Just to let you know that we are AI fans and really enjoy Sandals. I know some folks don't care for it but thats up to you. With that said, here's our slightly biased report.


Blythe and Paul Trip Report-Sandals Grande St. Lucia 4/16-24/03

I will start off by saying that this was probably the nicest vacation we have ever had and St. Lucia is one of the most beautiful islands in the near world. Its scenery and people are wonderful. We are also fans of Sandals and prefer all inclusive vacations for many reasons.
Iyll try to keep this short as possible-that may be hard. Outside of the traveling, everything else was perfect from check-in to check out. We flew into Vigies so the short ride after 12 hours of traveling (since our adventure began at 4am) was very welcome. We were greeted by Moe who got us a much needed drink as soon as we got to the lobby. Shortly after we were escorted to the concierge office as we had been upgraded (Nice to get things without having to ask). We had booked a beachfront room and requested a building near the dive shop as we scuba dive. We were in room 5317 which was the far end of the resort on the top. The room was very nice and clean. Nothing luxurious but thatys not important as we spend as little time as possible in the room anyway. The view from the room was everything one could ask for. Rodney Bay is majestic with the sailboats and mountains in the background. To the right was the Caribbean and pigeon island. Also, since we were on the end, the end of our terrace was open so we could also see the Atlantic. Just one caveat, as Pigeon Island is a national park, many locals go there to swim and party. It was Easter weekend and Sunday & Monday were big holidays. There was music blasting till 10pm but we really enjoyed the local culture and this did not bother us one bit, but if you want quiet you may not have liked it. At night with the harbor lit up and the houses in the hills and beautiful resort along with a full moon most of the week it was about the most romantic view you could have. The resort itself is beautiful. Being virtually brand new helps though we wished the palm trees were taller. It is nicely laid out, not to big, but big enough to find places to hide. The main pool is fantastic, very relaxing with lots of different spaces to hang. There were also 3 other pools plus a dive pool, along with 4 Jacuzzis. The grounds were impeccable with lots of flowers and vegetation. The beach was nicer than I expected. I knew St. Luciays water was darker and the sand too but I was pleasantly surprised. We were much happier than we were with the beach at Sandals Negril which at the time 2 years ago had a very mucky feel to the sand right off shore. There were tons of chairs at the beach and pool so you never had to reserve a chair early. Also not having to use a towel card was a plus.

Restaurants-We do not travel for great food. We live in NY where the best food in the world is so we are very happy to have just plain good food. The sun, beach, pool and diving are much more important to us. They food in general did not disappoint us. I canyt say that any meal was spectacular, but we enjoyed most of them. The service was wonderful and the few times we had to wait at night for a table did not bother us at all. The 2 times we were told we had to wait in hour in fact was only a y hour, and we enjoyed listening to Robert Taylor play at the pool anyway. Bayside was our favorite for lunch and most dinners and Toscaniniys was very nice too. We also went to the Pier at Halcyon and Le Toc at the Golf Resort.

Bars-the bar service was fine, but it was hard to catch a buzz on the drinks-normal for AIys in the Caribbean. We drink Tequila, and there wasnyt much to offer there. However, when we when to the Halcyon, Cuba Gooding Jr.-the bartender at the Pier had a bottle of Cuervo Gold which brought a smile to my face.

Water Sports-Just about all you can ask for. We didnyt use most of them but the staff was very good. I dove every day and Martin & Lawrence were great dive masters. I guess the only problem was the long boat rides to the dive sites, but I had expected this and it was worth the trip. The dive sites were wonderful. St. Lucia is not the Caymans or Cozumel, but the reefs are very healthy with tons of coral and small fish.

Concierge-While we did not book this level and could have lived without it, it was a very nice amenity, especially the bathrobes which we lived in when we were in the room. The staff was wonderful and even arranged to have a bottle of Cuervo sent over by bus from the Halcyon. The room serve was excellent and prompt which made my pre-dive breakfasts easy as I didnyt have to go down to the restaurant. Angela was great and she gave us a really nice tour of the Clinton Suite. I wouldnyt pay $1400 a night to stay there but it was incredible.

Staff-The staff at this resort was absolutely excellent. Every single person we came in contact with smiles at us and have something nice to say. I know Sandals people are trained, but after meeting many other St. Lucianys around the Island you can tell that there are genuinely happy and friendly people. They went out of their way to make sure every aspect of our vacation was perfect.

Entertainment-was mostly adequate. We would have liked more live music during the day and would prefer dancing by the pool instead of indoors in the club. The bands they brought in were very enjoyable, especially Robert Taylor. The playmakers were a lot of fun and really made even the silliest games more interesting

I know Sandals is not the Ritz Carlton, but for the price I would say itys the best of everything else. I believe they really care about their guests. No matter how important a staff member was, they never passed you in the hotel without saying Hi. Konrad (the manager) would stop and talk to everyone. While the returning guest dinner is a little corny, we had a blast and they did a real nice job. There were over 150 people at the dinner the night we went. We have been to many Islands, never the same one twice. This is an Island I would return to in a heartbeat. Its scenery and lushness are incredible. But what really make St. Lucia beautiful are its wonderful people. I am looking forward to having dinner with Lawrenceys family when we return.

And I would add, (if I havenyt said it already), I really canyt imagine a more beautiful resort in an idyllic setting than the Grande. If have booked a trip here you will not be disappointed. If you have any specific questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Boxxorain@aol.com

Blythe & Paul