Fantastic Holiday – So Many Extras (WS) (by Skibum)

Shared by Skibum- Stayed at White Sand

So many others have already explained the many features of this resort that I won’t repeat. However, I will say that this was one of the best holidays I’ve had with our family. We are a family of 4 – kids are almost 2 and almost 5.
We stayed in a junior suite in Villa 58 in the White Sand – perfect location close to the Colonial pool and kids waterpark, beach, buffets. We had 2 double beds, a pullout couch and a crib. Still plenty of room.

What we loved:
– all the wildlife – wow! We saw iguanas, coatis, racoons, cats, birds, some other small rodent-type animal, an anteater, crocodiles, flamingos. The kids loved it (and so did we)
– the layout of the resort – the pool is right next to the beach which made it easy to alternate between both
– the live music during the day (i.e. during lunch)
– the Raggs Breakfast for kids on Wednesday morning (if you have kids, do this, trust me)
– the staff – so friendly, helpful
– the ice cream/popsicle cart that came around by the pool (nice touch Palladium)
– the waterpark (awesome for kids, good variety of slides, shallow areas)
– the shows (we went to the Colonial theatre for the earlier shows – they were really well done. The dancers and entertainment team have such enthusiasm and the shows were well received by our kids. The costumes were the best I’ve seen)
– Salt Water pool – very cool feature
– the pontoon boat ride (we went 3 times – so much fun)
– all the fish in the ponds outside the buffets (kept the kids well entertained during meals)
– the train
– the mini golf
– seeing fish in the ocean as you walk out to not even waist deep (and we saw a ray!)

A few things to consider:
– if you are with a stroller or wheelchair – you can get around but you often have to go a longer way as many of the shortcuts are on boardwalks that require a few stairs and the boardwalks themselves are uneven. Not a huge deal, but something to think about. Also – if you venture to the White Sands/Riviera side, the shortest way is over a bridge(s), but you can always go around (just longer)
– no elevators in the buildings. If you need to be on the ground floor, make sure you request that. We got a great workout staying on the 3rd floor 🙂 (Very private though as you are surrounded by jungle)
– the resort is about an hour from the airport
– many sections of the beach are rocky – bring some water shoes and you’ll be fine. There are sections where it is nice sand and you can walk right in, but if you’re looking for a beach that’s fine, white sand all the way along, this is not it.

Areas to improve:
– personally, I found the bed too hard but that’s just me.
– there was tons of food at the buffets with so much to choose from, but I found they could have switched up the options a bit more, especially at dinner, because many of the same hot items were served each night (at other resorts we’ve gone to, they have theme nights where different foods are served). Please don’t take this as a complaint about the food though, because this resort had some of the best food I’ve had.

Overall, would we return – absolutely.

Your vacation is what you make of it. A few things like saying hello (Hola!), thank you (gracias) etc. go a long way in showing your appreciation for the staff and how hard they work. Also – you will meet people from around the world. Enjoy it! Don’t expect that things will be exactly as they are where you live. Embrace the fact that you’re on holiday in this beautiful part of the world.

Stayed January 2016