St. Lucia Honeymoon: Sandals Grande
We stayed at Sandals Grande and splurged on the private rondoval with butler package. Keisha was fabulous and made sure that we had anything we could possibly need! She met with us our first day and we told her which excursions we were interested in doing and which restaurants we would like to try; she created our itinerary and gave it to us later that day. She picked out a spot for us on the beach and had our chairs and towels ready for us and would surprise us with milkshakes or a cooler of beer and water. She packed a carry-out breakfast for us on the two early-morning excursions and made sure that there was an afternoon fruit or cheese platter in the room each afternoon. We would come in from our dinners to find a bath drawn for us and a chilled bottle of champagne waiting. We didn't need to lift a finger the entire week and are so glad that we splurged on this package. Reviews of excursions and restaurants following pictures.
Excursions
Whale and Dolphin Tour B+ I enjoyed being on the water but doubt that we would do this again. We never saw any whales or dolphins (some people saw one whale jump while giving birth but there are no pictures to confirm - there was blood in the water though so who knows?) and there were way too many people who were sick who probably shouldn't have gone on the trip. It made me nervous that anyone next to me was going to vomit on me. The tour guides were fantastic though and made sure we always had a beer or water in hand.
Island Safari Tour A+ This was a really great way to see St. Lucia. We went through several cities and deep in the rain forest for a hike to a waterfall. The tour guides did a really good job giving some history talks and answering lots of questions. Everyone on the island is so friendly and hospitable. while we were driving, even the kids walking home from school were jumping up and down waving at us.
Snorkeling A (no pictures) This was my first time so I really enjoyed it although Ken said that he's snorkeled in prettier areas in the Keys. The instructors were very patient with me (it really took me awhile to relax) and they were very good about carefully watching everyone in the water.
Zipline A+ We loved it!! It was amazing to be in the heart of the rainforest and then fly above the tops of the trees. There were 8 or 9 platforms and each line was progressively longer and higher. At the time we were there, they were building several more platforms to make a dozen.
Restaurants
There are three Sandals resorts on the island so there is a shuttle service between the three so that guests can visit any of the restaurants. We did not go to the Halcyon since it was about a 45 minute drive from the Grande.
At the Grande
Bayside A This is the basic buffet restaurant at any of the Sandals resorts. We ate there for breakfast (delicious omelet station) and lunch (fabulous milkshakes) mostly.
Gordon's A This restaurant was out on the pier so the view while eating was unique. It was small so the table service was very thorough and the food was delicious.
Candlelight Dinner A+ This was Mr. B's surprise to me! It was so romantic to eat on the beach by candlelight under the stars. The food was delicious and the table service was fantastic.
At the Regency La Toc
La Toc A This was my first time eating French cuisine and I thought it was very good.
Kimonos D The biggest complaint was that the service was terribly slow. Many people at our table weren't served a second beverage until near the end of the meal. Because the service was so slow, over half of the table had to miss out on dessert because we had to catch the last shuttle of the evening back to our rooms. The chef was not very entertaining; he basically cut the meat and cooked our food. Speaking of food, it was mediocre; it wasn't any better than any Japanese steakhouse back home. We were expecting more and were disappointed with this choice. Hopefully, Sandals has made some staff improvements to this particular restaurant.
Whale and Dolphin Tour B+ I enjoyed being on the water but doubt that we would do this again. We never saw any whales or dolphins (some people saw one whale jump while giving birth but there are no pictures to confirm - there was blood in the water though so who knows?) and there were way too many people who were sick who probably shouldn't have gone on the trip. It made me nervous that anyone next to me was going to vomit on me. The tour guides were fantastic though and made sure we always had a beer or water in hand.
Island Safari Tour A+ This was a really great way to see St. Lucia. We went through several cities and deep in the rain forest for a hike to a waterfall. The tour guides did a really good job giving some history talks and answering lots of questions. Everyone on the island is so friendly and hospitable. while we were driving, even the kids walking home from school were jumping up and down waving at us.
Snorkeling A (no pictures) This was my first time so I really enjoyed it although Ken said that he's snorkeled in prettier areas in the Keys. The instructors were very patient with me (it really took me awhile to relax) and they were very good about carefully watching everyone in the water.
Zipline A+ We loved it!! It was amazing to be in the heart of the rainforest and then fly above the tops of the trees. There were 8 or 9 platforms and each line was progressively longer and higher. At the time we were there, they were building several more platforms to make a dozen.
Restaurants
There are three Sandals resorts on the island so there is a shuttle service between the three so that guests can visit any of the restaurants. We did not go to the Halcyon since it was about a 45 minute drive from the Grande.
At the Grande
Bayside A This is the basic buffet restaurant at any of the Sandals resorts. We ate there for breakfast (delicious omelet station) and lunch (fabulous milkshakes) mostly.
Gordon's A This restaurant was out on the pier so the view while eating was unique. It was small so the table service was very thorough and the food was delicious.
Candlelight Dinner A+ This was Mr. B's surprise to me! It was so romantic to eat on the beach by candlelight under the stars. The food was delicious and the table service was fantastic.
At the Regency La Toc
La Toc A This was my first time eating French cuisine and I thought it was very good.
Kimonos D The biggest complaint was that the service was terribly slow. Many people at our table weren't served a second beverage until near the end of the meal. Because the service was so slow, over half of the table had to miss out on dessert because we had to catch the last shuttle of the evening back to our rooms. The chef was not very entertaining; he basically cut the meat and cooked our food. Speaking of food, it was mediocre; it wasn't any better than any Japanese steakhouse back home. We were expecting more and were disappointed with this choice. Hopefully, Sandals has made some staff improvements to this particular restaurant.
