Just got back from St. Lucia and wanted to throw my two cents in. I was pretty wound up before we left for vacation and was not sure what to expect. I am happy to state that all turned out well.

We arrived in St Lucia on a Satuday from Miami on American Airlines. The trip was fortunately, uneventful.

Sandals hires taxis to commute customers to and from the airport. The shuttle service is free, but we did tip the driver. The drive is approximately an hour and 15 minutes long. The roads are extremely windy, but I did not find them in that bad of a condition.

We stayed at the Sandals Halycon for our week long vacation. The Halycon is a small and intimiate resort. For my husband and I it worked out perfectly. If you are looking for nightlife or a lot of entertainment, this is not the place for you.

Staff - Most of the staff were very friendly. I had a few requests and I felt that they were handled in a quick and efficient manner. I learned a smile and "Good Morning. How are you doing?" did wonders and got you what you wanted.

Rooms - We booked a Premium Room overlooking the gardens. At the Sandals Halycon they actually upgraded us...which was a nice surprise. They gave us a Luxury Oceanview.

FYI: At the Sandals resorts do not spend additonal money on upgrading your rooms. It is not worth it. There really isn't too much difference between a Deluxe or a Luxury Oceanfront. So save your money for souvenirs.

The room was in good condition...clean. There was some mildew in the grout lines in the lavatory. I didn't care too much, but it may bother some. Each room comes with a ceiling fan and small air conditioner. Warning: The air conditioner is a little noisy so if you are a light sleeper the ceiling fan may work better.

Food - The Halycon has three restaurants - Bayside, Mario's and the Pier. There is also the Beach Grill.

Note: The only restaurants you need to make reservations for are the Pier, Kimonos and La Toc (both at the Regency). Make these right away if you are interested in eating at any of them. We got reservations for La Toc three days later and the Pier six days later. They book up fast.

I am just going to give a quick review of all the restaurants we ate at at the three Sandals.

Marios (Halycon) - Italian food. Good service. Good food. Great staff.

Bayside (Halycon) - Contiential. Always buffet. Breakfast was great. They have everything. Lunch...okay. Dinner...so-so. Staff was always friendly.

The Beach Grill (Halycon) - Great for a quick pick me up. They cook hamburgers, hotdogs, fish sandwiches, etc. Estelle is wonderful.

The Pier (Halycon) - Seafood. Good food, but I wasn't impressed with the service. I found service to be slow and a bit aloof. We actually left before dessert.

Barefoot on the Beach (Grande) - Seafood. I loved Barefoot on the Beach. The floor is actually sand (you sit right on the beach...hence, the name). I ordered grilled lobster and it was HUGE. It was probably a two pound lobster. I couldn't eat it all. The service and staff were fanastic.

La Toc (Regency) - French. Service was good. Staff were a bit reserved, but the food was great. I do recommend trying it.

Armandos (Regency) - Italian. Service was so-so. Food was okay. Decor was beautiful. If you can get a table outside on the second story terrace...grab it. The scenery is beautiful.

Pavilion (Regency) - Contiential. Buffet style. Works well if you find yourself there during lunch.

Hubby and I also ate out one night. We tried the Coal Pot which was about 10 minutes from the Halycon in Castries. Fabulous food. Great service. The restaurant is beautiful and very romantic. A meal including appetizer, entree, dessert, and wine will run you $100 US Dollars.

We also hired a taxi to give us a tour of the island. Sandals recommended a great driver for us, Claude, and we contacted him anytime we wanted to go somewhere. He gave us a private tour of the island...it is $140 + tip. Most of the tours through St. Lucia tours or Sunlink give you a brief overview of what to see and do. Your private tour you can stop and see anything you want. We stopped at the Rum Distillery (best place for cheap rum), the banana plantations, the fishing villages of Anse de la Raye and Canaries. Souifiere, Diamond Falls, the drive through volcano, Marigot Bay, etc. The tour usually runs seven hours.

We also did a day trip to Martinique. We took a catamaran over (seats about 50-60 people) and shopped in Fort de France. Also went swimming and snorkeling in one of the coves near Diamond Rock. The catamaran trip is 1.5 hours each way from St Lucia to Martinique so the total trip is about 10.5 hours and lunch and drinks are included. It runs $190/PP.

All in all, I had a wonderful time in St. Lucia. It is a beautiful island and the people are wonderful. I have a few small complaints..eg, beach vendors, but I would not hesitate to return again.

If anyone has any questions I would be more then happy to answer them. Hope this helps.

Anice

Hi Anice,

Thanks for posting your trip report. Sounds like you had a great time and you really got to see a lot for your first time there. Agree that it is not worth upgrading at Sandal's. Not worth our hard earned money, better things to do on the island for the extra $$. Glad to hear that you got to go to the Coal Pot. We thought it was excellent and I highly recommend it. What did you think of Martinique?

sounds like a great trip - what's the Grande, for the barefoot on the beach dining experience?

Brenda,

I remember reading the board and you mentioned the Coal Pot, since we were only about 10 minutes away from Castries, I had to try it. Thank you so much. It was fantastic. I had hoped to try the Green Parrot and Dasheene at Ladera, but ran out of time. Also heard good things about the Charthouse. It gives me another excuse to go back.

I had fun on the trip to Martinique. They have some very nice beaches and I enjoyed swimming.

Fort de France I wasn't that impressed with. There are a lot of shops, but I didn't find too much in the way of deals. The people of Martinique are somewhat aloof, there isn't the easygoing friendliness of St Lucia.

I wish I could have explored the island a little more. We only visited the capital. Would I go back? I would probably split a week between Martinqiue and Dominica in the future.

Anice

I am sorry Lilipad. I wanted to answer your question...could you expand it a bit more. I still haven't recovered from vacation brain idleless. Thanks.

Anice

Anice,
If you ever get back to STL again, do the Grenadines trip!!!!! It was I think around $270pp but well worth it. Hour long flight, then sailing on a Cat the rest of the day with stops for snorkeling etc. Continental breakfast, nice lunch and some very potent rum punch. I was curious about Martinique as it rarely comes up on this board, thanks for the info. Think I would go back to the Grenadines if we go to STL again. Next stop St John.
Also, I am envious that you got lobster at The Grand. My weakness. I would have made the trip over there for dinner had I known that. No lobster whatsoever at the Regency.