Taking the Kids: To an all-inclusive without kids

I get it now. I get why so many people keep returning to all-inclusive resorts and cruises.

That’s especially true for families traveling with adult kids, honeymooners, those celebrating anniversaries and those on girls’ trips. They keep returning to all-inclusives like Sandals Dunn’s River, the company’s newest in Jamaica. (Prices vary so check here for the latest deals.)

“If we don’t have our kids, we don’t want to vacation with other people’s children,” said Kali Ashton, who was vacationing with her husband Jeff at their third Sandals.

“We can do watersports and my dad, and his girlfriend can relax and then we meet up … there is enough variety for everyone,” said Bailee Schuhmann, who is in her 30s and vacationing with her husband, sister, her partner, her dad and his girlfriend from Texas. Her dad, Ed Schuhmann, has vacationed at Sandals nine times.

“All you need to do is show up,” said Lynne Jaquay, here with her wife from near Albany, New York, and enjoying a cocktail party and poolside dinner for repeat guests who were occupying 150 of the 260 rooms the week we visited.

“We never get tired of it,” said Ginger Vislocky, here with her husband Matt for their 15th Sandals vacation, as they were about to go out sailing.

I spent a few days at Sandals Dunn’s River recently with my two oldest friends, our first getaway together since the pandemic. We loved the beach, the pools, the food and the butler service. The butler set up our beach chairs at the pool, complete with a cooler of drinks, and made sure we didn’t have to wait too long at the restaurants. (Only one restaurant took reservations.)

Even that inevitable issue of where to eat dinner was easily solved. There are a dozen restaurants to choose from, plus room service, but on our last night, we couldn’t agree. Two of us wanted sushi; our third friend lobbied for Italian. I explained our predicament to the hostess at Hanami, the sushi restaurant, who promptly offered to bring sushi to Cascata, the Italian restaurant nearby.

“We make it happen,” said Executive Chef Juan Morrison. He noted that his staff can handle any dietary restrictions, meeting with the guests when they arrive. They are working with a local rabbi to provide kosher meals as well.

He noted that guests can do an around-the-world tasting, appetizers at one place, main courses at another and dessert at a third with French, Greek, Asian among the choices. We started our last evening at Dunn’s Rum Club, a new concept with a curated list of rums, cocktails and locally inspired snacks, including slow-cooked jerk pork belly, the “bad dog” spicy pork sausage, braised oxtail sliders and more.

All-inclusive resorts are no longer about all-you-can-eat buffets, Morrison said, as guests want more authentic dishes like the jerk chicken served at the beachfront jerk shack. “Guests are more adventurous eaters than in the past, he said. “We try to keep it as authentic as possible.”

That includes the very popular Blum coffee shop here, serving coffee drinks with famous Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and locally inspired pastries (Jamaican fruit cake, perhaps).

This resort near Ocho Rios on Jamaica’s northern coast is so popular that a 16-suite expansion with over-the-water bungalows is already in the works. Sandals Founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart first bought this property in 1991, and it was his last project before his death in 2021.

"Ocho Rios has been the backdrop of some of my family's most pivotal moments, including along this very beach where my father grew up,” said Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International (SRI).

Today, there are 20 Sandals and Beaches resorts (the Sandals brand is all-adults; the three Beaches resorts are designed for families). They are spread across the Caribbean, including seven in Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia, the Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados and Curacao.

“He handpicked this location more than three decades ago,” Adam Stewart said, adding that it is now bringing “new excitement into a corner of Jamaica loved and cherished by so many.”

What once was a sleepy fishing village on Jamaica’s north coast “Ochi,” as the locals call it, is now a bustling tourist destination with beautiful beaches, a myriad of hotels, a cruise port and popular attractions, including the iconic Dunn’s River Falls (about 180 feet high and naturally terraced like giant stairs. Ocho Rios is famous for its waterfalls, especially Dunn’s River Falls) and its eight rivers.

About a 90-minute drive from the Montego Bay Sangster International Airport (shuttles are included at Sandals), there are also a growing number of flights, including daily flights on American from Miami, into Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios, about 20 minutes from the resort. (The first James Bond film, “Dr. No,” was filmed here and the Golden Eye Resort, once Ian Fleming’s home, and where he conceived the James Bond thrillers, is near here.)

There are plenty of adventurous options (at an extra cost) for those who want to leave the resort. Climb Dunn’s River Falls, go birding on the Black River or Bamboo River Rafting on the Martha Brae River.

But we didn’t feel the need with so many on-property options, including sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, paddle boarding and diving, even golf is complimentary. There is a 24-hour fitness center and a popular Red Lane spa.

We tried water aerobics and went out on a Catamaran. There were also spirited water volleyball and basketball games every day and plenty of evening activities.

Ron and Angie Hart have been going to Sandals resorts for nearly 11 years with Ron’s sister Janie Simms and her husband Jerry. After Jerry died unexpectedly late last year, they decided to return with Janie Simms and her daughter Faith, even getting towels printed with photos of every trip they took. This is the family’s third trip here – they came earlier this year with their two adult kids.

“It’s the people who work here who make it special,” Angie Hart explained as a smiling server came around the pool deck with Caribbean Delights, the drink of the day. “The staff remembers our names. It makes us feel really good.”

And that, after all, is what you want from a vacation.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)