This New Adults-Only All-Inclusive Resort in Jamaica Is Now Taking Reservations, With 451 Rooms, Swim-Out Suites, and a Huge Spa

Montego Bay has long given travelers an unusually broad version of Jamaica in one trip. You can spend an afternoon over jerk chicken and cold Red Stripe, play a round of golf above the Caribbean, head into town for music and food, or use the resort corridor as a base for day trips into the hills of western Jamaica.

A new resort is preparing to enter the mix.

UNICO 18˚77˚ Montego Bay has opened reservations ahead of a March 1, 2027 debut, bringing the adults-only, all-inclusive UNICO Hotel Collection to Jamaica for the first time. The 451-room resort will be the brand’s first property outside Mexico and its third hotel overall.

The project is significant for Montego Bay, one of the Caribbean’s deepest all-inclusive destinations, and it gives travelers another high-end adults-only option in a destination with extensive nonstop airlift from the United States.

What Will UNICO 18˚77˚ Montego Bay Be Like?

The resort will have 451 rooms and suites, with nearly every accommodation offering an ocean view and a private outdoor spa tub.

UNICO is bringing many of the elements associated with its existing Mexican resorts to Jamaica, including its Local Host concierge service, a large culinary program and an emphasis on programming tied to the destination.

The Jamaican property will have nine restaurants and bars, four pools and the largest Esencia Wellness Spa in the UNICO portfolio.

Locally commissioned artwork will appear throughout the property, while the resort’s programming will include Jamaican food, coffee experiences, live music, spirits tastings, artisan workshops and chef-led events.

The approach gives UNICO a considerable amount of material to draw from. Jamaica has one of the Caribbean’s most developed culinary identities, from jerk and patties to rum, coffee and an extraordinary range of regional dishes. Music is just as central to a trip here, particularly around Montego Bay and the north coast.

An Adults-Only Jamaica Resort With a Major Food Program

Nine restaurants and bars make dining a substantial part of the plans.

UNICO says the restaurants will pair international cooking with Jamaican ingredients, regional specialties and island culinary traditions. The final restaurant names and individual concepts have not yet been released.

The culinary component should be worth watching as the opening gets closer. Jamaica gives hotel chefs an unusually strong pantry, including Scotch bonnet peppers, pimento, callaloo, ackee, tropical fruit, seafood, Blue Mountain coffee and some of the Caribbean’s best-known rum labels.

The resort is also planning local spirits tastings and chef-led culinary experiences, adding another layer beyond conventional all-inclusive dining.

Coffee will have a dedicated presence as well. Jamaica’s coffee culture, led by beans grown in the Blue Mountains, gives the resort an obvious local reference point and another way to bring Jamaican producers and flavors into the property.

What Is the Esencia Wellness Spa?

Wellness will have a substantial footprint at the new resort.

The Montego Bay property will include the largest Esencia Wellness Spa in the UNICO Hotel Collection, with hydrotherapy, beauty services, fitness classes and treatments drawing on ingredients and practices connected to Jamaica.

UNICO is also planning outdoor wellness programming, giving couples and solo travelers another option beyond the pools and spa treatment rooms.

Four pools will spread swimming and lounging areas across the resort. Private outdoor spa tubs in most rooms add another feature usually found in higher room categories at many Caribbean all-inclusives.

The emphasis on wellness follows an increasingly common pattern among Jamaica’s newer high-end resorts, where large spas, fitness programs and outdoor activities have become major parts of the vacation rather than secondary amenities.

The Local Host Concept Is Coming to Jamaica

One of UNICO’s signature services will also make the trip from Mexico.

Each stay includes the brand’s Local Host service, with a dedicated host available to help arrange restaurant reservations, spa appointments, golf rounds and excursions.

It is essentially a personalized concierge model available throughout the stay, particularly useful in Montego Bay because so many of the area’s experiences lie beyond a resort’s gates.

Golf is a good example.

The Montego Bay area has several of Jamaica’s best-known courses, including White Witch Golf Course, Cinnamon Hill Golf Course and Half Moon Golf Course. UNICO says its Local Hosts will be able to arrange golf outings along with other off-property trips.

The same service can help organize excursions to waterfalls, rivers and cultural sites around western Jamaica.

Why Montego Bay Gives You More Than a Resort Vacation

A stay in Montego Bay can take several different directions depending on how much of Jamaica you want to see.

You can spend most of the trip at the resort, particularly with nine dining and drinking venues, four pools and a large spa available on property. You can also use a few days for trips farther across western Jamaica.

The Martha Brae River is one of the region’s classic excursions, with bamboo rafting through a tropical river corridor near Falmouth. Farther east, Dunn’s River Falls remains one of Jamaica’s most visited natural attractions.

Closer to Montego Bay, the Hip Strip along Gloucester Avenue brings together restaurants, bars, shops and nightlife. Doctor’s Cave Beach remains one of the city’s best-known swimming beaches.

Jamaican food deserves its own time beyond the resort. Roadside jerk, patties, escovitch fish and pepper shrimp are part of the experience, and Montego Bay gives you plenty of chances to try them during a few days off property.

Live Music Will Be Part of the Resort Experience

UNICO is also putting Jamaican music directly into the hotel’s programming.

A rotating entertainment calendar will include live music and cultural programming, along with workshops and tastings.

Specific performers and schedules will come later, although music gives the resort another natural connection to Jamaica. Reggae, dancehall and older Jamaican forms remain a regular presence in clubs, bars, festivals and performances across the island.

The resort also plans locally commissioned artwork, giving Jamaican artists a physical presence throughout the property rather than limiting local references to entertainment programming.

A New Option for Couples, Solo Trips and Celebrations

The adults-only format will naturally appeal to couples, although UNICO is positioning the Montego Bay resort for solo vacations, celebrations and groups as well.

There will also be significant meeting and event facilities, including a grand ballroom, breakout rooms and prefunction areas, along with indoor and outdoor venues for weddings and private events.

The room count makes the property large enough to accommodate groups while still offering the private outdoor spa tubs and Local Host service associated with the UNICO brand.

Wedding groups should be an important part of the equation. Jamaica remains one of the Caribbean’s busiest destination-wedding islands, helped by frequent flights, large resort inventories and extensive hotel experience handling ceremonies and group trips.

UNICO Is Expanding Beyond Mexico

The Jamaica opening marks a major geographic expansion for the hotel collection.

UNICO currently operates UNICO 20°87° Riviera Maya and is adding UNICO 20°105° Riviera Nayarit in Mexico. Montego Bay becomes the collection’s first Caribbean island destination outside Mexico.

The latitude-and-longitude naming convention continues in Jamaica with 18˚77˚, coordinates closely associated with the island.

The resort also gives the collection a different cultural foundation. Jamaican food, rum, coffee, art and music provide very specific source material for the hotel’s restaurants, bars, spa treatments and programming.

Travelers familiar with the Riviera Maya property will find familiar UNICO elements, including the adults-only format, Local Hosts, spa tubs and strong food-and-beverage focus. The Montego Bay property will introduce an entirely Jamaican roster of experiences around them.

Getting to Montego Bay

Montego Bay remains one of the easiest Caribbean destinations to reach from the United States.

Sangster International Airport receives nonstop service from major cities across the United States and Canada, with especially broad schedules during the winter travel season. The airport is also one of the Caribbean’s busiest tourism gateways, serving Montego Bay as well as resort areas including Negril and destinations along Jamaica’s north coast.

The location makes a short Jamaica trip practical, particularly from major East Coast and Southeast gateways.

Travelers planning longer vacations can combine Montego Bay with several days elsewhere on the island, including Negril to the west or Ocho Rios and the north coast farther east.

Reservations Are Open Now

Reservations are already open for stays beginning March 1, 2027.

Opening dates for large Caribbean resorts can change during construction, so travelers planning trips close to the first scheduled weeks should keep an eye on updates as the debut approaches.

If the current plans hold, UNICO 18˚77˚ Montego Bay will arrive with an unusually extensive list of amenities from day one: 451 rooms and suites, nine restaurants and bars, four pools, private outdoor spa tubs in nearly every room and the collection’s largest Esencia Wellness Spa.

And when you want to head beyond the resort, Montego Bay gives you plenty to fill the rest of the trip: golf, jerk, rum, rafting, live music and some of western Jamaica’s best-known beaches.

What It Costs 

For the room we’d pick, the swim-up king room, you’re looking at around $612 right now ahead of the opening (that’s $2,445 for four nights when you factor in taxes and fees). For a similar room with two queens, the price is about $634. 

If you’re a bigger group (up to six guests), the rate is $1,505 for a two-bedroom oceanfront suite. 

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