Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort

Amenities at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort

Resort Amenities Sailing Business center Disco/Night club Dive center/shop Fishing Health club and/or spa Kayaks Laundry facilities Outdoor pool Restaurant Sauna Snorkeling Tennis courts Windsurfing Water-skiing Room service

In-Room Amenities Air conditioning Coffee/Tea maker Hair dryer Iron/ironing board Nonsmoking rooms Accessible for disabled guests Safe Television

Honeymoon Reviews

10/06/2008   We loved st.lucia and we would definatly go back

08/11/2006   The Flight Down The flight was ok, but Philadelphia Airport was horrible. We had a delay of almost an hour to land on the way to St Lucia, then had 5 minutes to run from one side of the airport to the other. If you have to fly through Philly, always make sure you have at least a two hour layover, or you may miss your plane. Hotel The hotel was wonderful. Couldn't ask for anything more. Beautiful grounds, adequate rooms, good food, great beach, great views, awesome service. Being a return guest to Sandals, they upgraded us a couple categories, and gave us a Honeymoon Lux Beach View. I highly recommend the Beach View Rooms. They are on the Carib side of the peninsula, but the view of the bay and mountains is awesome, and the sunsets are breathtaking. Try to get at least the second floor. Our room smelled a little musty when we got there, so I asked to be moved. After seeing the view from a couple other rooms, we decided to stay in ours. The smell turned out to disappear after we blasted the AC during the day while we weren't there. After that, everything else was perfect. The food was excellent for the Caribbean Resort standard. Which, of course, is a couple stars below the NY/Chicago standard. I've eaten food all over the world, and can say that I was not disappointed with the food at Sandals. You may have to try a couple things until you find the right thing for you, but I'm sure it's there. The filet migon that I had on several occasions was awesome. The two best restaurants that we visited were La Toc at the Regency, and Toscininis at the Grande. Make sure you get reservations for La Toc and Kimonos as soon as you arrive, or most likely you won't get any. They seem to fill up 7-9 days in advance sometimes. The Wedding The wedding was as perfect and romantic as can be. We couldn't think of anything that we could have done differently that would have made it any better. There was no hassle at all. Sandals took care of everything for us. Their wedding coordinators are amazing. We had Shamma as our coordinator and she was wonderful. We chose a secluded gazebo on the Western end of the property called the Paradise Gazebo. From our gazebo you could see both the Carib and the Atlantic. We also paid a little extra to have dinner in the gazebo with our own private waiter. The food was awesome - Chateau Briand, the waiter was awesome - Sean, the location was awesome. I would highly, highly recommend splurging for this. We had one of the best photographers I've ever met - Gemma (The G is pronounced as a hard g as in Great). Check out the pictures he took of us ---> Click Here. Make sure to mention to him that you saw his name on the internet. We also paid a little extra to get a video made. Before we went down, I put a couple songs that were special to us on a CD and took it down with us. Our videographer - Nigel - did an awesome job. I would highly recommend having him video your ceremony. And if you are planning on this, take some music. He mixed it in there so professionally. We can't say enough about how pleased we were. Also, consider this. If you get the DVD, you can pull any of the pics off of the DVD onto your computer using a couple free programs. It is worth the upgrade. Make sure to mention to him that you saw his name on the internet. Some Other Things to Mention One evening, while we were sitting on the beach watching the sunset, we saw 3 horses walking up the beach. We showed a little interest, so the guide - Bano - stopped and talked to us a minute. He said he could meet us tomorrow at 4:30 if we were interested in a sunset ride down the beach. He said it would last about an hour and a half. We thought about it for about 15 seconds, did a little bargaining, then agreed to meet him. He took us up the road along the Atlantic, then into a little nearby town. The people were all so friendly - all of them!!! Then back along the beach during the sunset. Bano was a great guide - ask for him if you are interested in an awesome horse ride. Make sure to mention to him that you saw his name on the internet. The Flight Back On the way back, we landed after flying around the airport for 45 minutes, then had to sit on the runway for another 45 minutes. Luckily our layover was 2 hours this time and we made it through customs and to our next flight just in time.

08/10/2006   Just got back from our honeymoon last night, and felt compelled to write this while it was all fresh in my mind. We arrived in St Lucia, Monday May 23, 2005. The humidity when you get off the plane is quite strong, especially if you aren't used to it. We booked our flights into the airport on the south side of the island (UVF) which had its pros and cons. The airport it self is very small and shabby looking. But the staff is very helpful. They got us through customs, got our luggage and had us on a van to the Grande in less than 30 minutes. I will say the bathrooms at the airport were not clean in anyway which kind of grossed me out. Now in regards to the vans... I will say they are probably not for everyone. Pros: You are with your luggage, it's air conditioned!!!!!, you start getting acquainted with some of the people you will be seeing over the duration of your stay, you get to see a very large portion of the island. Cons: you are packed into a van with a bunch of people, the roads are windy at times, the drivers drive very fast (although I will say they know what they are doing), it's a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive to the Grande. Now on another note. The drive to the resort is interesting. St Lucia is very... Rustic?... In some areas. On the drive you will see several loose cows, horses and even some pigs wandering about. Many of the homes are very run down looking. It's just a very striking contrast to what you get at the resort. Well once we got to the resort, they split the couples into 2 groups, the couples who are staying in the concierge level rooms, and the ones who aren't. We were staying in a concierge room, so we were whisked away to the 2nd floor of the lobby, where we entered the concierge lounge.. We were treated to a lovely air conditioned room to relax in as we sipped champagne and filled out our paper work. Once our paperwork was completed one of the employees walked us to our room. We stayed in a Penthouse Ocean Front Concierge room which is in the Monachy building. Our room was 6316. Our balcony faced the Atlantic Ocean, the tennis courts and a parking lot. The room was nice, pretty typical as far as the layout for a hotel room. No musty smell as I know some people have posted in their reviews. The bathroom was a good size, and is stocked with aloe, body lotion, shampoo, and conditioner. We had a liquor cabinet with vodka, rum, whisky and gin. We had a fridge with white wine, red wine, champagnes, beer, waters, sodas, and juices. My husband requested specific liquor and the concierge brought it to our room that day. The resort itself is just beautiful. The grounds are very well kept with gorgeous plants and flowers everywhere you turn. The pools always seemed very clean and well taken care of. The beach is raked in the morning, but the beach to the left of the pier always seemed nicer then the right side of the pier. The staff is wonderful. Everyone we had a conversation with is very friendly. My husband was buddies with 2 of the bartenders (Remy and Simeon) by the end of the week. Julietta at the Red Lane Spa is wonderful. The snorkeling staff was always very funny and eager to show you cool things in the water. ************************************************************ I know one of the biggest rants I have read about Sandals is the food. We enjoyed every meal we had during our stay. I will say some meals were better then others, but we were never disappointed. Barefoot by the Sea - I think we ate there everyday for lunch during our stay. They do a great outdoor grill at lunch time with chicken breast sandwiches, hamburgers, and a daily special usually either steak or ribs. The also have a serve your self area with nachos, pizza, popcorn and cookies. The also have a menu you can order off of. Their lunch and dinner menu are completely different. At lunch we enjoyed their fish and chips on more then one occasion. At dinner they have a great surf and turf. Bayside- We only ate there twice. Once for breakfast which was a buffet, but had a hundred things to choose from. The second was for dinner our first night there, which was also a buffet. They had a ginger and rum flank steak that was great. Toscanini's - We had dinner there once. I had pork medallions with apple rings and my husband had a seafood stew that were both terrific. They have a chocolate amaretto desert that is to die for. Josephine's - My husband is in love with their blueberry crepes. The also have great milkshakes and tiny waffles with different toppings. The Pub - I've only been home a day and already craving their potato leek soup and chicken pot pie! La Toc (at the Regency)- (Reservations required) The food and service was fantastic. It's a very romantic cozy atmosphere. My husband and I both had steak that was great. He enjoyed the escargot as well. Mario's (at the Halcyon) - I can't say enough great things about this restaurant. The service is very warm and friendly. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The food was amazing. We were so impressed the first night we went there, that we went back the next night (which was also our last night of our trip). The eggplant parmesan appetizer is excellent. The minestrone soup is wonderful. The antipasto bar is yummy. The garlic shrimp, the filet of beef, and the lamb were all fantastic. And the fettuccini Alfredo was the best I have ever had. Room Service - Very slow service. It usually took an hour to get our food. Cheeseburgers were always yummy. The pizza was always a good late night treat. The omelets were tasty. And the cheesecake was great. The Bars - Just about everywhere you turn there is a bar. All the drinks we tried were very good. My personal favorite was the dirty banana. It's a great cold smooth drink that tastes a lot like a banana milk shake. On a note: You have to make reservations for The Pier, La Toc and Kimonos. We chose not to eat at the pier, but were unable to make reservations at Kimono's because it was full and we tried to make reservations our 2nd day there. ************************************************************* The resort has a lot to do if you choose to do it. My husband water skied everyday. I enjoyed a morning having spas services. We took a Hobie cat out for a sail twice. We snorkeled twice. We participated in name that tune, ping pong, bingo, and karaoke. The playmakers who organize the events are really funny and really make the activities fun. We also hiked up to the top of pigeon point which gave us some beautiful views and photo ops. Overall all our trip was amazing. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. We were sad to leave after 8 wonderful days, and 7 terrific nights but at the same time we were ready for home. I would recommend the Grande to anyone, young or old. We can't wait to go back!

07/24/2006   We just returned from an 8 night stay at the Sandals Grande from Nov. 19-27 for our honeymoon. It was a wonderful vacation with only a few minor slip ups (as is expected in any trip), but you have to be prepared to live up to the St. Lucian motto: 'No pressure, No problem.' Warning, this is long, but it may be the only review you'll have to read. Or just scan through and look for the M.S.T.s (Muttliu's Secret Tips). Transfer We flew into the Hewannora Int'l airport which is at the south end of the island and the resort is on the north end. I read many of the reviews before going so we took the advice and booked the helicopter ride. I'm telling you, it's well worth it! We heard nothing but complaints from other guests that the 1 1/2 to 2 hours ar ride was painful. The distance is only 14 miles across the island to the resort, but with the winding, hilly, and relatively undeveloped roads, it's just not a comfortable drive. The helicopter takes you from the Hewannora airport to the smaller George Charles airport closer to the resort, then you take a short 20 min drive to the resort. The cost for the chopper is $105 US each if you book it directly with the company but you have to pay $20 US for a taxi to the resort. It's $125 if you book it through the resort with the 20 mins shuttle ride included. (MST: Book it directly with the company and when you get there, see if there's space on their shuttle for you. If they're nice, they'll just let you jump on!) We missed the shuttle when we arrived, but when we took the helicopter back at the end of the trip, they gave us a free ride. The chopper is an excellent way to start your vacation. With a beautiful scenic helicopter ride over and along the coast of the island and then a short 20 min taxi ride through the local areas, you'll know that you've landed in paradise. Besides, you already spent so much on the vacation, you might as well splurge on the helicopter to start off on a good note! Another bonus for taking the chopper is that you arrive well before the others so you can book restaurants, tours, activities before everyone else. (MST: If you do the chopper thing, bring a carry-on bag with a change of clothes, like your swimsuits. The helicopter can only take your carry-on and your larger luggage goes with the bus by road, so you have to wait a few hours for your luggage after you've already arrived at the resort by helicopter.) If you're travelling from Canada, the U.S. Or any other cooler area, you don't want to wander around in your long pants and shoes while waiting for your luggage like we did. We almost had the urge to strip down and jump in the pool! Another option is to look into flying directly to the George Charles airport on your airline. We met a couple that were able to do that. I think their flight was from Miami. Check-in and Rooms We booked an Oceanfront Penthouse Suite with Concierge Service. Upon arrival, they take you directly to the Concierge Lounge and like the other reviews mentioned, they immediately offer you a cool towel and drinks while they check you in and escort you to your room. The Concierge staff are absolultely wonderful and accommodating. If you're looking for no worries and no hassles during your stay, you should spend the extra for the Concierge service. Any concerns or bookings we wanted were immediately taken care of by them. (With no concierge, you have to book everything yourself at the front desk. They are a first come first serve basis for the restaurants that need reservations. Concierge gets first dibbs on reservations!) The rooms were spacious and extremely clean. We were on the third floor with a beautiful ocean view of the Atlantic side. The rooms were immaculate with housekeeping twice a day! They take the extra step in cleaning your room during the day and then come again in the early evening to remake your bed and puff your pillows for the night! The rooms are well stocked with a mini bar and fridge. Two sinks in the bathroom are a definite plus, but the shower was a little crammed and short, not that I'm overly big and bulky! Then again, we didn't go there for the shower. Pool and Beach Again immaculately clean. There's staff cleaning both throughout the day, but you don't really notice them. We got up early one morning and actually saw someone raking the entire beach and picking up every piece of garbage and twigs that had washed up. Now that's adding the extra touch. The pool and beach do get busy when the sun's out, and it's quite funny to watch everyone scatter like flies when it starts to rain a little. Only a few of us clued in that we're in a pool anyway, so don't you think you're already going to get wet? But as soon as it clears, everyone seems to come out of no where. I'll touch on the weather later. The pool and beach get busy, but weren't crowded. You still had lots of room to yourselves. (MST: Grab a pool towel early. In fact, if your conscience doesn't bother you, stock pile a few when you can as they can be scarce as the day progresses.) They try their best to keep the towels stocked, but it's hard to keep up with the demand. Drinks and Bars Okay, you already know this is an Ultra All-inclusive resort, so what can I say. Drinks are on me! You can get any type of drink you want whenever and as much as you want, but I recommend you break free from your usual choices back home and go for the tropical slushy drinks they have. Might I recommend the Miami Vice or any of the Coladas. What am I talking about...try them all! The three main bars are conveniently located with one in the lobby, one beachside and the other in the pool. That's right, they have a swim up bar at the main pool. The only thing I haven't figured out is that I wonder what they do if someone spills their drink in the pool? Never saw it happen so I guess it's irrelevant. One of those things that make you go hmmmmm! (MST: If you can find one, bring one of those floating cup holders.) We met one couple that brought them and everyone was jealous. It doesn't make a difference if you're relaxing poolside, but it was amusing to watch everyone trying to relax in the pool, but awkwardly trying to keep their drinks out of the water! Yes,we were one of those as well. As for the bartenders, they aren't the friendliest of the staff. Yes they move slow and seem to be pre-occupied, but then again, they are really busy. The bars are usually quite busy and they're just constantly making drinks one after the other. They're responsible for cleaning the glasses and going around the beach and poolside to collect the glasses too. No wonder they don't have the time to stop and chat. Just keep that in mind when you feel they are not giving you the personal attention. Restaurants Okay here it is...I have to agree with most of the other reviews. The restaurants are good to great, but not excellent. If you can just remember that you're on vacation, everything will be fine. If you're an extremely picky eater, you may be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I loved the food, but some people expected high class fancy meals. Remember you're in a all-inclusive resort. You can't really expect them to put the personal touch on each and every dish. All the restaurants at the Sandals Grande were quite nice. Barefoot on the Beach was nice for a casual lunch or dinner. Tusconini's was supposed to be the 'classy' restaurant at the resort, but the food was not the best. Don't order the cheese ravioli. It was not good at all and this is a confirmation from another review. It's worth going just to try it, but I doubt you would want to go back a second time. Bayside restaurant was very good for lunch and dinner. The buffet lunch was excellent with great selection and the meals were satisfying. Josephine's is a crepe cafe and a must try. They have crepes for lunch as well as dessert crepes. Again, this is a must and as with the drinks, you should make an effort to try all the different types. My favorite was the blueberry crepe! Just keep in mind, you will gain some weight, but there's lots of fitness activities to help you burn it off! We also visited some of the other restaurants at the other two Sandals resorts which required reservations. The Pier restaurant at the Sandals Halcyon was located on the ocean and the interior was very nice, however the food was again average to good at best. Kimonos is a Japanese restaurant at the Sandals Regency resort. Couples sit around a large cooking area while a personal chef cooks your meals. Keep in mind, that it's a set menu of fried rice, seafood, beef and chicken. The food was nothing special and tasted just okay. You would only want to go there for the experience, not the food. However, you have to take a 30 min shuttle ride from the Sandals Grande to the Sandals Regency and once you arrive at the Regency lobby, you take a small bus up the hill (only a couple of mins) to the restaurant. Keep in mind that the mini shuttle has no set schedule, so when you're done your meal, you may be stranded up the hill for sometime, or else you have to walk about 10 mins back to the lobby for a shuttle back to the Sandals Grande. La Toc restaurant at the Sandals Regency was also over rated. Again, it was supposed to be a high class French cuisine. The environment was nice, but mostly because the customers dressed up to go there. The food was again nothing extravagant, so don't expect too much. Now as for the service at the restaurants.....I have to be honest and say that the service at all of the restaurants at all three Sandals resorts was substandard. The staff were unenthusiastic and unattentive. I don't expect too much from people, but they could at least be friendly and appear to enjoy what they're doing. Most of the staff at these restaurants were very mechanical and seemed bothered by you being there. The dressed the part to fit the environment (eg. There's was white glove service at some of the 'classier' restaurants, but their personas definitely didn't suit what they were trying to make the restaurants out to be.)The only extremely friendly restaurant staff were the managers that would at times make their rounds to each table and spend some time chatting with you to make you feel at home. To summarize, the restaurant staff were very disappointing. (MST: Book the restaurants as soon as you arrive at the resort. They book up extremely fast. If you have Concierge Service, you have a better chance of securing reservations.) We met couples that did not have the Concierge Service and were very disappointed that they couldn't get some reservations. Activities and Tours Wide selection of things to do. There's everything from being adventurous and trying all the watersports, to playing a friendly game of beach or pool volleyball with other people, to just chillin' at the pool or beach. I recommend you take advantage of trying as many of the watersports as you can. Scuba diving is a wonderful experience if you've never done it before. It was my wife's first time and she loved it. If you're not already a certified diver, you have to pay $70 each for a short half day lesson. Well worth the experience though. But if you have a chance, take a full course at home first so when you go to St.Lucia, you can go on longer, deeper dives. Jet Skiing and parasailing can be found from a local company called 'Orgasm Tours' that is not part of the resort, so you have to put out the cash. We didn't go parasailing, but the cost of the Jet Skis was $40 for 30 mins and you can take two people on one Jet ski. If you choose to do this, make sure you bargain. Remember this is not part of the resort, so bargaining is fair game. We ended up getting 45 mins for $40. Orgasm Tours is easy to find, they hang around the beach at the resort. There are various tours offered by the resort that are at extra cost as well. We highly recommend the Soufriere Day cruise. You will cruise around the west coast on a catamaran and then stop to do a land tour of some local sights including a Botanical Garden, waterfall, sulphur springs (volcano)and stop for lunch at a local restaurant. You then get back on the catamaran and stop for some snorkeling or just swimming. Equipment provided. You continue to cruise around the island through some of the different bays. (MST: If there's only one tour you take while you're there, the Soufriere Day Cruise is the one.) You'll meet many other couples from all over the world and party on the catamaran. Lots of photo ops on this tour so make sure you have your camera! Cost for the Soufriere Cruise, $98 US each. We also went on the Evening cruise. Warning, this is only for serious partying. Although they used to call it the sunset cruise, a romantic view of the sun setting is not guaranteed, thus they changed the name. While we were there, it was nicknamed the 'booze cruise'. So basically it's just drinking and dancing while cruising on the ocean. Not much scenery and really nothing to do except meet other couples, drink and dance, so unless your looking just to party, this isn't really worth it. Horseback riding was alright, but don't expect anything exciting. You're only walking casually with the horses and at times it's very muddy. If you're up for this, check with them to see if the paths are really muddy before you commit to it. Our original booking was actually cancelled as it was too muddy so they rebooked us on another day. The only cool thing about this was that we went to a beach area and took the saddles off and then went barebacking with the horses in the ocean! That's right, we went swimming with the horses, so bring your swimsuits. We found this out a little late, but the key to staying on is to get a good grip of the horses mane and hang on for dear life! They recommend you wear long pants for this, but there really was no need. If the weather's nice, it would be way too hot for pants. If you're concerned for your legs rubbing, just bring a towel and throw it over the saddle. Unless you've never ridden horses before or have never gone swimming on a horse before, this really isn't worth the time and money. It costs $55 US per person for a 1 hour ride, but it doesn't include swimming. Cost is $60 per person for a two hour ride which includes the swimming. Needless to say, if you're going to do it, pay the extra $5 for the two hour riding. Some couples that we met also took the Plantation and Jungle tour which cost $68 US per person. They said overall they enjoyed it as it took them to a historical plantation and went through the jungle. However, you spend a lot of time standing in the back of an open truck. It was a very bumpy, uncomfortable ride and at times dangerous as our friend was almost launched out off the truck. The real disappointment at the resort was in fact the night life. There is none on the resort. After dinner, you won't have much, if anything to do. There is a night club called Palladium at the resort, but majority of the days you'll only see a few couples if at all that many. They do have some shows and events planned, but as soon as the show's over, people leave and the place is dead. We discovered that the only way to get the party going at night is to make a few friends while you're at the resort and have your own little party. Most couples just went for walks and hung out in their rooms. So if you're looking for an exciting nightlife, this is not the resort for you. And now for the exploring types. There's lots to do off the resort. Go for a walk to the nearby Pigeon Island National Park. It's only a 5 min walk from the Sandals Grande resort and is actually part of the beautiful scenery from the resort. You only pay $5 US as an entry fee. This is an old fort grounds with two hills which you can hike up for absolute spectacular views of the island and overlooks the Sandals Grande resort. Just be prepared to do some real hiking as some areas are fairly steep and some were not paved paths. Exploring the whole park and remnants of the fort structures would only take about 2 hours of your time. The next thing you have to do is experience the local culture and go into town. Just take a 20 min taxi ride into the capital city of Castries for $20 US. If you want some tourist/commercial/duty free shopping, ask the taxi to take you to Poi te Seraphine. There's a small outdoor strip plaza, but it's very geared towards tourists. If you're more adventurous then go to Vendors Arcade. There's two main buildings there which are basically large warehouses with many small flea market type booths inside. One is more crafts oriented, while the other is more souvenir/trinket type stuff. Don't worry, the people will not harass you to death like other places. They are very polite and will obviously try to sell you something, but if you politely decline, they won't press the issue or keep following you. If you have the gift of bargaining, this is the place for you. (MST: Don't ever pay the price they quote you. Always bargain for a deal. This place is not for the shy at heart or else you'll be ripped off. The only time you pay full price is in an actual store.) We spent an entire day in Castries shopping and wandering the city. We found an alley way at the Vendors Arcade where there were some local food vendors. We had a full plate of local cuisine for llunch for only $4 US. The food is safe to eat and might I say absolutely delicious. Don't be shy, ask the vendors about the food, they are friendly. The city is very safe and in fact the whole island is fairly safe. Crime is minimal, but of course take the usual precautions and keep your money and purse close to you. I'll take the opportunity to comment on this now.....St. Lucians are very friendly and courteous people. They are laid back and non-confrontational. (MST: Be friendly with everyone and you will see that they are very friendly happy people, hence their motto: 'No pressure, no problem'. Make the effort to say hi to everyone, including the staff at the resort.) In fact, the staff at the resort are so friendly that if you walk by one of them, they will usually say hi. I guarantee you that it will make a difference in your stay at the resort. If you make that effort, the staff will know you within your first day there and trust me, the staff talk amongst each other. We actually made several friends with the staff at the resort and still keep in contact with them. After a couple of days, some staff we never even met yet, told us they knew who we were and which room we were in because word got around that we were a nice friendly couple. Many also knew us by name! Need I say more. It pays to be nice, even though they are nice in general anyway. One other thing you have to experience is the street party. They have street parties every Friday night. One of them is about an hour away from the resort, but the closer one is in the town of Gros Islet and it's exactly that, a street party. The locals set up large speakers and small booths to sell souvenirs, drinks, food, etc. And everyone is dancing in the streets. You'll actually see many other foreigners there as well. I have to admit that we did have an more eery feeling there, so keep your money and purses close. We were assured by the friendly taxi driver and our new local friend that it was safe, but we still had that careful watcheye feeling at times. It was very crowded, but a great experience to party with the local people and see some of the Caribbean culture. (MST: If you decide to go, make a few friends at the resort and go with a larger group if you can. If you can't, it's still safe to go just the two of you.) The party starts at 9 pm and goes 'til about 2 am. Many leave to one of the two local night clubs halfway through the night. Just ask anyone about the street parties and they'll tell you all about it. Weather Stay away from the rainy season between June and December. We went at the end of November which was fine. It still does rain during the non-rainy season, but just keep in mind that when it rains, it literally only rains for a few minutes and then clears up. As I mentioned earlier, we were in the pool during a beautiful sunny day, when it suddenly started to rain quite hard. Everyone else scattered, but we held in there. We waited for 10 mins at most and the sky cleared up completely as if it didn't rain at all. The sun was so hot and the sky clear that within minutes there was no evidence it had rained at all. Of course on occasion there will be full rainy days, but it's not the norm. Lucky for us, we didn't have a full rainy day while we were there. (MST: Aim to go to St. Lucia between late November to end of May and you'll be safe!) Other Sandals Resorts If you're tossed up on which Sandals resort to stay at in St. Lucia, I have to say that the Sandals Grande is the newest and most happening of the three. We met many others from the other resorts (Regency and Halcyon)and we visted the other two ourselves. Halcyon is much smaller, including the beach and the activities are much more limited. The Regency is larger in area, but the layout was very spread apart. Like I mentioned earlier, it's so spread out that if you wanted to go to the other buildings or restaurants, you may have to take a small shuttle within the resort to get there. As well as seeing many couples from the other two resorts spending a lot of time at the Sandals Grande, they also told us that they liked the Grande better and spent some of their days there. If you didn't know already, if you're staying at any of the Sandals resorts in St. Lucia, you have access to the amenities at all three resorts. From the Sandals Grande resort, the Halcyon is about 15 mins away and the Regency is about 30 mins away. Free shuttle is available between the three resorts. Overall, this is a wonderful resort and I highly recommend it to any couple. It is a couple's resort, so great for honeymooners and anniversaries. It's a little pricey, but remember it is an Ultra All-Inclusive Resort so if you enjoy many activities, this is the place to go and you don't have to worry about carrying any money around with you while your at the resort. Tipping is forbidden, so if you try, they will decline politely. If you just want to relax by the pool and beach, this may not be the best bang for your buck. It's not too commercial like other tropical destinations and resorts. That's why we chose this place for our honeymoon. The staff in general were amazing. I might as well give you another couple of examples, since you've read this far anyway. We went into one of the stores at the resort and liked a shirt there, but they didn't have my size. They advised us that new shipments come in every week, so we should check back another day. We checked a couple of days later, but it had not arrived. One of the staff there (Theresa) said she would see what she could do and told us to come back the next day. We came back the next day and found she had obtained one and put it aside for me. We later found out that she actually went out of her way and went to the distributor on her own time to get me my shirt. Now I don't think that's just great service. That's just someone with a genuine heart! Okay, one more example. On our last day, we were looking for some local Caribbean Christmas music. We couldn't find it anywhere and when I asked another store staff at the resort, he told me the store didn't carry that type of music. When I asked him if he knew where I could get it, he went into a drawer and pull out his own CD that they used to play as background music in the store. He walked me over to their CD player and played a few songs from it and asked if I liked it. When I told him that was what I was looking for, he handed it to me and said I could have it. I thought he meant I could buy it from him, so I asked him how much. He surprised me and just said no, you can have it. I couldn't believe it, he was just giving it to me. He was actually just giving me his own CD as a gift. I had never met this guy before. I felt bad so I insisted I pay him something for it, so I gave him $10, but he took it reluctantly. I couldn't believe he was just giving it to me out of the goodness of his heart! So again, if you're looking for the one place to go, this is it! We loved this place so much that we not only want to return to this resort, but if we could afford it I'd seriously buy a vacation home on the island and hang out with our new St. Lucian friends. Hopefully this review helped, especially if you took the time to read all of it. If you do end up going to the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Resort, remember to live up to their motto and don't stress the small things and you'll have the time of your life and don't forget my secret tips! Next stop.....the Aruba Marriot Stellaris Resort & Casino in January 2006.

07/21/2006   Folks, We contemplated doing a European cruise for our honeymoon. Thanks to the brilliance of our travel agent, we went with Sandals. After the insane week of preparation leading up to our wedding day, it was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. Even though there will be 100 couples with the same anniversary as you (i.e. You are not 'special'), the Management and Entertainment staff will make you feel like a celebrity. GRANDE HIGHLIGHTS: The Grande gives you a TON of things to eat and do, all in a big, but not too sparse an area. The beach is stunning, the pool is amazing and the drinks are FANTASTIC. We did not get the chance to have a massage or other spa treatments, but all were highly praised by other guests. Save your pool chairs with umbrellas by 9:00 / 9:30. There's only a few and they go fast. BEVERAGES: Swim up bar opens at 10:00. Look for Fanis - he is by far the best and he does the Pigeon Island and Dirty Banana (extra dirrrty), proud. Another drink to try that is NOT on the menu board, is the 'bbc' - Baileys, Banana & Coconut rum. Yummy, like a shake. The Beach bar, right next to the swim up bar also offers the same drinks into the night, and then some. Often, the Entertainment crew will host events outside in this area. Go to them - it's a blast! Dance all night - they are a scream. Cheers to Sergin, Mama Dumplyn, Fluffy, Mervin and Thyan. This is a group who goes above and beyond to entertain you! Or they will feature events in the Palladium. Also a good time but smokey! RESTAURANTS AT THE GRANDE: Josephine's, the crepery, is a MUST. I tried 4 different kinds. All good. And you can take them to go. Don't forget an amazing homemade choco chip cookie for dessert. Toscanninni's was okay. I recommend the pasta dishes. In our group, anyone who had seafood or meat, wasn't too impressed. The Barefoot during the day was a great late afternoon / pre-nap place to grab a bite. Burgers, steak, fries, salad and nachos with great dips. The Olde London pub is by far the best restaurant on site. The fish 'n chips are fantastic as are the salads, pot pies & mozarella sticks. You can also call down and/or take out from here if you feel like a quiet night in your room. Open late until 2:00 am. You can even take a bottle of wine to go... Seafood Buffet - They feature this on a Friday night, in the lobby. It 'looks' like a big deal but the seafood isn't that great. The presentation is lovely and it was okay but the chocolate was very good. FOOD / MEALS AT OTHER RESORTS: We did visit the other 2 resorts. I would recommend the Halycon for The Pier restaurant (and that alone). Not much to see here but the food was excellent. Wear something cool there as there is no air conditioning. It overlooks the water and the windows are open. The Regency, the 2nd biggest has more character than the Grande, but lacks the modern feel and pool area charm. Their Bayside (open area restaurant is stunning though). Super high ceilings and a live band area. We would have liked to take in the night life here for a night. The resort is also more spread out and secluded in spots. You can take a 2 minute shuttle ride to get to Kimonos. La Toc was amazing food! French cuisine but the portions were very small (order many of them). The service was a little snooty but well worth it. Kimonos, the japanese restaurant was disappointing. I had heard that the sushi was horrible. I had to see for myself. Confirmed - do not take a chance on it. However, they do grill tuna, steak, mussels, shrimp and chicken in teppanyaki which is very good. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: We went on the horseback (2hr) tour with Sandals. It was $60 U.S. Per person. Great experience and you get to ride bareback, if you wish, in the beach. The tour guides are locals and very friendly. The horses are also well behaved. It poured as soon as we mounted but even with the wet ground, the horses kept their footage. I would suggest hiring a cab driver for the day and ask them to take you to all the highlights of the Sandals 'Land & Sea' tour. If you can get him/her to take you for less $80 U.S. Per person, it would be worth your while. We saw the Piton mountains, sulphur springs / volcano. Both good. The Botanical gardens were stunning. We also climbed the Fort Rodney peaks near the end of the Sandals drive. Spectacular view - well worth the $5 U.S. To get onto the property. Bring cash and exact change if possible. Go LONG before sundown. We got caught when it turned dark and it was a little scary with animal sounds and sightings. Snorkelling was okay but I would suggest only going if they take you farther away from the resort. We went nearby (close to Fort Rodney) and it was disappointing. All the sealife was the same colour and not much to see. FITNESS: My attempt at gaining 5 lbs, rather than 10 was to partake in some of the activities offered. I recommend the Power walk, every morning at 8:00 with Thierry. He is great! It's early, but you get an energetic start to your day and you get to see more of the resort that you might not have. We also did Aquacise in the late morning. You work against the water - good muscle workout. You get points toward your sandals prizes, for these. The pool and beach volleyball were also a hit among guests. The gym facilities at the Grande were pretty good. TV's are set up and decent equipment. There were hardly any people in there when we went. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: If you arrive on a Sunday or Monday, you'll be joined by hundreds of couples who have the same schedule. If you stay for 10 days, like we did, you get to see and meet a whole new crop come in for the next week. Roaming the pool was like an American geography lesson. We loved it! We met great people from all over. That's the thing about Sandals - you can hang out on your own in the more secluded pools or beach areas, or join the crowd in the main pool. ACCOMMODATIONS: We stayed in a Deluxe, regular room. It was very nice, new and clean. We heard of a few people paying a lot more for a swim up or 'beach front' room. The way the resort is laid out, you are always steps away from the pool. I'd save your money and spend it on cool stuff while you are there. The swim up rooms are nice but no bar and no fun goings-on. **Take Heed** Be wary of the rooms on the first floor. We had 'some kind' of small varmit (unidentified to this day) in our room near the end, and found small droppings. The housekeeping was good about it but Management was slow to respond. A bit unnerving and not at all up to par with Sandals' level of service. INTERNET ACCESS: You have to pay for it! $5 U.S. For only 15 minutes. Save your long emailing until you get home :) PHOTOGRAPHERS: They have some that roam around taking pictures of you that you can buy. It's expensive ($15 / 5 x 7) and you may think that you have enough of your own, but they are really nice. The flash makes it look like you are in front of a backdrop, wherever it is. We had to get a pool one. GIFT SHOP / SOUVENIRS: The Regency has a better one than the Grande, surprisingly. Bigger variety and the prices are not that bad. We compared them to shopping in the local stores in town and often, the Sandals prices were the same or better! You will get approached by locals in town. Some of them are pretty aggressive. Just politely decline and keep moving. TIMING / WEATHER: September is a great time to travel. It is not yet their hot summer months. When it rains there, you get big grey clouds, heavy downpour then it blows out in 20 minutes. It's great. We did get one afternoon of cloud / thunderstorms but it was awesome as it rings through the mountains! PACKING: We overpacked!! Big time. Not knowing what to expect here, we brought far too many outfits. Try to plan the following PER day that you are there and stick to it with a couple extras: - Bikinis / shorts & coverups. You'll be in this ALL day - Nice outfit / dress for evening dinners or capris / tank top - Workout stuff. Bring runners for climbing / hiking too - Beach / pool shoes and a few others. That's basically all you'll need. We brought 3 huge suitcases and didn't touch half of it. One couple, our friends from Montreal, brought one between the two of them and looked great each night! FLIGHTS IN / OUT: We went via Barbados and were lucky enough to fly into the North airport (small one). It's only 25 minutes from the resort. Many people flew into the large one and the ride is a rough one. We had to take this one going back since they closed the small one for renovations. Even though we drove up every mountainside while touring, this one made us nauceous. **Important Note if transferring Flights** If you are going via Barbados or another island, be sure to PICK UP your luggage and check it into the next airline carrier. We had an agent tell us this wasn't necessary, then found out you have to bring it yourself!! INSECTS / BITES / SUNSCREEN: I seemed to be the only one affected by this, but both nights that I was on the beach for dinner, the following days caused extremed itchiness on my calves and ankles. There was no sign of a rash just very bothersome. I had heard from people who went in June that there were sand fleas, but... I purchased the Aveeno 'Anti-Itch' lotion from the gift shop at a premium. If you can bring it with you, it works very well. You really do need sunscreen, applied regularly, here. Many people cook themselves the first day and end up like lobsters. Ladies, watch your scalps if you tie your hair back or have parts. Put lotion there too. I and a few others got burnt from floating around the pool all day. A hat and sunglasses helps. That outta do it. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. Enjoy your trip!

07/20/2006   The pool at the hotel was the hot spot. The beach wasn't that great but everyone hung around poolside and the swim up bar was great. The italian restaurant at the hotel was AEWSOME. My wife and I ate there 4 timesand every meal was great. There is little to no nightlife at the hotel.

07/18/2006   Was VERY hesitant to go to a Sandals. It looked too cheezy, huge & mainstream for my taste. But because of its affordability compared to other resorts, my husband and I choose Sandals for our honeymoon. We both were pleasantly surprised with our Sandals vacation! We loved it there and recommend it highly. St.Lucia was absolutely beautiful! We choose the Sandals Grande St.Lucian. I was afraid such a big resort might be too crowded. It was not at all. Even at peak times it didn't feel over crowded. Then at night the pools are empty! (Guess people all go to dinner). We spent several nights hanging in the pool & hot tub, having drinks with the friends we made there, listening to the live music. Even during the day on the beach there were always plenty of chairs and umbrellas to lay by. It was great! Overall the staff their were extremely friendly and nice! They really treat you well! The rooms were fine, they weren't extravagant, luxurious rooms, but totally fine for what we needed. Sandals offers a bunch of 'tours and excursions'. They all cost extra money - but they are totally worth it! We did three: horse back riding, jeep safari, and ATV adventure. For me the horseback riding was great! They let you ride the horse all the way into the water while you're on it bareback! It was truly an awesome experience! I didn't really want to go on the ATV - my husband did! Hey - It's a guy thing! But it turned out to be a lot of fun. However the reason why I would suggest everyone do it is because the spot that they take you to ride the ATVs is absolutely breathtaking! It was the prettiest thing I saw the whole time we were there! (And we saw a lot of pretty scenery!) The jeep safari was cool too, we had a great tour guide which probably helps! It is a little long, but if you know that up front it's not bad at all! On your 'safari' you take a little walk through the rainforest, eat fresh fruit at the top of a mountain, and swim in a river pool! - OH and we put a wild boa constrictor around our necks that some crazy local guys caught! We visited all three Sandals on St.Lucia. The oldest Sandals, the Halcyon is much smaller, and the food at 'The Pier' restaurant there was only ok. The Sandals Regency is huge and is very very nice. However I was still very glad we stayed at the Grande because (as i had read on the internet prior to booking our trip) it has the best beach BY FAR! In my opinion it's the best one to stay at because of that. The beach is much bigger, and nicer than the other two and because it's on the bay side the water is much clearer, calmer and prettier! Yes the Regency has more restaurant choices, but you can always just hop on the bus at night to go there for dinner. That's what we did. We ate at 'The Pitons' while at the Regency. It had amazing food - really really good! One Sandals downfall is the 2 most popular restaurants require reservations. We actually tried to make them the day we got in and they were already booked for A WEEK solid! So we couldn't get in to 'Kimonos' or 'La Toc' - but there were SO many other great restaurants to choose from it didn't bother us at all. We loved the 'Barefoot by the sea' restaurant at the Grande! It's great for lunch during the day, and then at night transforms for dinner and the food was very good! Seafood lovers have a lot of great options in St.Lucia - so take advantage!!! Overall we just had the PERFECT vacation! I would totally go back to another Sandals. It was so hard to leave and come back to reality! Happy travels! - Jamie :o)

07/18/2006   My wife and I went to the Grande for our honeymoon in April. Neither of us had ever been to St. Lucia, so we didn't really know what to expect other then what we had heard or read in brochures. Needless to say, we were overwhelmed by how amazing this country is. By the way, if you fly into the big airport in the south, take the helicopter, it's worth the $$. When you arrive at the resort, you are greeted with a huge smile by Al, who is the king of bellmen! Next we are greeted by Wayne, who met with us in the lobby and helped us check in and make us feel welcome. Nothing says welcome like a nice glass of punch! Once we got our room key, we were led to our room by Valance, 'Big V' who I referred to as the Mayor of St. Lucia! From there it was on to the pool & pool bar! Later that night, they had a manager's welcome cocktail party where you get to meet the management staff. They provide some apps & drinks and introduce you to the people that run the show. They also have a few giveaways. We won a spa treatment! Later that night, they had a big dinner on the beach and there were fire-eaters, steele band and other entertainers. It was a great way to meet other couples there. We highly recommend going to this. They have different events going on each night from a late night chocolate buffet to a seafood buffet. They also have live entertainment each night for dinner and after, whether it is a singer, saxaphonist, or jazz band. It really was a nice touch. The staff is friendly and they really go out of their way to make you feel at home. Mr. Winston is the hotel manager and is one of the nicest people you will ever meet! He makes sure you have nothing to worry about except enjoying yourself. The activities are fantastic, they really try and provide activities for those looking to do more then just lay around the pool or on the beach. I highly recommend sailing, tubing and some of the excursions that are offered. The best way to see the island is to go to the Avis counter, there you can rent a car with a driver for only $110 + gas. Jude is the best tour guide, so request him! We left at 10am and got back around 6pm. The food is good, not 5 star, but good. By the end of the 1st few days, the staff knew us by name and I have to say, it is rare that when you leave a place, you seek out the staff to say good bye and take pictures. I could seriously write a book from all the things we did. We absolutely loved this place and we highly recommend it to everyone who is looking to have a good time and enjoy a beautiful country. Make sure you tell Nathan, Remy, Wayne, Valance, Kim, Mr. Winston, Trudi, Al, Sophia, Rosalia, Cyril, Anthony, Javid, Mama D, Tyran, and Lulu, the Mink's say hello! Enjoy your trip!

07/12/2006   It was more than i could ever ask for , we had a blast. The hotel & staff was outstanding , we will take a trip back out there next summer

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