White Sands - Review
January 13, 2007
I stayed at White Sands in August 2005, I spent the first few days of that trip at Blue Cave Castle, and then I went to White Sands mainly because I was afraid of the August heat. White Sands had air conditioning. I’m trying to be positive, but I really didn’t like White Sands. If Blue Cave is my castle by the sea, then White Sands was my Motel 6 by the road.
Location:
White Sands has a great location straddling Beach Road on the north of the beach resorts before you get to all the big all-inclusives. It is also close to everything. Selina’s is ten walking minutes south and Best of the West is five minutes north.
Accommodations:
I saw really nice rooms all around me, big, airy, well lit, great patios and nice grounds. My room, on the other hand, was like a cave. I have a friend who swears by White Sands, but my experience was poor. My room was on a small strip of land between the driveway and the northern fence. The view out my door was a trash filled vacant lot, and my patio had the feel of a prison cell. It was six feet wide and three feet deep, and right on the driveway that everyone uses for beach access. There was a stockade-style fence, but it was easy to see through, so much so I had to keep the curtains drawn the whole time. The A/C kept the room cool, but wasn’t strong enough to handle the humidity. Mix that with closed curtains and you can see where I got my cave analogy.
People:
Maybe it was because it was a very slow time, but the only friendly employee was the PM bartender at the beach bar, everyone else treated me like I was wearing a Jamaica Sucks t-shirt. It didn’t help that most of my fellow guests were rude Italians who obviously forgot we saved their asses in WW2.
Property:
White Sands is a nice well kept property except for the general area of my room. The pool was very nice, many topless Italian women, but their significant others, unfortunately, were all in speedos. The beach access was a nice touch, and there were very few beach hustlers.
One great feature is a raised sun tanning patio where one could do so au natural with out people like me ogling them.
So, if you go to White Sands stay on the garden side and don’t book in August.
Vinny 
3 Comments
1.
Cindy (DolfinKraZ) | February 26, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Great work Vinny. Hung out listening to the vibes.
2.
Tamara | February 27, 2007 at 2:06 pm
i read the review and i still think it is a matter of speaking up if you don’t like the location of your room. I have been in half a dozen of their rooms and 2 of the apartments. there are plenty that don’t feel like a cave and a couple that you can see the water from.
As far as the unfriendly guests, i’m not quite sure what the hotel is supposed to do about that.
If you don’t like the room, ask to see what else they have. if you’re still not satisfied, tell them and ask where else you might stay, or just stay one night and look around the next day.
There are plenty of hotels in negril.
3.
steve dahl | February 27, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I stayed at WS in March of 05. I also came from the castle where we were in the penthouse so it was a step down for sure but only saved about $25 a night compared to the penthouse at the BCC. Janie insisted we split our time…
I felt our (basic)room on the garden side was much preferable to the (basic)rooms on the beach side but mainly because there was little traffic by our mini patio and the lush plantings on the garden side are much nicer than the alley like affect on the beach side. The narrowness of the property on the beach side makes it kind of tight.
The staff were not outgoing at all and yes I felt the staff and even the guests were not as amiable as what I have come to expect. I guess it does bring to mind one gets what one pays for…
Vinny probably got one of the worst rooms on the beach side and that would not be a happy situation at all.
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