We had a fantastic time at Sandals Whitehouse!! This was our first Sandals experience, and we were not disappointed.

Montego Bay Airport
We arrived about 7pm (2 hours delayed due to a Continental flight delay). The airport is pretty small. We waited about 30 minutes in Immigration. Make sure to fill out the paperwork on the plane. You have to fill out the arrival and departure sections and sign both on the immigration form. They keep the arrival part and give you the departure section. You will need this section when you leave Montego Bay.
Customs was a breeze. Because we were the last ones at immigration, our bags were easy to find.

Drive to Whitehouse
We booked a private transfer to SWH with Patrick of Esperanza tours. I highly recommend Patrick. He is courteous and a very safe driver. If you are interested in a private transfer or any tour, you should contact him (I can provide his email address). We did not stop at the Sandals lounge due to the fact that Patrick was picking us up. Although our plane was delayed two hours and we could not contact him due to the fact that our cell phones were not working, he was waiting for us. The drive to the airport was not as bad as I thought it would be. If you traveled to other countries or down small country roads, you will be fine. It is a little curvy around some of the bends, but it was exciting to be in Jamaica and experiencing part of the Jamaican life. As soon as you see the water, you are fifteen minutes away from paradise. We used the same service back to the airport and arrived ahead of the Sandals bus, plus we had less people and luggage on board.

Reception/Arrival
We were greeted with a warm welcome from the bellhop. We were seated in lounge and received champagne. The lobby reception area is very comfortable and decorated beautifully! We were soon whisked away to complete our check-in in our room because we had the butler suite. We were greeted by one of our butlers (another Patrick). Because we arrived at Whitehouse at 9:30pm, we missed the beach barbecue buffet. We were not in proper attire to dine at Giuseppe’s or Jasmine’s (Eleanor’s was closed). Our butler offered to have Giuseppe’s dinner delivered to our room. The menu and meal were much better than the room service menu, so we were pleased.

Room
We booked the Penthouse One Bedroom suite. We were on the fourth floor of the Dutch corner room (2401). I absolutely loved the room and location. This section of the Dutch is closest to the Italian buildings. The Dutch was a perfect location for us because it was in the middle of the resort. The room consisted of two parts: a separate living room and then the bedroom. The living room had two love seats, a desk, fridge and bar; sink area, and a TV and DVD player. The bedroom had a four poster king size, 2 night stands, another TV and DVD player and a dresser. The closet was a decent size. The safe was a great size for it fit my laptop with plenty of room for other items. The bathroom was great. We had a double sink (no fighting for sink space), a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. I loved the enormous shower. The tub is slightly small for two, but it makes for a cozy atmosphere. The balcony was a decent size. We had a view of the beach and ocean (although technically it is the Caribbean Sea) as well as a side view of the resort (we had two views because of the corner room).

Food & Restaurants
Breakfast: we had room service a couple of mornings and went to Bayside for a few mornings. The buffet had a great selection. We are such picky eaters (my husband does not eat veggies and I do not eat red meat) and it was good enough to satisfy both our tastes. We did eat at Eleanor’s for breakfast, but several of our friends loved the food, especially the custard French toast.

Lunch: we ate Bluefield’s twice and Arizona once. We loved Bluefield’s for you get a taste of Jamaican food. I cannot handle spicy food, but I could almost everything but the roti (it was too spicy for me). The coco bread was yummy! Also try the jerk pork! Arizona was good, but for the most part, it is the type of food that you can get in the US. The fish & chips were very good. The brownie was awesome—not your typical brownie.

We ate at Giuseppe’s twice (once in the room and once at the restaurant) as well as twice at Eleanor’s (once in the restaurant and once as our in-dining experience). We loved all the food. The lobster was very tender at Eleanor’s. If you are a big eater, you might want to order two entrees because the portions are smaller than most portions in the US (but I liked the smaller portion size).

The Café du Paris was awesome. The desserts were scrumptious and sinful. The portions were small enough that you could try a variety of desserts. They also make a great cappuccino. We like it strong!!

We did make it to the chocolate buffet. It was mayhem! People piled their plates so high. Now, you know they are not going to consume 5000 calories of chocolate at once. We did not make it the seafood buffet.

Pools & Beach
The first day we tested out all three pools. We enjoyed the French pool the best!! The swim-up bar was great. All the bartenders (Odayne, Oneil, Troy & Sheryl) were great. There seemed to be enough chairs and floaties for all. Pool volleyball was popular. The Dutch pool was quiet. No swim-up bar and no frozen drinks so it is very limited in terms of drinks. The Dutch pool did not have a public restroom close by so if your room was not in the Dutch village, you had a fair walk to get to the bathroom. It was great if you want to chill by the pool and read or relax. The main pool was beautiful, but too crowded for my taste. The hot tub at the Dutch pool was insanely hot! The beach by the Dutch pool was great and the water was nice and warm (some seaweed, but for the most part, it was clear). We used the water trampoline located by Italian village. The water trampoline was fun, but so difficult to do. It needs to be tightened to allow you to jump higher.

Water sports
We planned on doing a lot of water sports, but did not get around doing any of it. We had so many other things to do. No worries, we will do it next time.

Extra stuff
Negril trip with Talk of the Town Tours: this was fun. We went with two other couples. We stopped at Sandals Negril for a few hours. I did not like Sandals Negril as much (too small and not enough breathing room). We did some local shopping. The prices are so much better in the town of Negril than the airport (except same price for alcohol) or the gift shop on the property. We also went to Rick’s Café to watch the cliff divers (amazing location). The divers work for tips and do not jump until they have accrued about $10 from the tourists. You can dive off the cliffs, but none of us were courageous enough. We went to Pirate’s Cove as well. It was nice, but not as nice at Rick’s. Lastly, we dined at 3 Dives restaurant. We had the grilled lobster and jerk chicken (all was excellent).


Catamaran Cruise
We did the cruise on our last day. Loved it!! It is a 3 hour cruise. They take you to a spot to snorkel for an hour or so. Snorkeling was fun. Although there was not much to see in terms of underwater life, it was a great experience. Warning: make sure to wear sun block on your back. When we finished snorkeling, we hung out and drank red stripe, rum punch. On the ride back to Whitehouse, we learned some Jamaican dance moves. It was like a MTV video (lol!). Also, bring some extra cash; this is not a Sandals tour, so they accept tips.

Butler Service
We enjoyed having this extra service. We did not use the butlers too often. They checked in with you each day and made sure you had dinner arrangements. They also took care of stocking the bar and fridge, coordinating with maid service, and anything else you needed. We did get two bubble baths (one on the first night which we did not request and one we requested on the last night). Warning: the water is very hot, but was such a great touch. We also did the in-dining experience on our last night. They set up the table on the patio for dinner (very romantic). We had a choice from 4 menus (Bayside, Eleanor’s, Giuseppe’s, or Jasmine’s). You can dictate how much interaction you have with the butlers. We booked the room not exclusively for the butler service, but rather for the separate sleeping and dining areas and the 24 hour room service. The butler service was an added perk. I would book this room category again.

Maid service
Our maid service was fabulous. The room was clean by 11am. They work very hard and are wonderful people. The turn down service was great!! We received this service each night.

Miscellaneous stuff
Bring bug spray. Bugs were more prevalent after the rain and in the evenings. The bugs were no worse than being at home. The bug problem is not exclusive to Whitehouse for I received a few bites at the pool in Sandals Negril and at 3 Dives. Don’t let the bugs deter you from going to Whitehouse.

The Gym was nice. There were 5 treadmills and about 4 steppers. The free weights were rough on the hands (bring gloves). There were several weight machines, yoga balls and mats. There are TVs in the gym.

The gift shop is a little pricey, but this is the norm for any gift shop anywhere you go. The t-shirts were very reasonable ($10).

The piano bar was fun. We liked Ricardo for he knew how to make drinks. There was one bartender who could not make specialty martinis—this is the only problem that we encountered. No problem—they set up a bar on front of the restaurants in the evening—so we had drinks from this bar instead when the rookie bartender was working.

We absolutely loved this place. We were extremely pleased with the resort, people and service. We would definitely go back—hopefully in February!! I am now a Sandals fan and look forward to trying other locations as well. Make the most of your vacation and do not let the little things bug you. No place is perfect, but we absolutely would recommend Sandals Whitehouse.

A girlfriend and I went to SWH August 9-16 and we were absolutely blown away by the grounds, the rooms, the food, and most of all THE STAFF. We'd stayed at many Sandals resorts before throughout JA, but this one is by far the BEST one on the island. It is in the quietest, but most "authentic" part of JA - no touristy spots around - just friendly people. Sure, the ride is long, but have your driver turn up the reggae and enjoy the amazing scenery - getting there is half the fun!

We became fast friends with Jeremy, Lance, Ricky, Francois, Nina, Darby, Christoph, Kaville, Patty, George and so many others. They went out of their way to make sure we were "cool" all the time. Ask for ANYTHING and you shall receive - No matter how petty.

What really made our stay was the entertainment team though. Want to say What's UP to Q, Andre, Spongebob, Micheal and most of all Sadiki. Fresh from Mobay and settling into his role as head of Entertainment. We closed the disco down every night dancing and then eating burgers at Arizona's till all hours with him (and Ladies - Make sure to watch him sing Strokin on Thursday nights during Karaoke. You'll know what I mean when you see it :)

What we liked most was the fact that the resort was 100% full, but you would never know it. You could always get a chair and a towel at any of the pools and/or the beach. There was hardly any waiting for food or drinks and though the resort is spread out - the walks are totally enjoyable. Watch out for the Crabs late at night though - they cross your path when you're least expecting it!

If you want to chill and be left alone - head to the french or Dutch pools. You'll have all the privacy you need. If you want to play games and meet lots of great people - head to the main pool. This resort is perfect for EVERYONE.

We're going back in December again - we loved it so much!!

Prior to leaving for Whitehouse, my wife and I viewed several reviews of Sandal Whitehouse and we immediately became very nervous and began to think that this vacation will not meet our expectations. From the time we stepped off of the plane until we left, the entire trip was WONDERFUL! We flew on Air Jamaica out of BWI (Baltimore); however, we were delayed due to the weather, but they gave us a $14 voucher for breakfast. The hospitality of the crew on the airplane was outstanding and made up for the delay. When we arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica, we immediately proceeded to Customs, which was not as bad as previous reviews. We waited seriously 15-20 minutes to get through Customs. After Customs, you pick your luggage up, which did not take but 10 minutes. Tip: Make sure you have one dollar bills for the baggers at the airport. In no longer than 30 minutes, we were chillin' in the Sandals lounge with an ice cold Red Stripe. 20 minutes later, we were on our way to Whitehouse on a nice, relaxing, air conditioned bus, which had Reggae playing the whole time. The driver was very nice and careful, as the roads are definitely narrow with a lot of turns. The only thing that made us nervous about the bus ride was the "other" drivers on the roads not our bus driver. The ride to the hotel is 90 minutes; however, they stop at a pit stop for drinks and bathroom. As soon as we arrived at Sandals Whitehouse, we were impressed with the service, hospitality, and beautiful scenery. They immediately take you to a bar and offer you Champaigne then the "men" on the trip help the bell guys out with the luggage. We had the "Butler Services", so check-in was not conducted in the lobby. Our Butler "O'neil" came out and met us in the main lobby. He was very nice and showed us the entire resort before "check-in" which was conducted in our room. The room was nice and roomy with a separate bathtub with jets and a balcony overlooking the Dutch Pool and Caribbean Sea. We were very pleased with our Butler, as he did indeed help up with check-in, unpacking, pampering (Bubble baths after dinner), pressing our clothes, taking pictures, arranging dinner reservations, arranging excursions, stocked the bar everyday, and got us drinks at the pool and beach. The tip policy for the Butler has been "relaxed". I asked about this...and I was told that the Butler's are not paid by Sandals and they rely on tips for their wages. The resort is absolutely beautiful and the landscaping was complete. The beach did have "bugs" however, far less than in the U.S. We actually saw employees spraying the beach with pesticide every morning around 8am. We mainly hung out at the French Pool (Party Pool). This pool had a lot of sporting activities and the pool bar was always alive. Try the "Bob Marley" and "Purple Rain" drinks. Great!!! It was not loud, as we were shocked that this resort was not as crowded as expected. One advice, put 30 block suntan lotion on....the sun is very powerful. Everywhere we went, it seemed like it was not crowded at all. No lines or waiting for service. We also renewed our vows and it was wonderful. Nadine was awesome and it was perfect. My wife and I did utilize the Spa....which was awesome. She had a message and I had the aloe wrap. (Sunburned of course) It helped out a lot and I do recommend it if you get burned. It went away in two days. My wife said the message was great. The water sports were available everyday and it their was no wind to prevent activities. It did rain everyday between 3 and 5pm. The food is exceptional. There is a chocolate buffet on Mondays at 11pm and a seafood buffet on Fridays at 11pm. Great!! Eleanor's was our favorite! (Lobster and NY Strip) Ask for a whole lobster....they only serve half at a time. Cafe de Paris (the pastry shop) was delicious. Our favorite was the "creme puffs" and blue mountain coffee. We also recommend that you do the "Private Dinner" on the beach....to food was superb and the server was great. The night life is good; however, you are sooo exhausted from playing all day to stay up past 11pm. The Piano Bar was awesome and the martini's are good but strong. (Razzletini's are delicious) The entertainment in the evening was good...we went to the African Drum, Steel Band, and Limbo/Beach Party. It was very nice. The African Drum Band was unbelievable. In addition, we experienced two excursions in one, the "Black River/YS Falls". The black river had Crocodiles....big ones. (Crazy is the name of one of them). YS Falls was beautiful....rope swing was fun....and the water was cold and refreshing after being the the heat most of the day. Highly recommended!!! In conclusion, this resort is beautiful and fun and anyone who says otherwise is high maintainance. Hope you have as good of a time as we did.

Ok, so I am reading some of these reviews and wondering if I even went to the same place that was ripped apart only 3 reviews down.

I went on my honeymoon. Maybe this could be part of the reason I had a great time - or maybe it was because I was not scrutinizing every little thing.

Sometimes I think people look for things to go wrong. Who would even notice that the chairs don't match the tables? I went and returned with a positive attitude. And I am not an easy going person, but this was a vacation and I am not going to lie and say everything was perfect, but nothing would make me regret my trip. I will try to keep this short.

Food: Great - no problems and I am a picky eater. Have to mention the burgers are kinda gross but I just didn't get another burger. There are plenty of other things to eat. Loved the pizza from Guiseppes and the Blackened Chicken from Eleanors. Eleanors always had a wait though so if you want to eat there and still make the 9:00 entertainment go early. Also, this is funny, my husband's name is Greg. The girl could not get it. We spelled it for her 3 times (to get on the waiting list). It was cute.

Room: Good - patio was small but this is for couples so only 2 people need to fit. We had our breakfast out there 2 mornings. I brought my own hairdryer since I had read they weren't the best. It was nice to have a stocked bar but we weren't in the room enough to really make too much use of it. My husband did ask for a bottle of Jack Daniels since the bars don't have it and it was brought to us by the end of the day.

Maid Service: My one complaint. We were going on a sunset tour at 5 so we had to shower early. By 4 she still hadn't come so my husband found another maid and just got us some towels. Then we put the DND sign on the door so we could shower. Don't know if she would've come or not. The next day at 4:30 she hadn't come. So we called and just mentioned that she hadn't been there yet. Within the hour she had come. So I am not sure if she wouldn't have come or if she just comes really late.
The first 3 nights they forgot turn down service but we never mentioned it. Who cares, I can turn down a bed.

Entertainment: Good - we got roped into the Reggae dancing contest, which is funny now but I don't like to be forcefully pulled from my seat. Most nights we didn't make the entertainment but the nights we did we enjoyed it.

Spa: Good - we got a couples massage. I am not into massages and it was my first. I enjoyed it and heard from others it was the best massage they ever had. I have nothing to compare it to. Also, I got my "married haircut" there. I was alittle nervous but it looks great!

Concierge: Great - I think it is definitely worth it. There is never a wait in there for anything. You never have to go to another office - they do it all for you. We even got a private (4 couples), escorted shopping trip to Negril. I felt very safe. Then we had lunch at Sandals Negril.

Tours: Great - did rum tour, sunset cruise, and shopping trip all through Sandals. No complaints. Enjoyed them all!

Bugs: OK - I always get bit so I wore Off on my legs but I still got a few. Husband wore nothing and got 1.

Pools: Great - we stayed in the Dutch Village so we used that pool only. It was quiet and relaxing which is what we wanted.

Overall: A - I wasn't blown away by anything but it was beautiful and people were so nice and I can't complain. Nothing angered me or made me wish I was somewhere else. I don't think I would go back, just because there are so many other places we want to go, but I would recommend it.

My advice is to enjoy your vacation and don't look for things to be wrong. If you look hard enough you will always find something.