By Steve Griswold, Sandals & Beaches Chairman’s Royal Club Platinum Elite advisor at Pixie Vacations. Published October 23, 2026.
- Sandals Resorts International renamed 15 of its 19 Sandals and Beaches resorts this week. The new names put the island first: Sandals Royal Bahamian is now Sandals Bahamas Nassau, Sandals Grande St. Lucian is now Sandals St. Lucia Grand Bay.
- Nothing changes at the resorts — same rooms, same beaches, same inclusions. Existing reservations are not affected.
- 4 names stay the same: Sandals Royal Barbados, Sandals Barbados, Sandals Grenada, Beaches Turks & Caicos.
- The old web addresses still work (they forward to the new pages), but reviews and videos online will carry the old names for years. The full old-to-new table is below.
Every Sandals and Beaches resort name change (old to new)
I checked each resort’s own page on sandals.com and beaches.com on October 23, 2026. Here is the complete list, grouped by island. If you booked under the old name, you are booked at the resort on the same row.
| Old name | New name (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Jamaica — 7 Sandals resorts + Beaches Negril | |
| Sandals Montego Bay | Sandals Jamaica Montego Bay |
| Sandals Royal Caribbean | Sandals Jamaica Caribbean Cay |
| Sandals South Coast | Sandals Jamaica South Coast |
| Sandals Ochi | Sandals Jamaica Ocho Rios |
| Sandals Negril | Sandals Jamaica Negril |
| Sandals Dunn’s River | Sandals Jamaica Dunn’s River |
| Sandals Royal Plantation | Sandals Jamaica Royal Plantation |
| Beaches Negril | Beaches Jamaica Negril |
| St. Lucia — 3 resorts | |
| Sandals Grande St. Lucian | Sandals St. Lucia Grand Bay |
| Sandals Regency La Toc | Sandals St. Lucia La Toc |
| Sandals Halcyon Beach | Sandals St. Lucia Halcyon Beach |
| Other islands — 4 resorts | |
| Sandals Royal Bahamian | Sandals Bahamas Nassau |
| Sandals Grande Antigua | Sandals Antigua |
| Sandals Royal Curaçao | Sandals Curaçao |
| Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Sandals St. Vincent |
| Unchanged — 4 resorts | |
| Sandals Royal Barbados · Sandals Barbados · Sandals Grenada · Beaches Turks & Caicos | |
Why Sandals did it
Sandals announced the change on Wednesday, October 21. Executive Vice President Gary Sadler said the goal was to put “the destinations front and center,” and the company called it “just a new way of identifying the places your clients love.” The company’s own words: same beautiful resorts, same Caribbean hospitality.
My read: the timing is not an accident. Three Jamaica resorts reopen in the next eight weeks after a $200 million rebuild — South Coast on November 18, Montego Bay and Caribbean Cay on December 18 — and Royal Caribbean Group is buying half of the company. A Sandals resort named “Royal Caribbean” was always going to confuse people once a cruise line by that name owned 50% of it. That resort had already been renamed Caribbean Cay ahead of its reopening; the other 14 followed this week.
Does anything change for your booking?
No. Your confirmation, your room category, your transfers and your dates all stand. A few practical things you will notice:
- Documents may show either name for a while. As of today, Sandals’ own deals page still says “Sandals Royal Curaçao” in one spot while the resort’s page says “Sandals Curaçao.” Expect the same overlap on airline transfer forms and third-party booking sites through the winter.
- Old links forward. Every old resort address on sandals.com redirects to the new page, so a bookmark or a link in an old email still lands in the right place.
- Reviews and videos keep the old names. Years of TripAdvisor reviews and YouTube tours say “Grande St. Lucian” and “Royal Bahamian.” Keep the table above handy when you research.
- St. Vincent lost its suffix. “Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines” is now simply Sandals St. Vincent. It is the same 16-minute flight from St. Lucia (or a direct flight from the U.S.) and the same mountain-ringed cove.
What we’re telling our clients this week
The names changed; our advice didn’t. Jamaica has the most flights and the cheapest fares, so for a big family let the airfare help pick the island. Curaçao sits outside the hurricane belt and is my pick for a fall trip, even though its beach is small and rocky — the double-decker infinity pool and the service make up for it. And if you want the over-the-water bungalow experience without an 18-hour flight, book most of your nights in a regular suite at Grand Bay or Jamaica South Coast and finish with two or three nights over the water.
What this means if you’re booking
- Booked already? Nothing to do. If a document shows the old name, it is still your resort.
- Shopping now? Search by island first. Sandals’ site is now organized that way, and the current Great Jamaica Comeback Sale is showing up to $1,500 in instant credit and up to $500 in air credit as of October 23 — in line with the $1,500 that has been the standard 2026 headline credit.
- Jamaica for the holidays? Jamaica South Coast reopens November 18 and Jamaica Montego Bay and Jamaica Caribbean Cay reopen December 18. Those are the three to watch for opening-week availability.
Want us to check it for your dates?
Planning with Pixie Vacations is free — no fees — and we’ve stayed at every Sandals and Beaches resort, including a few that have since come and gone. Call 678-815-1584 or send your dates and we’ll price it under whatever name it has next week.
Get my free Sandals quoteSee current Sandals offers
Related: real airport-to-resort drive times for every Sandals · the three St. Lucia resorts compared · what Royal Caribbean’s 50% stake means for your vacation.
Have a fantastic vacation.
