Hideaway At Royalton Blue Waters

I was quite disappointed that this hotel is advertised as a five star luxury hotel. It is not. It is old and dated and very badly in need of remodelling which I found out is being done in may. Had I known that in advance I would not have booked here. I wanted a luxury experience and this is not what I got. The room was old and musty smelling. The furniture scratched and damaged. Patches on the walls and ceilings. Mildew/mould on the sinks (at the caulking). Patio door would not lock properly. Door on the wood furniture to the hidden fridge falling off the hinges. The shower had no place to put soap or shampoo. It was missing lamps and wall art. Just left patches and holes. The only positive thing I can say about the room was the bed was comfortable and the shower head worked well.

The grounds were well maintained in terms of cleanliness and nice gardens. There was lots of signs of needed repairs throughout with broken tiles, lights that did not work etc.

The beach and the pool were great. The only complaint I have is that the adult pool (being the infinity pool) was the most beautiful but closed off to kids. It is also where all the entertainment took place. I didn't buy into an adult only resort and we did travel with our 9 year old son. We had to choose to either participate in the activities (although they were lacking) or give up the view of the beach or swim in another pool. The activities were strongly lacking as well. Not very well organized. Kind of boring for the most part. Again not what would be expected for a five star hotel. The pool furniture as well was mis matched, broken and often not enough to go around. The pool towels were horrible. Old. Stained and generally not enough. At 830 in the am often towels were nowhere to be found. This includes nightly entertainment. It was severely lacking. I did not find that the animation team engaged much with guests. Nor was the caliber of the shoes very good.

Food at the buffet was good although there could have been a few more people working the busy stations ie the omelette station in the am and the pasta station in the pm. There were very long waits. The seating arrangements as well was a bit disorganized. Not sure why our room number was needed every time we visited. The tables were often not ready and missing things ie utensils or cups. It took long periods of time to get water and coffee/drinks. Often meals would be eaten or half eaten and still we would be waiting. Never were there spoons places at the table and long waits to get one.

The people/service overall was good. Staff were pleasant and polite just not enough of them.

Overall I would rate this hotel a 3.5 star stay. I was very disappointed especially given that this was a first time stay with Royalton (whom I was led to believe only had stellar hotels). This hotel was not at all what we expected. Not at all what we paid for and we were left very disappointed. Not sure I would book a ROYALTON HOTEL again. [Details]

Pure luxury! The staff were so polite, attentive and personable! [Details]

Hotel was old in need of maintenance and cleaning
The food was great
Service was good [Details]

The hotel is garbage it smells and management will laugh at you when you complain and DO NOTHING. THE PICTURES ON WEBSITE IS FOR BLUE WATER. The bed was broken we move 3 room and it still smells. We COCKROACHES WALKING IN THE ROOMS BATHROOMS AND THE CLEANING MANAGER WAS LIKE YEA WE KNOW. THIS HOTEL SHOULD BE CLOSE [Details]

We loved our stay at the Royalton White Sands. The staff were fun and engaging. The restaurants were awesome with lots of different options every night. Entertainment was fun too. We would definitely return!! [Details]

This was our first time going on an all-inclusive vacation. The food was by far the best part. The pools were very clean. I enjoyed going for night swims in the pool. The beach was always clean. My boyfriend used the gym several times during our stay and most of the time he was the only one there. There were a few minor things wrong with the room including a few lights that were out, one of them was due to the fact that the plug was not all the way in the outlet under the desk and the door to the balcony was very difficult to open and close. Our room was on the 7th floor which had a beautiful view. The side we were on meant that we had sun in the morning but not in the afternoon. We were very thankful for the blackout blinds because they blocked the extremely bright sun from waking us from our slumber. The 24hr room service was amazing I definitely enjoyed cheesecake at 1am. The java was exceptional, with endless ice cream at my fingertips. [Details]

We had a great week at this resort and would not hesitate to go back. We could use the beach and pools at the neighbouring resort, Royalton Blue Waters. There were quieter pools and more lively pools. All restaurants are shared between the two resorts, but we rarely had to wait to get in. We were always able to find chairs at the pool and/or beach although sometimes it was difficult to find shade. The staff (Ivan, Kemar, Devon & Joyce) at the Martini Bar (White Sands) were a great bunch and kept us laughing and well entertained! [Details]

This was our first trip to Jamaica & certainly won't be the last. Will definitely return to White Sands. From the first & last we really treated "Royally". Loved the fact that check in was done relaxing in the lounge with a drink.
The buffet had an excellent variety of food which was displayed & marked well. All wait was very friendly & went out of their way to make our stay memorable. It was hard to remember everyone but special mention to Joyce in the hotel Martini bar & Amands in the outside Martini Bar. The girls that cleaned our rooms did an excellent job as did the grounds keepers to keep resort in excellent condition. The bathrooms could be freshened up a little tiling needed touch up.
Hunter Steak ,Armadillo were excellent.
Highly recommend this resort. Loved the catamaran to Dunn's Falls.
Keep up the great work. [Details]

We were in the older resort but right next door is the newer Royalton Blue Waters and you can use their pools as well. All around great hotel with great friendly staff! [Details]

This review is being completed in July 2018. Our Buttler service was not worth the money even for free it wold not have been worth it.
At check in we were the first of our group to get the VIP treatment and the last to leave the VIP lounge and be escorted to our room where we were told our Buttler would soon come to great us and give us the introductory information. (Saw the butler for the first time some 36 hrs later). During admission I will call it they brought me the forms with my wife and daughters name and asked me to read and sign my name, no biggie...then she comes back and takes them away they were wrong. Long and poorly executed VIP service. Front desk was much more smooth and faster. (could see them from my location).
Room okay. Staff friendly enough. Resort seems to be very under occupied by guest. They had some safety issue in Montego bay.
Food Okay.
Best service was the person who cleaned our room No disappointments and a few nice surprises.
Buttler was a friendly guy when we saw him but I rarely saw him and got nothing for the expense. he did do a reservation for us at a restaurant that did not take reservations That was very impressive. Not. I was asked how thing were and they tried the time share thing as well I said why would I come back or buy time share when I have yet to get what I paid for on this stay and it still took over 12 hrs for me to see the Buttler. No note form him, no message on my room phone nothing for over 36 hrs and after telling staff.

Weather was nice Kids had fun.

Did fall on the terracotta tiles at a transition point by a cabana, came to find out 3 other did as well. One person a broken arm the other two no details and myself to badly sprained wrist and a possible bone chip in my wrist as it is still given me issues guess trip to Dr. is needed to get it figured out for sure. Told my travel agent about it she did her thing Got a $100.00 voucher whoo hoo. Sarcasm that was.

Tip to Owners at very least give your guest what they pay for as a minimum service period.
App force me to give recomendation. I offer none
By the way I am not a bot. [Details]

Not great , long line ups at breakfast , pool not cleaned. Swim up suite nice , but paid a lot for, maybe look at Beaches for more entertainment-and service. Preferred Riu Tropical Bay over. This hotel. [Details]

Our trip didn't start off so great, but Royalton White Sands went above and beyond to make us feel at home and enjoy our vacation. Peter and Deshawn at the swim up bar are excellent bartenders and great guys. [Details]

This was our second time there. Since our last visit they had built the new side, Blue Waters which is much nicer. People are very accommodating and service is top notch. [Details]

My family had a great time during our week here. The resort is really nicely laid out, compact but not small. Lots to do for kids. Food was generally good, no complaints there. Beach areas weren't huge but they were beautiful. Staff was friendly but you have to be okay with service being on "island time." Really good drinks at the Diamond Club beach bar, and incredible jerk chicken at the jerk hut. Our lovely butlers Chad and Stacy worked hard to accommodate any service requests we had. We definitely would have liked a bigger bathroom, counter space was scarce. The room itself was not large, they were calling it a "suite" but it was a room - two queen beds, night table between, a dresser and not much room for anything else. But it was kept very clean for us, and it was a swim out room which was FANTASTIC, especially as we have a young child. I would probably come back here, and maybe opt for a larger suite - and definitely with a swim out option! My only real complaint...on the second last day I found a few pieces of glass in the swim-out pool area, on the loungers and in the water. Someone likely broke something in a room above and a few pieces of glass fell down from their balcony. We called maintenance to come do a sweep of the pool, but even after a second call over an hour later, no one ever came. Kind of a big safety issue, so folks need to be aware that they might have to push management for situations like that. But otherwise, great resort, great vacation! [Details]

Cash taken from our room and report to the customer service of the diamond club and was very disappointed with the respond. So overall your property is not safe in your own room. Questionable staff going in your room. [Details]

Room overlooked a construction site and
loading dock ( disgusting view )
Sales staff constantly harassing us to
purchase further vacations.
Would not recommend this resort as an
adult vacation more for families. [Details]

Better then expected experience [Details]

Overall, a great property. Only negative is that the resort beach area is small but you can leave the compound, if you would like, to walk down to the public beach (Burwood Beach) which is spectacular. [Details]

Could not have been a better experience other than the beach. [Details]

We really enjoyed our stay at the Royalton. We are a married couple in our early 30's without kids. There were alot of families with kids at this resort. We didn't mind, but we did appreciate the adults only pool. The shows in the evening were pretty good, but there's not much in terms of a night life if you're looking to party.
Over all the resort is really nice, clean and well decorated. Most of the staff is really great, they really want to make sure you have everything you need. Some of the staff not so much. The bartenders at the Martini bar for example usually took quite a while to acknowledge us. They laugh and joke with each other and seemed to be annoyed when we ordered drinks.
We enjoyed the italian restaurant (service and food), but we were a little disappointed with the steak house (service and food) The jerk chicken on the beach was delicious! The room was really nice, we had a King sized bed and an ocean view (The view was beautiful). I suggest getting an ocean view because the terrace view looked really bad. Loved the rain shower.
The beach was wavy and there was quite a bit of sea grass (quite windy some days). We liked that the resort was fairly small. Really easy to get around and we never had any trouble finding a chair at the pool or beach. We would definitely return! [Details]

Stayed at the RWS from Dec 26-Jan 2. We had a total of 4 rooms for 9 people.
Paid a premium for a week on Dec 26 - definitely not worth the inflated price.

Room 314 had 2 twins and was perfect for 2 teenagers. Room 313 had 1 King and was perfect for 2 adults. Rooms 651 and 351 had a twin and double. Definitely not recommended for 3 people in the same room.
Pros:
STAFF is fantastic at this resort. Carina at the coffee shop, Remon at the pool bar, Terri-Ann and Tamara at the buffet, and the entire cleaning staff and entertainment staff are to be applauded for their never-ending smiles, asking how everything is and answering every need.
Front desk staff is another story. Professional but cold, every front desk employee should take a lesson from the rest of the resort's staff.

FOOD: Overall, better food than in Mexico, Dominican Republic and St Lucia (3 countries we've visited so far with all-inclusive resorts). Nice quality and selection at breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. Repetitive, but good. The Italian restaurant was a disappointment. Seafood risotto and pizza were horrible. Lasagne and fish were good. Japanese was tasty, but as to be expected, very loud and lots of smoke from the grills. Steakhouse was great. Tender filets cooked to a perfect medium. Jerk chicken hut at the beach for lunch was outstanding.

ENTERTAINMENT: Lots to do during the day, organized by staff. Water aerobics, volleyball both in the pool and on the beach, beer pong, water slides. Did not attend any of the evening entertainment activities or shows.

PUBLIC BATHROOMS:
Staff work hard to keep floors clean and toilet paper stocked. Bathrooms smell bad, however.

TOWEL HUT:
Always had fresh towels with no limit.

CONS:
1. Trying to make a reservation at the Japanese restaurant is next to impossible. People line up 45 minutes before the reservation desk opens just to have access to a few spaces not already reserved by the Diamond Club guests. They are allowed to reserve ahead of time while the rest of the guests have to wait until the day of. I saw numerous very angry people during the entire week who were unable to get a reservation.
2. Don't expect your room to be ready by 3pm. We arrived at noon and didn't get a room until after 4pm and only after I insisted very harshly that we needed a room NOW.
3. Horrible house wine. I continue to be amazed at what crap is served as wine at resorts.
4. Photos represent rooms closely, but they are very small. Furnishings are "tired" despite having been renovated in the past 2-3 years. Most refreshing was cosmetic. You can tell this is a resort that has been around for a while.

This is a very family oriented resort. If you want to avoid kids, don't come to this resort.
The beach is very, very small. Seaweed accumulates but is cleared off beach. TONS of it in the water though. Walking several hundred feet off property brings you to cleaner water, but you are off the resort.

The marijuana sellers stand at the property edge and if you are on the beach, you will smell it all day long.

We were constantly disturbed at night (1-3am) by people coming back to their rooms, loud voices and doors slamming. Walls are thin so don't expect quiet. [Details]

Amazing experience, relaxing yet fun, clean rooms, excellent service and staff, overall perfect week!, [Details]

I loved this hotel. It has an excellent modern and clean design, including avant-garde rooms. The food is great - especially the Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant (needs reservations). The staff are unformily friendly and engaging. Jamaica as a whole is a great destination, and a good alternative to the usual Mexico/Cuba thing that Western Canadians often do.

Biggest Complaint: there is an extremely high pressure 'vacation club' that the hotel will try to sell to you at the time, with promise of a free stay etc. We got sucked in by a friendly chat from a representative, but clearly acting on commission and they played a big guilt trip to get us to go to what is essentially a time-share style meeting. They really, seriously need to turn down the pressure on this.

I would highly recommend this hotel - just avoid the "TravelSmart" club and its high pressure tactics. [Details]

We were very pleased with the resort, the service and the food. All top notch! [Details]

We normally do not review resorts but in this case we feel this resort has been given some bad press. The resort has been recently renovated and they are still working out some minor kinks but overall it is a solid 4 star. The food was the best in 20 years of all inclusive travel, some of the highlights, lamb and wood fired pizza at the Italian, beef tenderloin at the steak house and Italian and the jerk chicken at the beach bbq. Did not eat at the buffet (except breakfast, that was great, fresh and lots of variety). Every night was ALC, and no reservations were required except Japanese (no problems to get in anywhere). Staff were exceptionally friendly, including check in. The drinks were above average with a good variety of premium brands that were included. Beach and water sports were great and the water slides at the pool were a hit with the kids and adults !!!!!. I strongly recommend this resort. [Details]

This hotel is a great resort if you have kids. We had an amazing time with our 17 month old. The pool/beach/food was all great. [Details]

Hotel and grounds beyond clean! Staff amazing - so friendly, food was great.
minimal nightlife entertainment; very quiet by 10:00. [Details]

Resort , pools and beach are beautiful. Staff are great. Food good. Still a lot of maintenance to be done in the rooms. patio doors didn't lock, handles on the doors falling off. Water leaking in some rooms. They are over booked if you paid for a certain room and you didn't get it, they would not change you rooms. I would not return to this Resort. [Details]

Would recommend this hotel any day. Was all that we hoped it would be. Beautiful décor, wonderful staff, great jerk chicken and decent food all round. [Details]

The Royalton White Sands Resort is all that it was advertised as, you will not be disappointed. As a six time return vacationer to Jamaica, it met or exceeded all of my expectations for its class of Resort. Keep up the Excellent Work! [Details]