Sandals St. Lucia
If a trip to the Carribbean or the idea of an all-inclusive resort honeymoon appeals to you, read on! My husband and I took our first international vacation this summer and visited the island of St. Lucia. St. Lucia is an island nation in a chain called the Lesser Antilles, and is southeast of the Dominican Republic and North of Venezuela. Okay, the geography lesson is over.
Getting there
The first thing to know is that the trip from California to St. Lucia takes about 14 hours under ideal conditions (more on that later), so prepare yourself with some entertainment and comfortable traveling clothes! We flew with US Airways. Don’t get me started on US Airways. Service like theirs is what gives big airlines a bad name. On the second leg of the journey, our plane ran into a mechanical problem which required the pilot to return us to the hub in Charlotte, North Carolina. That put us 4 hours behind schedule. Do you think US Airways offered us a meal voucher? A drink voucher? A heartfelt apology? An indifferent attitude? No, no, no and yes. Suddenly Southwest is looking pretty good.
Entering St. Lucia, customs is a breeze. They know you aren’t trying to sneak into their country with anything but US dollars! After a cursory examination, we headed for the Sandals lounge at the airport. A porter eagerly takes your bags and does expect a tip after transporting your luggage around the corner from the baggage pick-up to the lounge – a trip of maybe 50 feet.
Then the real adventure begins – the van ride across the island. The driver hustled his way across the island to Sandals Le Toc, passing slower traffic when he could and tailgating amazingly closely when he couldn’t, on roads that were never very good to begin with and were now severely deteriorated from the recent hurricane. I can’t ever imagine even trying to drive myself on this island. They drive on (the wrong side of) roads featuring constant crazy switchback turns, sometimes narrowed to single lanes (or bypassed with detours in the dirt), construction with no lights or warnings, and other drivers trying to get somewhere in a hurry in very slow vehicles in a country that apparently has no posted speed limits. I was afraid to ask about mortality rates of tourists. In the end, though, the driver accomplished the trip with a friendly and chatty attitude and seemed to have things under complete control. The good news: we made it safely to the resort and we all tipped him well for delivering us unharmed.
The Resort – Sandals Grande La Toc
When you arrive the staff promptly takes your bags and you are whisked into a nice waiting room. We were offered a glass of champagne, and the staff was genuinely disappointed that we weren’t really in a partying mood after our lengthy trip. After the check in we were finally delivered to our Deluxe Beach View room. This did not disappoint – a lovely room with a great private balcony which overlooked beach and ocean. The room was clean and had a very modern decor bath with oversize tub and shower. Fridge is stocked, but for liquor you have to walk (or swim) to the nearest bar. Rooms here vary in price, from the basic hotel type room in one of the large main buildings with several stories, to accommodations up the hill on “Millionaire Bluff”. The resort itself is beautiful. Well maintained with lush vegetation and very upscale furnishings throughout. Plenty of poolside lounge chairs, towels, beach chairs and paths throughout the property. They also have towel kiosks near the pools which was great – no need to bring towels from your room. They have an area for weddings, and you can also have a romantic dinner for two on the beach. Lots of honeymooners (mostly from the east coast) and anniversary couples…no kids. The staff is generally very attentive and friendly.
Dining
The Cricketeer’s Pub
One of the things we looked forward to visiting was the English pub. It was a bit of a disappointment to find only three beers on tap. Locally made Guinness and Heineken, or the native brew, Piton. Interestingly, Piton was indistinguishable from their version of Heineken. I ordered the Shepherds Pie, Bud the chicken curry. It was like a Mexican pie, not at all like what I was accustomed to. Bud wouldn’t recommend his. Decor was nice and they did have an Irish guy, I think, working there, but it was not a Bonn Lair (Sacramento fans)! Beer lovers despair. However, the next night, we skipped the beer and ordered cocktails. The bartenders are keen to keep your glass full.
They have a library of sorts in this pub, and we found some cool old books, like a National Geographic compilation from 1934 and the travelogue from Anne and Charles Lindbergh from their trip around the North Atlantic. Bud considered swiping a book for a souvenir but his conscience got the better of him.
Neptune Restaurant
We ate lunch at Neptune, a beach side restaurant. Feral cats prowl the area, but are not an infestation like we had read on trip advisor. A cute local kid asked us for food and I had already finished but would have shared. Bud had the fried assortment of mozzarella sticks and onion rings, and to balance it out a Greek salad. I went for gazpacho and tilapia with veggies and couscous. Pretty decent meal. We both enjoyed dinner there, food was good and service nice. I had the fattousch salad and “surf and surf” (shrimp and mahi mahi) with fig custard (which was more like walnut pie) for dessert. Bud had mussels and grilled swordfish with baklava. The bartender actually remembered what we were drinking and sent us off with doubles for the hike back. We would have eaten here again but the restaurant was closed for a few days while they repaired and replaced the wooden deck it sits on.
Armando’s
This restaurant is located by the upper expensive units called Sunset Bluff. My omelette and hash browns were good. Bud had an eggs benedict type entree, said it was pretty good. The birds here are crafty. They take the napkins off the dirty plates and steal the food. One pulled a piece of bacon out and went for it. They also have a buffet set-up with an assortment of goodies and juices. We ate here four times for breakfast during the week. For dinner, Armando’s switches to Italian. Pretty extended menu, will sell you a special bottle of wine for $30. Bud had a beef dish with gnocchi which he liked. I had a chicken in white wine with artichokes and mushrooms. Only ok for me, but did like the antipasto buffet. All the restaurants offer and push the better wines that you pay separately for. There are ordinary house wines available at no cost.
Pavilion Buffet
Breakfast: Good selection and had an interesting dish called coulous. A cabbage slaw with peppers and some green leafy vegetable, maybe spinach. Lightly cooked and seasoned, it was tasty. The egg cook was not the friendliest, kind of gruff. Cereal, pastries, toast, hash, fruit, meats are all available. We ate here the remainder of the mornings during our stay. Lunch: Burgers, sandwiches, salad bar, fruit, desserts. We did not eat a dinner here, I’m sure it was more of the same buffet fare.
Kimono’s
Kimono’s was one of the resort’s two reservation-only restaurants. They cook at your table Japanese style. We were with the 9 pm seating, but when we arrived they were still seating a much earlier group. So they provided us with some sort of green alcoholic concoction so no one complained. Luckily the chefs all arrived and we got seated. So our guy started in with the show and got us some dinner cooked. I had miso soup, HORRIBLE! The rice was good, the meats ok, sauces way overdone. I’d skip it unless you just are into the fun aspect of it.
Piton
Piton offers Caribbean food for dinner only. Gratifyingly, this was by far one of the best meals I had during our stay. Not reservation only, but there is a seating list, so go early to get your name in. I had the seafood with fruit salsa and mesclun for my appetizer. Even ate the baby squid and calamari, a first for me. Then house salad with fruit vinaigrette. Entree was rib eye with shrimp and mashed plaintains. Yummy! Closed on Fridays. Did have an authentic steel drum player doing your favorite top 40. A Piano bar is next to the Piton and a nice outside seating to wait at overlooking the water. “Sweet Caroline” seems to be the piano bar’s anthem, we heard it several times!
La Toc
This is French cuisine in an elegant setting, the resort’s other reservation-only restaurant. I got to speak a little bad French with the greeter. So glad that two years of high school French was useful after all. Absolutely delicious meal. I had the Tomato and Mozzarella Salad, Onion Soup, and Chateaubriand. Bud ordered the duck which he really liked. The fruit tart came on a caramel hard candy platform, very cute!
The Beaches
This is the rainy season here in the Caribbean and did see a fair amount of rain. They fly a flag each day alert you to the surf conditions, red, yellow or green. They advise you not to get in on red day but lots of people did anyway. The water is warm, beach sandy, and it is fun to bob around in the waves. Fair amount of waves on our beach which we decided that we liked best out of all the beaches we visited. Since I float like a cork, body surfing is a blast! Sat under one of the bimini shells and enjoyed the view. There is wait staff that comes around and brings out drinks. All the beaches here are public so expect to see locals at all the Sandals resort beaches. We ran into a local on the beach, Smokey, who could hook you up with “Cuban cigars and other smokable substances”.
Amenities
Let the cheap liquor flow! Not a lot of top shelf offerings but plenty of rum and blended drinks to choose from. As much as you can drink.
Large pool with giant waterfall outside the Pavilion with swim-up bar. Yes, it is as fun as it looks. Lots of floaties to rest your body or drink on. Always busy here, but never seemed too crowded. Two other pools on property, one being just below our room with Jacuzzi. This pool is usually not crowded. The third is up on the Sunset Bluff below Armando’s Restaurant also with a giant waterfall.
Wild life consists of feral cats, little frogs and small lizards.
KARAOKE night! Need I say more? After a lot of liquor there are lots of talented folks around and they actually sound pretty good.
Lots of live music from the pavilion, piano bar and patios. Music is funny here, it’s a lot of old stuff from disco to Sinatra style. Heard Disco Inferno, Brown Eyed Girl and now a rousing rendition of I Feel Good. And the most popular song that we have heard in played on everything from steel drum to piano – Sweet Caroline. And lots of Bob Marley, the national musical hero of island life.
What costs extra?
Weddings on the beach. Dinner for two on the beach. Golf & spa. Good wine. Excursions. Wi-fi. Souvenirs.
Other Resorts
Sandals allows you to visit any other of their resorts and provides transportation to and from. The first one we visited was Halcyon – only 15 minutes away by shuttle. The city of Castries was much like every other little town we had been through, lots of poverty, houses right on the highway, dilapidated buildings and such. Not sure about venturing into the town too much but guessing there is some newer upscale shopping around somewhere.
Halcyon is a much smaller resort, older than ours. Small beach with very small waves, water murky. Some seaweed and little crabs come up out of the sand from little holes. Perfect place for jet ski or water skiing, saw guests partaking in that. Very nice permanent umbrella structures with a table and lounge chairs.
The swim up bar with jets was nice. Easier to talk with staff and guests were friendlier. Won 2 games of Bingo. Bud played volleyball in the pool. Each resort has activities and if you participate you win points to earn a little Sandal. Whoo hoo! Chatted with a local guy selling jewelry. He said he was also a fisherman. Only three restaurants on this property, two by reservation. One is out on a pier, seafood I think. Ate at the snack restaurant, typical fare. Saw a humungous caterpillar eating it’s way through a tree. Lots of lizards here also. Not sure what cost is compared to ours, most rooms were little bungalows in rows. Pretty flat property also, not hilly like LaToc.
The next day we headed off to the Grand St. Lucian. About half an hour away, another exciting bus ride through the town of Castries to Fort Rodney, which was nicer than Castries which is rather run down. Bigger than Halcyon, very calm, clear, quiet and long beach. Saw water skiers and parasailing. Lots of people, beach side and in the pool. Did have one smaller pool by the bungalows. Note they only had one towel hut, the other kiosks were not stocked. Only one bathroom near the pool. Swim up bar and outside seated bar. This property also very flat. You can see Ft. Rodney from here, but weren’t ambitious enough for the walk up a very steep hill. I took a photo instead. Ate lunch at the Bayside and had the vegetarian pasta. The veggies were fine, but way too much cheap Parmesan. We also missed the three o’clock bus and finally left at 5, though the schedule said 5:15. This time I was right in the front jump seat so took lots of photos of our always exciting shuttle rides. We passed a cop and then the driver decided to put on his seat belt.
The Excursion
The first attempt at the Joe Knows boat excursion was interesting. We get ready, have breakfast and get checked in. Towels in hand, we load up and drive off to the harbor. Well, it’s pretty gray out and then the rain starts. Not just a little, but a lot. Lightning, thunder. We march out to the dock and it’s really coming down now and there is no way it looks like it’s letting up. So a few brave souls climb aboard and head out into the storm with promises that it will clear. And these are not covered boats, but they had a lot of booze on board. While standing in the market place this local scammer comes up and tries to grab your palm to do a reading, then demands money. If you get it out he will snag it and run. The crew chased him off a couple of times. We opt to return to the hotel and reschedule for Friday.
Finally Friday and time for Joe Knows Tour. We drag ourselves out of bed and off we go. The weather is nice today, sunny, few clouds. We get to the harbor and load up.
This tour is multi-part. Snorkeling, views of different towns and landmarks, volcanic mud bath, botanical garden and mineral bath, lunch and drinks. Our guide was Curtis, or Slim Shady but he was a dead ringer for Snoop Dog. The first stop was the snorkeling, but got some commentary from Snoop which is hard to hear on a moving boat plus accent though his English was pretty good. They provided snorkels, masks and life vests, no fins. I did notice other tours providing them. The water was nice and a lot of fish but really nothing I have not seen in Hawaii. Next stop is Soufriere, the first town on the island. Very pretty here. There has been some damage due to a hurricane a couple of years ago, but mostly roads are in need of repair. Next up, the hot sulphur springs for a mud bath. It was messy and the water was super hot, like 112 degrees hot. Supposed to be a cure all according to the locals. This is also the place I apparently left my camera behind which was a real drag. So….the photos from this trip are from my iPad and only from the last day. The quality doesn’t appear to be great with an iPad but we work with what we got.
So I digress…next up the mineral bath through a trail with signs next to plants which is the botanical garden part of the tour. The trail in is up and down for about a half mile, but worth it for the warm waters and to try to get more mud off. There was a stop on the way where there was fresh fruit cut up and some cocoa plants to try.
Back to town for a genuine creole lunch, buffet style. Salad, fresh avocado, rice, banana pie (served like a quiche), red beans, chicken thighs, beef stew like meat (goat maybe?), and fresh mango juice. My favorite part? The avocado and salad. Seemed rather bland though they had some hot sauces. Dessert was ice cream with mangoes. I swear it was tutti frutti flavored and the mango was real tart.
There was the usual stuff for sale here as in the beach hut at Sandals. And the usual guys selling necklaces that are the same everywhere. Though with a 25 percent unemployment rate, and no welfare, they are probably honestly trying to make a living.
There were some kids jumping off the side of the cliff into the ocean which was pretty cool. They try to stow away on the boats and will help hold the boat for a bottle of Sprite.
So, let’s talk about the rum. As soon as we finished snorkeling, we were plied with rum punch, or any other rum concoction they could mix for you. When you get dropped off at your resort’s beach, they do this party on the boat advertising thing for all the beach and ocean folks. Loud music, dancing – WHOOT, WHOOT! Expect to tip your crew also.
The highlights are: snorkeling, seeing the Pitons, and generally just enjoying yourself. I could have skipped the mud bath, but when in St. Lucia…
Conclusion
The trip was interesting. The Sandals people do a great job keeping you busy and fed. The resort was beautiful, but don’t go to St. Lucia unless you really love resort life because the island itself isn’t a great place to visit otherwise. If you like lots of sun, water and to really relax…it’s your kind of place.
