Just returned from a lovely week celebrating our 35th Anniversary. Wanted a picturesque location with nice rooms, delicious food, beautiful pools and grounds and enjoyable entertainment. Sandals Grande St Lucian provided all of that, and we left happy. I usually read the comments and reviews of the island and resort we heading to daily for about 6 months prior to arriving so I can get a good feel for what to expect. Most times, the reviews for Sandals are positive but I read the good and the bad. When I read many reviews from our UK cousins, they invariably devolve into criticism of North American guests. Noisy Americans, the place is too Americanized, shame about the Americans, the list goes on. We don’t expect an Americanized version of the destination we are travelling to. We fell in love with the Caribbean like most of you and wish it to retain its culture and beauty independent of American influence. The Arrival – Arrived on a packed Jet Blue Flight on 3 March, and Fast Track ushered us through immigration and customs and on to the Sandals Lounge. Had enough time for a quick soda and pack of shortbread cookies and then told the bus had arrived. Stood in line when it was our time to board was told the bus was full and they had procured a private car. It turned out to be a cramped Toyota with poor air conditioning and the ride took 3.5 hours due to traffic. This was due to ongoing construction and a car/motorcycle collision on route. Reception and the Room We were greeted warmly and offered a cocktail. I asked for a soft drink and it was presented within minutes. Check in was quick and friendly. We were escorted within 20 minutes of arrival to room 6116. a Caribbean Walkout Deluxe (WDL). The bed was decorated with Happy Anniversary, and a piece of cake was on the small table with a welcome packet. It was all we needed. We leave the room each morning at 7:00 am for breakfast and don’t return until its time to get ready for dinner. It looked out at a row of shrubbery semi-blocking the roadway to Pigeon Island and the tennis courts. We headed to Bayside for some French cuisine and then walked the entire property to get the lay of the land. Meals We breakfast buffet daily at Bayside each morning – good food and hardworking, professional friendly staff. For lunches we tried Bayside, Dino’s , Mariner’s , the Jerk Shack and Mariner. Food was all good but some of the staff was a little unfriendly. Understandable considering how hot those pizza ovens can get. For dinner, we ate at Bayside, Barefoot twice, Toscanini’s, Bombay, Soy and Gordon’s. Speaking of Gordon’s the dress code for men is long pants which I wore, only to see men arrive in shorts. It had a really nice view of the bay, and a cute little kitten named Gemma made her way from table to table. For deserts we tried Josephine’s for crepes and ice cream and The Pub once. Extras- We were offered a photo shoot and a 30 minute couple massage which we declined. Also booked the Sandals Select dinner but missed that on Tuesday night. We rented a cabana for a day on the beach and It was wonderful with 2 concierges, Mavrik and Aslan. Cost was 130.00 US from 9am through 5pm. Came with a cooler filled with beer and water, lunch delivery, a bottle of requested French sparkling for my wife, and any drink we could ask for from the bar. An enjoyable day and we tipped each concierge 25% of the cost. Also walked to Pigeon Island one morning and hiked to Fort Rodney with my wife. Great views and steeper than it looked. My wife then climbed Signal point alone while I stayed at the base catching my breath. The Beach - walked the short beach end to end multiple times a day. Just past the OTWB's is a small beach that leads to a fenced off pier belonging to the Landing. A small path covered in broken coral leads to a path but we did not try to take it. At the other end is Pigeon Island Public beach which we walked on. Guests from this beach also make their way down the Sandals beach including children, but security keeps a watchful eye on everyone. The entry to the ocean is eroded and has a slight incline which you have to step down into. The water is clear and the sand is firm. Anchored yellow floats are removed, sprayed down and returned every couple of days. Jet skis for a fee, kayaks, paddle boards and Hobie catamarans and water skiing all available. The Good - The employees, the pools, the landscaping, the meals, entertainment, and the warm ocean. The Peter special - regular for her, virgin for me. The Bad - The Loop paid us only lip service. Asked multiple times to have soda delivered to room. Only replenished once in 7-night stay. There were only 2 waters the final night left in the mini fridge. The Ugly The early morning chair game. Skipped it first morning and fried. Next morning up at 5:00am to stake out my spot. One morning sat next to a butler couple and we both had the same spot for two days until they decided they wanted my spot. Went for a walk only to come back and find my belongings gone and them in our spot. After we left for our walk, they had their butler send our personal belongings to the front desk and were smug about it, as was the butler manager who came over from water sports. Left a bad feeling about those guests and butler staff. Overall - Beautiful property, would return. Booked Sandals Barbados for next trip.

Well, this place exceeded all our expectations! This was our first trip to a Sandals resort and to St Lucia and it didn't disappoint. Everything was perfect! As with any hotel, it is only as good as the staff and they were exceptional. The site has something for everyone, a quiet end for those who want peace to read a book and a noisy end for those who want a lively atmosphere. Whichever end we were at, we were constantly asked if we wanted any drinks, there are numerous pools with a constant supply of towels and while we went during a busy period and many people got up early to reserve their favourite sunlounger, there were plenty of them! All the rooms are the same, its just the outlook which is extra! The rooms are cleaned to a high standard and the minibar is constantly restocked (and free!). The only issue we had was that the 4 poster bed was a little on the high side and with my wife being 5' 4", she had difficulty getting into and out of bed; this was solved by the staff and she was given a step! All watersports are included including diving and water skiing (except jetskis which are $60 for 30 minutes). All the food in the restaurants was excellent (several restaurants had to be booked in advance so do that as soon as you arrive in the resort). It was varied, tasty, hot (although the food in Bombay could have been a little hotter and service a little quicker although this was probably down to a lack of staff on the night). The staff couldn't do enough for us. There was entertainment every night which again was excellent, they have 2 tennis courts (acrylic surface) which were not used that much and the grounds were immaculate, not a leaf out of place! If you decide to go to this resort, you will not be disappointed!

Keep in mind we were here for the second time so we do like the resort but there were some issues. The ride was not as bad as the first time and we learned to avoid the skycaps for the 3 second walk to the lounge. We were seated and after a brief wait we were greeted and checked in. It did help that I did most of it on line. We were shown to our room and went for dinner at Barefoot. The staff were excellent and friendly and the food was very good. The grilled Mahi Mahi was cooked to perfection and fresh. We did return for lunch twice and had salads with fresh snapper. Our room was a Luxury room and was roomy, clean and comfortable. We are early risers so we always got the beach chairs we wanted but I understand the frustration because the butlers grab everything early. Bayside, Soy and Gordon’s were all very good. Our hiccup was LaToc restaurant at LaToc. Last time we went there and had a leisurely romantic dinner with excellent service and excellent food. This time it was a horror show. We were told to take a certain shuttle and the driver decided to take a 15 minute break. So it left late, then there was road construction and a stop at Halcyon. So 45 minutes later we became the invisible couple sitting at a table with no service or acknowledgement. Finally we flagged someone, put in an order and got some terrible food. Inedible duck, cold scallops and a tKe out dessert I received after being humiliated by the waitress. The manager ran out of the restaurant to apologize, I informed someone at the Grande and never heard back from anyone at Ltoc. The second thing wS that people from outside the resort were walking around and using the facilities. I told security and management and no one said anything so watch your belongings because everyone using Sandals property is not. Guest at the hotel. It would have been nice to have received some acknowledgement from management, and not the typical response I’ll get from this review about how they’re looking into these matters.