Sunset at the Palms Resort Spa

Bruce the butcher showed us how to cook a few Jamaican dishes. Awesome experience and even better food. The resort is very authentic and true to the region, while also being a 5 star. If you like to experience different cultures, and not feeling like you’re being superficial (Sandals) then this is the place for you.

I am genuinely sad to write this review, but it reflects what happened as objectively as I can describe it. We stayed 7 nights in July 2026 (two rooms, adults‑only, all‑inclusive) and had one of the worst experiences we’ve ever had in a resort. On arrival, there was a huge garbage pile near the beach entrance, with a strong smell, which was only cleaned after about two days. The toilet in our room became blocked and was left unusable for a full day; we had to ask three times before someone came, and even then it was unclogged but not cleaned. There was a full‑day power outage that made the rooms essentially unlivable, and in the following days we had repeated issues with hot water and water supply. Both my partner and I developed symptoms consistent with food poisoning after eating at the buffet and lost several days of our holiday. When my partner’s symptoms became severe, the resort insisted on arranging a taxi to a private hospital, saying an ambulance would take too long. For two very short rides (around 10 minutes each way) we were charged 62 USD. When I questioned the price and said that about 40 USD would be more reasonable, the answer was that at a lower price “they would not make any profit.” Hearing that in the middle of a medical emergency was shocking and reinforced the impression that revenue mattered more than guests’ health. What made all of this much worse was how people handled it. Management showed very little interest in guests’ wellbeing: almost no proactive communication, no follow‑up even when they knew we were sick for days, and a constant feeling that problems were “not their concern”. In many interactions, the priority seemed to be protecting revenue rather than helping guests. Some waiters were genuinely kind and tried their best, and we appreciated those individuals. However, others appeared clearly uninterested, focused mainly on tips, and overall service felt inconsistent and unreliable. When we needed help or clear information, we often received vague answers or indifference. The property itself has potential (the landscaping is truly beautiful), but with management behaving as if profit matters more than guests and with staff not prepared to handle serious issues, we cannot recommend this resort and would not return.

Sunset at the Palms has beautiful natural surroundings and a stunning ocean once you reach the beach, but several customer service and operational issues made the stay challenging. Much of the property is open-air, including dining areas, which means limited air conditioning and uncomfortable heat during meals. The pool is very small and not a true relaxation space. The biggest concern was the front desk. Staff were often unresponsive, slow to engage, and unable to provide clear or helpful information. As a single traveler, this made basic problem‑solving and safety concerns difficult to manage. Submitting a complaint didn’t lead to meaningful resolution; the compensation offered was unusable for an international guest. Service across the resort is inconsistent. Many staff members — housekeeping, massage therapists, and beach staff — are kind, polite, and hardworking. However, other interactions felt standoffish, and approaching staff directly sometimes felt like an inconvenience to them. Communication is limited, and service is slow even with tipping. Food options are simple and repetitive, with very limited choices at the beach grill. The resort ran out of mango during mango season, which reflects poor planning. The property itself is aging and needs updates, including plumbing and general maintenance. The ocean and the fellow travelers you meet are truly the best parts of the experience. But if you value reliable customer service, clear communication, and smooth day‑to‑day support, this resort will fall short.

We booked a 7-night holiday to Jamaica through TUI costing approximately £3,000, expecting the quality, safety and customer support that comes with booking through one of the UK's largest travel companies. Instead, this became one of the most disappointing, stressful and frustrating holidays we have ever experienced. The resort suffered multiple power outages, including one lasting approximately 12 hours, leaving guests without air conditioning in Caribbean temperatures, without lighting, repeated water outages, room key failures, unreliable Wi-Fi and cancelled hotel experiences. This wasn't a brief inconvenience—it fundamentally disrupted our holiday and left hundreds of guests trying to cope in extreme heat. The lack of air conditioning became so severe that many guests remained in the swimming pool well into the evening simply to stay cool. Elderly guests and young families were affected, yet no torches or emergency lighting were provided during the prolonged blackout. I even injured my knee trying to move around our room in complete darkness, and another couple we spoke to reported suffering a similar injury. Unfortunately, the power cuts were only one part of a much wider problem. Throughout our stay, we encountered numerous guests who had become ill. My wife also became ill during the holiday and, at the time of writing this review, she remains unwell. We spoke to several guests who described experiencing similar symptoms, which caused us significant concern. One couple showed us photographs of their hotel room covered in human faeces and vomit after the husband became seriously ill. They told us they repeatedly contacted reception asking for help and for the room to be cleaned, yet said it remained in that condition despite multiple requests while he was extremely unwell and unable to leave the room. Seeing those photographs was shocking and reinforced our concerns about how guest welfare was being handled. One incident perfectly summed up the standard of management. The advertised pool opening hours were 7:00 am until 8:00 pm. We arrived at approximately 11:00 am, so naturally assumed the pool was open. I entered the pool and was immediately shouted at by the lifeguard and told to get out because it had not yet been cleaned. I went directly to the resort manager, who acknowledged that the pool should have been cleaned before opening hours, not while guests were trying to use it. When I returned, the lifeguard was openly pointing at me and complaining to the bar staff because I had raised the issue with management. There was no apology whatsoever. Instead, he angrily cleaned the pool while guests waited. The whole situation was unprofessional and made us feel uncomfortable for the remainder of our stay. Air conditioning regularly failed throughout the holiday and, even on the morning of our departure, our room experienced yet another power outage. On one evening there was no bottled drinking water available anywhere on the resort, despite the temperatures. For an all-inclusive resort, we found this completely unacceptable. Another extremely disturbing aspect of our stay was what my wife and I personally witnessed. During our holiday, we were approached and offered what were described to us as illegal drugs, including cocaine and MDMA, by individuals we understood to be beach bar staff and hotel-affiliated taxi drivers operating around the resort. This happened openly and appeared to target tourists. Regardless of local laws relating to cannabis, being approached with offers of harder drugs at a resort used by families fundamentally changed how safe we felt during our holiday. While walking along the public beach opposite our resort, we also observed a neighbouring adults-only nudist and swingers resort. Activities taking place within that resort were clearly visible from the public beach. During the daytime we witnessed people engaging in sexual activity in areas that were visible from outside the resort, including one couple where the woman was performing oral sex on the man while he stood in the sea. None of this appeared to be screened or enclosed from public view. We appreciate that adults-only resorts exist, but we did not expect explicit sexual activity to be openly visible from a public beach close to a resort used by families. We found this inappropriate and extremely uncomfortable. Throughout our stay, hotel management appeared reactive rather than proactive. Problems were allowed to continue, communication was poor, guests were repeatedly left searching for information themselves, and there was little evidence of effective leadership during what was clearly a major operational failure. While a small number of staff were friendly and genuinely tried to help, our overall experience left us with little confidence that guest welfare was being treated as the priority it should have been. What disappointed us most, however, was TUI's response. Rather than accepting responsibility as the company we booked and paid, TUI repeatedly referred us back to the hotel or suggested that power issues are simply something that happens "in the Caribbean." That explanation is simply not acceptable. We have travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean, including Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and have even experienced a Category 5 hurricane. We have never experienced disruption on this scale or for this length of time. Surrounding hotels, local businesses and even the street lighting had power while our resort continued experiencing failures. We also understand that guests travelling with other tour operators were relocated to different hotels, yet TUI customers remained at the resort despite the ongoing problems. When you book through TUI, you expect them to stand behind the holiday they have sold you. Instead, we felt responsibility was continually pushed back onto the hotel rather than accepted by the company we had actually paid. To make matters worse, after paying approximately £3,000 for this holiday and enduring prolonged power failures, loss of air conditioning, repeated water interruptions, reports of illness among guests, my wife becoming ill, poor communication, management failures and the other issues that significantly affected our stay, TUI offered us the equivalent of just one night's accommodation — £50 in cash or £100 towards another TUI holiday. When checking out of the hotel, staff could not even tell us what that one night's accommodation was actually worth. We asked for an itemised bill so we could understand how this had been calculated, but we were told they could not provide one. We left without any clear explanation of how the compensation figure had been reached. To add further insult, due to flight schedule changes we are now arriving back in the UK in the early hours of 13 July instead of 12 July, meaning we have incurred an additional £70 in airport parking charges. This extra cost was never clearly explained during booking, before travel or during check-in, and we received no meaningful explanation from TUI regarding the change or its financial impact. We also contacted TUI's management team during the holiday. Unfortunately, the representative we spoke to appeared to have very little understanding of the situation at the resort or the scale of the issues guests were experiencing. Rather than reassuring us, the conversation left us with even less confidence that anyone was taking ownership of what had happened. We found TUI's offer completely inadequate and entirely out of proportion to what we experienced. It did not reflect the disruption, discomfort, additional expense and distress caused, nor did it restore any confidence that TUI had genuinely listened to or understood the seriousness of our complaint. This review is not simply about power cuts. It is about customer welfare, communication, accountability and how TUI responded when a holiday fell so far below the standard we had paid for. We booked through TUI because we trusted them to support us if things went wrong. Instead, we were left feeling abandoned, ignored and repeatedly directed back to the hotel while the problems continued. We travelled to Jamaica hoping for one week of relaxation and a chance to recharge. Instead, we came home exhausted, frustrated and deeply disappointed. Based on our experience, we would not return to this resort and we would think very carefully before booking another holiday with TUI. We sincerely hope TUI properly investigates the issues we have raised, reviews how this resort was managed during our stay, and reflects on how it supports customers when holidays fall so significantly below the standard customers are promised.

Our stay at Sunset at the Palms in Jamaica was absolutely amazing! The staff truly made our experience unforgettable — everyone was so kind, welcoming, and went above and beyond to make sure we felt taken care of. When I started feeling sick during our trip, the staff helped me with remedies and advice, and their genuine care meant so much. We loved the peaceful adults-only atmosphere, the beautiful beach, the sweet cats wandering around the resort, and the incredible on-site masseuse who gave one of the most relaxing massages I’ve ever had! The food and drinks were delicious, and we loved that the resort had everything we needed without ever feeling like we had to leave. We booked the catamaran excursion to Rick’s Cafe through the resort, which was such a fun experience. Sunset at the Palms was the perfect place to relax, unwind, and enjoy Jamaica. We had an unforgettable time and would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful, peaceful getaway!