Whitehouse, Jamaica
By Patricia Blackstock
New - Sandals Whitehouse Feb. 2014
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I'm Patricia Blackstock, and my husband is Wally Snider. This is our second visit to Sandals Whitehouse. We knew that our good friends Pat and Mary would be celebrating their free week in March, so unknown to them, we planned to be there too. Some other friends we met on previous Sandals vacations agreed to join us in the surprise. But as we all know, bad things sometimes happen. Mary fell and broke her ankle shortly before the trip. While I was starting to pack, she sent me an e-mail saying "We're glad you didn't plan to meet us this year." We were all so disappointed!
Since we would be spending ten nights this year, we made reservations for all dinners with the Concierge shortly after we arrived. We never had a wait.
Review of Eleanor's Our favorite restaurant was Eleanor's where we ate dinner twice and breakfast once. We particularly enjoyed the Surf 'n Turf and Wally loved the lamb. Our least favorite restaurant was Giuseppe's due to service. I think many of the problems we heard about or encountered on this trip come down to not having enough personnel, or a confusion about who is responsible for the various duties.
We ate breakfast at Bayside every morning but the two, when we enjoyed Cafe De Paris and Eleanor's.
Bluefield's which offers traditional Jamaican food was deliciuous at lunch! We also enjoyed pizza one day for lunch at Giuseppe's, but service was very slow.
The cutback of staff members is noticeable to returning Sandals guests. One employee asked us to mention this whenever possible. The remaining personnel are responsible for more guests which makes it harder for them to handle all their duties.
Several people in our group enjoyed snorkeling every day. However, the Sandals boat no longer goes out to Peter Tosh Reef. Enquiries led to the discovery that this "feature" can now be obtained by booking one of the "paid for" activities.
We loved the Casablanca Martini/Piano Bar in the evenings. The Chocolate Martini is to die for. I also learned that the tiny 2 oz, drink contains 438 calories, but who's counting? Looking up drink calories is NOT something you want to do before a Sandals trip. Wait until you're back home and it's too late! (Mudslide? Only 594.)
We were located in the Italian Village on the 4th floor in Concierge Suite, room 1404. The refrigerator /bar area was fully stocked with brand-name liquor, champaign, beer, wine, fruit juice, soft drinks, bottled water - and probably others I've already forgotten! But no matter what we drank, it was replaced the next day. Room service was excellent. Several times we talked about ordering room service, available for breakfast and lunch, but never got around to it, mostly due to the fact hat we were with friends.
Overall, we enjoyed outstanding meals. We were fortunate to attend two Returning Guest Dinners. Surf & Turf was served as the entree at the first, and a choice of Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin or Herb Crusted Escolar at the second. (I chose the Escolar and thought ut was similar to Chilean sea bass.)
A special thanks to Dennis from Watersports/Fitness. After just a day or two, he discovered where we liked to sit at the pool. Early in the morning we would come downstairs to see "our'" chairs reserved with towels in the shape of hearts and decorated with freshly-picked hibiscus blossoms. Thanks, Dennis, for making us feel so special.
Each evening a "Daily Guest News" sheet was left in the room. It outlined all the activities available for the next day and evening. The daily activities usually included a Garden Tour, glass-bottom boat ride, pool volleyball, Name That Tune, drink mixology. Bocce Ball, and Volleyball.
We did not purchase any services at the Red Line Spa this year, but I heard good comments from some guests about the massages and pedicures,
Wi-Fi connection was about $38. week. Since we were there for 10 nights, we had to pay the daily rate of $13.99 per additional day. I guess this my only real gripe, but to me it's a big one. I think of Wi-Fi just like I think of electricity and water. It's an essential in my daily life and should be included in the cost of any vacation. If it's not included, I think paying for a week should include any extra days above and beyond the week. When I asked about the possibility of changing this policy I was told that the Wi-Fi is provided by an outside company who charges Sandals for its use. Is that any different than the electric company doing the same?
We loved Sandals Whitehouse the second time around and would recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful location. a wide beach, and fantastic experience.
A special thanks to Amy McHugh and her husband Mike of Dream Makers Vacation Service. If you don't already have a travel agent for Sandals (or any other vacation you may be planning) do yourself a favor and contact this dedicated team. They go far and beyond the norm with their personal service and follow-up.
If you have questions, feel fee to send me an e-mail.
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PAGE 2: Flowers and Birds
PAGE 3: Chocolate Night
PAGE 4: Food, Bars, Drinks
PAGE 5: Buildings and Views
PAGE 6: Boats and Watersports
PAGE 7: People
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