We really had a wonderful time during our trip in January 2013 to celebrate our 7th anniversary. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful! They keep the resort and the beaches immaculately clean at all times. The concierge service was absolutely worth the extra money. Having the bar and refrigerator restocked everyday was incredibly convenient and we were able to make sure we stayed hydrated by requesting extra bottles of water. We had no problem making reservations at any restaurant as we made all reservations for the week via the concierge on the second day we were there.
The restaurants were fantastic, especially Toscanini's for breakfast and lunch and Barefoot by the Sea for lunch and dinner. We'd pass on Bayside for lunch and a meal at the Pub again but it's only because the selection wasn't vast, nothing to do with quality. Virtually every server we had was exceptionally friendly and observant. We also enjoyed portion sizes that are NORMAL instead of grossly oversized portions like we normally find in America. We could get through a 5-course meal without feeling disgusting and full.
Prior to our arrival, I read reviews stating that they didn't want to serve wine except from a pricey wine list or that they didn't use top-shelf liquor. We did not find that to be true at all! All we had to do was ask for a house wine and it was happily served. The bartenders are not stingy with the drinks and the servers are not reluctant to ask what you'd like from the bar or if you'd like another. We figured with so many people drinking all day, we'd see some idiots get drunk and act stupid but that never happened - how pleasant to be around adults that can behave themselves!
We were very impressed that all shuttles ran on-time. From going to a different Sandals resort for dinner to heading back to the airport and even going on tours not run by Sandals, we did not stand around waiting because they left when they said they were going to leave. We took the Soufriere Fountain of Youth tour and it was alright. We would definitely recommend taking a tour using the company, Carnival, since the guides were fantastic, the boat was a blast, and they freely served food and drinks. We also took the tour to Martinique for the day on absolutely loved it. Don't go if you get seasick but if you're fine on choppy waters, I'd highly recommend it!
The only complaints we have are that unless you get a butler-serviced rondoval, the bathtubs are just regular tubs instead of larger garden tubs. Also, there is constantly noise from 10 am to 10 pm. We came to get away from our noisy kids and would have loved to have somewhere to sit outside where we could hear the waves of the ocean and nothing else. Instead, there is always music playing (not even calypso or other Caribbean-like music!) or an activity director leading a game over a loud speaker.
Overall, we truly enjoyed the trip and the fantastic service that the Sandals employees provided.

We had an excellent vacation at this resort. Our first time in St. Lucia, 6th at Sandals. (Negil, Grande Bahamian, Whitehouse (3))

We have also vacationed at some other all inclusive resorts. We return to Sandals mainly because we find the food is better and there are more facilities. I.e. we don’t need to sign up for activities like watersports 2 days in advance.

The food at this resort was excellent especially Josephine’s and Bayside. We also had dinners at LaToc, Kimonos and Kelly’s Dockside. If one stays on 1 location the restaurant selection is a little limited but with the 3 locations the selections is the largest we have ever seen at an all-inclusive resort. The 1 problem we encountered was that the shuttle schedule was not well suited to the early seating for dinner. For example, on 1 evening we went with another couple to Kelly’s Dockside. The shuttle got us there at 5:30 but the restaurant didn’t open until 6:30. A Thank You, to the staff there who seated us in a lounge area inside when it started to rain. The problem was that to catch the return shuttle we left without dessert. I know it’s difficult to co-ordinate everything when you have people moving in both directions but it might be worth reviewing the shuttle schedule. On the bright side the meal at Kelly’s was excellent and we returned to the Grande and had dessert at Josephine’s.

The Culinary desk was very helpful in making reservations for us.

The playmakers and watersports staff were great. I am not a great swimmer and tend to panic in the water. Because snorkelling is 1 of Gales favorite activities I want to learn to enjoy it as well. Chung in watersports was very patient with me and helped me to relax in the water, during a lesson and 2 snorkel trips.

We took 2 tours. Simon Says and a school visit. The staff at the tour desk were very helpful and made a special effort to see that the school tour happened the 2nd week we were there. We enjoyed the school visit and would like to know if this type of trip is available and any of the other resorts? Simon Says was great and I snorkelled which I would not have done before!

The evening entertainment was the best we have seen on a resort. Vocalists, piano players and bands were all very talented.

The only problem we had was that to get chairs in the shade we had to go out early and save chairs. We have never had this problem at a Sandals resort before. Contributing to this may be that while there are multiple pools on the resort only one has any beverage service. The swim up bar and the beach bar are both in the area of the main pool while other pools have no service. Even limited bar service at another pool might help this problem. Once this becomes a problem it compounds itself because people save chairs all day and actually use them only part of the time.

Hope to return to Sandals within a year.

We chose Sandals Grande as we knew we would get the full all inclusive experience at a luxury category without breaking the bank. Great value for this gorgeous island. Sandals grande has a great location & great spirit. The rooms are nice very in line with the normal Sandals experience, but I strongly suggest moving up to at least the concierge level ( swim out if you can) as it makes a difference to your overall experience. The staff are extremely friendly & customer oriented. They help to make your experience that much better. They were just undergoing some changes to their food & beverage plans & have brought in an expert from Europe ! This could really amp up the food quality & service even though it was good overall. Wish that sandals would change their policy about closed shoes in specialty dining rooms , as many men do not bring these shoes which limits their access to certain dining experiences. If you call you hotel " Sandals" you should be able to wear Sandals at all times. Also they charge for WiFi even in lobby which is an expectation in all hotels now. Seems to appeal to an older crowd in winter months & younger crowd & weddings in spring & summer. A great experience overall.

My wife and I just returned from our seven day stay at the Sandals Grande in St. Lucia. It was our 25th anniversary and we wanted to get away from the Northeast winter for a week in the sun. I must be honest, that some of the very negative reviews prior to our visiting this resort had me very concerned! Alas, I realized that some people are just never going to be happy, and some people are just miserable SOBs even if they were staying at Buckingham Palace. So off we went with an open mind. After all we were after sun, sand and fun with each other. We weren't disappointed. The beach was clean, the St. Lucians incredibly friendly (I couldn't believe how many sang to themselves) and the watersports equipment appeared to be in very good condition. We used the Hobie Cats twice on nearly every day.

Some resort restaurant had spotty service. We ate breakfast at the Bayside on the first morning. There was no omelet chef. The military-style scrambled eggs really looked disgusting so I resorted to to a plate full of bacon and toast. The next three mornings my wife and I had breakfast at Toscaninis. The first two morning breakfast was good but the last morning it was terrible. Service was slow and disjointed. By disjointed I mean the waitresses did not appear to be assigned to any one table, people who arrived 15-20 minutes after us got their a la carte breakasts before we were served, you had to beg for more coffee and then wait forever and worst of all it was not crowded. The Italian dinner we ate at Toscanini's was nice. We also ate French three nights two at the Bayside and one at La Toc, a sister resort about a half an hour away by shuttle. Dinners were always fun and the food excellent.

Gordon's on the Pier was very nice and I believe, my wife and I had the best seat in the house. We sat to the right along side the waters edge. Very romantic and the service and food were phenomenal.

A couple of final notes TAKE THE HELICOPTER RIDE TO THE RESORT from Port Vieux airport. It will be the best money you spend. Our flight time was 12 minutes from one end of the island to the other instead of a 90 minute ride in the shuttle van. Don't bother buying booze at the duty free shop. Again we had read that "top shelf" liquor was not served and we found that not to be true. As a matter of fact on our second day the young man who was going around restocking the in room bars stopped at our room. I told him that my wife and I are not soda drinkers and asked if he could leave us six Piton beers in our refigerator each day. It was done as we requested. Also, chairs along the beach and pool are at a premium. Get up early (7:00 AM) go to the front desk and ask for a couple of beach towels and then go pick out your "altar" to worship the sun. Just spread out the towel and nobody will take your chair.

In a nut shell, if you are looking to escape to the tropics for a week then make the trip and just remember what you are after in the first place!