Enjoy Treehouses and Tranquility with Sunset at the Palms in Negril

Often, when you think of a vacation to Jamaica, you picture a typical party atmosphere, but Sunset at the Palms in Negril offers a different option. This laid-back paradise has you sleeping in luxurious treehouses with fantastic service and fun in a different way.

I recently had the chance to visit Sunset at the Palms in Negril, Jamaica, as part of a press trip, and it was exactly the reset I needed before I spent a week teaching literacy to primary school students. The most impressive part was how many of the guests had been there before, some for nearly 20 visits.

A wooden cabin with a small porch is surrounded by lush tropical plants and palm trees, evoking the serene atmosphere of Sunset at the Palms.

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What is Sunset at the Palms Like?

The vibe at Sunset at the Palms is distinctly laid back. This is not a party resort with foam parties and loud DJs by the pool all day.

However, don’t mistake laid back for boring or old. While it is an adults-only property, the demographic is a healthy mix of ages.

I saw everything from young honeymooners clearly enjoying their new status to older couples celebrating milestone anniversaries. Everyone is there to relax and enjoy the beauty of Jamaica without the chaos.

When I arrived, my personal concierge welcomed me with the perfect drink and provided me with an orientation to the resort. That service was the hallmark for my entire stay.

A red cocktail with ice and a pineapple slice garnish sits on a glass table, evoking the relaxed vibe of Sunset at the Palms, in a room with wooden furniture and a large potted plant.

The treehouse rooms provide for a measure of privacy you don’t often have at a resort, and they’re remarkably large and comfortable. The food is fantastic, and you have the Jamaican hospitality that you hear so much about.

One thing to note is that the resort fumigates for mosquitoes with a green product every night around 5:30pm. They walk through the entire property, so that’s the one time you might want to head inside or go to the bar rather than sit on your balcony.

Go ahead, book your Sunset at the Palms stay!

Life Is Better At The Beach

The beach situation is unique, and I loved the setup. You don’t have oceanfront rooms, but that’s ok.

The resort itself is set back in a tropical garden, so you do have to cross the street to get to the ocean. The resort has a crossing guard to stop traffic for you, and the entrance is gated to ensure it is exclusive to Sunset at the Palms guests.

Once you’ve made the three-minute trek, the service is top-notch. As soon as I walked up, an employee offered to set me up with a towel and whatever else I needed in either a sunny or a shaded spot.

The beach was not busy, and the water when I was there was relatively calm. I loved the size of the beach compared to the people at the resort, as it felt so relaxing and unstressful.

A sandy beach with clear blue water, people walking near the shore, a thatched umbrella, lounge chairs, and a leafy tree in the foreground set the scene for a perfect day at Sunset at the Palms under a bright, sunny sky.

You don’t have to play the towel game here. There are plenty of chairs, and that counts for both the beach and the pool.

On the beach, each set of chairs has a little flag. When you want a drink or a snack, you just stick the flag in the sand, and someone comes over to take your order. It’s the ultimate lazy luxury.

Two lounge chairs, one with blue and white stripes and one white, sit on sandy ground beneath a tree at Sunset at the Palms. A small table and a red flag on a stick are set between the chairs, creating a tranquil retreat.

The food at the beach is great, too. The Palm Breeze Beach Bar Grill is open from 10am to 6pm daily. You can grab lunch right there without leaving your slice of paradise.

A plate of grilled chicken, fried onion rings, plantains, and dipping sauce sits beside a red drink on the beach at Sunset at the Palms, with lounge chairs and umbrellas in the background.

On Wednesdays, weather permitting and of course it rained while I was there, they host a BBQ beach party for dinner so you can catch the sunset while you eat. They also do a cooking demonstration on the beach on Thursday afternoons where they make a local dish right in front of you.

At Sunset at the Palms, a person serves a creamy vegetable dish from a skillet onto plates, each also featuring pieces of fried plantain, on a table outdoors.

You get to sample it afterward, and since the dish rotates, it’s always a fun surprise. It’s a perfect late lunch with a bowl of fruit from beach service or a midday snack.

Dining Options For Every Mood

When you aren’t snacking on the beach, there are other places to fuel up. The main hub is the Palm Grove Restaurant.

This is where you’ll find the breakfast buffet, with its open-air seating that’s the perfect place to enjoy your chosen morning coffee. They also do an a la carte lunch and a dinner buffet here, plus late-night snacks until 1am for the night owls.

A glass of iced coffee with a straw and a glass of water sit on a wooden table with green placemats at Sunset at the Palms’ outdoor café.

For something a bit fancier, you can book a table at the Lotus Leaf Restaurant. It’s open for dinner on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays with seatings every 15 minutes from 6:15 to 8pm.

The attire is a bit more elegant, as are most of the evening restaurants. Reservations are required, so plan ahead.

A white plate at Sunset at the Palms features cooked salmon, beef, roasted potatoes, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, and a piece of meat in red sauce.

My personal favorite was the Chef’s Showcase in part because the menu changes constantly. This special dinner experience is available on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with seatings at 6:30 and 8pm.

A restaurant table set with plates of food, glasses of water, and a bread basket; other diners are seated at tables in the background, capturing the relaxed ambiance of Sunset at the Palms.

It’s reservation-only, and the executive chef leads the experience. As part of the experience, you watch the culinary team assemble the meals and add the finishing touches in the room with you.

Three chefs in uniform plate food at a long table, working in a kitchen with a colorful nature-themed mural inspired by Sunset at the Palms in the background.

If you just want a drink, the Irie Martini Bar is the place to be from 6pm to 11pm. It’s right next to the piano, where Paul leads sing-alongs most nights, and he does a great job engaging the guests.

An older man wearing a cap sits at a black grand piano in a warmly lit room, with a cocktail glass and eyeglasses resting on the piano, evoking the relaxed elegance of Sunset at the Palms.

There’s also the Bamboo Pool Bar open from 10am to 1am for poolside drinks, and the Blue Coffee Cafe is open all day for those essential Blue Mountain coffee creations.

The resort does offer room service 7am to 9pm. There is no charge for the food, but there is a service charge of $15 for the delivery.

Treehouse Living

The accommodations are what really set this resort apart. The rooms are treehouses, and I absolutely loved this feature.

Each dwelling contains two side-by-side rooms, so you have a lot of privacy. The one thing to note is that they all require stairs to enter, so there are no handicap-accessible options at this resort.

There are three room types, though two are nearly identical. The standard rooms are further back in the lush gardens, while the deluxe rooms are closer to the road.

A neatly made bed with several pillows, a flower arrangement in the center, wooden furniture, lamps, and a tapestry hanging on the wall creates a cozy bedroom inspired by Sunset at the Palms.

The only real difference, aside from location, is that the deluxe rooms have glass windows rather than screens. In talking to guests, even though they’re closer to the road, road noise isn’t an issue.

The rooms are a spacious 377 square feet, but if you want to splurge, the one-bedroom suites are massive at 753 square feet. They’re also the only rooms that accommodate up to four people.

A bedroom at Sunset at the Palms features a large bed with white bedding, decorative pillows, and a towel arrangement. French doors with white curtains welcome natural light. Light green walls and a palm tree wall hanging complete the serene setting.

These are split-level units with a king bed on the upper floor and a living room on the main level with two daybeds. These suites include two full bathrooms for privacy.

Activities And Excursions

Even though it’s a chill resort, there is plenty to do. As an all-inclusive resort, most of them are included, but there are some add-on activities I recommend.

One of the more unusual but fun activities I participated in was an hour long botanic garden tour with one of the expert gardeners. Lynford showed me more plants than I knew existed, and he knew everything about every one of them.

An older man in green work clothes and a cap stands outdoors next to tropical plants at Sunset at the Palms, holding a branch and looking at the camera. A building is visible in the background.

I loved that he included information about the medicinal properties of many of the plants and as well as sharing which were more unique flowers grown on-site. My favorite was the shampoo plant, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Close-up of a tropical plant with a reddish, cone-shaped flower bud surrounded by broad green leaves in the lush gardens of Sunset at the Palms.

Down at the beach, the WaterSports Hut offers complimentary non-motorized activities like kayaks, pedal boats, stand-up paddleboards, and snorkeling gear. You can also pay for motorized activities or scuba diving if you want more adventure.

A small white catamaran rests on a sandy beach near the shoreline at Sunset at the Palms, with calm sea and a cloudy sky in the background.

For something truly unique, do NOT sign up for Picnic with Betty. Betty is the resident goat (the girls are Betty, boys are Billy).

A table set for two outdoors at Sunset at the Palms features fruit, pastries, water bottles, champagne glasses, and a fruit basket, while a goat grazes peacefully in the background.

For a fee ($35 when I visited), you can have a private picnic on the grounds with delicious treats and wine, while Betty hangs out with you. She has her own snacks you can feed her, and it is a hilarious and memorable experience.

A goat enjoys a yellow vegetable or fruit held by a person, standing on grass in bright sunlight at Sunset at the Palms.

In the evenings, aside from the popular piano sing-alongs, they host movie nights by the pool and have a reggae band play at the lounge on different nights. It’s not a huge party, so this isn’t for everyone, but it’s perfect for me when I just want to relax and chill.

Getting There And Extra Perks

The resort is a little less than an hour and a half from Montego Bay Airport. If you stay on the SATP website for 5 nights or more and book at least 60 days in advance, you receive complimentary transfers and Club Mobay assistance with your booking.

This is a huge deal. Club Mobay fast-tracks you through customs and immigration, which can save hours on busy days.

You also get access to their lounge to use the restroom and grab a snack and a drink before your transfer. It starts your vacation off on the right foot, and I book it every time I go to Jamaica, so I love that this is included.

A plate with two triangular quesadilla slices, a container of white dipping sauce, and a menu on the table; a drink is visible in the background at Sunset at the Palms.

For the complimentary private transfer – usually $99 per person – the Club Mobay rep walks you straight to the holding pen where your driver waits with a sign with your name. It’s so much easier doing it this way than trying to navigate all the people trying to sell you everything and anything and find where your driver is.

Side note, yes, you want to tip your driver. I arrived in a monsoon, and the drive took much longer than normal, but I was so impressed by how well he drove and how patient he remained throughout.

Finally, make time for the Ginger Lily Spa. It’s an outdoor spa with sheer curtains, set in a private part of the resort, and yes, the outdoor spa threw me at first.

Two massage tables with white sheets and tan blankets are set up in a wooden gazebo at Sunset at the Palms, where a large tree trunk grows through the floor. Fans hang from the ceiling, and lush greenery surrounds the tranquil area.

The masseuses are fantastic, however, and I walked away far more relaxed than I expected. Be sure to shower first to get off any sunblock or sand, and show up 5 to 10 minutes early for your appointment.

Since it is outdoors, it can be warm, so I recommend bringing a small rechargeable fan if you tend to get hot. This is one of my favorite travel items, and I bring it almost everywhere since it lasts forever and stands up on its own.

Is Sunset at the Palms Open After the Hurricane?

After Hurricane Melissa, there was some concern about the state of the island, but I’m happy to report that the resort is open and in fantastic shape. They were closed for a period due to a lack of power, but all damage has been fixed, and the resort is just as beautiful as ever.

It’s important to remember that the people of Jamaica rely heavily on tourism, so going back now is one of the best ways to support them. While the resort is open, remember that many of the employees are still dealing with damage and other fallout in their personal lives.

Ready to Book?

Sunset at the Palms offers a unique blend of nature and luxury that’s hard to find elsewhere. There’s no rushing, no playing the chair game, and no loud parties or super late night.

I know – it isn’t for everyone as some people want the go go go party atmosphere, but I loved this small, family-owned resort. If you’re looking to grab a drink and truly disconnect from the world with an authentic Jamaican experience while pampering you in a treehouse, this is the spot.