Sandals vs. others more scenic
 

<BR>Help! My fiance and I are not agreeing on a St. lucia honeymoon hotel for Decemeber 2002. He's big on Sandals for the 24-hour all-inclusive, and I'm looking more to staying at either Anse Chastanet Beach Hotel, Jalousie Hilton, Ladera Resort or the new Sandals in Rodney Bay. <BR><BR>Our priorities are relaxing, enjoying food and drink, scuba diving, hiking, mountain biking, and beautiful scenery. <BR><BR>I'm a little fearful Sandals might be gaudy.<BR><BR>Let me know your thoughts!<BR><BR>Thanks!

I've too have heard that Sandals is gaudy, but it depends on who you ask. Some people like it like that. But if you enjoy mountain hiking, biking and beautiful scenery, you may want to stay in the south which is where Anse, Ladera, and the Hilton are located.<BR><BR>The three Sandals are located on the north part of the island which is scenic too but not as lush and mountainous. Personnally, I liked the north part of the island better. More to do and I preferred our all-inclusive resort there over the non AI hotel we stayed at while in the south.<BR>

Hi Anne-Marie,<BR>We stayed at Anse Chastanet the last time we went to St. Lucia and loved it, but it is on a horrible long rutted road (unless they've fixed it in the last 2 years) that makes it really hard to get in and out of. You're kind of stuck there unless you take a water taxi or a long drive.<BR>Both Ladera and the Hilton are beautiful, but Ladera is not on the beach if that's important. Lots of watersports at the Hilton. The diving and snorkeling are great at Anse, but the Hilton is just around the corner, so I'm sure it's fine there too. I'd recommend the Hilton for you. Sandals - not for me...

Ok, first off We are Sandals people 100% and have never found any of the resort to be what you call gaudy. If expence is no object then the Hilton is for you. It is very costly, we had lunch there on afternoon (3 couples) and it cost us $185.00 w/o tip. Both Sandals in St.Lucia we have been to are very beautiful resorts. The island itself is very tropical green and lush. if you are counting Sandals off your list then you have made a big mistake. I understand that AI are not for everyone but in the long run its well worth it and a heck of a lot less stress on where and when to eat. Have fun wherever you choose. Email me if you have any ?'s. What is you defination of Gaudy?

If you enjoy mountain biking, scuba diving and scenery I would recommend Anse Chastanet or anything in that area. The south tends to be quieter I think and just more lush.<BR><BR>My husband and I stayed in Anse in July 2000 for our honeymoon, and loved it. They own the old plantation on the next beach and turned into Jungle biking and set up different trails and it was awesome. The food there was great, or at least we enjoyed all our meals. We actually didn't go with Sandals because we didn't want to feel trapped and wanted to try different resturants. But the road into the hotel was really awful and so we decided to just sign up for the meal plan once we got there, and we didn't regret it. We also signed up for a rain forest hike which was a memorable experience and if you enjoy hiking make sure you don't miss it. The open air concept in the hotel is really great also, and I understood the rooms high up on the mountain were spectacular (though we stayed in a beachside room).<BR><BR>I think that all the hotels you were thinking of offer some sort of food plans if not also all-inclusive options. It doesn't hurt to ask.<BR><BR>Good luck with your upcoming wedding and whatever you decide you picked a wonderful island, so you'll have a great time I'm sure.<BR><BR>E-mail me with any questions, if you like.<BR><BR>Sandra :o)

Anne-Marie,<BR><BR>We actually went to Sandals Negril last year after reading some reports on this board. I know some people absolutely love it, and some people absolutely hate it. I lean more towards the "hate it" side. No criticism of other opinions, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I found it to be a bit cookie cutter and, yes, a little gaudy. It just didn't strike me as a honeymoon type place. <BR><BR>We're a young couple who just hit 30 and it looks like we share similar interests with you and your fiance. Based upon what you're saying, I think that going to another resort would give you more flexibility and be more special. We felt a bit constrained by Sandals. Yes, the activities were included, but they weren't really first rate. For example, when we went diving, they had only one divemaster for 16 people. 16 people with one divemaster is not only unsafe, but produces a poor dive experience. The equipment was also not up to par with what has been provided to us on other boat dives elsewhere. The excursions were there, but it was sort of a cattle call type of experience. Load 'em on and off the bus, that sort of thing.<BR><BR>We got a bit tired of the food after a couple of days as well. There were a couple of people so drunk from the all you can drink alcohol, that they passed out at the beach in the water, that one of them had to be carried back to her room by the staff on a lounge chair. <BR><BR>Basically, after the trip, we characterized the Sandals experience as buffet-style vacationing. Sure, it's all included and you can have as much as you want, but it's just not the best in terms of quality. We felt like we were just being processed through.<BR><BR>I think that for a honeymoon, you want it to be special and memorable in a good way. I would take a safer route and go somewhere that has a higher satisfaction rate. As for Sandals, there's got to be some truth in all the good reviews, but that means you've got to accept the fact that there is truth to all the bad reveiws as well. So, my suggestion, is to stay at a sure fire hit resort for the honeymoon, then try Sandals later on for a regular vacation if you're still interested. <BR><BR>Okay. Hope this helps. Have a GREAT honeymoon whatever you decide.

Ooops. I also wanted to add, I know that we went to a different resort than the one you intend to go to, but my outlook is that if the Sandals chain resorts are all run the same way, i'm assuming you'll have the same type of experience wherever you go.

Anne-Marie,<BR>I am going to St. Lucia for my honeymoon in October 2002. I had a hard time figuring out where to go, and got a great deal from a travel agent for the Sandals Halcyon. After much thought I decided to spend a bit more and go to the Jalousie Hilton. It looks much more private, relaxed, low-key, non-touristy (which I hear many if not all Sandals are). I also ended up getting a great deal on the room through the hilton.com web-site, now just waiting for airfare to hopefully drop! All-in-all I chose the Jalousie over Sandals because I want romance and privacy, the south side of the island is supposed to be much much more beautiful, and I don't care about having wild drinking parties out by the pool like I have heard they do at Sandals.

I can only comment on Sandals Halcyon. <BR><BR>It is a very beautiful resort, laid back, casual, low key and very romantic. It is not gaudy at all but rather giving a homey and more personal feel to it since it is not a larger resort. Food and service was excellent and the grounds are incredible - very tropical with vines growing on the balconies, lush color - beautiful as is the surronding area.!<BR><BR>Food and service was excellent.

Sandals Haycayon is you best choice.

Although we normally are huge Sandals people, we do not like St. Lucia. Yes, it has a nice pool, but that's about it. I think for your honeymoon, which is such a special time, you might like something a little smaller and more private. Other places will offer diving and other activities that you are interested in just as well.

My husband and I went to St. Lucia-Sandals Halycon for our Honeymoon 3 years ago and loved it. It is a smaller resort from Sandals St. Lucia and more private and secluded. the food was great at both resorts. I was very impressed by the friendliness of the staff and the ability for them to know our names when thye saw us. The next year we went to Sandals Ocho Rios in Jamaica and had a bad experiece. Not customer service focused and the resort was under renovation. We complained about our room and they moved us to an up graded room. The all inclusive is nice because when we went to leave St. Lucia we go bumped off our flight because it was over sold. Us and 2 other couples. The airline ended up putting us up at another all inclusive if you paid that way or not resort and the rooms had no a/c and you had to sleep behind mosquito neating. Also the food prices wre very expensive. So we were even more impressed by Sandals Halycon after that one night in the other resort.

The Jalousie Hilton is wonderful. We honeymooned there in January 2000, and had a fantastic time. The location is fabulous--between the Pitons, the beach is nice, the cottages are great, and the staff/service is top-notch.<BR> Our one complaint is the food---expensive, and not as much of a local flavor as we would have preferred. We stocked up our little fridge with sodas and snacks, and ventured off the resort to the Bang Between the Pitons and Dasheen at Ladera.<BR> I would highly recommend the Jalousie!

I am a Certified Sandals Specialist and I can give you a DISCOUNTED price to any destination and any resort. However I still think Sandals has earned the reputation of being the # 1 all-inclusive in the world for 8 years in a row because they are! You just have to know the difference between each of them and guide the client to the one that best fits their needs. I'd say that Sandals Halcyon sounds right for you.<BR><BR>Email me with your dates and let me see what I can do for you.

For what it's worth, actually, the Royal Hideaway Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya, Mexico beat Sandals as the #1 rated best Caribbean all-inclusive.

Oh yeah, the best Caribbean hotel chain for 2001 (Crystal Awards) was the Iberostar hotels and resorts.

Penny, no offense, but isn't this supposed to be a forum for people to talk about travel, NOT for travel agents to plug their own services? That's great that you want to help and get people a good deal, but try advertising, most people that come here want to talk to others for advice, not hear from travel agents touting the greatness of resorts such as Sandals that are actually paying part of your income!