Sandals yes or no
 

We are looking for a top resort in St.Lucia. We have stayed at Grand lido braco in Jamaica, the last 2 years. We are looking for a comparable resort. Is sandals comparable, if so which resort in St. Lucia?Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would recommend Ladera if you don't have to be on the beach.<BR>I also enjoyed Anse Chastanet (not quite as nice), but neither one of these is &quot;glitzy&quot; or flashy.<BR>In my opinion, I would not classify Sandals anywhere as a &quot;top resort.&quot;

Then Nancy, you would be wrong. The Sandals resorts in St. Lucia are very nice. They just openned a 3rd one due to continued success.

Dave,<BR>I toured two of the Sandals resorts during one of my trips to St. Lucia.<BR>I didn't say they weren't nice - I said they were not &quot;top resorts&quot; which is what John was asking.<BR>It's just my opinion, but I was not overly impressed and would never classify any of the Sandals properties I have seen as &quot;top resorts.&quot;<BR>(They open new McDonald's all the time too.)

I agree with you Nancy. Not only do they open new McDonalds all the time, but now they have Doormen! Can you believe it? More proof that you can't put a silk hat on a pig!

John, our FAV resort is LeSport in St. Lucia. My hubby is a Ritz Carlton kinda guy, and this fits the bill for him; it actually pampers us both. Spa treatments are included but he doesn't do them; he hangs out out either at the beach or either one of the pools and raises the little red flag guests are given when they want something. 4 meals a day (3 + high tea at 4pm) with excellent cuisine and premium wines / liquors, plus TONS of things to do or nothing to do if you want (check out LeSport's website). The beach is nice, but the beach areas down in Anse Chastanet or at the Jalousie are better.<BR><BR>Ladera Resort has unique accommodations and some rooms have plunge pools, then you can take a ride down to the beach (you are literally on a mountainside).<BR><BR>Sandals doesn't include spa treatments, and the rooms are comfortable. Have to agree with poster Nancy, that Sandals is not what we would consider &quot;a top resort,&quot; but considered very good by some folks.<BR><BR>Just know that mosquitos are pesky in St. Lucia; but OFF helps.<BR><BR>Have a great time, where ever you decide.

OK, then Nancy. I stand corrected. The several Sandals stays I've had were to me &quot;top resort&quot; because of all the things included and the general feel to the places. Perhaps I've never been to what you consider &quot;tops&quot;. I'll butt out of this one.<BR>

No reason to butt out Dave. <BR>Everyone's entitled to his or her own opinion.<BR>If you like Sandals and feel it's a top quality resort, I respect your views.<BR>Sandals is a topic of very interesting debates on this board - kind of a &quot;love it or hate it&quot; thing.<BR>

We just returned from our weddingmoon at Sandals Antigua and fell in love with the place. I do have to say that I wouldn't go to another Sandals resort though. None of the others appeal to me. I mean, if I was going to go to Jamaica...Negril is it with it's wonderful beach. And why go to rinky dinky Sandals when there's Couples? And I have no interest in going to St. Lucia at all....not known for it's beaches. <BR><BR>Just wanted to put my opinion in. The only Sandals resort worth going to is Antigua.

The Sandals St. Lucia hotels are located in the northern part of the island where the water is very rough. Their room furnishings are not as nice as the other resorts and if you are up on the hilly area, you will have a great deal of walking to do. The pool is not as nice as the pictures would have you believe and the food is not done well. There is a lack of evening entertainment. I would not do a Sandals resort on St. Lucia.

Sandals has 3 properties in St. Lucia. The newest one being, Sandals Grand St. Lucian. It was formerly a Hyatt and is a very nice property. It is rated as a 5 star property. Not many resorts can boast this type of rating. There are many on this board who seem to have an issue with Sandals. Each resort is different. Some are nicer than others. Be sure to do your research and don't just listen to the naysayers. Good luck!

I just came back from that property, check out the post &quot;lookng for info on Sandals Grande St. Lucia&quot; for my info. It was great!

There are also a lot of naysayers on St. Lucia, no, it's not &quot;known for it's beaches&quot;, but there's a rainforest, volcano, piton mountains, waterfalls, and a nice---not spectacular beach. So, it really depends on what kind of a person you are if you'll like St. Lucia. I loved it.

Re: Terry's comment that the water on the northern end of St. Lucia is &quot;very rough&quot; -- It depends upon your definition of rough. The water at the new Sandals (the former Hyatt on Pigeon Point) is pretty much &quot;lake flat.&quot; (Boats often anchor off the beach for the night, which wouldn't happen if the water weren't calm.) The water at the other two is not as calm, but you shouldn't get the impression that there are breakers crashing on the beach. On most days the water is calm enough to lounge around on a float without fear of being tipped over by a wave, but it's a little choppy for water skiing. <BR><BR>There is more nightlife in the Rodney Bay area near Pigeon Point than near the other two. However, my opinion is that the Sandals just south of Castries is the nicest property of the three. If you are a golfer, that property has a nine hole course. However, there is an 18 hole course at Cap Estate, which is just a ten minute ride from Pigeon Point. <BR><BR>The beaches at all three are nice, but they are not the long stretches of powdery white sand that you find on an island like Anguilla. If you are into leaving the property and exploring the rain forest and other natural sites, the golf resort is the most convenient (i.e., shortest ride). It is also the closest to Vigie Airport (about 10 minutes), but the other two aren't far enough from the airport to make that worth considering in making your decision. The golf resort is also just a few minutes from downtown Castries if you feel like going to the open air market.<BR><BR>

Johno-<BR>Have you ever seen the other two resorts in St. Lucia or do you just go by what your relatives tell you? When Sandals puts out their red flags - which was every day of our vacation - that doesn't mean &quot;no waterskiing today&quot; it means &quot;do not go in the water. Period.&quot; A float would have been torn in shreds within seconds. Please don't continue to put out your &quot;false&quot; information. You're probably a very nice guy, but some of these people work very hard for their money and look forward to their beach vacations all year. You do a great injustice to them by suggesting that they will enjoy the beach.

The water is actually nice there, once you get past the 'gators, right Terry?<BR>

We actually loved St Lucia despite Sandals. We satyed at the &quot;Golf Resort&quot;. If you can call it a golf course. We call them pitch and putts here in Connecticut and I've never done one here and only enjoyed it at Sandals since we were pretty trashed. The red flags were out most of our trip too. The resort is nice, but not top notch and not what they claim it to be. It's not a horrible place, just not first class.

I have to disagree. We loved the Sandals Resort in St Lucia (golf resort).<BR>Very clean and super staff, wonderfully big pools and the island itself is beautiful. The bluff suites are very private and romantic.

NO

LeSport. LeSport. LeSport! However, if you are looking for something a little less expensive or a little less hilly, Rendezvous is the way to go. A beach cottage at Rendezvous is the BEST, if you don't mind a small resort without the glitz. You will get so much more for you money at one of these two &quot;sister&quot; resorts. I would not spend another dime at Sandals. I know people who enjoyed Sandals very much (the small one - Halcyon, the new one at Pigeon Point, and the golf resort - La Toc) but they were way too commercial and impersonnal for my taste. St. Lucia is wonderful! I highly recommended it. We just went in October and loved it. I never found mosquitos to be a problem. You MUST take a day tour with TRIM tours to Maria Island - it is the most informative, fun, and under-rated tour on the island. Good Luck!