What is the Best Sandals Resort in 2026? (Best Sandals Resort Awards)

It's 2026, it's time for the best sandals resorts for 2026. So I put together my own award show, the Grizzy Awards. Unlike Sandals, that has amazing awards, which we have been lucky enough to have received quite a few of over the years, the Grizzy Awards has still very little budget, but I'm gonna do my best to give you my top picks for your sandals vacations for 2026. We're going to start out with my top 3 sandals resorts. These are my favorite for 2026. Let's get to it. We're going to go with the best first. Okay, so I just flew to Jamaica for almost a week to double check and make sure that this was great. This was a perfect resort for 2026. Because the news— if you watch the news, Hurricane Melissa is going to have you believe that Jamaica is off the map for 1 or 2 years. Not the case. So we'll get into that. So number 1, Sandals Dunes River. Number 1 for 2026. So why is Sandals Dunes River my top pick for 2026? It's stunning. I flew there 5 weeks after Hurricane Melissa. I spent almost a week touring Jamaica, and I stayed for several days at Sandals Dunn's River. Stunning. It's like nothing happened to that resort. Ocho Rios, horseback riding, Dunn's River Falls, the Blue Hole— everything is open. It looks amazing. Plus, there's amazing deals because not everybody knows what we know. Everybody thinks Jamaica is closed. Dunes River, Sandals Dunes River looks brand new. So watch my video. I just put a video out on Sandals Dunes River, so go ahead and look at that. It's stunning. Oh my God, the rooms. So it's important to know what is open in Jamaica for Sandals Resorts in 2026 because there are 7, 7 Sandals Resorts, OneBeaches Resorts in Jamaica. So let me give you an update on what is open to kick off 2026 and what's opening when in 2026 so you can make some plans. Right now, my number 1 pick, Sandals Dunes River, open, looks amazing. Royal Plantation Butler, that's all butlers, that is open. Sandals Ocho Rios open. Negril, that Sandals is open. And the Beaches Resort also open. They all look great. They're all up and running 100%. Now, not until May 30th, 2026, so check back, 'cause I'll be going back to Jamaica to double-check these resorts before they open as well. So May 30th, 2026, Sandals Montego Bay, the Royal Caribbean, and South Coast. Those three still need a little more love. They are gonna give them the Sandals 2.0 treatment. They're gonna look spectacular. Like, you might not even recognize those resorts when they open back up. South Coast, I just went to South Coast before the hurricane hit. Man, it looked good. They redid that resort, looked really good, and then that hurricane, Category 5, came through. So they're refreshing it even more, so it's going to look great. My number 2 pick for my favorite Sandals resort— it's not like I didn't write the card, but it's for dramatics. So my number 2 pick for 2026, this was my number 1 pick. For last year, for 2025. It's a— the newest resort. It's stunning. It's hard to not go to this resort. I really enjoy this resort. I really love this resort. Sandals St. Vincent. Sandals St. Vincent. I had no idea what St. Vincent even was. It's a little island kind of close to St. Lucia. Uh, the last time I was there, I actually flew from the Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia over to St. Vincent. 16-minute flight. Super close. This island is kind of like a millionaire's paradise, so a lot of people don't know about it. Most people used to get to this island by those mega yachts. There's a big marina, lots of really impressive yachts, and that's the only people that would go to this island. Now they have a really great airport, uh, maybe 30-40 minutes ride included to the Sandals Resort on St. Vincent. If you're on Butler, you could also take a water taxi. They have a boat that will take you, so you could do either that or their private transfers. I love this resort. The beach, the, the woods, the jungles. It reminds me of Hawaii with all the mountains in the background. Really great deals as well for 2026. Number 2, Sandals St. Vincent. So that brings us to number 3. My number 3 Sandals pick Sandals Curaçao. Like, if you haven't been to Sandals Curaçao, it's another Sandals 2.0 resort. It's on the ABC Islands: Aruba, Bonaire, Bonaire, Bonaire, Curaçao. All three are Dutch islands. I love these islands. Curaçao is my favorite. Before the Sandals resort, one of my favorite islands. It's outside the hurricane belt. So if you go during hurricane season, you don't have to worry about that at all. Beautiful island. Dutch people. Willemstad, the downtown area, is beautiful, stunning, great shops, great for photos, all kinds of cool stuff there. The resort is spectacular. Like, my— all of my top 3 picks, all amazing resorts. Curaçao snorkeling, I took my daughter snorkeling there for the first time. She loved it. Now she's hooked. Not the best beach at this resort. Amazing swimming pool, but not the best beach. So if the beach is your thing, I would pick a different resort for you. Everything else, top notch. Like when I go to a resort and I'm out filming, 'cause I make these films early, early in the morning usually when I'm at these resorts. And when a gardener comes up to you and says, hey, would you like a bottle of water at 6:00 AM? When nobody else is out there and he's mowing the lawn and they stop to see that you're hot and thirsty, you know they've trained their staff, and they've trained their staff amazingly well over at Sandals Curaçao. So number 3, Sandals Curaçao. So I have some resorts that I've broken into different categories based on maybe your vacation style or what you're looking for. So cheapest. Someone always says, what's the cheapest? Now, I wouldn't say— I would say value for your money. So what's the best value for your money? Say you're a newlywed couple, you're a new couple, you don't travel a lot, you want to go somewhere special, it's your honeymoon, or, or you want to have a wedding at one of the Sandals Resorts that's the most affordable and you get the most bang for your buck. Here we go, especially this year, 2026. So Jamaica, again, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, but there's key resorts that you guys know about that are open and look amazing. So this one right here is open right now, looks stunning, looks like nothing has happened. Sandals Ocho Rios. So Sandals Ocho Rios has a party vibe in half of the resort and a more laid-back vibe up in the mountains where most of the butler rooms are. Uh, it's a little more calm up there depending on what you want. There's a bunch of different room categories, so there's a bunch of different price points. So if you're looking for something affordable, Sandals over in Ocho Rios, which is all where your tourist attractions are also— swimming with dolphins, Dunn's River Falls, ziplining, horseback riding— all that is located right there as well. So Sandals Ocho Rios, there's also, because it's 2026, And I've got some great deals in Jamaica in 2026 because people don't know it's open. I would say starting in May, May 30th, when these open, these might be great deals as well. South Coast, which is usually a little pricier, probably when it first opens is going to have some good deals. Royal Caribbean, that one has a private island. They have a little boat that takes you out to a private island and as well as the resort on the mainland. Really close to the airport, 15 minutes from Montego Bay. So if you don't want to go on a long tour of Jamaica to get to your resort, Royal Caribbean's a good option. Probably some great deals when that opens up also. And then Montego Bay, the original Sandals resort, when that opens again May 30th, 2026, that one's like 10 minutes. That one's literally almost on the runway. So for me, I'm not as big of a fan for that resort just because of the, the air traffic. But when I've talked to the guests, and I've been there many times, none of them care. So if, if a flight taking off or landing every so often bothers you, probably not Montego Bay. But that Sandals resort probably is going to have some great deals and and they're redoing that resort totally. So anytime after May 30th, 2026, get with me, we'll go over what deals they have on that. So some great options if you're trying to save some money for 2026. I have another category for you for 2026. This is the resorts that are best for resort hopping. So what Sandals does is they have some resorts that are located on some of these islands that are pretty close to each other. And so you can stay at one and you can play at all three or at all two, depending on how many Sandals Resorts there are. They have included shuttles. You go to the front desk or you get with your travel agent, they'll give you the information on how often those come. Uh, one of my favorites— I mean, right now this is— it's hard to beat. So over in St. Lucia, 3 Sandals Resorts. I have stayed at one and played at all three. So it is doable. Very nice transfers. There is a schedule at each resort. The times are different at each resort, so make sure you check at the front desk. You'll see the schedule there, so write it down when you arrive and leave. So you can make dining reservations at one or the other resorts. You can go to the pool, you can go hang out, you can go to an excursion or something. The Pigeon Mountain— Pigeon Island, is close to the Grand St. Lucian, so you can go over there and then just walk over there. And for like $10, you can go up and do that excursion on your own. So there's 3 in St. Lucia that work for this. The first one, which is very popular with guests, it's a little more, I guess, upscale. So if you're looking for a more upscale Sandals resort, the Sandals Grand St. Lucian is a top pick. I like Halcyon Bay. I've also stayed over at Regency La Toc, smaller resorts. Some of those resorts have really nice brand new sections and some original sections. So if that's not your vibe, but they're redoing them, like they're redoing all the— they're redoing all these Sandals Resorts. So if you want a better price point, you can get into one of the original rooms. Now it's not going to be like bathtub in a room with like 20 feet around it and all this crazy stuff, but if you're looking for price, there are some room categories that haven't been updated at some of these resorts, so you can get a better price point. And then there's the top luxury rooms at these resorts too that are stunning. So over-the-water bungalows over at Grand San Lucian also Uh, so every price point. And then again, stay at one, play at all three, and it's very doable. This year I have a very special award. It's my first year for this award. I have the Grizzly Goat Award. This is the resort where you're most likely to hit a goat on your travels to that resort. And it's my number 2 favorite resort over in Jamaica. So you might know, if you've been, you know, if you've been, you know. So the resort where you're most likely to hit a goat on the way to your resort and an amazing resort is over in Jamaica, and it is, uh, Sandals South Coast. Sandals South Coast, which used to be Sandals Whitehouse until they changed the name. It's, it's a drive. So it's a free island tour. So for about 2 hours, you get a free island tour included on your way to the resort and on your way back. And you will see lots of these all over the island. So it's cute, it's fun. You won't hit one. It'll get close, but you won't hit a goat. But that resort which is going to be opening on May 30th, 2026, is amazing. I went before— again, I went before the hurricane. I'm so sad that the hurricane hit that because it looked amazing because they just redone the over-the-water bungalows. They had renamed The Villages. They had built a new section, so it was ready to go. So now they've got time to put in different restaurants and all kinds of cool stuff and really take it to the next level. When they reopen. So again, the GOAT Award, Sandals South Coast. Another category, if you're looking for a quick weekend getaway, I have not one, but I have two Sandals resorts that are going to fit the bill for a quick, maybe a 3-day weekend. Because some of these resorts, you know, you got to fly there, it takes a while, you got to transfer, that takes a while to get to the resort. These are quick transfers, So when you land, you get to the resort very quick, and also they're very close if you're coming from the US to get to these resorts. So my first one, Sandals Royal Bahamian. It's not Bohemian like the Rhapsody. My wife explained that to me. It is Sandals Royal Bahamian, which is in, uh, the Bahamas. It has a private island, like So that makes it even better because I was there maybe 4 months ago. So there's another island that has a really cool swim-up pool, swim-up bar, great restaurant, snorkeling right there, all kinds of cool stuff. There's a little boat, 15 minutes, you're on the private island. 15 minutes back, you're on the main resort property. Love this resort for a quick 3-day weekend, maybe a 4-day weekend from Miami. Flew, took off, 35 minutes, landing, 15, 10-minute ride at the resort, drink in hand. So that's pretty amazing. Then again, when this one opens May 30th, 2026, you've got Montego Bay. So Montego Bay, literally you can see the airport from some of those rooms. Don't— I would maybe skip those rooms. But that resort is really close to the airport, 10-minute ride. Montego Bay, I again, from Atlanta, have been there before lunch, jerk chicken, red stripe, out on the beach at like 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock in the morning. So both of those resorts open now, Sandals Royal Bahamian, and then open again May 30th. You've got Montego Bay. So for my final sandals category, I put together a list. This is a tough one, this is a tough one because there's— it's really hard to do this, so hopefully I got some of this right. Sandals best beach. Now, like, I was told that Butch, when he originally bought these resorts back in the day, that he would go out in the water on the beach and have his first little meeting out there. So they would see what the depth is, how calm it is, what the, the entire beach is like, because they're all about the beach. So all these Sandals Resorts, right on the water, really great beaches. So it's really hard to rate 17 Sandals Resorts based on the beach. So of course Jamaica has a famous Seven Mile Beach, and there's a Sandals Resort on that famous Seven Mile Beach. So that's one of my picks, which is Sandals Negril, which is open right now. It is open. I was just there like 5, 6 weeks after Hurricane Melissa went through. Looks perfectly amazing. Internet, power, staff, everything is up and running like nothing has ever happened. Barbados, I was there last year, year before. Great beach. 2 Sandals Resorts literally touching each other by like 3 feet apart. So either one, really nice beach. Grand Antigua, smaller resort, another perfect beach if you're looking for something a little smaller and a little more quaint. And then opening back in May, late May, probably May 30th, of 2026 over in Jamaica, Sandals South Coast. It's about 2 hours away from the Montego Bay Airport, so it's a free, it's a free island tour. So once, but once you get there, at that resort, there's nothing else there except that resort on this huge, beautiful, calm stretch of beach with nothing else. So if you, if there's no vendors there's nothing else on that beach except you. Sometimes it's just me on that beach. So those are my best Sandals beach picks for 2026. So I hope you enjoyed my 2026 Grizzy Awards of the best Sandals resorts for 2026. Very important year this year with the hurricane that hit Jamaica because there's 7 Sandals resorts and 1 Beaches Resort over in Jamaica. So keep up with the travel agent on what's going on Jamaica, what's opening, and what great deals there are. And the Jamaica people, stunning, fabulous. I was literally just there a couple weeks ago, had a great time, love those people. So please take care of them and go and visit Jamaica. But again, get with us over at Pixie Vacations. My wife and I own Pixie Vacations. We have Pixies at Pixie Vacations that can help you with all your sandals and beaches, resorts. So weddings, honeymoons, groups, or if you just want to go as a couple, we've got you all set. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments. I come back to these videos all year long and I try to answer all your questions there in the comments. And in the description of this video, I will put links to all the latest deals. So if you just want to go look and see, hey, what are some prices, what are some price points, what is happening right now at these different resorts, go to the links in the description of the video. If I can figure it out, I'll try to figure out how to put the little QR code on the screen somewhere, and then if you just snap that with your phone, I'll have two of them. One that takes you to the deals so you can go right to Sandals Resorts and see what deals they currently have, and one that goes to maybe our form and our phone number of how to contact us to work with a pixie at Pixie Vacations. Have a fantastic 2026 and have a fantastic vacation. Since you stuck around to the end of the video, I have a bonus. I have a bonus sandals, one of my favorites. This is if it's your first time to an all-inclusive resort, you want to dip your sandals toe in the water. I have a couple picks for you. So this one is in Jamaica for a Sandals Resort, Sandals Negril, right on famous Seven Mile Beach. Kind of a mid-level drive, so it's not real quick from the airport but not real far away. Literally right on the beach. So you walk out and everything runs— the whole resort runs along this beautiful stretch of beach. There's also, if you're not a couple but you have a family, pretty close by is Beaches Negril. So Beaches is for families, Sandals is for couples. So if you have a family, Beaches is a great one to get your feet wet. Beaches, Negril, if you just want to try it out, very easy to get to Jamaica, loads of flights, very easy to get to Negril.