We recently returned from Sandcastle too. We loved it! We knew that the beach would be crowded in the day so we kept our expectations at a reasonable level. Our experience was even better than expected! In the mornings and evenings White Bay is just glorious! It's incredible to have that stretch of paradise to yourself in the still of the morning and wonder of the evening. During the day, we really got a kick out of people watching. Only on one day did we encounter a boat that blasted obnoxious music for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, the passengers on that boat were actually more rude and annoying than the stereo. We just wandered down the beach that afternoon. Ivan's, One Love and Coco Loco are all just a hop, skip and a jump away.
As for alcohol in the room, we tried to honour their regulations as we didn't want to rock the boat. We had a few cans of beer left from our stay on Anegada and put then in the fridge one day. No problem-o. We met other Sandcastle guests who said they brought wine for the room with no issues. As others have mentioned, it seems that the policy is in place to prevent people from bringing large quantities/cases of beer.
Management was always friendly and helpful. No issues there. Although there did seem to be a manager on the property who never said a word to anyone but oh well. Perhaps that manager was more admin focused. Even in paradise, someone has to take care of the books! There were plenty of other incredible staff to chat with and we always got assistance when we needed it. We'd met Mic briefly in March and looked forward to getting to know him. Others said his presence is terribly missed, especially his laugh. Understandable. We "newbies" thought the bar staff was great and efficient. Shaneek is a gem and Jason is doing a fine job.
And... The cottages have been renovated and look better than on the website. Furnishings are now a little more "Pottery Barn" and less Ikea. LOL The only issue with the room is that the mosquitos were feisty in the outdoor shower. I was fine but my husband got eaten alive. Small price to pay for a slice of paradise! Maybe they could get some netting for the showers? Other than that the only thing missing from the room, in my humble opinion, is a coffee maker. No biggie, though. Coffee was usually ready by 8am but we tended to wake up early on this trip thanks to early nights and the island's rooster wake up calls. Haha!
I'll be posting a trip report soon with more details. Let's just put it this way, I loved the place so much I cried when we left! We hope to go back next year. We're just waiting for our lousy Canadian dollar to bounce back so we're not paying an extra 30% on the US dollar!
Happy travels to you! I hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did!
*EDIT* I posted this and then re-read your initial post. I see you've been to Sandcastle before so you likely are aware of the shower mosquitos, renos, etc. Hopefully my long-winded post will help those who haven't been to Sandcastle! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />
