our wedding. It was beyond perfection and much better than I could have ever imagined this special day to be!
The meeting with Shaika, our bridal consultant, was scheduled and confirmed for the morning after our arrival. It lasted 30-45 mins. taking care of all the details. We took our own music and I was THRILLED to pieces to have the trumpets blaring with the Classical Purcell’s “Trumpet Voluntary” conducted by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London for my grande entrance. I fulfilled my lifelong dream of getting married barefoot on the beach to my soul-mate in Paradise! (You could choose many other locations for the ceremony, but we knew we wanted the beach hut. They actually went through the extra touch to move one of the resort’s boats in the Caribbean Sea that would have been in our pictures; which they certainly did not have to do for us! They also asked guests to relocate and watch us get married so they wouldn’t be in any of the photos either. We had many, many guests watching and cheering us on for our 12 min. ceremony. The reception was beautiful and very intimate in the Rialto Terrace (garden area) of this meticulously-kept grounds. We also took our “First Dance” song and we enjoyed this moment immensely with the special song, “I Cross My Heart” by George Straight, that my [normally] rock ‘n roll hubby chose for us!
The next two hours were incredible with our FABULOUS photographer escorting us all over the resort, capturing all the best spots this beautiful land has to offer. (I am so sorry I forget your name, but please e-mail me at burnsta@upmc.edu and I will update this post to give you the highest compliment that you are so deserving of having!)
Anybody and everybody that has viewed our wedding album has told me that they are the most beautiful wedding photos that they have ever seen. (I would have to agree with that, except that I am VERY biased!)
PLEASE take my advice and purchase a photo package if you’re getting married there. The colors of the sky, water, flowers, green areas, are much more defined than any color of any landscape here in the good ‘ole USA.
My wedding photos are posted on my Scrapbook site at http://www.scrapbook.com/scrapbook_layouts/showgallery.php/cat/500/page/1/ppuser/32071 if you’d like to view how beautiful they are.
We chose the Caribbean Rum Cake with Marzipan Icing. Honestly it was not that great tasting, but it was beautiful, so that’s “No Problem”!

Beach Party night was amazing. The food was set up allllllll over the pool area. So much food, so delicious, so beautifully presented, so Irie! Our team (GO TROJANS!!!) won the games of which about 60 guests participated. It was a ton of fun. Watching the amazing Craig (supervisor of entertainment) “play” with Cornell making the Beach Bar drinks was a blast. Craig is so full of energy and Cornell is so great with flipping those bottles around his neck, tossing them under his leg, back, etc…it’s entertaining to just watch them in action. Oh Craig, I hope Buddy’s OK by now with that flying leap you did from the stage area onto that pole…you crazy fool, you! What WERE you thinkin’??? LOL…S’all good, mon!
Speaking of the beach, I don’t understand some reviews I’ve read about guests listening to the waves roll in from their balconies. Believe me, I had a near death drowning experience in HI and I am scared to death of the ocean. The Caribbean Sea is NOTHING at all compared to an ocean. This is calm, tranquil, and just perfect. I never saw one teenie, tiny, little white cap starting the entire time we spent at the beach. And the water is as blue as blue could be. Yes, it’s as blue as some of the photos that you’ll see in Sandal’s advertisements.
Hi to Omar! Our new friends Jason & Callie (who got married there the day after we did!) from Naples, FL did it right by having the Butler Service. They said both Omar and Florence were fantastic! I so wish we would have chosen that route…those extra touches would have been so nice (folded towels in shapes of hearts, swans, etc., rose petals left on your bed, bubble baths drawn, beach valet service!, packing & unpacking your clothes!, keeping your room tidy at all times, and pressing your clothes for dinner!)
It rained (actually misted) a total of two minutes the entire 7 days we were there. Just long enough to grab my camera to capture the gorgeous double rainbow directly over our balcony!
MUST Dos: 7 days just isn’t long enough for this beautiful resort/island. If you can consider at least a 10-day vacation, you won’t be sorry! The Catamaran Sail to Dunn’s River. A blast!, Dolphin Cove (book on-line before you arrive to save $60.00 and ensure you get your reservations in before the Cruise ships book all the spots!), the Concierge Shopping Tour (thanks Caren!) Either take afternoon naps or drink their awesome Blue Mountain Coffee to try to stay awake until the 10pm buffets are served (Seafood Feast & Chocolate & Martini Buffet.) We missed both of them, but we heard from others how great they were. Ask Vidal (from Watersports) to take you on a little catamaran sail to the private falls just up the beach a little way. We had a blast and these are some of our nicest candid photos of our trip. BEAUTIFUL falls! Thanks so much Vidal…you’re the bestest!
All of the restaurants were fabulous; all of the bars are great! Red Stripe beer is the only beer they serve. I was worried that my hubby may not like it since he is so “loyal” to his beer. But, once again, “No Problem”…Red Stripe is GREAT! The ONLY thing that I would not recommend is their Jamaican Breakfast Specialty, “Saltfish & Ackee”. It was NOT at all good…but that was the only thing I did not care for.
I can assure you we will go back again in a heartbeat! SDR is just the best!

If there was ever a hotel the deserved a excellent score than this is it. This was our honeymmon trip and I wanted it to be very special. It was!!!! From the moment you walk into this hotel you know its 5 star all the way. I did not have any special packages or room upgrades and that did not matter at all. What mattered to me was 1) Service 2) Food 3) Atmosphere and this hotel does them all right!!! The room was very large and up to date. The food was to die for every night. I never was unhappy and always left full and satified. The drinks are very well prepared and the service is fast and friendly. We took the boat out several times for snorking (included) and saw some pretty fish and coral. Took one trip to dunns river which was lots of fun and stayed the rest of the day at the other sandals. For all you honeymooners this is the place to be.

Things I did not like.

1) Beach is small. I am used to 2 mile walks on the beach. Try minute walks before you reach either a fence or a dock. Felt traped.
2) Vendors always calling you. Funny at first but after 2 days it gets annoying. They are right by the activity centre and so its hard to avoid.
3)Waverunners all over the water. So loud and fast you are forced to swin in a roped off area of the beach.


Anyway. This website is great and I usually always pick my vacations after reading the reviews. I highly recommend this hotel.

We used tripadvisor.com to plan our second honeymoon November 20th until November 25th. We didn't make a mistake! Enjoyed the room, most of the food, our view, the service, pool, bars and the disco. We experienced rain three out of five days during our stay and didn't get to enjoy the water sports but we did not let that wet our plans. For my next visit, would be nice to have more island music in the bars and pool areas, more choices of seafood and reserve the sunshine!

Sandals Confirmation# 349062

On October 23rd my husband and I had the opportunity to stay at Sandals Dunns River. We have been to Jamaica many times, and we have stayed at a range of hotels over the years. This trip was a special stay and we decided treat ourselves by accepting a "1 Bedroom Beach Front Butler Suite" when it was offered.

A "Butler Suite" was something we had read about but had pretty much convinced ourselves that it really did not fit our lifestyle or could we find justification in the value. That was until now!

So our story begins.............after clearing Jamaican immigration you check in at the lovely Sandals reception area located in the arrivals terminal at the airport. Your arrival is quickly confirmed and your transfer cooridinated as you relax in the reception area with a cold beverage and a snack.......Lovely!

Not long after you enter the reception area you are escorted to your transfer. The distance from Sangster International Airport to Sandals Dunns River is approximately 1hr 30 min. This transfer time takes into consideration the new highway construction you see along the way. I can honestly say that the only time we have had a transfer take longer than expected in Jamaica, it was raining. These guys are good!

When we arrived at Dunns River we drove down the winding driveway dotted with Palm Trees and carefully placed statuary. It's breathtaking!

The reception area is as grand as a European Villa, with the airy comfort of a historic Caribbean Plantation. As we arrived we were greated by a friendly young lady who invited us to sit in the comfort of the reception area, offering us a cool towel and a glass of champagne while the business of checking in was taken care of.......another lovely! ( I should mention that we have stayed at Sandals 5 or 6 times before and this is their standard greeting to all guests!)

Once the formalities were complete we were greeted by our "Butler" for the first time.........his name was Hunter!

Hunter escorted us to our room which was located in the Geneoa Block, third floor. When we entered our 1 bedroom suite for the first time we knew we had made the correct choice, with or without the service of a "Butler". The living room, dining room and built in bar area were extremely spacious and well designed. The furnishings were similar to the main reception area, European in style but with that classic caribbean comfort. There were two sets of french doors leading to two balconies. One large balcony with an amazing oceanfront view and the 2nd smaller balcony off the bedroom with a great view of the ocean and pool area. Our suite had two bathrooms the first a powder room located just of the living area and the 2nd was a huge bathroom complete with two person jaccuzzi tub, tiled and detailed in marble...............Fabulous!

Over another glass of Champagne, Hunter welcomed us to our suite and assisted us in getting familiar the ammenities of the suite, general services offered at the hotel and the "Butler" services he would gladly provide us during our stay.

The services offered by Hunter included unpacking, pressing, dinner reservations, spa reservations, excursions, arranging lunch on the beach or dinner on the balcony, the list seemed to be endless. To be honest these were many of the things we are so accustomed to doing or arranging ourselves during vacation but it always takes us a few days to figure it all out. A few days often equals to 50% of a vacation and that usually means 50% of the vacation is over before we're totally relaxed and comfortable in our surroundings. It was with this realizaiton that I began to see the value and true vaction luxury of "Butler Service". Not to mention that in order to provide us with the utmost privacy we were provided with a cell phone so we could contact our "Butler" when we needed him/her. This was especially usefull for questions, assistance and any arrangements we required from our arrival to departure.

So I have too admit, my husband and I are now "Butler Suite Converted" and I encourage everyone to experience this service at least once. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or just have a need to spoil yourself a little. I encourage you to try this service, you will not be dissapointed.

As they say at Sandals "You'll have the time of your life."