We just spent a great week at the Verandah with children and grandchildren. We knew it was a new resort and that it was still working out some kinks, so our expectations were not so high. So - we were delighted to find it way better than we had been led to believe. It is a dense development, but the cottages are very well designed and built so that we never felt crowded. The bathrooms are huge, the beds comfy, furniture high quality and the verandahs very spacious. The main beach is small and deep at the end of a lovely bay (Long Bay beach is very big and just a few yards from the Reception), guests said that the har-tru tennis courts were excellent and the main swimming pool was huge with lots of cots. I am a gardener and I was constantly amazed at the landscaping - for such a short existence, it was lush and very beautiful. In another year it will be spectacular! The staff was delightful wherever we went - especially Rosamund in the Kidz Club. Although the resort is very spread out, there is a shuttle that runs every 10 mins that will take you anywhere. It would be a great place for someone who has difficulty walking or is handicapped - there are plenty of cottages near the center pool and dining room and getting there would be easy. There is a guest services office that will make all kids of touring arrangements and help solve any problems. The Verandah was a GREAT place for our 3 generation family.
Problems - of course, it is still a very new resort, but they were pretty minor. The major one was the food. Service is still amateurish, though the staff are very friendly and try hard. The menu had hits and misses, but we always found something that we liked. At the pool, there is not enough shade available. There are lovely thatched umbrellas scattered around but more are needed. There is a small shop but the prices are ridiculously high, even for the Caribbean. Be sure to ask for a cottage with an ocean front view - some are better placed than others.
So - who would love this place? If you need a five mile beach and posh amenities and swinging night life, this is probably not for you. If you like things a little more low key but still very, very nice, if you are traveling with your kids this is a lovely place to stay.
We wish The Verandah very good luck in its development. So much good stuff going on.

We stayed at the Verandah for 11 nights from 1 to 12 March.

We arrived tentatively, having seen some of the mixed comments posted by recent visitors.

I must say that we were very pleasantly surprised: the food in the restaurants was very good, with an excellent atmosphere in Nicole's, with it being made very clear at the useful induction meeting that it did not attract surcharges.

The staff were, without exception, attentive and polite: we never had any problems with mixed up orders or long delays before being served, if anything the opposite applied.

Our recent holidays have been in genuine five star resorts in Europe, Dubai and Mauritius, so we knew the Verandah had a hard act to follow. I would never argue it is remotely five star, but it delivers what it promises very well, and my husband and I genuinely believe that many negative comments are unfounded.

But, each to their own!

We found the pool and beach both quiet in the main, although more umbrellas would be handy in the midday sun.

The room was adequate and cleaned well daily, although some noise was apparent from the neighbouring room at times: it was never disruptive, though.

The Verandah is trying hard, managers seem committed, and we were regularly asked our views on the resort and what we thought.

The evening entertainment was varied and enjoyable, although a prominent stage for the acts would be beneficial.

Anyone we spoke to whilst there was also having a good time.

The only criticism we had on our holiday was the chaos on arrival at the Airrport for the transfers arranged for us, and the terrible driving of the taxi driver we had the "pleasure" of getting on our trip to the resort.

Fortunately, on taxi outings arranged through the tour desk, we had attentive, careful drivers.

In summary, go there, relax and enjoy yourselves!! If you are simply intent on finding fault, don't bother going!!

My husband and I recently honeymooned at the Verandah after a great deal of research and review. Although the resort is still relatively new and many of the reviewers have had a more unsatisfactory experience, we found the resort to be clean, the service friendly overall, and the food fairly good.

However, we booked our trip through Elite Travel and had a lengthy discussion with the travel agent regarding our room view only to find upon arriving - very late at night without airport travel vouchers to the resort - that our room overlooked the bay and someone's unfinished private home. Since there was a difference in price and it was billed as "Ocean front" this was not acceptable and we insisted on being moved to a room from which you could actually SEE the ocean. The management did so the next day and we were right by the beach as well. Since there was no problem accommodating us, it's unclear as to who is responsible for the miscommunication, especially after we've read several reviews of similar situations.

Another minor bit of confusion we discovered was the dress code for the restaurants, one of which was only open two nights of our stay. Be prepared to "dress" for dinner and call ahead for reservations. And they need to diversify their soundtrack to improve the ambiance - even the servers were laughing when we strolled into breakfast humming overplayed Bob Marley tunes that were beginning to make us feel like Groundhog Day (the movie.) Some classical instrumental or even traditional island music would've been more appropriate and soothing.

All in all, we enjoyed our stay and I would recommend this resort to mostly families with children, but not so much for honeymooners.

i just returned from this new resort with my husband, I was only sorry we didn't bring the entire family. It is a perfect setting for a family seeking a hideaway when the kids can use a dedicated kids club with all the trimmings including supervised and I mean supervised activities, their own little pool (guarded of course) and a dining room for family dining. The cuisine was a combination of caribbean which we liked and of of course all the good american dishes. The beach was not the largest but perfect for this resorts size less than 200 cottage type suites all facing water!!! The weather was perfect so the activities were first rate. But the best was the friending staff at Verandah. very friendly and always offering a smile and assistance. Bought lots of special tees for the grandkids in their Mini market right there on property. Didn't play tennis but that too was brand new. All in all a wonderful experience and a real surprise that having been open only a few months they were very organized. OH I almost forgot my massage it was wonderful and they gave all guests a 25% discount in their new state of the art SPA. Hope you enjoy too.