I planned a trip for my wife's 40th birthday in April this year and found the fantastic resort Sunset at the Palms on this Internet service, Tripadvisor. So thanks to all the previous reviewers, this was a very good idea. Otherwise, I would have gone for one of the big box all inclusive hotels like Riu.

The flight was ok, it was possible to buy some good but quite cheap tickets and my travel agent helped with that (although for some reason, SSATP was not in their system, so I had to email them and set everything up myself, via their webpage). We were picked up by Mervin, the nice resident driver, at the airport. The drive to Negril is a good hour and you drive through some villages. It is rough but beautiful, the nature along the way is great.

Once at the hotel, there was some kind of greeting ceremony. We were packed together with a big organized group, but we were offered a drink and got the bracelets. And the check-in guy warmed to us once my payment issues were resolved (my credit card had somehow not worked when I tried to pay a week or so before arriving).

We were escorted to the house on stilts where we would spend the week. And fell in love immediately. What a great concept! And in the middle of a wonderful park. The gardening cannot be praised enough. The AC worked well. The park was quiet, so no noice problems (this was a concern, since some reviewers had written about this). My wife is an early bird, so she got some great mornings on the balcony at dawn.

The food was great. The à la carte (open three times a week) was good, but the buffet was generally great. I recommend the cajun style chicken and the desserts... The staff was very friendly, but we did not quite figure out how to tip. We ended up leaving a couple of dollars at every meal -- but not for every drink at the bar -- and that seemed to be OK.

The beach is just beautiful. We walked several times a day the whole length of the gorgeous beach at Negril and we think that SSATP has the best beach. A grove of trees, plenty of chairs and lots of space. And a good bar and great grill -- Leonie, the girl working there, is amazing, friendly and cheerful!

In the mornings, the shadows are long on the beach, since it looks west, but this is no problem and the beach gets more and more sun as the day progresses. We did not use the watersport stuff, but it looked ok. We used the floats and the sunchairs (both great).

We also used the gym, which was nice. We did not attend classes, but went there every day for about an hour. It was almost always empty. Don't expect a full strength traning machine park, but there are some of the basic machines. And good treadmills and so on.

The tour that includes shopping and ends at Rick's Café was one of few disappointments. The mall in Negril includes two types of shops: Very expensive jewelers and tourist stuff stores. If you are not into either, it is quickly over and done with. And the people at the Negril market were quite desperate to sell, so we finally bought some stuff that we did not really want.

The highlight was Rick's Café, according to many signs rated one of the best bars in the world. The location was certainly fantastic, high above the ocean, with the famous free dives among the rocks (it looked dangerous, so I wouldn't try it). Ok service, if not overly enthusiastic, and good food and drink. We liked the cover band and the very romantic sunset.

Well, that's all I can think of. I am now planning a new vacation and went on tripadvisor when it occured to me that I should give some feedback on the Jamaica vacation. We had a great time and would really like to return to this hotel. We have given the hotel the same feedback on the evaluation form that they hand out at the end of the stay.

My husband and I spent 4 nights at Sunset at the Palms in July for the last days of our honeymoon. We spent our first few days at the Rockhouse (check out my review) so coming to SATP, we weren't sure what to expect. I'm not sure why we were concerned - the place is absolutely beautiful! We did not think this hotel or grounds was dirty at all. The decor and surroundings are well kept, and the grounds are lush with flowers and trees. This isn't your typical hotel though - no red carpet, no generic mall-looking fountains. It's unique and different, which is exactly what we wanted.

Accommodations:
Check in was a breeze - greeted with a cold towel and a punch. We were taken to our room promptly. On our way, we were stunned by all of the flowers and trees, and the beauty of all the palm trees and tree houses. It's nothing like the hotel blocks across the street at the RIU, which are impersonal and garish. We were #704, which is at the very back the property. Our view from our balcony was of a bamboo fence blocking some of the RIU blocks. Not spectacular, but we didn't spend too much time there, so it didn't bother us much. In fact, it felt a bit more private because no one could see into our room.

Tree-house style rooms were so fun! We loved the furnishings, though my DH hit his shins several times on the low platform that the bed is on. King size bed! Not super comfy, but still lovely. AC and a fan were used often - it was quite humid while we were there. TV, which we never used and felt a bit out of place to us, but I'm sure many folks would complain if it weren't. We loved the bathroom and the huge shower with all of the sprayers!! We took pictures so we could have one in our future house! There's a small safe in the room, and since it was AI, we were grateful to be able to keep our money and personal IDs in a secure place. The lighting in the room is a bit dim maybe, but we liked the mood lighting. Overall, we REALLY liked our room. :-)

We were able to stay late on our check out day and they offered us a hospitality room to change in, which is one of their older rooms. These are quite dated and not nearly as nice. I'll try to post pictures for comparison.

Activities:
The pool isn't huge, so if you've got kids, they may get sick of it. We enjoyed the swim up bar. Garth is a great bartender and just a hoot to talk to. Most employees were very friendly and happy to help in any way. The pool atmosphere was very laid back during the day. At night, there were a few music or dance performances - not super high quality or very impressive, but enjoyable. Add a cocktail or beer, and you've got a nice way to end your day.

The beach is right across the street. The walk is really a non-issue, we didn't mind it at all. There are a few tables and plenty of lounge chairs. I was very grateful for the partial shade on the beach - most properties we saw had been completely stripped of all trees, leaving no reprieve from the hot sun, so we were glad for that. The water is a lovely blue green, and the sand is SO soft. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen! We enjoyed lounging and swimming at the beach most days. You can take out paddle boats, kayaks and sail boats. We went kayaking out to the rocky point one day, which was lots of fun. The hawkers are around, but if you say a polite no thank you or just keep to yourself, you should have no problem. We were only slightly bothered by some of the noisy boats and folks trying to get you to join their sunset cruise :-) If you want to go snorkeling, you'll have no problem finding someone to take you to the reef. And if you want a few goodies to take home, visit the Office of Nature, just next to the SATP beach.

We went on a day trip to Mayfield falls - it was wonderful. If you can pair up with someone else and share the cost, this is a good idea. We didn't book it through the hotel because it was cheaper using a local cab company. Just make sure you get a clear quote from your driver - we had some confusion about this and it caused us a LOT of frustration.

Food:
AI food is AI food - buffet style, pretty tasty, not super unique, but satisfactory. The main place to eat is the Palm Grove buffet. We enjoyed the curried dishes and Jamaican breakfast, but I was a bit disappointed that there was so much "american" food. The fresh fruits were very tasty as well. You dine outside, and our only complaint was that it was a bit dark. We went to the Lotus Leaf restaurant one night - the menu wasn't super huge, but the food was good and it was a nice change from the buffet. If you're looking for true fine dining, there are better restaurants in Negril, but we were overall very happy with the food. The beach bar and grill was pretty simple and no-fuss - the snapper is DELICIOUS, though the jerk chicken can't compare to Rockhouse. Drinks abound, and they are very good. Not a ton of variety though, but we were happy to sip on fruity cocktails all day :-)

Dislikes:
We were not prepared for the onslaught of smoking on the beach, at the pool, and by the bar. We often found ourselves inching away or leaving places entirely because it was so bothersome. So a word of caution - if you're not used to public smoking, you may find yourself in the awkward position of either confronting someone, or needing to relocate. There are no smoking rules in Jamaica (none that we knew of at least) so just be prepared for it. It didn't ruin things for us, but it was definitely bothersome.
The food was a bit unoriginal at times.
Lack of clarity about our day trip to Mayfield - not SATPs fault, but just make sure you've got things straight.

Tips:
Bring a coffee thermos or bubba keg for your drinks.
You can bring an inflatable raft for the beach, but there are also some there.
Definitely get out on a kayak or paddle boat. Take a walk along the beach.
Get out of the resort and enjoy the local offerings - a concert, dinner, an excursion. There's a lot to do.


Overall, we really loved our time in Negril. SATP was exactly what we wanted - an AI that wasn't super expensive or huge with a beach and beautiful accommodations. Certain things really wowed us (the awesome rooms and the beautiful grounds) and certain things didn't. It was romantic and peaceful and just what we needed for our honeymoon. We'd love to go back and would definitely recommend it.

The jamaican clock is always behind but once you settle in and stop looking at the clock everything will be all right mon. After a three hour bus ride to the resort all we wanted was a drink and dinner. Check-in was fast and friendley with a cold towel and rum punch.

We found the rooms to be very simple but nice, they could use a little more light but thats not a deal breaker. The day bed was wonderful the rains come around 1pm every afternoon to cool things down and make for a great nap outside.

We found the food to be very good however it could use a few more choices. The pool bar was a nice place to get a drink and relax. We meet several couples from different countries, and enjoyed getting to know them. There are very few children at the resort which makes for a quiet relaxing time, and the kids that were there were very well mannered, Big hello to tony and the family, sabina and andy, and all the other very nice people we met at the resort. We found the bar tenders to be a blast, Givon and Omar will make you any drink you ask for and as soon as you are out they will make another. Have to try the bob marley shot and the mellow yellow, also bring a bubba keg it makes for less work having to go back and forth to the bar, and your own floats for the pool and beach.

All of the trips from the locals such as jetski and glass bottom boats on the beach can be negotiated down,the same for all the vendors, and they can get annnoying after awhile. the trip to Ricks cafe was a blast.

this trip had to be great as it was our honeymoon and i have to say it was worth every penny. Do not go to this place if you want music blaring and people everywhere or you are a very hard person to please. however if you want a nice quiet place to relax and not be bothered and you want to meet some nice new people and make new friends this is the place for you thanks to all the staff at the palms will be back.


For the people on here who complain about tipping you should open your eyes and talk to the people they, are trying to make an honest living atleast they are not selling dope on the street to kids and offering it to you. These people are taxed, 60 cents on every dollar and have to build there homes one brick at a time because the banks charge 50% intrest and we think we have it bad.

I have never written a hotel review before, and I was going to say a few negative things as a heads up (since nothing had been mentioned in all the rave reviews). But now I feel I should defend the place given the terrible review it got from someone who was there the same time I was!

My husband and I do typically splurge on all-inclusive beach vacations, and we'll pay extra for value. But this time our original plans fell through last minute, so we ended up in Jamaica on a whim and selected Sunset based on availability and the great reviews. And yes, when I showed up, I was surprised how good the reviews have been, mostly because the entrance is 20 yards from a major road, with massive construction across the street. That is the part I can't believe people haven't mentioned more often! I was expecting a picturesque tropical scene and felt like I was being dropped off at a truck stop. For that reason alone, we probably wouldn't go back, though we actually did like the resort quite a bit more than expected.

I do think the staff is great (people didn't really know our names, but I'm pretty sure that's because we're from New Jersey and are naturally stand-offish, even if we don't mean to be). Our first tree house overlooked the entrance, and we immediately requested something farther off the beaten path. They gave us a different room with no hesitation, but it was still a little close to the main road, which became an issue once traffic picked up on Monday. So, I requested yet another tree house as far from the road as possible. Again they accommodated with a smile, and still even gave us a bottle of champagne for our honeymoon. A tip...for quietest rooms, shoot for the 400's.

So back to the construction on the beach (a hotel across the road is being expanded). Our first beach day, there was a constant banging. I was nearly in tears thinking we'd made a terrible mistake. But then we went to the pool, got a couple cocktails, and forgot all about those noisy cranes. And the pool bar was great. Peaceful, tropical, surrounded by palms. I don't know why someone said it was dirty. It wasn't. And Garth was super friendly. No way you don't crack a smile with Garth around. Also, as for somewhere to chill and have a drink, the non-pool side of the bar is perfect for that, and we hung out there every night before dinner.

Which brings us to dinner. I thought the food was good. Nothing amazing, but if you consider the price of most resort hotel rooms, the cost of food and drinks at Sunset is minimal. For the price of the package, I thought they did a great job. Always lots of options at the buffet, and we also really liked the Lotus Leaf. You have to appreciate the effort they put into creating a nice, romantic dining experience. If you don't want to rush through your meal, order one course at a time to space things out. Worked beautifully, and the food was surprisingly tasty, especially fish and non-meat dishes (we love meats, but the meats in Jamaica don't seem to be very high quality). Dinner on the beach was also great. Really nice atmosphere.

A few more comments. Aside from the occasional kid splashing around (I do think they should discourage children at this resort), the pool is truly relaxing, even when the Bob Marley shots start flowing and people get a little rowdy. That never lasted long and was entertaining anyway. The beach, which was not nearly as loud when we ventured back over a few days later, is beautiful, and definitely kayak or paddle boat over to the coves. Also take the shopping trip and try out Ricks, and get to the Cliff House restaurant if you can, for the view at sunset if nothing else (that was the only night we ate off the resort). The drinks are good and flowing, and the nightly entertaining is, well, entertaining. It doesn't go much past 10pm, but with the pool, cocktails, good company, and romance, what more do you need?