Royalton White Sands

My husband, sister and brother in law and I were at the RWS from Jan 19 to the 24th. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the resort was after reading numerous bad reviews. Here is the scoop from my perspective. Check in: I had paid for an ocean view room with a king size bed. We were seated and given drinks and within 15 minutes we were heading towards our rooms. The room was in the front of the hotel with a view of the construction. Immediately, I went to the desk to ask for a change and immediately I was given a great room over looking the center of the resort and the ocean. The room was cleaned everyday with fresh sheets and towels and the mini fridge was always stocked with water, soda and beer. The beds and pillows were first rate as was the rain head shower. There was plenty of hot water. We even had terry cloth robes and slippers and umbrellas in the closet. No complaints! Food: There are 6 places to eat. Not all serve every meal. The buffet was open for breakfast and dinner. There were a large selection of items some foods cooked special to your taste. The food here was the standard that I have had a other all inclusive resorts. Not outstanding but not bad. Our favorite was the steak house. Go early to avoid a wait. We had excellent steaks and went back twice. The Japanese place put on a good show of chopping the food on a grill and playing some cute games with the guest. The food was fresh but lacked some flavor. The Italian restaurant was so so. We ate there for lunch a few times. The beach Bar B Que. serves good pork and chicken jerky . It was fun to eat on the beach. There is an gelato ice cream place that also serves soft ice cream and desserts and hot chocolate and coffee and tea. The sports bar looked fun but we never went there. Sports: we did not have the greatest weather so many of the water sports were not in use because of the wind. When they were the catamarans, paddle boats, kayaks and snorkel gear are all available at not cost. If you want to snorkel out on the nearby reef there is a boat right at the beach that will take you there for a fee. I sailed the catamaran as much as I could. It was great! There were also 2 new tennis courts that no one was using. Bring your racket! Evening entertainment: This is where RWS needs to improve. There was nothing but loud bands and drinking for entertainment at night. Even during the day there were no beach games, except volleyball, to play. The lobby was very loud at night because of the bands, this made it difficult to talk. They could use a few more ping pong tables! We did not have children with us but the water park looked like it would be great fun for kids. The resort was not big which was just great for us. It was extremely clean. There were people cleaning all the time. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They were alway smiling and wishing you a great day. I have to say the atmosphere at the resort is made more enjoyable because of the pleasant staff. We had a wonderful time!

Staff members of this resort were all friendly and helpful. However, this seems to be a very poorly managed property. We were kept waiting for our room, and when we tried to find someone to hear our complaints about the room (which was very bad in terms of there being two twin beds instead of one full bed and which had a view of concrete and desolation instead of a "garden view"), we had to wait while the receptionist called around to find a manager on duty, which she was ultimately unable to find that night. The manager the next morning was entirely unable to help us beyond giving us a bottle of champagne. The restaurants and room service were frequently out of menu items, and even basic things such as bottles of water or washcloths. Otherwise, however, staff members were cheerful, helpful, and always available. We only had minor difficulty getting drinks (some cocktail ingredients were not always restocked). Restaurants were not difficult to get into.

First and foremost, the resort grounds are beautiful. It is a smaller resort so I think you get a more intimate experience. I can't say anything bad about the decor, layout, and grounds. Everything is brand new and impeccably done. It feels like luxury. Beach: The resort's private beach is not very big and half of it is dedicated to the Diamond Club Members. If it storms out in the ocean, a ton of seaweed will wash up but the staff will clean it off the beach the next morning. There are public beaches on each side of the resort so you can still have your "long walk on the beach" moment. There are a few locals selling items but if you tell them you're not interested, they don't bother you at all. We walked down a little ways on the right of the property and were able to swim and lie out on the beach all by ourselves. The water there was crystal clear, soft white sands...beautiful! On the resort beach, there are plenty of chairs and umbrellas, but only 5 beds. People ALWAYS have stuff on the beds to "save" them. If its early, I would just tell a staff member and they will likely move it for you. Pools: A W E S O M E! I loved the pools! They were never over-crowded when we went. My favorite by far was the infinity pool with the swim up bar. The pools open at 8am and close at 6pm. There is also an outdoor jazucci. Dining Options: We did not try the italian restaurant so I'm not sure how it is. The steakhouse was my favorite. I had a perfectly cooked ribeye, fresh bread, grilled veggies and great red wine! Zen (japanese restaurant) is beautiful and so much fun! You do have to make a reservation the morning of. You should go pretty early to make sure you can get the time you want. The buffet has different themes every night such as seafood night, lobster night, arabian night, etc. We were very disappointed that they did not have lobster night when we went because lobster was "not in season." The beach barbeque/party was a lot of fun. The food at the buffet (beach party included) was hit or miss. One pan may be perfectly cook, the next may be severly over. I was also disappointed in the selection of fruit for breakfast. They only had melons, jamaican apple and papaya. I expected a better selection, at least mangos, coconuts, and other fruits that grow plentifully on the island. Finally, the jerk chicken wings at the sports bar are amazing. MUST TRY! Lastly, I wish they had pool side/beach side food service. You have to leave the pool area and put on clothes to eat lunch at the buffet or italian restaurant. One more thing- room service! The night time menu is limited but we asked for jerk wings and they still brought them so ask for what you want! Room Comfort: Nice, modern decor and finishes. We LOVED the rain shower. We had a great view of the property and beach from the 6 floor. The room is on the smaller side but no one goes on vacation to spend it in the room (at least we dont). The bed is extremely comfortable and the TV has a good selection of channels. Service: Honestly, I felt like the service was average. You will read on other reviews that the resort is going through management changes and I definitely could tell. The people are all pretty friendly but some servers go out of their way for you and some are jst so-so. We did have to wait a couple hours after arrival to check in and I feel like they could have done more to make up for that. Their short-comings usually prompt an apology, but that is not enough when you are spending thousands of dollars for a premium experience.

They said they were overbooked when i came and want to transfer me to another hotel even i paid them in full already. After a lot of arguing i checked in after 3 hrs!!!!!