Sunset At The Palms

This is a beautiful property that never felt crowded in the least, even though I initially thought the pool seemed small it ended up never being a concern. That is probably because the beach, a very short walk across the street, is amazing. The bar, which also serves lunch fare, has a large and clean bathroom - no water and sand on the floor. Don't go here expecting a party vibe or any wild late night activities on property, but there are nearby places to go if you prefer that scene. If you are averse to the sounds of nature, you might want to consider earplugs or some alternative for sleeping. My husband initially thought he noises from the fauna would disturb him. He ended up saying it was the best sleep he's gotten in ages. I want to give special acknowledgement to the staff that went above and beyond: Carson, Esroy, Craig, Oshaine, Carnelius, Nicholas and Kenroy. Thank you for making our stay so enjoyable and we cannot wait to see you all again.

My husband and I spent four nights in a deluxe treetop room (one side of a duplex cabin). We found our week at the resort to be relaxing, calm, and quiet. The room stayed cool with a split A/C unit, even when I insisted on opening the windows during daily afternoon rainstorms because of how gorgeous it was. The cabins are separated from each other enough to be fairly private, and the winding paths and landscaped tropical plants add to the privacy and the beauty of the whole place. We found the bed quite comfortable, the bathroom amenities clean and in working order, and the housekeeping services excellent. And the covered porch with the little outdoor divan - I loved lying here to read in the early mornings and during storms. If there was anything about our stay that could have been improved, it would be a few things with the room: it needs better lighting, it needs reliable wi-fi (it didn't always work in our room), and it needs a set of drawers for clothing. I've seen some reviews complaining about the size of the pool. Maybe other times of year there are more guests, but we never saw the pool crowded and always enjoyed our time there, including at the pool bar. We spent plenty of time at the beach, which was utterly gorgeous. Clear blue water, soft clean sand, helpful beach attendants who set up our chairs for us and periodically came by to take drink orders. We had lunch a couple days at the beach grill. It wasn't necessarily speedy, but the food was pretty good. We were also happy with the beach bar, where on two separate days I requested "just something refreshing" and received exactly that both times (two different bartenders' interpretations of it). You have to cross a road to get to the beach, which is clearly stated in the description of the resort at booking, and there's a crossing guard to make sure you don't get mowed down by crazy drivers. Someone's review described crossing a grimy parking lot - I rather perceived it as a tree-lined path made of sand...because it's a beach. And yes, there were staff cars parked under the trees near the road, but they were out of the way of the guest area and inconspicuous. The food at the resort was probably a 6 out of 10. There was plenty of variety, and some meals/dishes were better than others, but overall the food at the buffet area (which is the place that serves all 3 meals a day without requiring reservations) was decent but not stunning. We did have a really tasty meal one evening at the Lotus Leaf, which is a white tablecloth restaurant at the resort that requires a reservation. Each evening while we ate, we enjoyed mellow reggae or piano music. It's not a party resort - the entertainment was appropriate as background music for adults who like to enjoy their dinner conversation. One of our favorite things about SatP was the staff. We never encountered a staff member, from reception to food/drink service to housekeeping to repair staff, who didn't smile and welcome us or ask us how our stay was going. Linford, one of the gardeners, chatted with us on the path to our room and then, while we were standing there, dashed around us picking leaves and blooms off nearby plants to hand us a fresh tropical bouquet for our room. I think the only time the staff didn't come through was when we requested a bellhop to take our bags out the morning we left, and we ended up carrying them ourselves because no one had come by the time we needed to leave to meet the taxi. But other than that, we can not crow about the staff enough. They are solid gold. This resort is staffed by locals, and life here moves at the pace of local life. (My husband and I have both spent time with Jamaican families and workers in the mountain areas, so we were already aware of the different pace.) That is, there isn't the urgency or hurriedness that we always seem to get caught up in in the U.S. We were looking for respite, and we found it here. If efficiency and perfection are your speed, this is probably not the place for you. But if you are a little more laid back and want a slow-moving, quiet vacation that has the flavor of the surrounding area - come to Sunset at the Palms. Even in the sweltering heat of August, it was the best week of our year. Notes on outside companies: We made the airport-to-resort transfer with Luxurious Carib and highly recommend them if, for some reason, you aren't using the service available on the resort website. (Good to know: if you book your transfer through the resort, it will probably be quite a bit cheaper, but it's hard to find it on the website. That's because you don't book it until you've already checked in online. I was planning ahead, so I didn't realize this and, when I couldn't find transfers on the resort website, went ahead and booked Luxurious Carib. A little more expensive, but like I said, a good experience. Greeted at the airport with a cold water and Red Stripe.) Also, we did the 6-hour Half-Moon Bay cruise with snorkeling, courtesy of Scuba Caribe and had a beautiful time. The boat captain's music selection was not our favorite (foul language, rampant misogyny), and he liked it loud, but that was the only drawback of that excursion. This was booked through the resort.