Three Sandals resorts in Jamaica have been closed since Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the island’s south coast on October 28, 2025. Trade reports now point to staggered reopenings this winter: Sandals South Coast on November 18, 2026, followed by Sandals Montego Bay and the renamed Sandals Caribbean Cay on December 18, 2026. These are the company’s stated targets, and as the history below shows, the dates have already moved once.
What has been reported
Sandals Resorts International has described a programme of roughly US$200 million across the three properties, which it calls Sandals 2.0. According to Caribbean Magazine’s reopening guide and a report in Travel Weekly UK, the work was widened after the storm so that planned upgrades could be brought forward rather than staged over several years. A general manager quoted in coverage said the closure let the team complete work originally planned for the next three years.
The reported dates are:
- Sandals South Coast: November 18, 2026, after a renovation reported at about US$80 million.
- Sandals Montego Bay: December 18, 2026.
- Sandals Caribbean Cay (formerly Sandals Royal Caribbean): December 18, 2026.
What is new at each resort
At Sandals Montego Bay, reported changes centre on a redesigned main pool area and a new lobby. Coverage lists a Buccan restaurant, a Scrimshaw seafood restaurant described as a first for Jamaica, and a Parisol Beach Club that is billed as including the Caribbean’s first swim-up bar. The resort has also said it has kept the original bricks carved with guests’ names as a tribute to its history. The property is reported to have 255 rooms.
Sandals Caribbean Cay is the new name for Sandals Royal Caribbean. It is reported to be adding 84 rooms to reach 291 in total, with new dining including a Jamaican comfort-food restaurant called Suppa and a venue named Keynote Rum Bar. Oceanview Butler Suites at this resort are listed for June 2027, so they will not be available at the December reopening.
Details on the South Coast redesign are thinner in the sources found, beyond the investment figure and the November date. If you are considering that resort, ask Sandals for its current room and dining list rather than relying on older brochures.
How the dates have moved
This is the part worth reading twice. Earlier reports said all three resorts would reopen around May 30, 2026. The scope was then expanded, and the dates shifted to November and December. Sources differ slightly on whether the original target was May 30 or May 31, which is a reminder that individual trade articles can disagree on small details. A shift once is not evidence of a shift again, but it does show that reopening dates on large rebuilds are targets rather than guarantees.
The company’s other Jamaica resorts are reported to be open: Sandals Ochi, Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Negril, Sandals Royal Plantation and Beaches Negril. If your dates are fixed and you would rather not depend on a reopening, those are the properties already operating.
What to check before booking a reopening resort
Booking a resort that has not yet reopened carries a different kind of risk from booking an established one. A few practical steps:
- Read the cancellation terms for your exact booking. Ask what happens if the opening slips after you have paid, and whether you are offered a refund, a date change or a move to another resort. Keep the answer in writing.
- Avoid the first weeks if flexibility is limited. New and reopened resorts often run with some facilities still being finished. If a particular restaurant or pool matters to you, ask whether it will be open on your arrival date.
- Treat renovation lists as plans. Items such as the Oceanview Butler Suites already carry a later date than the reopening. Check each feature you care about against a specific date.
- Look at the area, not only the resort. Our pages on Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios explain how the main Jamaican resort areas differ.
Why it matters for planning
Jamaica’s winter season is its busiest, and three large resorts returning to inventory in the same two months will change availability on the north and south coasts. We have not seen published pricing for the reopening periods, and we are not stating any here. Whether rates will be low to attract early guests or high on novelty is something only the booking engines will show, and only for the dates you search.
The sensible approach is to treat December 18 as a hopeful date, confirm it directly with Sandals closer to travel, and keep a fallback in mind. The reopenings are good news for Jamaica, but until guests are checking in, the dates stay targets.
Sources: Caribbean Magazine reopening guide and Travel Weekly UK, linked above. Dates are as reported; confirm with Sandals before booking.