Best by Category

If "overall ranking" doesn't help because you have a specific itch to scratch, here is where you should book based on your personality.

🏖️ Best for Beach Snobs: Sandals Negril (Jamaica)

Negril is famous for the "Seven Mile Beach," and Sandals sits on the best stretch of it. The water is glass-calm, and the sunsets are legendary.

Why it wins: You can walk for miles in either direction. The resort is also "height restricted" (no building taller than a palm tree), so it feels very integrated with the beach.
Runner Up: Sandals Emerald Bay (Bahamas) for that electric blue Exuma water.

🏌️ Best for Golfers: Sandals Emerald Bay (Exumas, Bahamas)

Most Sandals "golf resorts" just offer transfers to a nearby course. Emerald Bay is a golf course. It features an 18-hole Greg Norman championship course that winds along the ocean.

Why it wins: The back 9 holes are scenic monsters right on the water. It’s a bucket-list course.
Runner Up: Sandals Ochi (Jamaica) which has free transfers to the Upton Estate Golf & Country Club.

🎉 Best for Nightlife: Sandals Montego Bay (Jamaica)

The "Flagship." It’s the first Sandals ever built and remains the most high-energy.

Why it wins: A massive main bar, a party pool, and it's 5 minutes from the airport (so you’re on the beach with a drink 20 mins after landing). It also has a "Play at 2" exchange with Sandals Royal Caribbean.
The downside: The airport proximity means you will hear planes taking off. It’s the "Sandals Pause"—everyone stops talking when a jet roars over.

💰 Best for Budget: Sandals Ochi (Jamaica)

This is the largest Sandals resort, split into two sides: the Beachside (lively) and the Hillside (quiet, garden villas).

Why it wins: It is almost always the most affordable entry point into the brand. You can get a Butler Villa with a semi-private pool here for the price of a standard room at other resorts.
The downside: It is huge. You have to take a bus (the "Hop") to get from the hillside to the beach.

🛁 Best for pure Romance: Sandals South Coast (Jamaica)

Known as "Sexy South Coast," this resort is isolated within a 500-acre nature preserve.

Why it wins: Every single room faces the ocean. There are no "garden view" disappointments. It features a massive zero-entry pool and the brand's best Over-the-Water Bar (Latitudes).
The downside: It’s a 90-minute drive from the airport on winding roads.