The Verandah Resort & Spa

I don’t very often leave reviews, however I’m here with my wife at the moment and after reading a lot of negative reviews, we wanted to give our honest opinion. We were a bit apprehensive before coming here because of some of them, to the point where we wanted to change hotels, however we are so glad we didn’t!! We genuinely cannot fault this hotel at all, to the point where if it were kid friendly then we would come again with our children. The rooms are a great size, have been cleaned daily with fresh towels, shampoo/conditioner etc. The food has been great in every place that we have tried so far. The staff are great at helping to answer any questions we have or even any recommendations. The opening/closing times are very clearly communicated throughout the stay too, so we are never stressed or worried about where to eat. If you want a great holiday that has everything and you can soak up some Caribbean paradise (and some rum), look no further 👍 10/10.

Check in was very easy; we were told we could book restaurant reservations at guest services - which was closed for the night. There is a buffet for guests without restaurant reservations; we were pleasantly surprised with the variety and quality of the food. The next morning, we went to make a reservation (they can only be made for two days at a time); there were no open restaurant times for two more days. Of course, we went to the buffet and again, the food was good! The restaurant and bar staff were friendly and efficient! Our room was comfortable and service was provided every other day. Our screen door did not work properly, our toilet took a long time to refill and we had a problem with tiny ants in our bathroom. Both the toilet and ant issues were handled.

I probably would have rated this 4.5 if this had been an option. We had a lovely time on our winter sun holiday ( arranged as a British Airways holiday) The grounds are very well maintained. Our room was large and comfortable. I’ve read reviews here which talk about “grumpy “ staff - not our experience. We enjoyed the food and drinks on our All inclusive package . No issues finding a beach spot , pool spot . Also no problems with towels . 2 beach options - Rasta is quieter , water sport options at Lovers beach - lunched happily at both spots . Main pool has activities later in afternoon . There is a pool tucked above Rasta beach , small pool behind Wickets - most people don’t spot that and the waterfall pool There are comments about size and availability of electric buggies but if you like a walk and have no mobility issues everything is walkable Coffee shop is a good feature . Dropped in after breakfast and later afternoon for a coffee and sweet treat . Only went to Wickets pup once - it’s more of sports bar The Friday evening beach buffet with entertainment was fabulous fun . We took a trip on Calypso Cat with a bit of a snorkel- also a lovely half day out Sunday evening at Shirley heights a lively evening You can walk round to Long Beach or from Lovers beach end of resort to Devils bridge The reason for not giving 5 stars - at busy times in restaurants you probably need to prompt staff about your order and accompanying drinks. Entertainment after dinner around the pool - not a lot of seating options - would have enjoyed another event like Friday’s . A couple of reviews have mentioned hiccups with room servicing- we had one and was sorted by guest services. No issues at all with late checkout options or continued use of all the all inclusive options prior to leaving

Recently returned from a fantastic trip at The veranda - just want we needed beautiful weather, fantastic service and food, accomodation is comfty and clean - couldnt have asked for a better trip. We want to thank all the wonderful staff who made our trip so good - special thanks to Theodore and Devin! Will definitely be returning

So I will break down as much as I can for anyone thinking about going to this resort. I will start off by saying overall we had a very nice time. My husband and I have been on roughly 15 all-inclusive trips all over the place, and most are pretty similar. Nothing too different about this one. property: the property is very pretty, and feels like its built into the hillside/jungle. They have golf cart porters who you can call to come get you, or they have stations set up throughout to wait for one. They pass by pretty regularly though. We walked to the front and back several times as well. Pretty hilly if you have trouble walking I will say. rooms: We stayed in the superior waterfront nestled in the trees right above Lovers beach. It was a gorgeous view. The room itself is clearly older, but still nice. If youre looking for something upscale and all shiney and new, this isnt it. But for people who rarely hang out in their rooms, it was absolutely fine. Nothing wrong with it at all. One thing we are used to though is a stocked mini fridge. They have a mini fridge but they only give you 2 complimentary bottles of water, no beer, no soda, nothing else. Since the water is drinkable, you have to purchase other bottles of water. You do have a sink (other than the bathroom) next to the mini fridge so you can refill water bottles there. Or bring a cup to refill because the little shop on the property is PRICEY! for a bottle of water and sunscreen it was $27 USD. food: Most all-inclusvie offer pretty bland foods to of course suit everyone. My husband and I like spicier, richer foods. This all inclusive is no different and we didnt expect it to be, so it was good. The restaurants food is no different. They really only have three restaurants that are free though, besides the buffet. Sails and Tails and Italian at night, and the beach restaurant is only during the day. Nicholes you have to pay $50 per person extra. We didnt try that since it didnt get the best reviews. Italian was good, but we definitely preferred sails and tails. But both good. The sports bar food was fine. Not great but not bad. Our friends liked the nachos. THE BEST part of the food there was the pizza place. We literally ate it everyday for lunch! Lunch time of course is super busy so go a little early. Once they run out of dough they are done for the day even if its not closing time. Also, NO 24 HOUR ROOM SERVICE. We have been so used to this aspect that frankly it was a bit of an adjustment. If you miss dinner thats it. We loved it after a good night of partying, but oh well. Pools and beaches: The beaches were so chill. almost too chill. We have always gone to more party type resorts, but we are in our mid 40s now and welcomed a more relaxed atmosphere. The issue was that the beaches didnt have any music. Even just at a low volume. Not necessarily an issue but seemed a little odd. They have some music at the main pool area the entire time its open. So the beaches are super chill. Lover beach is the main beach and is very nice. Not rocky, no shells really, but these neat rafts that are permanently anchored out in the water to relax on. Several people can fit on them. Plus you can rent kayaks, and explore the bay for free. Plenty of shaded areas as well. There is a second beach near the very front of the resort called Rasta beach where the beach restaurant is. This beach is super quiet. But there is this neat pool in the corner that is awesome for hanging out and chatting with friends with this cool waterfall feature. grab a few drinks and go chill there. The main pool is where the "party" is at. Its pretty chill though too. They had a foam party which was a lot of fun. They DO NOT have a SWIMUP bar! I guess we took this for granted because every other resort has had one. Which is fine I guess but we really love them. Theres also no one walking around taking drink orders. Bars are easy to get to so its not a big deal but if you thought you could tip someone to serve you, they arent here! Tipping: We are from the US and we tip a lot. Every other resort ive been to, you find a server, give them $20 the first day, and keep on tipping throughout the week. They always find you and make sure you've got a drink. We love that not only for the service but you get to know the person and they always good local tips for fun things to do. Nothing like that here. Again not a major issue but something we always enjoyed. Never really got to talking much with any of the staff even though we tried to. The people all seemed friendly, but at a distance if that makes sense. We also like to tip just about anyone who helps us out or does a service, but no one there seemed to really care that we tipped, and no one else really was. Which was just a bit different for us. I understand tipping isnt a big thing in every culture, but if you are used to it, bring a lot of 1's. We went through like $140 in 1's in a couple days, but assumed like most resorts theyd have an ATM or we could exchange with the front desk. They had neither. golf: we always bring our golf clubs when we travel. WE read the reviews and it seemed like the Cedar Valley was the place to go. THe best on the island....DO NOT waste your money. This place is beat to hell, every single green was covered in some sort of disease so it was like plinko putting! you need an offroad vehicle to get around. So when you see the golf carts that look like they were shot several times and possibly a bear attacked them...you will understand why. it was crazy. It was $100/person when it should have been $25. It was janky as can be. Dont even waste your money to ship your clubs. Just go do something else. Catamaran: we did a catamaran around the island I believe called the excellence and it was perfect. beautiful views, beautiful beach you stop at, but the waves were HUGE! if you get sea sick at all, take some dramamine! It saved me and it was fun! Its not choppy at all, just very big waves. Very cool experience!