Sandals Resorts in St Lucia - what's all the hype about?

So I specialize in destination weddings, honeymoons and culinary travel experiences and I thought I should really check out the Sandals properties in St. Lucia as St. Lucia is world renowned as wedding and honeymoon destination as are the Sandals properties for offering romance and numerous dining options.  I was asking myself – does it really measure up to the hype? In short, YES!! For the long version, read on!

 

Sandals has 3 properties in the northern part of St Lucia, the Sandals Regency La Toc, being the closest from the airport (roughly 1.5 hour transfer), Sandals Halcyon (15 mins from La Toc) and Sandals Grande St Lucian, another 15 mins from Halcyon (so 30 mins or so from La Toc and about 2 hours from the airport).

 

To address the length of the transfer since I’m sure you’re thinking about it ..yes it’s a little long, but the majority of resorts in St Lucia are in the same general area - the road is windy and mountainous, AND you’re driving on the opposite side of the road (highly recommend not renting a car..not worth the hassle!) – but it’s very picturesque and scenic. 

 

If you are someone who has car sickness, you might want to consider splurging on a helicopter transfer that will be quicker and a rather unique way to get to your resort, but I quite enjoyed the ride and the scenery and someone in our group was prone to car sickness so sat in the front and was fine!  St Lucia is an absolutely STUNNING island – so lush – green – mountainous, and the people are very friendly! 

 

 

What’s great is that all three properties are in or near the busiest towns for tourists (and locals) in St Lucia – so if you like to step off resort and explore the local area like I do then check out Anse La Raye’s Friday Fish Fry, Gros Islet’s Friday night Jump up street party, the restaurants and nightlife of Rodney Bay, or the markets in Castries on a Saturday morning!

 

 

 

 

Each Sandals property in St. Lucia has its own vibe and feel and the amazing thing is that no matter which one you stay at, every 2 hours there are shuttles heading to the other properties so you can always enjoy the pools, bars, and restaurants of the other properties, and I would highly recommend that you do.  There are 20 (yes, 20!!) restaurants to enjoy between the three properties and you really should spend a day enjoying the pools and beaches of each property while you are there.

 

What did one of my days look like?

 

 

I spent the morning learning about and visiting all 3 properties, the afternoon enjoying the ocean swells at La Toc, tanning poolside while enjoying a superb personal Hawaiian pizza from Dino’s Pizzeria.  

 

Got ready for the 6pm shuttle to Halcyon to watch the sunset on the pier at Kelly’s Dockside restaurant and enjoy a delicious filet mignon dinner.

 

After dinner grabbed a shuttle to the Grande St. Lucian to enjoy a crepe for dessert from Josephine’s Café, and headed back to La Toc for some evening entertainment!  How’s that for maximizing the value??  And there’s something fun about driving around new towns at night in the shuttle – it’s fun and is over before you know it!

 

 

 

What was also surprising to me, was although Sandals markets to honeymooners, I expected to see an older crowd given that the pricing can be a little higher than the average vacation – however – all three resorts were filled with couples roughly in their late 20s/30s with a smattering of older couples.  Most were celebrating honeymoons or anniversaries and what I remarked was this – it is IMPOSSIBLE NOT to reconnect with your partner and fall in love all over again at one of the Sandals properties in St Lucia, and I’m not just saying that – the place is made for romance, truly.

 

 

 

 

Resort highlights:

 

Halcyon: my personal opinion is that the rooms at Halcyon have the best value, all rooms at Halcyon are for the most part the same size and décor (fresh, cottage feeling), the only difference is the location/view of the room and the level of service (standard room, concierge service, or butler service), they are the most affordable rooms of the three properties and you get to use the services of all.  Halcyon has a very intimate, romantic, garden of eden vibe, because it is smaller you may have an opportunity to get to know the staff on a more personal level.  However, there may not be as much activity as La Toc or Grande, but they have the best watersports (including motorized) of all three properties.

 

La Toc:  some of the best rooms and views are the millionaire suites and 1 bedroom villas on the sunset bluff with private pools!  La Toc has the most land and its very own 9 hole golf course equally good for experienced and beginner golfers, and I is built on a hill so it is very picturesque.

 

 

Grande St. Lucian: the room category that impressed me most for honeymooners or those really looking to have the most memorable room experience were the colourful Rondoval suites at the Sandals Grande and while beachfront Rondovals are great, I prefer the seclusion of the garden rondovals set a little further back from the beach.  I can’t imagine anyone booking a Rondoval and regretting it..AWESOME rooms, outdoor private pool, outdoor shower, outdoor dining patio table, amazing room, I mean seriously..what more could you want?!  Important to note that the most luxurious rooms (there are only 18 Rondoval suites available) are often booked WELL in advance, and it is recommended that if you are interested that you reserve these rooms at least 1 year in advance – so do not hesitate to plan ahead for your honeymoon or your next anniversary or special occasion!  In terms of vibe, the Grande is just that..Grande! It was what I had imagined a Sandals resort would look like, with the longest beachfront for those who like to talk long walks on the beach.  I haven't yet mentioned the spa but it should be mentioned that La Toc and the Grande have spas while the Halcyon can book massages in outdoor gazebos but for actual spa treatment rooms Halcyon guests would be booked at either La Toc or Grande for treatments.

 

Dining highlights: 

Last but not least – did you know that Sandals Grande has a Culinary Relations desk?? 

 

The Sandals properties are excellent for guests who just plain love food, or have dietary allergies or special diets.  Whether you are at the Grande or at any of the other two properties, you can let the staff know of your dietary issues or allergies and all restaurants will be alerted – and even if you need a completely separate preparation kitchen area for your meal – it will be arranged – now THAT is service.

 

I will leave you with two last foodie tips - my most memorable breakfast experience was sitting on the outdoor patio on the hillside at Armando’s (Italian restaurant that is open for a la carte breakfast at La Toc) for breakfast with a spectacular view – it was so quiet and beautiful up there.  Highly recommend it – the coconut pancakes with pineapple jam were amazing and they can cook fried eggs like nobody’s business..i asked for “overmedium”…and here in Canada that can mean anything from half cooked and runny to hard as a rock…but Sandals has the overmedium thing down pat. J 

 

Lastly, our shuttle was departing for the airport at noon, and the breakfast buffet was over, and the lunch buffet was only opening at 12:30, and we were told that Neptune's (a Mediterranean outdoor restaurant) was open for lunch.  Headed there quicky and saw the Pasa Pasa Reggae Dog on the menu - not sure what's mediterreanean about it but who cares - it was spicy and delicious and the sweet potato fries were crispy and excellent! Too bad I had to leave half of it on my plate because I was going to be late for my shuttle..oh gluttony... :)

 

As you can see – there is a multitude of outstanding room, pool, beach, and dining experiences to be had at the three Sandals properties in St Lucia and while I questioned (as you might) what all the hype was about and if it's worth the investment – I can honestly say that the Sandals resorts offer the best value for experience in St Lucia – of course there are other properties in St Lucia and what’s most important is that we match you to the best property for you – but there truly is something for everyone at Sandals Stay at 1, Play at 3 in St Lucia and I will certainly be recommending it with confidence to future guests…it really does live up to the hype!  St Lucia and Sandals..i’ll SOON COME BACK! :)

 

Please visit my facebook page www.facebook.com/authenticfoodietravels for full photo albums and contact me at cindy@highlighttravel.ca to discuss your next trip to St. Lucia - let's do it! :)

A day in NYC!

Well it's been a while since I've last posted - but this trip is definitely blog worthy (and my last one to Aruba should have been as well, will feature it later on this summer!) - transited through NYC today to catch a plane tomorrow to South Africa on a super awesome FAM (familiarization) trip with South African Tourism (check em out on facebook).

Arrived this morning at 7:30am at Newark airport on a direct flight on United Airlines from Ottawa which was great - took the AirTran then the raillinks train to Penn Station and walked 7 or so blocks with my suitcase (which wasn't bad at all) for 12.50$! (apparently a cab was 50-70$ plus toll..so thought i'd save a buck). :)

Decided to take a tour with Real New York Tours and had a great day with Gregory our private tour guide, and a few great ladies!!

We started the day with a quick walk through Hell's Kitchen and Times Square - but the highlight of our day was definitely a lunch break in Greenwich Village - great slice of pizza at Joe's Pizza eaten at Father Demo Square

 

 

Followed by a super fun Gelato bar that you can dress up with fun toppings and chocolate!!! (Pop Bar)

 

 

 

We then continued on to a great quiet little street called Minetta Lane.



 

Was told about the following great spots that had I more time here I would definitely gone to check out:

 

 

We were also introduced to some great architectural buildings!

 
 

 

 

 

And who says you can't have gelato twice in one day?! :) the "nutter butter" kind on top was THA s*&%. :)

 

 

 
 
 Tour ended and had a nice break in my hotel room on the 35th floor with a nice

 

Or pizza twice one day? Great little spot called Capicci's! So cute and arguably the best non-fast food pizza I've had (if there's such a thing as non-fast food pizza).  It was great being able to watch the chef making the pizza dough.

 

 

 
Finished the evening off with a stroll around Times Square at sunset!

 
and last but not least...gotta give a shout out to Nuts 4 Nuts..these are THE best NUTS ever!!! :) I talk about them to anyone who'll listen. ;)

 

Until next time...when I report from Durban, South Africa! Happy Travels!

Day 6 - Carmel by the Sea

We arrived in Carmel at the Vagabond’s House Inn and it was truly a magical little spot.  It was dark, the trees and courtyard were all lit up with twinkly white Christmas lights, it couldn’t have been a more perfect spot for us.

Randall was so nice and welcoming, and gave us great tips on the town and helped up make reservations at Demetra for 9:30pm so we were able to check-in, bring our luggage up to our room, and get ready to go out for dinner.  Our room was really really cute.  It had a very ocean breeze/cape cod-ish décor and feel and we couldn’t help but think our mom would have loved it. 

It had a fireplace (which we DID need to use here),  cute views of cottage rooftops that you might not expect to enjoy as a view but it was really very sweet.  Again there were some nice amenities in the washrooms – bathsalts..first time I’ve seen that somewhere, and even makeup wipes and organic soaps!

Upon check-in Randall showed up our room where he pointed out that there seemed to be a birthday card on the table, and we looked over to see a handmade birthday card and champagne sitting on ice waiting for us as a birthday gift for jen – SO AWESOME. 

This entire trip I’ve been really impressed with the level of service and friendliness we’ve received.   If there is anything I would suggest to travellers is that when you ask, and you shall receive.   In most places I made a point to note that it was my sister’s birthday trip and ask if they could provide anything special, and at no charge, most of them did!

We arrived just a few mins late to our reservation at Demetra (a greek/Italian restaurant).  A very small restaurant but such a tuscan warm feel and décor and we were made to feel like they had been expecting us as special guests.  There was music, dancing hugs, and oh yes, great good too!  Jen ordered a gyros salad, and I ordered the chicken brochette platter – and both were very tasty.   It was a really great welcome to the town after a long drive.

 

 

What was surprising about Carmel-by-the-Sea, also a really cute town, but bigger than Sonoma Square, is that all of the shops shut down relatively early, so walking to our restaurant that night, there weren’t many people around.  After dinner, we walked back to our B & B, turned on the fireplace, wrote some blogs, and went to bed.

The next morning, we set our alarm to get up early, as we wanted to head out on the 17 mile drive before our 11am food tour.  Woke up to a fantastic breakfast!

It was foggy still, and cold, so we weren’t sure if we should, but we did, and it was really nice.  I think it would be more enjoyable if you had more time to spend, and wasn’t so cold/foggy, but, on the other hand, we got some really great photos of the trees in the fog, which were really enchanting looking, which was nice.  We were so glad we had a convertible jeep as we were able to capture some really great shots as we were driving.

We made it to our food tour at 11am and once again, turns out we have a private tour as we end up being the only two on the tour that day which was great, made it feel like we were being shown around the town by a friend and all of the shop keepers were so friendly and it didn’t feel overly rehearsed – it just felt like a relaxing walk about, meeting shop keepers and restaurant management and trying their products.  It was really a great time.  We started with some cheese tasting, where I learned that there is apparently a town called Cheddar and that is where Cheddar got its name..I didn’t know that?!  We then moved on to try THE BEST, no joke, Gnocchi I’ve ever had.  It is made with flour rather than Spinach (I think?) and it was still steaming hot with parmesan on it..OMG soooooo yummy..and the setting couldn’t have been more perfect – the Casanova restaurant is known as the most romantic restaurant in town, and it truly is the most romantic and cute setting! 

Next we had a really educational tasting of olive oils and vinegars, which was really interesting.  We both had no idea that olive oils could take so different, depending on the region, the olive, etc.   Next, we went to an Italian deli where we tasted cured meats, wine, and gelato..salted caramel gelato OMG. 

After that, we headed to a shop that makes its own fruit vinegars and this was very unique so we bought a couple to bring home.   We also tasted some great wines at a local winery tasting room and saw some really unique art pieces at a local art gallery.  Last, but certainly not least, we tasted some sea salt caramels and truffles, which can you guess what I bought? Sea Salt Caramels for the road trip, and some other yummy goodies! Our tour guide was very professional, friendly, and as I said earlier, we felt as though we were being toured by a friend who had connections, which was really the kind of tour we were looking for.

We ended the day with a visit to the beach only 7 blocks down the hill, and a little more shopping.  Our favourite shop was called TWO SISTERS designs and we couldn’t help but notice that they had a picture of us in their window display:

 We bought some cute earrings (matching of course, I got the gold, jen got the silver) and we went back to our b & b where we were surprised to find happy hour, complimentary wine, cheese and snacks!  We chatted with Randall who helped us decide on a restaurant for dinner and we went to Christopher’s for a wonderful dinner and drinks, and then headed to Mundaka’s where we had heard there might be SOME aspect of nightlife.  We did find a small little spot with about 20-25 people, had a few drinks, some dancing, more tequila, and headed back to the B & B around 12:30 where we decided to put the top up on our jeep as it was rather cold and damp out.  We had a raccoon visitor and Jen freaked as she was sure that raccoons attack people, so we had to sit in the jeep until the raccoon disappeared.  Once the raccoon left we made our way back to the B & B and crashed for an early morning whale watching tour – more to come!