Posing for photos with my loved one in the middle of a cascading waterfall, surrounded by lush forest while tiny fish glide around us in the cool water, it almost feels like a movie set.
Gone is the sunburn and concerns over whether we’ve got enough insect spray – instead the water splashing into the pool proves the perfect antidote to the hot Jamaican sun.
That moment seemed a million miles from the stereotypical holiday to Jamaica we had been slightly wary of, full of Rastas and rum and Bob Marley at every turn.
The trip to the YS Falls was just one of the excursions we could take on our trip from the Sandals Whitehouse resort on the south of the island, and a great way of seeing something other than the pristine white-sand beaches and azure blue sea.
Part of the Land of Wood and Water tour, my partner and I started our day with a trip down the Black River, taking in the flora and fauna, particularly the crocodiles basking regally in the sun, unperturbed by passing tourists and boats.
After a few hours of education, we were whisked off for lunch – Jerk chicken of course - followed by the falls themselves. Transported in the most rustic of ways, by a tractor-towed trailer, you’re greeted by the spectacular view of the cascading falls. At their foot, natural water pools have been landscaped making them super user-friendly, while you’re more than welcome to wander up the path alongside the falls, stopping at dip pools and rope swings to enjoy the fresh, cool water. Guides will help you up, and take pictures for you – for a small tip of course.
These sights are both an easy drive from Sandals Whitehouse, based on the south side of the island. The Caribbean-based chain aimed at couples has several resorts in Jamaica but Whitehouse sits on its own, miles from anywhere, bringing you pretty much everything you could want.
If you’re used to average all-inclusives, with just one large buffet hall and sugar-high children looking for the next free drink or meal, with guests packed round one, huge pool, this is something that is world’s apart.
Sandals doesn’t even call itself all-inclusive – the company claims to have created its own niche brand of “luxury-included”. This is all-inclusive with style – branded drinks, nice food, and everything – absolutely everything – at the resort included.
It all starts with the arrival. Popstar or pipe-fitter, celebrity or student, you really do get five-star treatment, from a welcome cocktail as you enter the extravagant lobby to a cool towel to mop your brow.
The resort is split into three “villages” - Italian, Dutch and French – ironically the whole theme of Whitehouse is European – it may seem strange to us Europeans, but it a great treat for the hordes of Americans and Canadians who hop down to Jamaica for their holidays.
Rooms all look out onto the stunning two-mile white sand beach. Don’t worry about being pestered by people as you sun yourself – this beach is just for the resort, lending itself to the impression you really are a million miles away from home.
Not ones to do beach holidays, we were slightly nervous about the prospect of boredom with nothing but sand to entertain us. How wrong we were! Keen on our watersports, we’ve often been stung by the extra prices for things like scuba diving, water-skiing, and sailing. But with everything included, imagine the joy of having the option of diving twice-a-day, every day, if we wanted to. Certified divers can literally just book a spot, pick up the kit, and go for an underwater adventure. And if you’ve never done it before there’s options of “resort qualifications” or doing all the certification while you’re there.
As if this wasn’t enough excitement, Jamie had the chance to waterski whenever he wanted, while we also tried our hand at sailing on small catamaran “Hobie Cats”.
Not to leave the land-lubbers out, there’s tennis, a gym, squash courts, and activities laid on through the day. And of course, if you just want a lie-down, there’s two pools, a Jacuzzi pool, the big blue sea, and the beach as far as you can see.
And when all the diving, swimming and doing nothing works up an appetite, it’s hard to know where to turn. Forget one, huge buffet hall serving lukewarm, dried up fare. Here you’re spoilt for choice - for lunch there’s the Italian restaurant on the piazza, Caribbean cuisine on the beach, the buffet if you so desire, or even the “jerk pit” – mounds of jerk pork and chicken, served in a basket with a doorstop of bread and a dollop of hot chilli sauce. Perfect when washed down with a Miami Vice cocktail (my new-found favourite!) - pina colada and strawberry daiquiri mixes with a generous slug of rum!
In the evenings, we struggled to try every restaurant in the one week we had. You can tour the world through food on offer: Italian, Asian, seafood, and Eleanors – Whitehouse’s white-gloved Caribbean fine –dining restaurant. If this isn’t enough, there is a buffet, with fresh salads, cooked-on-the-spot stir fries, and even lobster some nights. And then, yes there’s more, the weekly parties – a beach party with more food than I’ve ever seen, as well as a late night chocolate buffet for us with a sweet tooth.
With no kids around, Sandals definitely has an adult element, most noticeable in its nightlife. It’s a strange feeling quaffing martinis in a bar without having to hand over a penny – needless to say, we didn’t mind it being our round! There’s piano singalongs (massively popular with the Americans), a Cabaret bar with laid-on entertainment, or an outside bar where you can just wile away the hours with a cocktail listening to the sea lapping the beach. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you taking a wander down the sand for an added touch of romance.
We all know we’re in tough times economically, across the globe. But it seems a lot of us just won’t give up their holidays – maybe we all need a bit of cheering up. Sandals Whitehouse boasted a 97% occupancy rate when we were there, with similar figures expected throughout its summer season. And despite its near-full rates, there wasn’t one fight for a sun-lounger or space on the beach that I saw – must be down to clever designing, but it just didn’t feel too packed, an all-important feature when you’re looking for a bit of luxury.
And there’s even room to take it up a peg for those special occasions.Weddings, designed with the help of expert Martha Stewart, are big business at Sandals, as are honeymoons, and the emphasis on romance is clear for all to see. I have to confess to a few moments of wondering if a ring was going to be produced, but no, those romantic moments will just have to be remembered as special treats rather than life-changing questions. Needless to say, it would be churlish to complain about a candlelit dinner on the beach, with a private butler and just the two of us to enjoy the picture-perfect setting, or a couple’s massage in Sandals’ own Red Lane Spa.
Of course, the holiday and the extras themselves aren’t cheap – there’s no such thing as a free lunch and all that. But it all depends on what price you put on transforming yourself from normality to the extravagant, celeb life you always thought you deserved. So just think about it, next time you’re looking enviously at the set on that latest blockbuster. It could all be yours…..
Gone is the sunburn and concerns over whether we’ve got enough insect spray – instead the water splashing into the pool proves the perfect antidote to the hot Jamaican sun.
That moment seemed a million miles from the stereotypical holiday to Jamaica we had been slightly wary of, full of Rastas and rum and Bob Marley at every turn.
The trip to the YS Falls was just one of the excursions we could take on our trip from the Sandals Whitehouse resort on the south of the island, and a great way of seeing something other than the pristine white-sand beaches and azure blue sea.
Part of the Land of Wood and Water tour, my partner and I started our day with a trip down the Black River, taking in the flora and fauna, particularly the crocodiles basking regally in the sun, unperturbed by passing tourists and boats.
After a few hours of education, we were whisked off for lunch – Jerk chicken of course - followed by the falls themselves. Transported in the most rustic of ways, by a tractor-towed trailer, you’re greeted by the spectacular view of the cascading falls. At their foot, natural water pools have been landscaped making them super user-friendly, while you’re more than welcome to wander up the path alongside the falls, stopping at dip pools and rope swings to enjoy the fresh, cool water. Guides will help you up, and take pictures for you – for a small tip of course.
These sights are both an easy drive from Sandals Whitehouse, based on the south side of the island. The Caribbean-based chain aimed at couples has several resorts in Jamaica but Whitehouse sits on its own, miles from anywhere, bringing you pretty much everything you could want.
If you’re used to average all-inclusives, with just one large buffet hall and sugar-high children looking for the next free drink or meal, with guests packed round one, huge pool, this is something that is world’s apart.
Sandals doesn’t even call itself all-inclusive – the company claims to have created its own niche brand of “luxury-included”. This is all-inclusive with style – branded drinks, nice food, and everything – absolutely everything – at the resort included.
It all starts with the arrival. Popstar or pipe-fitter, celebrity or student, you really do get five-star treatment, from a welcome cocktail as you enter the extravagant lobby to a cool towel to mop your brow.
The resort is split into three “villages” - Italian, Dutch and French – ironically the whole theme of Whitehouse is European – it may seem strange to us Europeans, but it a great treat for the hordes of Americans and Canadians who hop down to Jamaica for their holidays.
Rooms all look out onto the stunning two-mile white sand beach. Don’t worry about being pestered by people as you sun yourself – this beach is just for the resort, lending itself to the impression you really are a million miles away from home.
Not ones to do beach holidays, we were slightly nervous about the prospect of boredom with nothing but sand to entertain us. How wrong we were! Keen on our watersports, we’ve often been stung by the extra prices for things like scuba diving, water-skiing, and sailing. But with everything included, imagine the joy of having the option of diving twice-a-day, every day, if we wanted to. Certified divers can literally just book a spot, pick up the kit, and go for an underwater adventure. And if you’ve never done it before there’s options of “resort qualifications” or doing all the certification while you’re there.
As if this wasn’t enough excitement, Jamie had the chance to waterski whenever he wanted, while we also tried our hand at sailing on small catamaran “Hobie Cats”.
Not to leave the land-lubbers out, there’s tennis, a gym, squash courts, and activities laid on through the day. And of course, if you just want a lie-down, there’s two pools, a Jacuzzi pool, the big blue sea, and the beach as far as you can see.
And when all the diving, swimming and doing nothing works up an appetite, it’s hard to know where to turn. Forget one, huge buffet hall serving lukewarm, dried up fare. Here you’re spoilt for choice - for lunch there’s the Italian restaurant on the piazza, Caribbean cuisine on the beach, the buffet if you so desire, or even the “jerk pit” – mounds of jerk pork and chicken, served in a basket with a doorstop of bread and a dollop of hot chilli sauce. Perfect when washed down with a Miami Vice cocktail (my new-found favourite!) - pina colada and strawberry daiquiri mixes with a generous slug of rum!
In the evenings, we struggled to try every restaurant in the one week we had. You can tour the world through food on offer: Italian, Asian, seafood, and Eleanors – Whitehouse’s white-gloved Caribbean fine –dining restaurant. If this isn’t enough, there is a buffet, with fresh salads, cooked-on-the-spot stir fries, and even lobster some nights. And then, yes there’s more, the weekly parties – a beach party with more food than I’ve ever seen, as well as a late night chocolate buffet for us with a sweet tooth.
With no kids around, Sandals definitely has an adult element, most noticeable in its nightlife. It’s a strange feeling quaffing martinis in a bar without having to hand over a penny – needless to say, we didn’t mind it being our round! There’s piano singalongs (massively popular with the Americans), a Cabaret bar with laid-on entertainment, or an outside bar where you can just wile away the hours with a cocktail listening to the sea lapping the beach. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you taking a wander down the sand for an added touch of romance.
We all know we’re in tough times economically, across the globe. But it seems a lot of us just won’t give up their holidays – maybe we all need a bit of cheering up. Sandals Whitehouse boasted a 97% occupancy rate when we were there, with similar figures expected throughout its summer season. And despite its near-full rates, there wasn’t one fight for a sun-lounger or space on the beach that I saw – must be down to clever designing, but it just didn’t feel too packed, an all-important feature when you’re looking for a bit of luxury.
And there’s even room to take it up a peg for those special occasions.Weddings, designed with the help of expert Martha Stewart, are big business at Sandals, as are honeymoons, and the emphasis on romance is clear for all to see. I have to confess to a few moments of wondering if a ring was going to be produced, but no, those romantic moments will just have to be remembered as special treats rather than life-changing questions. Needless to say, it would be churlish to complain about a candlelit dinner on the beach, with a private butler and just the two of us to enjoy the picture-perfect setting, or a couple’s massage in Sandals’ own Red Lane Spa.
Of course, the holiday and the extras themselves aren’t cheap – there’s no such thing as a free lunch and all that. But it all depends on what price you put on transforming yourself from normality to the extravagant, celeb life you always thought you deserved. So just think about it, next time you’re looking enviously at the set on that latest blockbuster. It could all be yours…..
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