Royalton White Sands

Having stayed here with family previously and thought it would be a good spot for me and the lads the stay whilst visiting Jamaica. Yet again everything was of a high standard, shout out to Ricardo for his boot camp/ gym workouts with techniques we have taken back with us, fountain of fitness knowledge. Front of house staff are always on point and sorted any issues we had.

This resort is not like any other Royalton I have stayed at. Previously stayed at cancun and Punta Cana. Both are much better in terms of rooms. The grounds , restaurants and bars are all equal in my opinion. The rooms - our first room was covered in mould. The second room was as covered in mould. Our third room only had a small double bed and finally our fourth room was just right. However there was some signs of mould forming on the ceilings. This is obviously a health risk , especially for people with asthma. The hotel do try and deal with this but in my opinion the white sands building needs gutting and rebuilding. White sands rooms are small but fine if you don’t spend much time in the room. There is also a lot of damage in all the rooms , cracked tiles , broken wardrobes , broken mirrors and holes in the damp ceilings. Bars - The pool bars are nice at both white sands and blue waters. The staff could use a lesson on measurements as the drinks are sometimes too strong. I wouldn’t bother paying for diamond club as I witnessed a member of staff topping up the diamond club exclusive alcohol with the local branded bottles. The cocktail bars are lovely , good drinks and can fix you things off of the menu. Another issue is that the bar always ran out of certain drinks and the management don’t seem to care and have a “maybe tomorrow “ attitude. Restaurants- all of them very good. Hunter is the favourite , good quality and well cooked food. The buffet has a good selection with pasta stations , pizza , fresh meat and stir fry stations. The Jerk hut on the beach offers burgers , hot dogs and jerk chicken. All are lovely barbecued. The coffee shop / ice cream shop is also very good quality and they never run out. Beach- clean , raked every morning and staffed with security / life guards. Entertainment - The vibe team work really hard and get as many people involved as they can ! They are not pushy at all but want you to have a good time. The evening entertainment is good and varied. Special mentions - as the title says , Berry has made our holiday. He’s a barman , server , entertainer and friend all at the same time. He has kept my glass full and made awesome cocktails the whole two weeks. He also makes a real effort to entertain people , balancing trays , running and even doing tricks with drinks ( my favourite were push ups with a beer on his head ). He has made a real effort to engage with us , asking questions and even sneaking in a quick 5 points of table tennis. He’s an asset to the hotel and has made me laugh every day. Another mention for Royan at the white sands pool bar. He learns your drinks and the minute you step into the pool it is waiting for you at the bar. He is another entertainer , Berry and him bounce of each other. Another asset !! Finally Michael at the Hunter restaurant. He makes such an effort to make your experience luxury. He knows the menu like the back of his hand and his service is impeccable. All of the staff at the hotel make this place. Jamaica as a country is beautiful , I wouldn’t come back to white sands. For the same money I can go to Royalton Cancun and that truly is a luxury hotel. White sands is not a 4 or 5 star resort. Purely because of the rooms. Blue waters looks very different and in fact is more in line with other Royaltons.