Sunset at the Palms Resort, Jamaica
The next time you’re craving an adult-only vacation in paradise where everything is covered, consider Sunset at the Palms Resort in Negril, Jamaica. Steps from the beach, it was exactly what I needed to zen out and relax.
Here you’ll sleep in tree-house style rooms with jungle views and private patios where you can chill on a lounge chair and sip a beer listening to birds chirp in the afternoon. The rooms are clean, comfy and quite spacious and I liked their big bathrooms with rain shower heads in walk-in showers.
It is impossible to miss Betty the Goat, who serves as a resort host. You can have breakfast with her and her goat family, including husband Royal Brown and children Bella and Bill. It is a super cute experience and I loved dining with these characters. We wore birthday hats, ate a fresh breakfast and watched the goats chomp on grass, lounge and play.
The second restaurant on the property, Lotus Leaf, is set indoors and has a more romantic ambiance. The menu focuses mostly on meat and seafood, but everything on it is included in your rate, so it is a nice change. Guests also have the opportunity to book the Chef’s Table once during a visit and this is a sit-down affair served in five courses al fresco.
Beach dining at Beach Club
During the day if you’re chilling at the beach there is no need to come back up to the main property as the resort runs its own beach grill at its Beach Club spot on the sand. Here you can choose from sandwiches, fries and tacos. Also at the Beach Club are water sport options. Non-motorized sports are included in your rate — so go ahead and hop in a sea kayak gratis. But you can also book offshore excursions like diving and snorkeling at the resort.
If you’d rather just sip drinks by a pool, then the Resort at the Palms indulges with a swim-up bar at its small, lagoon-style pool. I enjoyed sipping a few pina coladas here.
Appleton Estate, Jamaica
If you want to learn more about what’s in your drinks, at least the rum portion, then head to the Appleton Estate for a rum tasting tour at the Appleton Estate, which is one of Jamaica’s most famous distilleries. The tours are very thorough and begin with welcome drinks and a movie before teaching you about the history of rum making in Jamaica and touring their facilities including the copper pot stills that give their rum its unique flavor. Afterwards you’ll have a guided tasting and a chance to purchase more rum to take home in the gift shop.
Another Negril excursion that Sunset at the Palms can arrange is to Rick’s Cafe, which is famous for its sunsets and cliff diving. The bar and restaurant sits atop a 35-foot-high cliff that people just can’t get enough of jumping off of. Although admittedly terrified, I managed to muster up the courage to jump of the slightly lower 25-foot cliff. It was an exhilarating way to end my adventure in Jamaica.
Onscreen host and author: Carri Wilbanks is a freelance travel writer for USA Today, Gannett Newspapers, AAA Encompass and several regional magazines with a focus on adventure and active travel. Wilbanks is also a TV host & video producer for USA Today and Xfinity Comcast. When she’s not living out of a suitcase, Carri resides in colorful Colorado where she publishes a multi-media magazine at catchcarri.com.
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