St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Honeymoon at the Grande”
I just want to start out by saying we had an amazing time. Although we thought the Grande could make some improvements, we would return to a Sandals for a future vacation. That being said, there were some good and bad points to our vacation.First the bad........When we arrived after 12 hours of travel, we not impressed with the Concierge service check in. The concierge told us "They could not find our booking"--can you imagine how it would feel to hear this when you arrive for your honeymoon on an island at 10pm after 12 hours of travel? It just did not seem like they had their act together, the valet downstairs had our name on a list and we had a voucher, so obviously we had a booking. She found it after about 10 minutes of searching...but did not apologize and was rude.When we got to our room (Honeymoon Luxury Beachfront Penthouse Concierge) we were a little disappointed. It was spacious, with an amazing view---but the room itself was a pretty standard hotel room (like a Hyatt). It also smelled musty.My parents had booked us a $300 credit at the spa thru Sandals as a gift, and we never heard about it until we got back home. And some little things--room service usually took an hour, the NY Times fax did not arrive at our door the last 3-4 days, and we had to practically beg the maid for some extra towels. When we got our bill at the end, there was an extra $175 charge that was a mistake.Overall, we were disappointed with the Concierge service. The only benefits we found were the 24-hour room service and the in-room mini bar. Beyond that, we were unimpressed. We called a few time to book restaurant reservations, tours, etc....and they were always slow to get back to us. I tried to get them to help me plan something nice for my husband's birthday, and they were not helpful at all--they left a v/m about it and ruined the surprise, and basically said there was nothing they could do unless I was willing to pay extra.To me, the absolute best part of the Grande is the property itself. It is absolutely stunning, and is set up conveniently so its easy to get to the pool, beach, watersports, restaurants, etc. It is truly a beautiful spot, and we loved each day we spent at the pool and beach. The view from our room was breathtaking, and I loved having sunset cocktails on the terrace.As far as restaurants, my advice is to book reservations for Marios, Le Toc and Kimonos the FIRST night, or as soon as you can. We booked them the first night and got all three---but many couples we talked to waited and did not get reservations anywhere. Marios and Le Toc were excellent, white-glove service restaurants with great menus, be sure to order champagne, after dinner drinks---the works! Plus, its fun to take the van over to check out the other hotels. At the Grande, I loved "Barefoot by the Sea" for dinner (get the surf & turf and conch fritters!). The bars are also great, good frozen drinks to try are Nutty Colada, Love Potion and Hummingbird. A few other tips---the Grande has appetizers set up in the lobby every day at 5pm, and serve all-you-can-eat lobster on Friday nights at the buffet (we didn't know this and missed it, we had a reservation elsewhere).We did the Soufriere Day Sail, the Couples Massage and the hike on Pigeons Island. These were highlights, I recommend all three!! We also went shopping at Castries market (take the shuttle to the Halcyon and a cab from there) and got some good bargains.Overall, the Grande has a few things to work on (mostly service)....but we still had a fabulous honeymoon!Jennifer Ruyack Chapel Hill, NC
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “No pressure, no problems !!”
Today is my first day back at work from our wonderful honeymoon. My husband and I stayed at the resort from 9/21-9/26.We flew into the smaller airport closer to the resort and took the 20 min. shuttle to the resort. We arrived to find an upbeat great staff to great us, cool cloths and champagne and were whisked up to the concierge lounge. Our wedding was on 9/20 and in all the hustle and bustle, I had inadvertently forgotten all of our travel documents with the exception of our identification. Nonetheless, Sandals had no problem checking us in. The concierge staff guided us through a brief orientation and took all the other couples to their rooms. A kind, young lady by the name of Sammy told us that our swim-up room wouldnt be ready until the next day and downgraded us to the ocean view room. My husband and I are very laid back, thus had no problem with that. She also told us that we would be refunded the difference in the cost of the room and gave us a $150.00 gift certificate to the Spa. We really felt like this was a win-win situation. No pressure---no problems. Sammy promised us a great view of the ocean. Being that our swim-up room didnt view the ocean, we had the best of both worlds while we were there. Sammy was our concierge the entire week and we cannot sing her praises enough. Andrea (the concierge manager), Sammy, Leah and the rest of the staff were more than accommodating. They went way above and beyond all of our expectations. One examplethe resort does not have American Beer. They only have two kinds; Heineken and their local beer, Piton. My husband hates Heineken, so he tried Piton. He compares it to Corona and really liked it. Sammy proceeded to re-stock our entire wet bar with only Piton beer, and made sure that all other maids and assistants knew that, as well. She arranged all of our dinners, our tour and even recommended things for us to try at the restaurants. We miss Sammy the most. Upon spending some time with her and talking with her, she became one of our friends. We were really glad that we chose the room category that we did. The move to our swim-up room went off without a hitch. We were very pleased with that room. A lot of people have suggested that you dont need a swim-up room because of all the other pools. However, we found it as a place to relax and have some alone time. There was rarely a time when someone else was in the pool. We were also glad that we had concierge service. Like I said, the concierge staff really made our vacation better with all of their assistance. The 24 hour room service was great. It could have used a few more menu choices, but we usually just ordered breakfast and maybe a late night snack. Our wet bar was always fully stocked (with Piton, of course). And we were pleasantly surprised to find our bed turned down every night. We really enjoyed the beach. The water was crystal clear. (Even when we were in water up to our necks, we could still see our feet.) The actual beach was very clean and there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas.The only thing we could even think of to complain about was the food. And it wasnt even that bad. I dont know about everyone else, but being from Texas we dont like a lot of fancy stuff. Give us a steak and were happy. We could do without all the sauces, garnish, etc. Our first night, we got in so late that we had to eat at the Old London Pub (it was the only thing open). My husband and I shared an order of cheesesticks (you must try thosethey are AMAZINGjust tell them to cut the raspberry sauce). I had fish and chips (it was pretty good). My husband just had dessertapple pie, which he raved about. Like I said, we had breakfast in the room most every day. The French toast was my favorite, while my husband opted for the omelets. We also enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Bayside. We ate lunch at Bayside a few timesit was just okay. It took us a few days to find our favorite lunch spotBarefoot By The Sea. We loved to eat there for lunchand once we found it, we ate there every day. I really liked to go to the fancier places. My husband finally talked me into going to Barefoot. We both LOVED it !! Like I saidwe like normal food. My husband was delighted that they offered nachos and pizza at the appetizer bar. He had the jerk chicken wings every daythose are obviously his favorite. I always ate the steak sandwich without the bread. So basicallysteak and french fries. We also ate there once for dinner and we both had surf & turf and then split the garlic shrimp. Both entrees are amazing. It didnt take us long to figure out that you can order two entrees or mix-n-match the items from two entrees. I highly recommend doing that.We didnt make it to the Halcyon. To be honestit looked like a dump. We heard horrible things about the Pier restaurant (i.e., slow service, bad food.) One couple was seated there at 6:00 and didnt even get their drinks until 8:30. We are laid back and all, but we just felt like that was a little much.We ate at the Regency twice. We tried Armandos and didnt like it at all. We heard others really enjoyed it, but it just wasnt the Italian food we were used to. (i.e., the Chicken Alfredo I ordered was not fettuccini pasta. It was rotini corkscrewsthe different colored kindred pepper, green spinach, etc. and they just dumped a grilled chicken breast on top--rather than sliced or chopped chicken). We enjoyed their desserts and my husband said his beef tenderloin was okay. Again, just not our style. We ate at Kimonos our last night and had a good time. I felt that it was not all it was cracked up to be--The food lacked a little but the atmosphere makes up for it. Our waiter and chef were a lot of fun.After visiting the other resorts we were EXTREMELY relieved that we had chosen the Grande. It is ten times nicer than the others. The Regency is too spaced out and is older. The Halcyon is just ugly.We played golf one day. The golf course is challenging, but we had a great time. It is set in a mountain and some parts are really steep. I would definitely recommend paying the extra $20 or whatever for a cart. Caddies are recommended, but they are not paid by the resort. I thought that was crappy on the resorts part. However, we had a young man by the name of Donovan who was very funny and helpful. We paid him his highest tip ever for 18 holes--$51.00. Be sure to tip these young men well. They are all super nice and work really hard in the heatall day--for tips only.We also had a celestial bliss massage at the Grande spa. It was AMAZING. The celestial bliss includes a beachside couples massage. I recommend to schedule it around sunset (5:30-6:00). We had the ocean, the sunset, and a romantic saxophone player (he just happened to be playing at the pool that night).We went on the shopping tour. Be sure to bargain at the local craft market. They WILL come down off those prices.We even signed up for a photo shoot at the resort. Gemma takes great pictures. We got them all put on a disk. It was expensivebut who caresyou only go on your honeymoon one time, right ??I was a little apprehensive after reading some of the reviews on here. However, I quickly came to the conclusion that the people who complained are just looking for things to complain about. I am so glad that we chose St. Lucia, the Grande and Sandals. We didn't have any problems with anything. Everyone was so nice and so courteous. We didn't pass a single employee the whole time that didn't speak to us. Overall, our trip was absolutely amazing. I wanted to stay, but my husband was ready to come home.Here are a few tips:1. Go all out--especially if it's your honeymoon--spoil yourselves and opt for a concierge room. We found it to be well worth it. And request Andrea or Sammy as your concierge.2. Don't go there with the attitude that you're getting gourmet food.3. Schedule a photo shoot with Gemma.4. Take a day to just enjoy the beach and the pools.5. DEFINITELY fly into the smaller airport.6. NEVER ride in the front seat of the Taxi. =)7. If you go there with a laid back, relaxed attitude--you will do fine.The island motto is, "No Pressure, No Problems." Give them a break--they don't get in a hurry about anything. I wish I could be more like that. Take everything with a grain of salt and just enjoy your trip. We sure did.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “A Grande Honeymoon”
We went to the Grande on our honeymoon Sep. 9th-17th and it was a wonderful trip overall. A few snags but nothing to spoil a great time. We flew into the bigger airport and it was about an 1 1/2 hour trip to the resort. Yes, traffic was bad and the drivers were scary but you get to see soo much of the island as you drive through the mountains. Palm trees, banana groves, small towns, private beaches, etc. We had the Penthouse Beachfront Concierge room, so upon arrival at the resort we were taken to the Suite Concierge Office which has a nice balcony overlooking the beach and main pool and were given champagne and an orientation. We were then told that they didn't have any of the Beachfront rooms that night, that we'd have to take an Oceanfront room but that there would be a Beachfront room availiable the next day. For compensation, we were given a coupon for a FREE couples' massage! (I know some previous reviews said that they'd only been given spa discounts, but I guess they got enough complaints that now they offer free services for compensation). The next day, we were given our Beachfront room, no problem. The rooms are nice, but pretty much the same regardless or what category you're in. The Beachfront view is MUCH better than the Oceanfront in my opinion, however. Overall, the Concierge service was good, with the staff helping us almost every day booking tours, settling charges, and retrieving faxes. The service overall is keeping with the typical Caribbean SLOWNESS. Room service will come about a half hour AFTER the requested time block. We needed our marriage certificate faxed over to the Grande, and it was faxed numerous times but the staff said they never received it until the last day. The Concierge had to go down to the main desk to see what was going on, and came back with a pile of our faxed marriage ceritficate!! So, the moral is just be patient and persistent and watch your bill for expenses.The day after we arrived we paid $5 and hiked around Pigeon Island up to Fort Rodney, then went the extra mile and did an intermediate hike (a little rock climbing involved) to get to the taller peak. The views are fantastic, you can see Martinique, the resort, the western coast, Rodney Bay, and much of the interior. You'll also see a lot of interesting plants and animals on your way up and back down. There are also old buildings and signs explaining their use during the long war between the British and French for St. Lucia.The beach was fantastic, although a little rocky, but the water was nice and warm. The watersports area is nice, you usually don't have to wait for hobbie cats, kayaks, etc. My husband also really liked the ocean trampoline. We went snorkling a few days after we got there. Unfortunately due to a distant hurricane the water was rather murky and rough, and there were also jellyfish. The staff assured us that that is usually not the case tho. We still saw a lot of fish, sea snakes, and the occasional eel. The highlight of the trip was the beginner scuba lesson!! I have been to the Caribbean before and you NEVER get scuba for free. The course (this is NOT the certification course, although it can be counted as a dive session towards it) was VERY comprehensive. Our instructor was very thorough and kept us in the certification pool until she had led us through everything we needed to know for our first dive. She let us practice breathing, swimming while controlling the weights, and did emergency procedure practice such as if your mask fills up with water or the regulator is knocked out of your mouth. Right after the class is over, you get to go on your first dive, which lasts about 2 hours and is about 25 feet deep. The view is amazing!! The water clarity isn't much of an issue if you can swim right up next to the reef. My husband loved it so much he went on a dive 2 days later and wants to get certified.The restaurants are very good at the Grande and at the other resorts. In fact, our favorite restaurant was The Pier at the Halcyon. We also went to Kimono's at the Golf Resort. The transfers are easy to manage IF you keep track of the time!! Bayside was our favorite for dinner at the Grande, offering a wide selection. Toscanini's has good food (especially the antipasto bar) but the service is VERY slow and confused (we got the neighboring table's drinks and desserts a few times). Barefoot by the Sea is a good choice for a casual lunch, and the dinner surf and turf option is delicious! Again, be prepared for slow by American standards service. Josephines was ok, we only went there once. The crepes are good, but they cannot alter the choices in any way as the mixture is pre-prepared, folded into the crepe and cooked. The pub was very good, with a hearty selection, and I wish we had had dinner there more often. The breakfast and lunch buffets at Bayside offer a decent selection, although the food quality is mediochre.We took two tour trips, the shopping trip and the Soufriere day cruise. The shopping trip was nice since you don't have to worry about cab fares, etc. it's all once fixed price. Also, it gives you a chance to buy some cheaper souveniers. If you're a good bargainer, this is a great option for you! My husband got a wooden carving reduced from $20 to $8.The Soufriere day cruise, although a little pricey at $90 pp is worth the money. The trip is fun with music and a bar and nice scenery. You go to the volcano in Soufriere and see the Pitons, then have lunch in a hotel with a gorgeous view of the whole town, great photo op!! On the way back you can go snorkeling as well. Again, the visibility at St. Lucia isn't as clear as some Caribbean destinations, but the fish are beautiful.The spa services are excellent, definately worth the money!! While I was there I got severely sunburned and had the Water Lily Treatment. VERY cold, but I felt much better for days afterwards. The couples' massage is also very nice. You're in a candlelit room with two massage therapists. The staff is very courteous and professional, and the overall spa atmosphere is very relaxing and peaceful.All in all, I'd have to say this was a wonderful trip for both of us, despite some service problems. If you can take it easy and don't come in with unrealistic expectations, then the Grande can definately offer you a small piece or tropical paradise on earth!!
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Married in Paradise”
We were married at the Grande on September 18th in the middle of our 7 night stay. Let me start by saying that the island, resort and our wedding were all that we had hoped for and more. The beginning of our trip did not go as smoothly as we hoped since we missed our connecting flight to the island and spent the night in Puerto Rico with a whole group of other stranded travelers. The airline paid for our hotel room, cab fare, and meals in Puerto Rico but we were concerned about missing a night of our stay at Sandals. Sandals was surprisingly accommodating and just moved our room block (and all of the other stranded travelers' room blocks as well) back one day at no extra charge! We flew into the smaller airport in Castries close to the resort and were glad we did. Other guests who flew into the larger airport said it took 3 - 4 hours because accidents delayed the 2 hour white-knuckled bus trip. Roads are horrible and drivers crazy so the least amount of time spent on the roads the better. Once we arrived at Sandals, we were greeted with cold towels and champagne and whisked away to the Concierge lounge for check-in. We had an Oceanfront Penthouse room and were pleased with it. The view was amazing (could see Martinique) and it was quieter than the beach side of the resort. I didn't notice a musty odor as other reviewers complained. The room was definitely comfortable and large enough for us. Everything was in working order and we never ran out of toilet paper or towels as I have read some did. We enjoyed having the 24-hour room service and had breakfast delivered to the room almost everyday. The food was fair to great. We never had a problem finding something we were willing to eat. Barefoot by the Sea (surf and turf, garlic shrimp) and Toscanini's (lamb, red snapper, and desserts) were our favorites for dinner. Kimono's at the Regency Golf resort was also very good and a lot of fun - just be sure to make reservations early in your stay. The chocolate crepes at Josephine's were yummy! The buffets were probably our least favorite but they offered many choices. Portions were fine for us but bigger eaters might want to order appetizers or two main plates (which is no problem since I saw many people do just that). They are also willing to modify menu choices if you request it (i.e. I got the shrimp instead of crab legs with my surf and turf). The grounds, beach, bay, and pool areas were beautiful. I definitely recommend paying $5 US each and hiking Pigeon Island right next to the resort. We did 2 tours - the Rainforest Hike and Day Sail to Soufriere. We enjoyed both although the vendors at Soufriere were annoying and the town was really run down. Glad we went anyway because the Pitons are worth seeing and the boat ride was a lot of fun. Our wedding was stress-free. The decorated gazebo, bouquet, cake, photos, and wedding video were all great. It was so nice to have someone else take care of all of the arrangements. Snorkeling was fun too. We didn't take the course on scuba diving because the dive location we went to wasn't that deep so snorkeling permitted you to see nearly as much. There were some minor problems while we stayed at the resort (long waits for meals, no beach towels available mid-day, etc.) but nothing can be absolutely perfect and overall our experience was positive. Just keep in mind that things go at a slower pace on the island and leave your watch in your room. If you want to be seated right away for dinner, go early in the evening. Out of the 3 resorts on the island I think the Grande is the best based on what I saw and what other guests said. It has the best beach and grounds. We were sad to leave and are looking forward to a return trip!
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Honeymoon Disappointment at Sandals Grande….”
All you ever hear is how great Sandals Grande is but our honeymoon left a lot to be desired. We spent more on this trip than any and the level of service is substandard. We traveled 13 hours from California for our honeymoon to arrive at midnight to be told that the level room we had paid for was all booked and we had been downgraded with no explanation. We have been fighting to get our money back since we got home August 6. We were also charged a 400 charge that they can't figure out what it was for. It was an unathorized charge. This was only a few of the things that happened. We were stranded due to there bad shuttle schedule. Our phone didn't work. Our safe didn't work and we were on the expensive conceirge level...What a joke.Food and service is ok. I think if you have never traveled before it would be a great vacation. I recommend not splurging on an upgraded room they are all furnished and look the same. Beware of all the great you hear about sandals it isn't worth the money. You can find better vacations for less. The property is beautiful but that is the best part of it. We talked to many couples who had been downgraded or worse moved to a smaller sandals hotel which is a dump. I wouldn't recommend that hotel to anyone.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “This Is Paradise - Kauai Revisited”
WHO WE ARE: Oftentimes you read a review and have no idea where people are coming from, what theyre used to, how old they are, that sort of thing. So I thought Id tell you a little about us. My lovely wife is 31 and Im 30. We live in Los Angeles and arent in any way remotely affiliated with the glitz and glam of Hollyweird, although Amy did work for one of the citys biggest talent agencies for quite a few years. Weve got normal jobs, struggling to make ends meet. Amys even going to school at night and working during the days. We both have been lucky enough to have had our fair share of luxury, exotic food, fine dining and travels and we chose St. Lucia for our 1-year anniversary and had an absolutely wonderful time. As youll learn below, we are accustomed to vacationing in Hawaii and staying at their luxury resorts (and spending a ridiculous fortune on food and hotels, another reason why we chose St. Lucia) and eating the islands fine cusine so thats where the bar was set and met.THE WEATHER: Dont be afraid of Hurricane Season (even after what youve seen about Hurricane Fabian recently). The likelihood that youll hit the island during a hurricane within this huge region is very slim. Even if one does touch down on the island, Sandals will pay to bring you back, flight included. Even if youre on your very last night on the island, theyll bring you back for the whole time you had originally reserved. Most importantly, the cost savings is quite considerable for trips booked during hurricane season. And its worth it! We visited the island from 8/15 8/25/03 and we only had one full day of rain (conveniently placed midtrip when we had a trip to the spa already booked) and only very occasional rainstorms which would last no more than 15-20 minutes. We prayed that the pictures portraying blue skies werent just taken in the winter. We had plenty of warmth and blue skies. The humidity was never a problem for us but we did sigh some relief upon returning to air conditioned spaces. It was definitely a good mix. Why on earth would you want to vacation anywhere that wasnt warm and humid? All the more reason to dive into the sea or pool!THE ISLAND: Being from the West Coast, were spoiled. Weve got Hawaii (and even better, Kauai) only about 5 hours away. But if St. Lucia is closer to you, or you feel like something different but similar, St. Lucia is perfect. We were looking for something just like Kauai, but felt that our third trip to Hawaii in as many years would be a tad redundant. Weve heard horror stories about how youre always trying to find something like this place or that and it never measures up. Well, St. Lucia definitely fit our needs. And then some. The island is as lush and tropical as can be. Since Kauai is my idea of a tropical paradise, St. Lucia surprisingly satisfied. And if you can believe it, all with better weather and warmer water.THE POVERTY: Fuggetaboutit. A non-issue. Weve heard horror stories about Mexico and Jamaica and just hoped that St. Lucia wouldnt be anything at all like those places. Not that were cold, uncaring beasts, but when Im on vacation, I want to forget about my own miserable existence not to mention everyone elses. If you do venture into town, youll probably be approached by someone trying to sell you something. The people of St. Lucia are a wonderful and friendly bunch. They are poor and they will do what they can to sell you something. Ive been approached by these walking salespeople all over the world and Ive got to say that St. Lucians arent nearly as pushy as others Ive come across. If you tell them no, or that you already have what theyre trying to sell you, they leave you alone. Pretty much right away. This does not happen in Mexico or other places like it. Unlike Jamaica, you really can go out of the resort and explore the island. Just be smart as I would here in Los Angeles or anywhere else. No flashy jewelry and keep the purse at home. If you do want to sample the local flavor and partake in a customary Friday night Jump Up, definitely follow these instructions. You wont want to be burdened by this stuff anyway.THE BEACHES: Wow. The beach at the Sandals Grande was amazing. I have no idea what folks were talking about when they had problems with the color of the sand. What? It didnt match the pictures in the brochure. are you nuts? Okay, the sand DID match the pictures, it was beautiful. There are some beaches on the island that have black sand due to the volcanic rock, but not at our hotels beach. Who cares if the sand is black anyway? Youre in paradise. Again, the sand at the Grande is as blonde as blonde can be. The Grandes beach was a nice long stretch of beautifully soft sand situated on an awesome bay with Pigeon Island to the north and Gros Islet to the south with lush green mountains across the water. A perfect half moon bay which definitely made for calm water activities. Palapas (big wooden thatched umbrellas) and loungers abound.SANDALS WATER ACTIVITIES: We did almost all of it and never had any problem with availability with one exception which would be the only thing that left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Hobie cats, tubing, water trikes, water skiing, snorkel trips, all included and wonderful. Now, we heard that there were other parts of the island that had better snorkel/dive sites, but we certainly didnt miss them. The whole experience of it was wonderful. We saw schools of fish, schools of squid, octopuses, eels, trumpet fish, barracudas (not harmful, but keep the rings in the room). I even dove for the first time in St. Lucia and the instruction was top notch. I did have a second dive scheduled and a late return from an island tour forfeited my ability to go on the trip. I rescheduled the dive for Saturday and received a call on Saturday re-scheduling the dive for Sunday because two of the watersports folks were sick and I was the only one scheduled to go on the trip. I informed the watersports crew that I was flying on Monday but they assured me that it wouldnt be a problem. On Sunday, I showed up at the time promised and was told that I should have been there at 10AM instead of 1PM. Long story short, they insisted that I could not dive that close to my flight the next day (even though 3 of them told me previously it was ok) and that no dives were going out on the 1PM snorkel trip on Sunday. No pressure, no problem, but I was a little peeved as I knew I was entitled to 2 dives a day as part of the inclusive package and this was my last chance to do it before leaving the island. A few things to consider if you want to dive. If youre a beginner like me, you can only go once a day (not the 2 included) because the 2nd dive of the day is a deeper dive which requires certification. Now, you can get certified there for a fee and 4 days of training. Not really worth it in my opinion. The money or the time. Also, you cant go within the last 24 hours before a flight and make sure you make reservations to dive 24 hours in advance and try to get others to join you so they dont have the well, youre the only one diving as an excuse. One more thing; we met a guy who was certified and he wasnt allowed to just go out on any trip. He was told he would have to take the beginners class in the pool and do the swim trial, which I didnt really understand. All in all, hey, youre on vacation, I had the great experience of diving once and had an amazing time. No pressure, no problem.THE GRANDES POOL: Great, great, great, great swim up bar too. Theyve even got aqua aerobics. Dont forget to check out the spas hot (very very very hot) tub and cooler splash pool which you can visit 24 hours a day as well as the sauna and steam rooms. They also orchestrate pool (and beach) volleyball for those who are so inclined. These activities never hassle the sunbathers as they use the upper less popular pool and side of the beach, respectively.THE ROOMS: There were quite a few reviews about how the rooms werent that great. We paid the least amount of money possible, which put us in a deluxe lagoon room (not swim-up). I had read that you can ask for an upgrade and I didnt even have to! We got a full ocean view, facing north (the hotel is perfectly situated on an isthmus with bay on one side and sea on the other), without even asking or knowing what kind of room we were given. I figure the upgrades are only based on availability and it seemed like the hotel was quite available, which was an added perk. Although there were plenty of great folk with whom to socialize. Bathrooms are marble with double sinks. Rooms are absolutely fine. I like more luxury than my wife and I was completely pleased. I dont know what others were expecting to get out of their rooms but ours was great. I would say, something like a nice Vegas room. Were not talking Venetian suite but something like a nicer NY, NY room, a Hard Rock Hotel room or a Rio Suites room (although not that big). My wife has also taught me to realize that youre not spending your time in the room. I have to impress upon you that if you are that type, though, youd be quite comfortable.THE FOOD: What youre all dying to find out. We read a bunch of reviews about how the food and service didnt quite match up to expectations. Going into it, we didnt expect much and were totally impressed! Definitely reserve Le Toc and Kimonos (both at the Regency) early. While youre at it, go reserve your diving early too. Le Toc was a very nice French restaurant (probably the best among Sandals resorts) and Kimonos was a Japanese teppanyaki joint like Benihana. We all know how much those places charge for the spread which includes your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, lobster (with increasing pricetags). Well, here, they give you it all, well, the beef, the chicken, the shrimp, the fish, the pork and an appetizer. If you want two appetizers, go for it. I hear the sushi appetizer was really good, although I was a tad nervous. Our chef, Bert, was awesome. He even suggested we do sake bombs (although they substitute vodka for sake) which were very familiar with and would have insisted upon on our own! The other chefs dont do the sake bombs. so make sure you ask for them! We all had a blast flinging food into each others mouths. Back at our hotel, we loved Toscanini (ate there three times), Bayside, Josephines Creperie, Barefoot by the Sea and the Olde English Pub. Our first meal at the resort was lunch at the Barefoot and I ordered the thai salad which I was not impressed by. The nice thing about Sandals is that you can order and re-order whatever you want. If you dont like something, order something else. Or order � of one thing and a � of something else if you dont know if youre going to like it. Now, were not ones to wantonly waste food, however, you may find that you would like to order a couple things at one seating. No pressure, no problem. You should know that the Barefoot by the Sea completely changes their menu in the evening and food (and service thanks to Stacey) is wonderful! Having gone back there during the day, I just figured out what to order, the Jerk chicken wings are awesome as is the gazpacho (order it extra spicey). Service and food in Toscaninis was incredible thanks to Nelson, Junius and Gregory. We heard good and bad reviews about the pub yet decided to try it. Boy were we glad we did. Everything we ordered was great! The steak & ale pie, the curry (awesome), pretty good fried mozzarella sticks. I love my imported beers, but I didnt care one bit that they only served Piton (a darn good lager) and Heineken. I read one reviewer say that they were completely appalled that they didnt serve one English beer. Give me a break. Which brings me to the attitude you need to have when dining in the Sandals restaurants. Go into it not expecting much and youll be totally amazed. Go into it expecting it to be good food and good service and youll be pleased. I think some folks go into this thinking the food better be like Emerils or Wolfgangs or Joachims or Marios and it just aint gonna be like that. Steaks at the Barefoot were incredible (the kitties liked them too not a nuisance at all). Crepes at Josephines were great. Service varied a bit. I made an effort to learn every servers name. Benjamin at the Bayside was very nice. Pearl at the beach bar, Ju at the Lobby Bar too. Oh, Nathan at check-in as well as Al were very friendly and helpful. The island motto is no pressure, no problem, so live the motto when youre there. Youre not on any schedule or shouldnt be. Sometimes it might take you a few more minutes to be noticed at the bar but think of it as giving your liver a few extra moments to recover from the last st. Lucian mama. Only once did we have to request a round of drinks twice. No big deal. For the most part, everyone was friendly and very helpful and attentive. Oh, and do yourself a favor and try the Scorpio with rum (its normally a non-alcoholic drink which I mistakenly ordered as my first drink on the island, sans rum). Lunch buffet at the Bayside was pretty darn good too now that I think about it. We were a little suspicious but were very pleasantly surprised.THE SPA: My wife had a facial and I had a massage and chose to do it in the same room. It was great and Id have to say that my masseur gave me one of the best massages Ive ever had. I normally dont like how rough the fellahs are (although Ive only had one other massage given by a man) and prefer women but again, I was very pleasantly surprised. Amy enjoyed her facial very much.TOURS: Aside from the two dinners at the other resorts, we only did two things offsite. The hike up to the fort on Pigeon Island was great with an incredible view (go to both points). We also heard from a couple that did every tour that the highlight was the Jungle Safari Jeep Tour. So we did it and got the best driver and guide. The driver, Tony, looked and sounded just like Busta Rhymes. Our guide, Charlie, was incredible, taking more time than was allotted for the tour, stopping here and there to pick various fruits and aromatic plants for us to taste and smell. We learned so much on that tour as we enjoyed seeing more of the island. Definitely a must. If youre not staying at Sandals, you might want to save $5 or so by booking with a company directly. The excursion desk in the lobby is so handy that you really dont mind spending the extra money if youre spending any more at all. We also heard the day sail to Soufriere was a great trip too. I usually like exploring more than what we ended up doing, but we loved Sandals so much that we really didnt want to leave. And now we have a reason to go back to the island. If you do want to check out the open-air markets in Castries, dont waste your money on a tour. Take the free shuttle to the Halcyon (closest to Castries) and then grab a cab for $5 or so into town and then back. Remember, leave the purse and the jewelry behind and dont wander too far from the main part of town.FINAL NOTE: We loved everything about the Sandals Grande. We didnt check out the Halcyon but after seeing the Regency (and how big it was, for starters), we knew we had made the right choice. Just by looking at where the hotel is situated, you know its an awesome place. We would go back in a heartbeat, no doubt about it. Further proof we were supposed to end our trip by spending our last 3 nights on the island at a smaller, boutique hotel outside of Soufriere called Anse Chastanet. I had read many many reviews about this place and it came highly recommended by tour books and online guides alike as a perfect romantic getaway (we chose Anse over another highly recommended place Ladera). The fact that the rooms werent air conditioned coupled with no pool and how much we enjoyed the Grande convinced us that even the last 3 days werent going to be enough in paradise at the Grande.Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns and darn it, have fun for us when you go!
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Everything You Need for Relaxation”
Sure it's expensive. But worth it. Stayed August 9-16 2003.This was the first time my wife and I tried an all inclusive. We usually prefer to stay at a 5 star hotel and then explore. This time however we just wanted to relax so picked the Grand.We did get out and visit the Hilton Jaloise ( small cottages on the hill with no views and very small 'plunge' pools and you needed to use the shuttle to get up and down the hills) and tried in vain to visit the Annse Chastenet ( the road into the location was bloody awfull and after 1/2 mile we turned arround... if they cannot maintain their roads, what were the rooms like? ..folks told us they were in need of a lot of work and bugs eat you after dark).The Grand was first rate. All restaraunts were good. Seafood tended to be overcooked at them all though so if your a seafood lover, instruct the staff to go easy on the cooking time. Josaphines for the lunch crepes cant be beat. Try them.We had the Delux Beachfront Honeymoon room. All rooms are carpeted and smelled musty ( they really need to replace the rugs with tile). Other than that, the room was a nice size and we had a great view of Rodney bay. The ocean side was fine too especially if your in one of the rooms in the 5xxx series at the end of the resort. Nice reakers on the ocean side to sleap by crashing waves. The bay side is dead calm at night.Dive team is first rate and very accomodating. Sailing Cats in the bay had no time limits.First class bars with anything you wanted to drink from brandy alexanders, martinis, margaritas, beers, to rum concoctions.Dont need the Concierge rooms. Way too much to eat and drink normally and you can always take stuff back to the room.Highly recomended and we would return. Would recomend the hotel make a few changes though.1. Have someone fix the mechanical noise problem. Right over Josaphines ( about the centre of the resort) is a mechanical room that permiates its racket out over the pool area and all rooms towards the right of it. Trust me, once I pointed it out to others they found it very annoying as well. This destroys the ambiance of waves ( cant hear them ) and the crickets chirping at night.2. Remove the carpet to get rid of the moldy musty smells that everyone I talked to did not enjoy ( the swim up pool rooms have tile floors but I did not smell them).3. Keep the Sax player every night. Not the guy inthe tower though, he fiddles witht the accompanyment too often and this distracts from what should be relaxed playing. We liked the Sax player who played on the chess board. Mellow, smooth and the way sax should be. Make him permanent.4. Turn the lights down in the Italian restaurant and include candles and soft music. It can be a very romatic spot with a few small enhancements.5. Get rid of the big speaker ( you know.. the one on wheels with the gazillion watt amp) for music by the pool bar. Cant talk if your anywhere near it. Get a few waterproof speakers and pipe the music in from the Sandals tower.6. Dont overcook seafood.7. Install screens on the doors so if people want to leave them open to hear the sounds of the ocean, they can withour mosquitos. Even a 1 foot piece of screen the length of the slifding glass doors that could be |-| held in place by the doors closing on it. Cheap simple and effective.8. Invite us back so we can show you in person how to make a fine resort a great one.John and Sandi Nesbitt.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Earthly Paradise”
My husband and I just returned from 8 days in paradise. We loved the Grande--everything from its gorgeous scenery to the friendly staff. No words can capture how much we enjoyed our stay--we were very sad to leave, to say the least. We had the swim-up lagoon concierge room, and it was incredible. We spent a great deal of time in our lagoon pool, and its romantic garden setting was so beautiful. We loved the food, especially the crab legs at Barefoot on the Beach. We had such a great time on the Sunset Cruise and on the Day Sail to the Pitons--we would love to come back. It was unbelievable. We have been to Hawaii and to so many islands in the Carribean and this was by far the best trip we have taken. We renewed our vows in a beautiful gazebo by the beach and everyone was so wonderful to us. We definitely will look at our wonderful pictures for years to come! This is a vacation that people can only dream about! We loved it and plan to return! -Janice and Doug Clark.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “No Pressure, No Problem at Sandals Grande”
I stayed at Sandals Grande during my honeymoon from August 5th-11th and it was a most enjoyable experience. Admittedly, I was quite reluctant in going to Sandals after reading the inconsistent and disheartening reviews. I can truly say that Sandals Grande is indeed worth the money and more importantly the experience is priceless. Before I begin, let me say that if you are considering a vacation for the quality of room and food is a priority, look elsewhere because you will be somewhat disappointed. However, if you have experienced the Carribean you will know that this area is not known for their foods but for its natural and unspoiled beauty especially in St. Lucia. The Sandals Grande food and rooms are not comparable to the Ritz Carlton but the service of the staff is impeccable. After the first day, the staff knew our first name and was quite sincere in their hospitatality. As far as the wait staff they were quite friendly but their accessibility could have been improved. I had to request my beverages oftentimes more than once. I really enjoyed talking to other couples who were in the midst of their honeymoon, anniversary which heightened the feelings of love. The stay at one, play at three concept is fantastic because you have the options of eating and experiencing other resorts and embrace their distinctive qualities. The Golf Resort for instance was the best as far as food and restaurants but the couples there and flavor resembled a cruise. On the other hand, Halcyon resembled a more intimate flavor and Grande was ideal for a honeymoon with its excellent amenities and pool. Grande is ideal if you love water sports and natural beauty. Overall, no vacation is perfect but Sandals Grande is an ideal place if you are looking for a natural picturesque scenery on Pigeon Island. I would highly recommend this resort and you will understand truly that your pressures and problems will be swept away in the sea of forgetfulness. Please Email me if you have any specific questions.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “The Grande is Grand!”
My husband and I just got back from 8 glorious days at the Grande St. Lucian and would highly recommend it to anyone. We are not "newleyweds" and were celebrating our 13th anniversary (We're 40yrs old). We found a nice mix of people and nobody seemed out of place regardless of age etc. We loved the restaurants and the food at our resort and were very happy with our seafood meal at the Pier restaurant at the Halcyon Sandals. It was nice to check out the smaller "cottage like" Sandals, but we were glad we'd picked the Grande. We also had a fabulous time at the Kimonos Restaurant at the Golf resort. It's another must do! We didn't go to Le Toc at the Golf resort, but heard good things about it - We just didn't want to shuttle 3 nights off property and the Kimonos was very different and fun. At the Grande, our favourite place for dinner was Barefoot by the Sea as we had the seafood platter and the surf and turf , conch chowder etc. Lobster was not in season but we enjoyed garlic shrimp once and crab legs twice. Bayside has a great varied dinner menu too. The sax player played right in the restaurant while we dined. Toscannin's is most people's favourite, but it was our least favourite meal as both the lamb and veal dishes were heavily breaded and we just didn't enjoy the food as much as at the others. We did love the atmosphere there as we sat outside and the service everywhere is amazing. We LOVED the crepes at Josephine's so don't miss them! It's too bad they closed at 7 pm or we'd have have chocolate crepes every day for dessert after dinner. Some days we'd have lunch somewhere else and just head there mid afternoon for a crepe "snack" - Awesome! We did the full day sail and enjoyed that, but if we had to do it again we might do the land/sea cruise so you could visit some places enroute to Soufriere. It's worth venturing off the resort if you want to see the scenery, see the people etc. Since we did the day sail, I really wanted to see the Rainforest, Botanical Gardens, Diamond Falls and shop at the straw market, so for $95 US we rented an Avis jeep and driver for 8 hours. The driver was amazing and stops where you want. It's much cheaper than an organized tour and he'll go anywhere. I would likely do that again and maybe do the shorter evening sunset cruise if I wanted to be on a boat. If you do a lot of scuba dives, the catamaran trip is not as exciting as the longer dives included a longer boat ride. All in all we saw a lot on the island and also had lots of time to relax - We left on a Saturday and returned on a Sunday (One travel agent found that for $11.00 canadian we could enjoy an extra day!!!) All in all, you can do as little or as much as you want and you'll be happy. There are lots of great people to meet of all ages and you'll have a blast. I'm surprised about the reviews that don't give the Grande at least 4 Stars. Don't let any negative reviews scare you. We met 2 couples who were celebrating their 20th and 25th anniversaries and they had both travelled extensively (one man was even a travel agent), and they loved St. Lucia and the Grande too. ENJOY!!! Have a frozen mudslide for me at the swim up bar if you go!
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “A great Honeymoon!!!”
Recently my new wife and I decided to celebrate our honeymoon in St. Lucia. One word of advice to start is to fly into the small airport near the resort. Although the airport is small and totally unorganized, it will save you a 1 � hour drive which I hear is terrible.Once we got our luggage a sandals bus was at the airport to take us to our resort (the Grande). We had to stop and drop some people off at the Halycon, but it was on the way so it was no big deal. Once there, we were greeted with the customary cold washcloths and ice cold champagne. We had our sit down check in and were given a bag of goodies. We were then escorted to our room and our honeymoon has officially started. We were a couple hours away from orientation, so we decided to look around and explore on our own. We ate a quick lunch at barefoot by the sea which was great! From there we joined the 5PM orientation (we highly recommend it!!!) We had dinner at the Old English which was pretty good.Im not going to sit here and bore everyone with every detail of our tripso let me just get down to business and give the highlights. The first highlight that comes to mind are the playmakers. They are fantastic and made this trip very special. Big shout outs go out to Fluff and especially to Jay. Their interaction with my wife and I was great! Pool volleyball in the mornings was something to look forward to as well as all of their great activities at night. We highly recommend participating in casino night and checking out the newlywed game (which we actually won!!!!)Daytime activities are plentiful the hobie cats are fun and only take a few minutes to learn. We went tubing many times and it was great! I couldnt scuba dive due to a recent surgery (oh well) but I did get a chance to go snorkelinguntil jelly fish decided to feast on my wife (the only bad part of the vacation). The swim up bars were great with fast service (I highly recommend the Piton local beer) Mixed drinks were kinda weak, but if you ask nicely they will Stiffen them up for you. The atmosphere and music around the pool was so relaxing. Always a place to sit, never too crowded. The nacho and pizza bar at the Barefoot by the Sea restaurant provided a nice snack to those who have been drinking all day! My wife was able to find a nice book to read in the library and loved to play with the 2 cats running around the barefoot by the sea restaurant. Great lunch buffet w/ desert inside the Bayside.Night time became VERY quiet.which is nice! The place to be is Tusconinis! This is a great restaurant with white glove service. My wife and I enjoyed several meals there as well as several bottles of wine! This is a dress up place, so guys, dont forget your dress pants! Be prepared though, dinner can sometimes take up to 2 hourswhich isnt necessarily a bad thing! Nightly entertainment with a phenomenal saxaphone player as well as a steel drum band makes you feel like you are a king and queen while walking the beach at night.very soothing! The Palladium offered some great nightly activities some nightscheck the whiteboard outside to see what is going on. The billiard room is nice, but only has 2 tables inside and 2 outside. I actually learned how to play snooker (how exciting!) Dont forget that the Old English is the only restaurant with a late night menu (and there is usually nobody there after 10:00) Late night cheeseburgers rule!The only bad things about this resort are the lack of shopping (but who really needs to shop on vacation) and the price of the pictures (15.00 is a little much for a computer print out)We spent some time at the golf resortbut we were VERY happy we chose the Grande. Much better place to be. The golf resort featured free golf and no wait for a tee time. It was fun and I golfed twice while the wife played in the ocean. It will take 30 minutes to get there from the Grande, so be prepared.There are plenty of excursions, but since we were having so much fun at the resort we didnt feel it was necessary to leave. We did take a booze cruise. It was a cruise around to watch the sunset. It was cloudy, so we didnt see anythingbut we did drink a lot and really didn't seem to care about the lack of a nice sunset.We met so many fantastic couples. Everyone was so nice. The staff was great. We especially want to thank Playmaker Jason for a great time. He was the best and if he is involved in an activity and you are looking for a good timeyou have to participate!We did have some trouble leaving the islanda volcano had some activity a couple islands over. Our flight was cancelled, so we had to stay another night at sandals. They still gave us champagne and cold towels (which we needed after being stuck in the un-airconditioned airport for 7 hours) It was a great experiencePlease email us with any questionsKurt and Sarah.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Sandals Grande-No So Grande”
Well, this was our 4th trip to a Sandals Property...and our last. Way overpriced and incredibly boring. We were also robbed, yes robbed. Our safe was open upon returning to our room and $400 cash was gone. Security had on record a staff member entering our room. Nothing happened as of the time we left and once we were home and our travel agent inquired about our experience, she received a letter stating inaccurate facts. So, as a so called "Signature Guest" of Sandals - I am telling all of you out there do not waste your time or money on these resorts. 10 Years ago I would have recommended, but now - they are no better than a Motel 6 with a view.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Heaven on Earth”
Just returned yesterday from our honeymoon from May 27-June 3rd and It was absoluteloy amazing. What you see in the brochure is exactly what you get. No lie. Its absolutely gorgeous. From the minute you get there they are waiting with cold cloths and champagne and we never had to even check in...they did it all for us ( and we did not pay for conceirge service either). We payed for a standard lagoon view room it overlooked the bay and was perfect. I wouldn't pay for the more expensive rooms cuz from what I saw they all looked the same and the concerige service..I'd say everyone got the conceirge service whether you payed for it or not so don't spend the extra money. The room was clean and kept everyday. The grounds were kept immaculately clean, including the pool and the beaches. They continuously have activities going on throughout the day but are not at all pushy about getting people to join. We just relaxed and joined in if we wanted to. We did however finish our scuba certification while we were down there. And I have to say the dive and watersport crew were the best group of people I have ever met. Especially Tim (our instructor), Martin, and Lawrence aka shannon. If it wasn;t for those guys it would definitely not have been as much fun. The scuba diving there is beautiful as well I highly recommend it vs snorkeling. Also the hobbie cats are great too..just take one class and then you can sail it alone all week. We didn't bother with most of the excursions because we saw a lot of the island from the scuba boat on our way to our dive sites. Some couples went to the volcano and said it wasn't worth the money as well as the waterfall and marigot bay. We did however pay for the 2 hr horseback riding and that was worth the money. You get to take the horses into the water and that was amazing. The food was good at the restaurants too...love the local cats at barefoot by the sea. I would say all the restaurants were good not just one in particular. Drinks were also great and of course all inclusive.uot;Love potion" and also "no problem no worries" both are their specialty and really good drinks. I just have to say I miss it already. The people were great..good food, good drinks..and beautiful weather. If you have any doubts or even questions feel free to email me and I will send you pics or just answer any quick qeustions you have. I have to thank Al for the great intro to the resort and of course the whole sandals staff for making this the most unbeleivable honeymoon and vacation. Can't wait to come back!
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “The trip of your DREAMS!!”
We travelled to this resort on May 18th, 2003 and stayed for one GLORIOUS week. This resort really is paradise! I apologize in advance for this lengthy review, but I wanted everyone to know the details of this resort. I hope you find this review helpful Flight We travelled with Air Canada Vacations and left right on time. We departed Toronto at 8:35am and arrived in St. Lucia 30 minutes ahead of schedule. The landing was a bit hairy as you are landing right next to the Atlantic Ocean and there was a lot of wind blowing. The ride home was entirely different. We left St. Lucia on time but experienced really bad turbulence almost the entire 5.5 hour ride home. We didn't get served snacks or anything because there wasn't a lot of time that we were permitted to leave our seats. We both had to take Gravol that night because we had motion sickness from bouncing around so long. Other than that, flights were excellent. Arrival Our arrival went smooth, no problems at all. We found the Air Canada Vacations desk and the Sandals representative very easily. They immediately whisked us off into our bus and off we went. The ride to the resort is an hour and a half and can be scary at times!! The ride did not seem that long though. They drive like maniacs and there are a lot of windy roads with shear drops hundreds of feet down. Amazing scenery though! Pulling up to your gates makes you feel like you are in heaven! Check-In Again, no problems here at all. We were greeted right away with cold washcloths and glasses of champagne. We didnt even have to stand in line. We got to sit in these nice cozy chairs and they brought everything to us. We also got an amenity kit full of little goodies..lotion, shampoo, body wash, aloe vera gel (which came in VERY handy after our suntanning). We spent only 15 minutes getting checked in and then they were taking us up to our room. We wanted to carry our video camera and other camera bags but they would NOT allow us. He kept saying You are on Vacation, let me do the work! They were alandard). We were in one of the quieter buildings on the left of the resort. We were on the 3rd floor room 6305. This room was amazing as it was facing right between the two buildings across from us and we had an awesome view of the mountains! The rooms are more than big enough for 2 people. The bathrooms are VERY nice. Marble counter with two sinks. Lots of lights so the bathroom was very bright. And EXTREMELY clean. The cleaning ladies were very nice, did a wonderful job and were always done our rooms fairly early in the day. The rooms are all air-conditioned. Since we only had a deluxe room, we had a mini-fridge stocked with various soft drinks and bottled water, but no alcohol. This was fine with us as we are not heavy drinkers and there were so many bars that were only minutes from our room anyhow. The room d�cor was very bright and cheery. The room always smelled fresh.Food The food, by our standards, was definitely gourmet! Breakfast was either buffet at Bayside or a la carte at Toscaninis. Lunch was buffet at Bayside or a la carte at Josephines. You HAVE to try the chocolate crepes at Josephines as they were delicious. The crepe St. Jacques was also yummy..lots of scallops! Dinner was a la carte at several restaurants. Toscaninis dinner is VERY nice with white glove service. We didnt try Barefoot by the Seas dinner until our very last night and we were sorry we did. You HAVE to have the Surf and Turf! The steak was very tender and cooked to perfection and the garlic shrimp were to die for. Several nights throughout the week they had special meals. Once was a huge BBQ on the beach. Mondays and Fridays were buffet dinner at Bayside and it was very nice. The prime rib was so tender and it was the biggest piece of meat I have ever seen! LOL. Everynight each restaurant had a Special of the day so there was definitely a lot of variety to the food. Overall food was excellent. We never had to wait more than 3 minutes to get a table and we didnt wait long for food either. Staff was amazing! Always bringing us more There was LOTS to do at this resort. Definitely something for everyone! And the best thing is that it is alllll included in your package price. Thats the best thing; you can do it all or do nothing at all !Pools This resort had soooo many pools! You could always find a quite pool to relax in. All of the pools were immaculately cleaned. There was a tonne of Sandals floaties everywhere. We could always find one. Chairs were also never a problem. The only thing to be cautious about is that there are not many loungers in the shade. If you really really want shade, you need to get up a bit early and put some towels on your chair. Although I did see two staff members walk across the ENTIRE resort carrying an umbrella with a huge concrete base for this lady that didnt have any shade!! Another thing is be careful when walking with wet feet around the main pool. The tiles are very slippery and I saw many people almost fall !The Grounds The grounds were soooo beautiful. I went for an early morning walk (6am) and saw the entire staff out in full force scrubbing the pool tiles, trimming bushes, watering flowers and ensure that everything was in top notch shape. The flowers all smelled lovely throughout the resort.The Beach The beach was quite long and they had several areas roped off for swimming. The beach area where you sit is nice powdery sand, but if you go in the water it is a bit rocky. Bring water shoes if you plan on going in the Sea. Plenty of loungers on the beach too. Some even have umbrellas attached to the chairs for shade.Safety I always felt extremely safe at this resort. I saw many security guards patrolling the grounds at all hours and one day they hired a local construction company to build a bridge over the pool. It took them two days to complete and for two days the security guards stood right beside them to ensure that they stayed right where they were supposed to be. We never had a problem at all. All rooms come with safes which we always used but we could leave bags on the beach or by the pool all day ust a certain way and the cleaning lady didnt even look inside! I think their jobs are highly valued there, so they would never to anything to jeopardize them.Overall Overall I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. I have read a few semi-bad reviews on this site and I have to ask..are you SURE you stayed at the Grande??? I couldnt see anyone complaining about this resort! DO NOT let any bad reviews deter you. This truly is an AMAZING resort! We are already planning our next vacation. I got a big surprise on my trip..I got engaged! We are planning our wedding for next year and were so happy with the Sandals Grande that we are considering getting married there next year. Go to this resort! You will be VERY glad that you did!If anyone has any questions or would like me to send some pictures of the resort, please e-mail me at sundrimsims2@hotmail.comHAVE FUN!!Heather and Richard.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Just the Facts…..”
This report is about a trip to Sandals Grande St. Lucian taken April 19 to the 26. It was Reunion Week at Sandals this week. For those who dont know, Reunion Week is an event week set up for returning guests. The Flight Air Jamaica From JFK at 710 on Saturday left on time. No problem with baggage going through metal detectors. We used tie wraps instead of baggage locks. We also carried a few for the return trip. We did see a few bags getting searched, a few locks that were about to get cut. This flight made a stop in Barbados which we didnt know about. The stop lasted 45 minutes and everyone had to deplane with their carryon, go through another metal detector and search. Should have bought the shot glass and key chain when we were there so I didnt have to go back. (On the return flight we stopped at Barbados for 45 minutes. Same act!!! Off the plane, get searched, this time I did by the shot glass and key chain so I dont have to go back.) Reloaded and short flight to St. Lucia UFV airport. This is the large airport. Immigration went fine for those who had passports. Baggage pick up fast, and found the sandals desk no problem. Oh the bus ride!!! Be forewarned. Its one hell of a bus ride. 1.5 hours if he drives fast, our bus driver was slow, more like 2 hours. Its ok If you think of it as a sight seeing trip, But just remember you have to take the same trip back home. Dont drink before the bus ride. There is no place to stop. And you will get carsick. Its one hell of a ride. Can I give minus points for the ride? At the resort. Check in was easy, all of our bags were present. Cold towels and a drink given out. The grounds were very clean and kept sparkling, as were the pools. There was always someone cleaning somewhere, sweeping the sidewalks or halls. Bags found their way up to the room in about 25 minutes. We booked the lowest level concierge (penthouse oceanfront) and was given an upgrade to a Bay View Room on the third floor of the 3300 block, main building. Most of the rooms are the sameV with cable( just a few stations) a Clock radio with CD player. Nice easy working safe. Plenty of closet space and a table with coffee maker. Desk with a few bottles of booze. Fridge was stocked with Piton beer, Heinekens, coke, diet coke, mixers and the spiciest ginger ale in the world. The fridge was restocked every day, and 2 large bottles of water were given. There was always plenty of ice in the machine , we brought along a small soft side cooler with us for soda on the beach. Fast checkout at Concierge lounge. They called once during the trip, left a voicemail asking how the stay was going and was there anything they could do. Thought this was a nice touch. Asked for a few more bottles of water and a bottle of Bacardi, next day it was there. Our AT&T cell phone did work after finding the roaming service. Cant wait to see the bill on this one. The view from the room was outstanding , facing the bay. Lots of boats and ships passing by , You can watch the planes take off from the small airport. At night you can hear the outdoor Entertainment ( steel drum bands). Room gets a 8 to 9. View get a 10 Room housekeeping was great. Beds were made up early, plenty of towels, soap, they mopped every day, turned down the bed at night. On the whole the staff was more than friendly. They get a 9 Bar staff gets a little frizzled when there are a lot of guests around the bar, but no problem getting anything you want. Bars open up at ten, beach bar calls it quits at around 11, main bar upstairs with a view of the bay is a great place to unwind closes very late. There is a bar inside the English Pub which stays late and the Palladium bar( Disco) also open late. The swim up bar closes around 5pm. During the day, this is a party area. Plenty of seats in the water for hanging out. Chairs were never a problem by the beach or the pool, you didnt need to reserve a chair, although some people did. We were told by staff the resort was 75 to 80 % full, but it looked more like 50%. The main pool is huge with two otlots of places to go to be left alone in the sun. the upper pool was the most quite, except for The daily 1030 pool volleyball game, which was great. The Playmakers were a very friendly lot. Plenty of games to play if you wanted too. The blackboard by the French Restaurant always told the plan of entertainment for the day. The gym was in very good condition with a mix of Cybex equipment, treads and cross trainers. Plenty of towels and a water cooler. It was never crowed and air conditioning was great. A 7to 8 The beach was a quite area, not wide, but long enough so if you want to be alone, you can. Plenty of chairs, and shaded areas to hang out at. If during the day 20 guests were there it was a crowd. Very clean, they racked the sand every morning. It was a few steps from the beach to the bar or the main pool. There were no venders on the beach, just a few residents passing by, you could leave your beach bag out all day and not worry. Plenty of security around. They were always walking the beach area. No problem feeling safe. Water was clear and warm. Watch out for the crabs. At night you can see the sardines and other fish in the light of the gazebo at the pier. One night we saw a sting ray having dinner. Weather was great, rained for 30 seconds on Wednesday. Beach gets A 7. The FOOD The food makes the trip in my opinion. Well this trip the food didnt make it too well. It was very hit or miss. We ate in most, but not all the places available. Breakfast buffet was at the Bayview, normal to order eggs, fruit, pastries, hot dishes. There was a sit-down breakfast in the Italian place, but we didnt get there. The Italian place was good for dinner, But coming from NYC, you know what Good food is. The Antipasti Buffet was very good, as was some of the chicken dishes, but MAMA Didnt make the sauce, It needed help. Barefoot By The Sea was very good. Most if not all guests get the steak and lobster, which was A good choice. Other dishes looked small. During the day they have sit down snack service, ths. Also a help your self soda and finger food service is available. The English Pub is interesting. Nice d�cor, not great food. We both had the Shrimp salad. And you could barely see the shrimp. Baby as in micro shrimp. Not what we expected. The Beef served as Prime Rib was as good as any wedding dinner Ive had. Service was very good, and the hostess thanked us about 5 times for coming for dinner. There were two outdoor dinners, one being by the Bay view and the other on the beach. The bay view was better. Nice hot dishes, and a good roast beef. The second was a Caribbean, roast pig, flank steak and fish. Lets just say the beach tables were not full. Dinning service overall get a 7 to 9, food gets a 5 to 6. The Reunion Dinner We went to the dinner because we had gone to 3 others which were great. This one looked like a reunion of retirees. We are 47 and 43 and we felt like the youngest ones there. They tried hard but this one didnt cut it. It was held in the grand ballroom named after President Clinton. Food was fair, Room was stuffy. Should have been held outdoors. We had great service because we were sitting next to the Resident Manager. Got Silver Sandals for 35 paid nights. Couldnt wait to get out of there. About a 5. Sightseeing Took one trip into town, bought a key chain, hat, shot glass, some dolls and trinkets. $20 each way to the capital town. Nice ride. If you have seen one tourist market, you have seen this one. There were no cruise ships there on this day, so the vendors were happy to see us shopping. Walked around the streets by the dock, bought 2 bottles of water for $2.00 US and still trying to figure out the change in EC coins. Entertainment Early evening entertainment started outside at 730pm. It was by the main pool. Steel drum bands were great, the sax player was awesome. The fire dancers were nice, but if youve seen the act once somewhere else, youve seen this one. After 9pm the music moves into the palladium which is dark and cramped, and which I thought was a waste of great Caribbean ide. About a 6 due to the palladium. My Partner go a pedicure, guess that comes under entertainment? Said it was great. $40 later and she was happy. Shopping there was hit or miss. A few expensive shops. The gift shop Was ok. No kids shirts. The photo shop was outrageous in price. $15 for one 4x6, no cardboard frame and it was a computer print.Conclusion All in All, this trip would be a 6. Great resort, great staff , small beach, one hell of a bus ride and Not impressed by the food. Any feedback or questions welcome.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “HEAVEN is …. Sandals Grande St Lucian”
My new husband and I (yep, it was our honeymoon) visited the Grande St Lucian from Bonnie Scotland on 9th February for 2 whole weeks of unadulterated bliss!Okay, so the trip from Hewannora to the resort was 1hr 30 but it didn't matter after sitting on a flight for 11hrs - we were looking forward to our holiday together so we just made the bustrip part of the fun! (You could get a helicopter for about $150 which gets you to the hotel in 15mins - but more about that later!!! Fabulous).Upon arrival at the hotel we couldn't believe it's beauty - we were ushered straight away to fabulous leather sofas and refreshed immediately with ice-cold champagne and refreshing facecloths to mop our brows.Then, we were provided with a Sandals Aloe Vera giftpack, alongwith our room key - contained loads of goodies to get you started - we kept ours for prosperity!!By the time we arrived at our room, our coats were being hung-up by the very attentive porter - 20 minutes later we were unpacked and down by the poolside (7:45pm) - I was absolutely gobsmacked by the saxophonist playing - I honestly thought I'd died and gone to heaven (and I'm only 33!).The restaurants within the Hotel are all fabulous and cater for everyone's needs - we spent most of our time at Barefoot on the Beach for it's relaxed atmosphere and very tasty food. There is a lovely lady called Priscilla who works there most lunch and evenings - she is an absolute pleasure - so if you're going please say hello from Annette & Phil. Toscaninis is just gorgeous - very swish and was the only restaurant my husband was politely asked to change into trousers to enter (he was wearing dark jeans). It was very worth it and we returned on numerous occasions. Only tried the English Pub a couple of times - prefer a taste of the Caribbean to tell you the truth, we can get UK grub everyday here! Josephine's creperie is glorious for a 3 - 4pm snack, specially if you've missed lunch, very tasty - we would ask to take them away and sit and much at the poolside. s for breakfast - the Bayside is very busy and people forget about Toscaninis - it really is first class (as I recall, maybe wrongly, you have to book the evening before but it's worth it).The Sports - well I did nothing but the Water Aerobics with Simone and one of the other guys (with the fabulous thighs - well worth the hour's grind just to watch them!) and earned my miniature Sandals in no time. My husband however qualified as a PADI diver and I didn't see him for half the honeymoon, he had a ball and has kept it up in cold, cold Scotland. We went horseriding (as I'm an avid rider at home) with the International Riding School (called locally as not available thru the hotel) - where we were able to strip down to our swimwear and remove the saddles from the very well maintained horses - before taking them into the ocean, it was a dream come true.Anyway, sorry folks I'm writing a novel here but it is OH SO GOOD - we met lots of lovely people here as it was President's Day in the US so there was a massive influx of party people.We were slightly worried that the resort may be a bit pretentious but it absolutely wasn't - just full of normal folks looking for a bit of luxury, which is what Sandals does best.We have booked to return next year, 18th Feb, for SEVENTEEN nights - and cannot wait.Book, book, book!Oh, get the helicopter back to Hewannora if you can, flying through over the Pitons is a bit hair-raising but SO exciting. It cured my gorgeous hubby of his fear of flying, honestly.Let me know if you go and how you get on.Enjoy!Annette Hetherington
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Adult Playground”
Went for a winter getaway. Luckily the Halycon was booked and we got upgraded to the Grande. The porperty is beautiful and essentially a giant adult playground. Activities deserved an A with a beatiful beach and enough toys to keep you busy for a week. I am a scuba diver and the set up is definitely first class. On of the best dive boats I've been on. The resort is very strict with clearance so make sure to get your clearance early so you can go out on the two tank dive. Food was what you would expect from an all inclusive that has to feed hundreds of guests each meal. Good cafeteria food. Honestly the best food was at the Pier (Halcyon) and the Beach restraunt at Grande. The Staff are very friendly and accomodating. Alcohol was plentiful. The island itself is very senic. Last and most important tip, if you are staying near the castries make sure and fly into the smaller castries airport (approx 15min away) instead of the larger airport. This saves you a painful, long and uncomfortable van ride (approx 1.5 hr). AA flies into the smaller airport.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “It was beautiful but…………“
If you are looking to be pampered this is NOT the resort for you. However, there were some positives as well.This is the second time we stayed at a Sandals (Our first was Sandals Halcyon, St. Lucia and we LOVED it.) The Halcyon was a "10" the Grande was a "6". This time we took the "non-stop champagne flight"this flight was absolutely wonderful. We had food and drinks the entire flight, pre-checked in to hotel and entertainment by a Sandals employee. I highly recommend this flight.The only downside to this flight is the 1 1/2 hour drive to the Grande by mini-bus. (Don't let anyone tell you it's less...Halcyon would be 1 hour 15 min ride)Our bus broke down (transmission seized) 15 min into the drive. Luckily, the people of St. Lucia are very friendly and many were pulling over to offer us rides to the resort. We packed up the cars and just as we were ready to go another empty Sandals bus pulled up and we unpacked the cars, repacked the new bus and were on our way. This put us approximately 45 min behind schedule.The Grande was absolutely beautiful and the people were very friendly but on the whole we thought the staff was very unorganized and the food was "ok". (The choice of food was average.)We would go to breakfast at 9am and all the chaffing dishes were completely empty. It was the same at buffet lunch and also when we ate dinner at Toscannini's Italian restaurant. Our reservations were at 7:30pm and the buffet antipaste station was completely empty. I was embarrassed for them. It seemed as everything food related was a "first come, first served" basis. The problem is, each person does a little bit of everything and no one has a specific duty so although there were many staff members walking around none could explain why the chaffing dishes were not being refilled but it wasn't really their responsibility. So the same person that was seating you was waiting on tables, taking bar orders, getting someone a fork. Do you see where the problem lies with this? It was unorganized. So, if you were lucky, it would take 45 min for a meal and othertimes 2 hours.On a positve note, the resort was beautiful. It was sparkling clean. The gardens were breathtakingly beautiful and the grounds were enormous. There were several spots on the grounds that were quite private and romantic whenever you needed to "get away". The beach was very clean. The gym was top notch and open 24 hours. And they offered several activities during the day and night.Which brings me to the last day of our vacation. We were told the resort was only half-full and we could not have a "late check-out". We were told that although we had to check out at 11:00am we were getting a "courtesy room" to shower and change since our shuttle was not leaving until 1:40pm. I thought this was great because it gave us time to lay by the pool and relax one last time. However, when we went to shower and change at 12:30pm we were told, "The rooms were given away already so you can shower in the spa or wait like these other people ahead of you".Again, first come first serve.The other people waiting were not happy either to say the least. So after we split up all our toiletries because the spas are separate for men & women. We went to the spa were I had no choice but to take an "ice cold" shower and my husband took a "scalding hot" shower. I did not leave the island with the excitement that I showed up with. I wish we had booked a different Sandals location because our first time at the Halcyon was fantastic and a "10" all around. And we even visited the Halcyon again for dinner this time and were again treated like a king and queen.The Grande left us wishing we hadn't expected the king & Queen treatment again. I am not recommending the Grande to stay at but if you stay at the Halcyon or Golf Resort the Grande is a beautiful place for a day visit.For the amount of money we spent for the accomadations and service we were promised we were very disappointed with the Sandals Grande.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “A very relaxing week”
My wife & I spent a week here in March 2003. It was our fourth Sandals weve stayed at, so we have a good basis for comparison. Overall it was a good trip, and we liked the resort. It was safe, clean, & beautiful, and the views across Rodney bay to the hills beyond are wonderful. Checking in was quick & easy. The people of St. Lucia were very friendly, both at the resort and in town. Our room was facing the bay, over the beach, which I thought had better views than those facing the ocean. There are five restaurants at Sandals Grande; we thought the Italian restaurant was the nicest; it was open for breakfast and dinner (ala cart). They had typical Italian fare, with some seafood dishes. The London Pub was ok, with a specialty on beef dishes, and was open only for dinner (ala cart). The Bayside was typical Sandals Caribbean style, buffet breakfast, lunch, and both buffet and ala cart dinners. We liked Barefoot By The Sea, a seafood / Caribbean restaurant. They were open daily for lunch (both ala cart and snacks like nachos and pizza), and dinner (ala cart). The last one was Josephines, which served different crepes for lunch only (fruit, seafood, vegetable, etc.). None of them required reservations, which is a plus. We didnt get to the other two Sandals resorts; both are within a 30 minutes shuttle ride. Id grade the overall food quality a B, and the service was great. There are 3 main bars (pool, beach, and lobby). They open at 10 am, and at least one is open late. Drinks were for the most part middle to top shelf (Heineken, Jim Beam, Chivas Regal, etc.). There are four pools and four Jacuzzis, but we spent most of the week on the beach. Its a bit rocky, but not bad. They clean it each morning. The water is calm and warm. We climbed to Fort Rodney one morning, which is in a park area just outside of the resort property. The admission is 5 dollars (American), and takes about 20 minutes to get to the top. The views are beautiful, but the were missing, and the final 100 yards are steep. But Im glad we went, the views of Martinique are stunning. We took a cab into town (20 dollars American one way), and the ride is about 25 minutes. There is really good shopping in town, at both the open market and the duty free section near the cruise ships. There are at least a dozen trips available through the tour desk (extra cost), from sunset cruises to day trips into the rainforests or over to Martinique. The watersports at the resort are typical of Sandals, which is A+. Free snorkeling (which we did twice, and was great, with lots of fish), scuba diving, water skiing, hobie cats, tubing, etc. There are four shops at the resort, from jewelry to t-shirts. I thought the shopping in town was better, and we saved enough there to pay for the taxi ride. Really my only complaint of the entire week was the entertainment. Other Sandals had better nightly entertainment, and here it was indoors in their Palladium. Id prefer it outdoors, under the stars. We liked the reggae and steel drum bands, but seeing them in a dark club lost much of the island atmosphere. The steel drum set up one night by the pool, but just for a short time. Overall we would give the resort an A- or B+, and I would have no problem recommending it to anyone.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Great resort, a little too windy”
My husband and I just returned from our first trip to St. Lucia and first time staying at a Sandals. We stayed at The Grande from 2/14/03 - 2/22/03. Here is some info that I think will help others when considering St. Lucia:- Vigie Airport is only a 20-minute ride to Sandals Grande. The other larger airport is an hour and a half. The roads in St. Lucia are not the best, so we were extremely glad we flew into Vigie.- A great place to try Sandals, since there are 3 on the island. Halcyon is 15 minutes from the Grande and the St. Lucia Golf is 1 hour. They have shuttles running all day between the three, although they do get quite crowded around dinner time. The Golf Resort was a little farther than we thought it would be, so we didn't go by shuttle, but we saw by catamaran.- You do not want to stay at The Halcyon unless you get a much, much cheaper price than the other two. Their pool is small, there are not as many restaurants, the grounds are not as nice, etc. We were glad we picked the Grande.- Customer service was excellent. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Water sports area was very nice, and we couldn't believe that snorkeling and scuba trips were included, as well as water skiing, wind surfing, Hobie cats, aquatrikes...- St. Lucia was windier than we thought it would be --annoyingly windy at times and our biggest complaint. I was surprised because I hadn't heard anyone mention this before.- The food was very good, the other reviews are right, especially the Italian place Toscannini's!- We took the Land & Sea tour, which was wonderful! Taking an organized tour is truly the best way to see all the highlights. Some people at the pool felt like they saw the island on their bus ride from the airport. They were so wrong! Have a guide show you the banana plantations, fishing village, drive-in volcano, rain forest, Marigot Bay, etc. It will be well worth your time.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Awesome”
The location on Rodney Bay near the northwest tip of St. Lucia was absolutely spectacular. Being surrounded on two sides by the ocean really addes to the ambiance of the island. The bay itself afforded us the opportunity to take advantage of the warm Atlantic (Caribbean) water for sailing and skiing and swimming (etc.) without having to worry about the occasionally rougher open ocean. The staff was exceptional... saying we recieved thge royal treatment is an understatement. The food was great - eating at the Bayside Restaurant and "Barefoot By the Sea" was a treat. Eating in the open warm breezes in full view of the ocean just can't be beat! There was never a dull moment... from scuba to snorkeling to sailing the hobie cats to sipping a cool one at the swim-up bar... even hiking up Signal Peak on the adjacent Pigeon Island Park (one can even see Martenique to the north) was memorable. We were there for one week, and were content enough not to take advantage of the off-site attractions the island has to offer including the rain forest, Pitons, volcano, etc. we would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to simply relax and not have to think about anything on a spectacular tropical island in the sun. The weather was perfect - sunny, breezy and in the mid 80s all week! We just can't say enough good things.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “Wonderful Resort”
My husband and I just returned from a 7 night stay in St. Lucia. We actually started out at the Halycon, while there was nothing really wrong with the resort other than the small rooms and so so service, we visited the Grand for breakfast and fell in love with the property. We were able to transfer for 5 nights. I'm so glad we did. This resort has that special touch we all look for at Sandals. The rooms were very impressive, all have in room bar (soft drinks and water) and the rooms were very large and updated. Every night they had a piano player and appetizers on the terrace to watch the sunset. The beach was a pretty good size, they have new shaded beach chairs and plenty of covered huts for shade. Pools were huge, the room swimup ones looked great. We spent most of the time on the beach though. No vendors on the beach like Halycon. The food was pretty good, the best dinner we had was the return guest dinner. The service at Toscanni's was outstanding. We did the rain forest tour and the souffrei (sp.) day sail, both were wonderful. I would highly recommend this resort.
St. Lucia: Sandals Grand St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort: “An A+ Trip!”
My husband and I just came back from St. Lucia. We had booked the Sandals Halcyon in St. Lucia. We stayed there for 3 days we went to dinner at La Toc at the Sandals Golf Resort, dinner and service was great. We went to dinner at Tusconnis restaurant at the Sandals Grande and fell in love there. We asked to be moved from the Halcyon to the Grande. I really liked the resort and room better at the Grande. Halcyon was nice and quiet but the resort needs to be upgraded and the rooms too. We loved the entertainment at both resorts. Also the watersports that are included We went on the Sunset cruise which was very nice. You can take really good pictures on this cruise. We had a great honeymoon in St. Lucia. My only complaint was that I didn't book the Sandals Grande from the beginning of the vacation. I hope this helps some couples out there looking for a nice honeymoon vacation.