Go Astro Travel LLC

Sandals Whitehouse European Village

I took my husband David to Sandals Whitehouse for his 50^th birthday.   Upon arrival we found out that we had been upgraded to the Grand Luxe Concierge Beachfront Suite.   The room was very nice and the view was great.  We were thrilled with the concierge check in, it was quick and easy which was extra important because David was anxious to watch the Eagles playoff game.  We got to the room and only missed 12 minutes of the first quarter.   Sandals’ does not advertise room service for their concierge rooms on their website so we were delighted to find that we could order lunch and not miss any more of the game (although in the end he probably would have been happier if we missed it).  The menu was simple but sufficient.  You could order nachos, burgers, and in the evening a few entrees from one of their restaurants.   Room service was available until 10pm.  After 4 nights I paid a modest amount to upgrade us to the Honeymoon Beachfront One Bedroom Luxury Suite for the remaining 3 nights of our stay.  I was extremely impressed with the butler service. 

Bayside – The main restaurant that served a buffet for breakfast and lunch as well as sit down restaurant for dinner.  The highlight of breakfast for us was the vast selection of fresh juices.  In addition they had made to order omelets, pancakes and waffles as well as the traditional breakfast fare.  Dinner was excellent as well.  I really enjoyed the escargot.  On theme nights they used the restaurant for buffets as well.

Jasmine’s – An eclectic oriental restaurant that used local ingredients like papaya to create unique dishes such as a papaya jalapeno salad with a citrus dressing.  The atmosphere was very relaxed and the tables were spread apart enough that you did not feel like you were on top of each other.  The service was very good and we happy to see that they set the table with chop sticks.  The plating of the food was also interesting.  For our desert we chose a rice pudding that they served in 3 porcelain spoons drizzled with a coconut sauce.

Giuseppe's – This is an Italian restaurant that was less formal than the other restaurants.  The food was also very food and for us the highlight was the antipasto buffet.  The buffet offered lots of grilled vegetables, breads, cheeses and meats.  It really reminded us of our trip to Italy.  Again the service was very good and the selection of entrees made you want to visit the restaurant more than once during your stay.   Giuseppe’s also offers individual pizzas and salads for lunch.

Eleanor’s - This is the gourmet restaurant that features local cuisine.   The food was again very good.  A standout was a jerk chicken appetizer that was served on a sugar cane skewer.  The night we dined there the service was a bit slow but the atmosphere was very relaxed.

Arizona’s - This is a southwestern themed restaurant that is open for dinner as well as after hours from 11pm to 7am.  At Arizona’s you can dine either in the open air restaurant or out under the stars.  The food was very good. For dinner we enjoyed the grilled fish and the nachos.  After hours they served hamburgers, hot dog and nacho type items.

Bluefield’s - This was one of our favorite restaurants but it was only open for lunch.  It was an open air restaurant that was at the far end of the resort near the French Village.  The food was very local with Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Pork dishes as well as Chicken and Pork Jerk Patties  We ate lunch here almost every day.

Café De Paris – A nice French style patisserie that was open until 11pm.  They offered a wide assortment of deserts that you could have served on china or wrapped to take to your room.  In addition they served a variety of coffee and teas.

Pools - As with nearly all Sandals’ they had a signature large pool with a swim-up bar.  There were plenty of pool chairs and an abundance of towels as well as enough umbrellas that if you arrived by 9am you were assured of shade.  They also had fairly large pools in the French Village as well as a very large heated whirlpool in the Dutch Village.

Beach – Exquisite was the best way to describe the beach.  The resort is adjacent to a nature preserve.  You could walk for about 10 minutes without having to turn around.  The other plus is that there is not much around so there are no beach vendors harassing guests.  In fact they invite local vendors to visit the resort on select days for the guests benefit.  They are located near the main pool and are very respectful of the guests. 

Activities - We spent our days either relaxing on the beach or snorkeling.  There was no snorkeling off the beach but they did offer 3 boat trips per day.  The snorkeling although not the best was good and enjoyable.  On our last snorkeling trip we entered the water to find about 50 or so jelly fish surrounding the boat.  They were graceful and beautiful.  I had seen them before but Dave had not so I was happy to have shared the experience with him.  There were lots of opportunities to sail, kayak or even water ski but we were very happy to just relax.

Entertainment - Every night there was some type of show.  There was a magician and a live band but the highlight by far was the Steel Drum Orchestra.   They were amazing!  It was by far one of the best shows we have seen either at a resort or on a cruise ship. 

Staff- I left this for last because I always save the best for last.  Our Butlers Julie and Dwayne were amazing.   As I mentioned previously they always went above and beyond.   Butler service was definitely a highlight of the vacation.  I would absolutely do it again.  Now for the rest of the staff-they were by far the nicest, happiest staff I have ever seen.  From the maintenance staff to the bar tenders everyone greeted you with a smile and kind word.  They also could not stand still.  Every time a band played they were moving along with the beat.   They were just fun to be around.

It was an amazing week and we can't wait to go back!