TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Let me preface this review by saying my partner and I were very excited to go to this resort. We heard nothing but good things from employees and guests from other resorts and honestly the resort is beautiful. It's huge & the grounds are well kept. The resort is also super clean. If you want to party, there is a huge party pool, but there are so many pools that you can definitely find the vibe you want. Because of how big the resort is, and how many pools and stretches of beach there are, nowhere feels crowded. The water was aqua blue and the sand was super soft. For the most part, the staff is great as well. The staff at the LongBeach pool bar was amazing and really made our days fun. Every Friday there was a Caribbean Beach party with steel pan, fresh coconuts, soursop, and Jamaican dishes that adds a really nice touch and makes you feel immersed in Jamaican & Caribbean culture. Latitudes bar over the ocean, was a very cool feature of this resort and a nice place to get a drink while hearing the waves. The food was fine, we have had better at other Sandals resorts but that's not saying that the food was bad. The Butler service at this hotel was the worst we've ever had. I will not name my Butlers out of respect, however it was a horrible experience from the moment we arrived at the resort until the moment we left. For context I have stayed at multiple Sandals, and have stayed in multiple Butler level rooms. One of our Butlers was a little more personable however they both really were disappointing. It got to a point where we basically did almost everything on our own, and didn't ask them for anything. This definitely impacted the quality of our stay in a real negative way. We stayed in the Longbeach Village, more specifically the Longbeach Beachfront One Bedroom Butler Suite w/Tranquility Soaking Tub. The room was beautiful, however none of the two televisions worked, and after talking to other guests I realized that it was a problem for the entire building. The Starlight building also had this issue. This was an even bigger issue due to Hurricane Melissa approaching. We really wanted to be able to see local news and updates. Speaking of Hurricane Melissa, the way that Sandals handled the hurricane was atrocious. Whilst I am understanding to the fact that the hurricane was catastrophic and way stronger than anyone could have predicted, it was handled terribly. I'm not sure if the hotel was getting policy from Sandals corporate or if policy was dictated by the hotel itself, but every employee we talked to during the week leading up to the storm basically downplayed and brushed off any question or concern we had, and made it seem like we had nothing to worry about. Everything at the resort was normal until last minute. For context, the storm was projected to potentially make landfall on Sunday October 26th. Because of this, both airports would be closed from that day until it was safe to reopen. South Coast didn't acknowledge the storm until Friday October 24th, where they had a meeting basically telling guests that they need to get out by October 25th, or they would be stuck. I even met some guests that arrived on Thursday October 23rd, who said they called Sandals to ask if it would be more prudent to reschedule, and the representatives said it would be fine to travel. Some people took it upon themselves to leave early, but most didn't. This caused most guests to frantically try to find a flight within a day and a half, some of which simply couldn't. For guests who were stuck, Sandals comped the first night, but then charged $500 a night until they were able to leave. Which I felt was completely unfair and that is alot of money to pay, especially for those that have been saving up for years to go on a Sandals vacation. The hotel showed no urgency until the very last minute and it wasn't fair to guests and staff alike. One positive I have to give South Coast credit for is they had hourly shuttle buses going to the airport to get everyone to the airport, however this could have been addressed by having an open line of communication, and being more precautionary, sadly it seemed like the brand was more concerned about money. All in all the location of this hotel is beautiful. It is a little distance from the airport but it was nice seeing and exploring this part of the island. The resort is grand, and very well laid out with tons of amenities. I'm not sure if I would return.. mainly because the Butler service that I received was horrendous and not what I expected at all. It really left a bad taste in our mouth from the experience we had. Many people swear by South Coast, and I was very excited to experience that and have a great time. Unfortunately that wasn't my experience.

Our stay at Sandals South Coast was absolutely amazing from start to finish. The resort itself is beautiful, but what truly made the experience exceptional was the incredible staff who went above and beyond every single day. Dining & Service Highlights At Jasmine Restaurant, a huge shout-out to Shaniel, our waitress, who was warm, attentive, and made every meal feel special. Neptune’s (night service) was elevated by Nicole, whose professionalism and kindness stood out. Bayside Restaurant was fantastic: Breakfast with Camay was always a great start to the day. Lunch with Latoya was consistently excellent, with friendly and efficient service. Sushi on the Sand was a favorite spot: Jeffery (waiter), Renae (supervisor), and Sue-Lan delivered outstanding service. Another visit was just as great thanks to Renae (hostess) and Ramoy (waiter). At Giuseppi’s, Renae and Dannisha (waitress) provided wonderful service that made the dining experience even better. Café de Paris was always a treat, thanks to Chelicia, Shanique, and Calicia, who were friendly, upbeat, and welcoming. Special mention to Lorenzo, the bartender, who consistently made great drinks with a great attitude. Entertainment & Atmosphere Francois, the playmaker and singer, brought amazing energy, talent, and fun to the resort. Truly unforgettable entertainment. Housekeeping & Front Desk Brittany and Shanoy from housekeeping kept our room spotless and comfortable, always with a smile. Dane at the front desk was extremely helpful, professional, and made everything smooth and stress-free. Every single person we encountered made us feel welcomed, valued, and cared for. Sandals South Coast truly delivers world-class service, and it’s the people who make it shine. We can’t wait to return! Highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for relaxation, great food, entertainment, and exceptional service. ???

21 October 2025 We received another warm welcome from the people we love at Sandals South Coast. We sailed and feasted as a tropical storm began to form near Western Africa. As the storm that would become Hurricane Melissa gathered strength, silent preparations were initiated. As her path began to take shape, meetings were held to review the trajectory, preparations and expectations. Having been at Sandals South Coast during a portion of the Covid Pandemic, we were confident that the preparations were thorough and based on the best information available. ( Indeed, the protocols at SSC exceeded those at the stateside hospital where I was employed.) Throughout the storm, we had sufficient and delicious food. A nurse was housed in our building. The kitties were sheltered. The staff were solely focused on our care and comfort, despite the uncertainty of the wellbeing of their families and homes. After the storm passed, preparations were made for our move to Sandals Negril. Starlink allowed us to connect with our families back home. We were reluctant to leave our SSC family, but were gently reminded that Sandals Negril was an extension of our family. And this proved to be true. They cared for us until our chartered flight to Miami. For this review, no names are mentioned. We could not possibly list everyone who cared for us. We are so very grateful. We send you and your family blessings, hope love and will see you in 2026.

As we had just been to South Coast a few months earlier, we were expecting the same level of service. We once again had an overwater bungalow. Our first bungalow overlooked the construction - we asked to be moved. This was our mistake as in our preference sheet we wrote the wrong number down. They easily moved us the next day. However, the level of service from our butlers were not quite what we were used to. At times it felt like we were bothering them. There also were a few miscommunications even though we used the phone app as much as possible. Little things, that in the grand scheme don't seem like much. However, instead of leaving our used bottles for housekeeping to take (per norm) or taking them himself, our butler would put them in our trash can -- over filling it. No surprises in terms of food, drink brought to our room or recommendations on where we should eat. I would say this was not our best Sandals resort but most likely in part since our trip 2 months was so great. We will be back though and hope the hurricane recovery continues.

This was our 9th trip to Sandals South Coast since 2007. We enjoy visiting many of the Sandals, but we keep coming back home to SSC. Sadly, not long after we left Hurricane Melissa hit and caused significant damage to the resort. Much of the beautiful vegetation was blown away, trees knocked down and of course considerable damage to the buildings. For this trip and all our past trips, we used Amy McHugh of Dream Makers Vacation Services as our travel agent (TA). This has proven to be especially helpful as she has contacts with the resort management and key staff to let them know of our needs or requests. We found that upon arrival both management and staff knew us by name and mentioned that Amy had informed them about us. At this resort we had the GM and various managers seek us out to say hello and mentioned that Amy had informed them of our arrival. In the past having a Sandals Platinum travel agent such as Amy has really saved us time and trouble when dealing with changes, possible flight delays or issues at the resort. She also checked in with us during our stay to ensure things were going well. We flew into Jamaica the day before on Southwest from Baltimore (BWI). We booked Club MoBay’s arrival service, but it turned out Tuesday morning was a quiet time and so there were no lines which was the first time for us. But we enjoyed chatting with their representative and she helped retrieve our luggage as there were multiple flights using the same claim area. She also got us rum punch for the drive. We utilized Reggae Tours which was recommended by our TA for transportation, and they have a counter close to the Club MoBay and Sandals Lounge. The driver took us to the Luna Sea Inn where we stayed the night. The drive took almost two hours due to more potholes than we have experienced in the past. The Luna Sea is a very simple inn with comfortable and clean rooms, restaurant and bar. Another driver from Reggae Tours picked us up at 8 am the following day to take us to South Coast. Upon arrival we were met with a song, cold towels, and drinks. Since our butlers were busy and the room was not ready, we asked if we could go to breakfast. We ate at Bayside which is a buffet and has many options to choose from. This was our go to for breakfast, but we did eat at Schooners and Eleanors which are order from a menu type restaurant. All were delicious. One of our butlers, Melisa met us while we were eating and told us that she had reserved a spot at the main pool and our room would be ready later. She also provided us with a phone so we could communicate with her and the other butler during our stay. All in all, the butler service was outstanding. They arranged for morning coffee and fruits to be delivered early each morning, provided transportation to and from dinners, reserved spots at the pools, set up two baths for us with decorations, decorated the room with happy retirement signs and décor, and a full breakfast in the room on the last day. Staff at the resort were outstanding and friendly. Our favorite was Erroll at the main pool who is simply everywhere working on different things. We have enjoyed seeing him over the years and have been impressed with his friendliness and hard work. We enjoyed all our meals including the antipasto bar at Giuseppe’s, the French Café, and the new options of the chicken finger and taco trucks. We had no complaints about the food or service. The resort is simply beautiful, it is very lush with plants, flowers, trees. We did see staff daily cleaning, repairing and adding new plants around the resort. We noticed that pickleball is very popular now and there was a tournament going on at the courts which seemed to have a large group there. We especially enjoyed interacting with other guests especially those from the UK. They made the trip extra special. We had booked the Longbeach Beachfront One Bedroom Butler Suite with Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub (LB1). The LB1 is a new room in the Longbeach block. It was created by combining two rooms, so you have one large room with an L-shaped sofa, table with two chairs and a bar area with an island. They added a door between the two rooms, so the second room has the bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom, especially the shower was huge. The shower is a U shape with two entrances and two handles at each end for two rain showers and a handle in the middle for a handheld shower. Outside there was a large tub. The balcony stretches the length of the two rooms with a sofa and table, and outdoor soaking tub. One can access the balcony from either room through sliding doors. We had 3404 which is an end unit, so we had beautiful views of the Longbeach pool, beach, over the water bungalows and sunsets. The housekeeping staff was outstanding as the room was cleaned twice a day (mid-morning and evening), everything was restocked including the Red Lane products. Reggae Tours picked us up on the last day to the airport, which took two hours again due to potholes and traffic. We did have the Club MoBay departure service, and we were happy to have it as the lines for their security and scanning was all the way down the terminal. We went through it in about 15 minutes and went to the lounge closest to gate 1 which is for Southwest. The service, food and restrooms were outstanding in this lounge, but it was very full. The Southwest flight to BWI was smooth and there were no issues. BWIs immigration and customs was super smooth especially since we had Global Entry. The longest part was waiting for our luggage and there were many running to catch their connecting flights.