So the cheaper rooms are around US$500 per night and that might sound like a lot, because it is, but it’s also great value for many people.
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including taxes and tips: $100+ per person
If you went to a similarly luxurious Caribbean beach resort where you paid separately for everything, you’d pay at least US$100 per day per person for meals when you include taxes and tips, and probably much more. If you don’t typically spend that kind of money then Sandals might not be a good choice.
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks: US$100+ per person
When you include juice and maybe a bloody mary or two in the morning, along with a couple strawberry daiquiris by the pool in the afternoon, and then a fun evening where you let your hair down a bit because you are on vacation in paradise, the cost of those drinks would easily be US$100 per day and could easily reach $200 per day or more. At a similar beach resort you’d be paying US$20 per strawberry daiquiri by the time you include the tip.
Again, if you aren’t much of a drinker then you should probably steer clear of any all-inclusive resort because a good chunk of the room rate goes to paying for alcohol for those who do drink.
- Activities: US$20 to US$100 per person
Many if not most Sandals guests are there primarily to just relax, but they also provide a long list of included activities and at least a few of those will appeal to anyone. They have scuba diving, Hobie Cats, windsurfing, standup paddle boards, water skiing, snorkeling, kayaking, and included short glass-bottom boat tours that leave several times per day. Almost all of those things come at an extra charge even at most other all-inclusive resorts, and you’ll be getting some value out of them here.
That list doesn’t even include nightly entertainment and daily things like trivia contests and such, which are common even at other all-inclusive resorts.
Per day that is:
- US$200+ in meals
- US$200+ in beverages
- US$40+ in activities
That is US$440 per day in minimum value, NOT including the room.
With that in mind you can see that a room rate of US$500 per night can be excellent value, and paying US$700 per night for a room that has its own swim-up patio is amazing value on a beautiful beach setting.
