Hurricane Melissa Jamaica Resorts Reopen December 2025

Published on Dec 8, 2025, 7:08 pm CST

8 min read

Key points

Sandals reopened five of its eight Jamaica resorts on December 6, 2025 after Hurricane Melissa repairs
Three flagship Sandals properties in Jamaica remain closed for major reinvestment and rebuilding under a Sandals 2.0 concept
Jamaica tourism officials say roughly half of hotel rooms are already back in service with about 80 percent expected by late January 2026
Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay has resumed normal operations even as some damaged infrastructure remains under repair
Many headline attractions and Island Routes tours in Ocho Rios and Negril are already operating again with more coming back through December
Travelers can best support Jamaica by booking trips, choosing open corridors, and leaving extra buffer for flights and transfers

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the most visible storm damage and occasional service gaps along parts of the south and west coasts including areas served by Sandals South Coast and Montego Bay resorts
Best Times To Travel: Risk averse travelers should target late December through February once more rooms, attractions, and Montego Bay services are fully back online
Onward Travel And Changes: Allow extra time for airport transfers and inter city drives, and book flexible airfares in case schedules change while repairs continue
What Travelers Should Do Now: Verify resort and tour status by name, work with a travel advisor who has just seen conditions on the ground, and prioritize properties with backup power and water systems
Health And Safety Factors: Follow local guidance on flood damaged areas and infrastructure, and favor established operators that have completed post storm safety inspections

Sandals Resorts International used a four day "Back to Jamaica" immersion event at Sandals Dunn's River in Ocho Rios to send a clear signal that the Hurricane Melissa Jamaica resorts reopening is moving from headlines to reality. Less than six weeks after the Category 5 storm shut airports, flooded resort towns, and cut power across much of the island, nearly 400 travel advisors and industry partners walked the beaches, toured hotels, and heard directly from tourism leaders about what is open, what is still under repair, and how winter visitors should plan trips. For travelers, the takeaway is a cautiously positive one, key corridors are functioning again, but itineraries still need more buffer and more homework than usual.

In practical terms, the Hurricane Melissa Jamaica resorts reopening means five of Sandals eight Jamaican properties, along with a growing list of independent hotels and tours, are already taking guests again while three flagship resorts and some local infrastructure remain offline for heavier rebuilding, so winter visitors should choose locations and routes carefully rather than assuming pre storm normal.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, 2025 as a historic Category 5 storm, with sustained winds near 185 miles per hour and catastrophic rain that flooded communities, damaged hospitals, and temporarily shut every major airport. International reporting and official assessments describe at least several dozen deaths across the country, more than three quarters of homes losing power at the peak, and serious damage at key tourism hubs, including Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay. For several weeks, many resorts closed outright, some visitors evacuated through alternative gateways, and airlines rerouted or canceled flights.

What Sandals is reopening, and what stays closed for now

After detailed inspections across its eight Jamaican resorts, Sandals confirmed that Sandals Dunn's River, Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Ocho Rios, Sandals Negril, and Beaches Negril would welcome guests again from December 6, 2025, with full access to rooms, restaurants, pools, and beaches. Those resorts, focused on Ocho Rios and Negril, were either outside the storm's most destructive core or suffered damage that could be repaired quickly enough to open for the winter peak.

The remaining three Jamaican properties, Sandals South Coast, Sandals Royal Caribbean, and Sandals Montego Bay, absorbed heavier damage and will stay closed for an extended rebuild. Executives describe a more than $150 million reinvestment plan to "Sandalize" these properties into a next generation "Sandals 2.0" standard, essentially using the hurricane as a forcing event to compress years of refurbishment into a shorter window. For travelers, the consequence is tighter inventory in parts of the south and northwest coasts for at least one high season, plus the opportunity to see substantially upgraded product once those resorts reopen.

At the Dunn's River event, Sandals leaders were explicit that staff welfare and stability shaped the reopening timeline as much as pure construction progress. The company kept properties closed for several extra weeks to stabilize team members' housing and family situations, then brought them back to work into resorts that were closer to full strength, rather than rushing partial reopenings with skeleton crews. That choice matters for guests, because an island under visible strain can magnify every small service issue.

How far the wider tourism system has come

Tourism officials in Jamaica stress that the island wide picture is not one of ruin, but of uneven impact. Western and southern parishes saw the most severe damage, while many other areas, especially on the north coast, retained much of their basic infrastructure. The Jamaica Tourist Board's post Melissa updates indicate that a majority of headline attractions, from Dunn's River Falls to catamaran excursions, are either operating or scheduled to reopen through December, with a live list maintained on national travel alert pages.

Room capacity is recovering in phases. Government and industry figures suggest roughly half of hotel rooms nationwide are already back in service, with targets of about 60 percent by mid December and near 80 percent by the end of January 2026 as repairs finish at more properties in Montego Bay, Negril, and along the north coast. Cruise and excursion operators are also repositioning, with Island Routes and similar firms resuming powerboat, catamaran, and land tours from December 6 in Ocho Rios and Negril, restoring many of the experiences that visitors associate with a Jamaica holiday.

The message from tourism leaders is blunt. Donations and "pack with a purpose" initiatives matter, but the fastest path to rebuilding incomes and communities is renewed visitor spending. Travelers who book trips, eat at local restaurants, and join tours are effectively funding payrolls and construction work at the same time.

Airports, flights, and access

From an access standpoint, the main constraint is no longer whether planes can land, but how efficiently the air system can process peak season volumes while some infrastructure is still under repair. Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, which handles more than 70 percent of Jamaica's arriving tourists, reopened on a limited basis just days after the storm, with several gates kept offline and temporary workarounds in place for damaged areas. By late November, the tourism minister and airport operator both described operations as largely back to normal, even as reinforcement and roofing work continued behind the scenes.

Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) in Kingston and Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) near Ocho Rios also resumed commercial flights relatively quickly, giving airlines multiple entry points as they restarted schedules. American Airlines and other carriers have now restored their core Jamaica services, in some cases publicizing their role as early returners to the market and waiving certain fees during the transition period.

Travelers should still plan for longer than usual connection times, especially on itineraries that involve tight turns through U.S. gateways or late night arrivals into Montego Bay, where temporary gate closures and construction can lengthen taxi times and airport transfers on bad weather days. Domestic infrastructure, particularly some roads and bridges in heavily flooded parishes, is still being stabilized, which can add variability to drive times between airports and remote resorts.

Background, how a phased reopening works

After a major hurricane, tourist destinations rarely move from closed to normal in a single step. Hotels, attractions, and airports come back in layers, starting with essential repairs, backup power, and basic staffing, then adding inventory and experiences as more rooms are inspected, more public utilities are restored, and more staff can safely return to work. For Jamaica after Melissa, that has meant a fast focus on airport functionality, a rapid push to restore flagship resorts and tours in relatively less damaged corridors like Ocho Rios and Negril, and a slower, more capital intensive rebuild in places like the Sandals South Coast region and some Montego Bay beachfronts.

For travelers, this phased approach creates both opportunity and risk. Early returners can access lower occupancy beaches and a sense of solidarity with staff and local communities, but they also shoulder a higher chance of encountering occasional outages, construction noise, or modified offerings. Those who wait until late December or early 2026 will likely see a more fully restored product, at the cost of busier flights and higher seasonal pricing.

How travelers can help, and how to plan smart

Tourism officials have asked visitors and advisors to convert sympathy into bookings, not just donations. The most helpful actions are concrete, choose an open resort, pay for local tours and meals, and use reputable operators that employ local staff. Travel advisors who attended the Back to Jamaica event are being urged to show real time photos and videos from the island, so clients see operational beaches and functioning airports rather than only disaster images from late October.

On the risk management side, travelers should verify the status of a specific property, not just a destination city, before paying in full, confirm whether rooms are in fully restored buildings, and look for resorts that have their own generators and on site water systems in case of localized outages. Flexible airfares or changeable tickets are sensible given the potential for weather knock on effects in a still fragile regional network. Comprehensive travel insurance that covers weather disruption and medical evacuation remains a strong recommendation for Caribbean trips.

Finally, visitors should keep basic storm season discipline in mind, even in a year that has already seen a major event. That means watching official advisories, keeping contact details updated with airlines and tour operators, and having a simple Plan B for at least one extra night in place if outbound flights are delayed. Jamaica is open, significantly recovered, and eager for business, but it is still finishing a hard rebuild from one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the island, and travelers who plan accordingly will both enjoy their trips and contribute more effectively to that recovery.