In need of some relaxation? This all-inclusive resort in Jamaica is so laid-back even the coffee will leave you chilled out not wired.

Where is it? 

Situated on Jamaica’s north coast, near Ocho Rios.

What's the accommodation like?

As with all Sandals Resorts, there’s a range of luxe options, from ocean-view suites to butler-serviced villas with private pools. We go all-out with a Skypool Butler Suite that’s larger (and fancier) than most city flats. A plush living area opens onto a private terrace balcony with a glass-sided plunge pool, freestanding bath for two and cushy seating. Our butlers, Akeem and Fernando, operate on a split shift and are always a call away via a dedicated butler phone. Initially, it feels a little awkward, but they check in regularly and we soon embrace their offers to secure prime sun loungers, book restaurants, reserve snorkelling trips and keep our beachside cooler topped up with drinks.

What did you eat and drink?

Cocktails flow freely here, courtesy of nine resort bars and a fully stocked in-room bar with full-size spirits. Our butlers even offer to shake up our favourites for pre-dinner drinks on the terrace. If coffee’s your thing (and it’s mine!), head to BLŪM, the resort’s artisanal café to see why Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is considered some of the best in the world.

With 12 restaurants, dining never gets dull. We love The Jerk Shack for laid-back lunches on the beach – think fish in foil, juicy jerk chicken and pork, roasted sweet potatoes and chilled Red Stripe. At the other end of the spectrum, L’Amande serves upscale French-inspired dishes perfect for an intimate meal. After dark, the Dunn’s River Rum Club becomes a lively hotspot, with an impressive list of specialist rums and a standout bar menu offering the likes of braised oxtail sliders, fried codfish rice balls with coconut rundown sauce and peeled pepper shrimp with scotch bonnet butter sauce.

What is there to do?

Being busy doing nothing is the name of the game at Sandals but there’s plenty to get stuck into. Water sports like paddleboarding and kayaking are included but our highlight is a snorkelling trip to the nearby reef. Beyond the resort, it’s worth booking an excursion or two – nearby natural phenomenon Dunn’s River Falls is an obvious (and exhilarating) choice, but a tour of the Blue Mountains to visit Craighton Estate, a small coffee plantation, is even better. There, we learn that 80% of Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee ends up in Japan – and that it’s lower in caffeine, so you can sip more without the jitters.

Lasting memory

I came to Jamaica expecting cocktails and white sand beaches, so was surprised to find early mornings at BLŪM Café most memorable. Set back from the resorts beach-adjacent main areas, it’s peaceful and calm just after sunrise. Baristas create unhurried brews while Bob Marley’s Three Little Bird plays softly in the background and mongooses dart between tropical plants on the terrace.

Sainsbury’s magazine insider tip

Sandals Dunn’s River is stunning, but don’t skip Kingston. My trip coincided with the annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, held on the first weekend of March. It’s a joyful celebration of music, dance, food and, of course, coffee – with live demos, reggae sessions and coffee-based cocktail tastings  I also took in three cultural tours led by guides that were as unforgettable as the sites themselves. There was the exuberant storyteller Christine from Kingston Creative, who danced and sang her way through the colourful murals of Water Lane. Then there was Irie Sue whose spontaneous singing brought the Bob Marley Museum to life, and the softly spoken, knowledgeable Norma who revealed the hidden details of Devon House, an elegant 1881 mansion built by George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first Black millionaire.