Honeymoon Review - St. Lucia
Hey Girls,
I am still getting my wedding review together but I just finished writing my Honeymoon review for tripadvisor. It was perfect:
September 5th - 12th could not have Been any more perfect except for our actual Wedding Day - Labor Day. My husband and I had booked our honeymoon vacation exactly a year in advance, were nearly taken advantage of by a travel agent MJD TRAVEL - Micheal Delahanty, who turned out to be a thief and actually walked away with 700.00 dollars (We are currently disputing this). Thank God, sandals was able to accommodate us at the last minute 7/22/07 to be exact and a reputable, fantastic TA - Thank you Josephine stepped in and saved our honeymoon!! Now on to the Review....
* We flew from JFK to San Juan (very short layover of 30min) in the smaller airport SLU. It was definitely worth it. The ride from the airport to the Resort was only 20minutes and the drive is actually not as bad as some have said in the past. Like who has been said in the past, beware for the men waiting by baggage claim. They literally will try to take your luggage from you to move it only half a step and then expect a tip. I actually saw one guy hold this couples luggage hostage until a tip was given. Just grab your stuff and look for the Sandals representative so you cab take the complimentary shuttle to the resort. We met couples who did fly into the larger airport UVF and did complain about the drive.. they recommended the helicopter ride however that will run you 120-140pp. I will admit that the driving in general was frightening at times.
** When we arrived at the Grande, we were greeted by Concierge and taken up to the Concierge suite, given champagne and cookies, as we waited. We had booked the Honeymoon Swim-up Lagoon room. The wait was brief and we actually met a wonder couple who had just gotten married on Long island as well and also had booked a Honeymoon Swim-up Lagoon room . We were greeted by Ellie - The best Concierge person one can have -- Thank you Ellie. Since the rooms were not ready, Ellie gave us a brief tour than walked us to Barefoot by the beach for lunch and drinks as we waited. When she came back she told us that our room was not ready and that they had upgraded us to the Rondoval Suite until the next day. I just have to saw WOW!!!! The room was incredible and we enjoyed everything little piece of it for that day and a half. Indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi, Indoor and Outdoor Showers, twin vanity and sinks, 50in Plasma screen TV, private pool with waterfall.... Perfect. The next afternoon we were placed in our original room and our stuff was brought to our room for us. We loved our swim-up room. we had the corner unit, completely upgraded with new furniture and TV. It obviously was not the Rondoval, but it was great, clean, cozy, and more than we had expected, due to the previous negative reviews we had seen.
Tours: We did two tours through Sandals. the first tour was the Souffiere Cruise tour. It was a all day tour 8am-4:30pm, $98.00pp. We has a great time. You take a cruise around the island on the catarmaran, go to the Drive in Volcano, Maragoy black beach, Botanical garden, beautiful scenic lunch and then snorkeling. We really enjoyed it and recommend it. The second tour was a mountain bike riding tour through the rainforest 7am-1:00pm 60.00pp. My husband and I are both pretty athletic and loved it. We had the best tour guides. You definitely get a work out but it is well worth it. We even got to try some fresh Guava, Cocoa beans, coconut and rare plums. We road to the waterfall and took a refreshing dip. We also hiked through Pigeon Park which is walking distance from the resort and only cost $5.00pp. You can hike to the top of the mountain and see the whole island and Martinique.
Restaurants: We were very fortunate to have Ellie, she was able to get us into Kimonos and La Toc despite reservations being booked. We also had the opportunity t enjoy a seven course meal with seven different wines a the new Rondoval Suite exclusive Gordon's Pier Restaurant because we were picked to be in a photo shoot.
Regardless of which restaurant we went to, the service was always excellent. The saying is No pressure, No problem, so just remember, you are not at woek, you are not in rush, you are on vacation!!! and you will enjoy every minute in St. Lucia.
*Bayside: One of our favorites for all meals. The breakfast buffet was great, lunch buffet tasty and dinner seafood selection were terrific. Only problem, as with Barefoot by the Sea during Lunch is that the birds are all over. they will not bother you as you are sitting and eating, but the minute you leave your plate, they are diving in to pick up your scraps.
*Barefoot by the Sea: good for afternoon snack. Dinner is also romantic, just make sure you have plenty of Mosquito repellent.
*Josephine: We ate there once for dessert and the crepes are sinful.. That's why we only ate there once.... MUST TRY!!!
*Toscanni: OK. Probably the least favorite. Pasta was very overcooked. Atmosphere is nice but food, not so good.
*London Pub: We only went here late at night when the husband needed a late night snack. They also have a small dessert bar and are open till 2am.
*La Toc: I really enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere. the Seafood bisque was terrific. Definitely try to get reservations
*Pavillion: Located at the Regency, along with La Toc and Kimonos. They have a great breakfast spread.
*Kimonos: Food was good, but average, atmosphere wonderful and very entertaining. I believe its the entertaining part that drives couples here. Worth trying.
Activities at the Grande: If you are into watersports, we definitely recommend the Grande over the Regency or Halcyon. The water is a lot calmer, since your in the bay. We met a lot of couples who had stayed at the Regency and would come over to the Grande during the day to take advantage of the water activities because some days activities were restricted on their side do to the rough waters. If you like waterskiing, tricylcing, sailing, scuba diving or snorkeling -- the Grande is for you!!
Shopping: We did go into town towards the end of our trip two other couples that we met. It was an experience, but honestly the bargains are that great and the locals can get a little persistent which annoys the crap out of me. I would say, if you want to get banana Ketchup (must try) and hot sauce (Another must) go to the local supermarket near the Halcyon. It is dirt cheap!
Again, I can say nothing bad about our experience at St. Lucia. We would definitely recommend this resort to anyone. If you have the extra money and really want to be to yourselves, I would recommend the Rondoval Suite, it was amazing!! They are still do some renovation, however there was no one placed in any of those rooms, so that should not be a worry.
Just enjoy, relax, laugh and love.... And remember No pressure, No problem
I am still getting my wedding review together but I just finished writing my Honeymoon review for tripadvisor. It was perfect:
September 5th - 12th could not have Been any more perfect except for our actual Wedding Day - Labor Day. My husband and I had booked our honeymoon vacation exactly a year in advance, were nearly taken advantage of by a travel agent MJD TRAVEL - Micheal Delahanty, who turned out to be a thief and actually walked away with 700.00 dollars (We are currently disputing this). Thank God, sandals was able to accommodate us at the last minute 7/22/07 to be exact and a reputable, fantastic TA - Thank you Josephine stepped in and saved our honeymoon!! Now on to the Review....
* We flew from JFK to San Juan (very short layover of 30min) in the smaller airport SLU. It was definitely worth it. The ride from the airport to the Resort was only 20minutes and the drive is actually not as bad as some have said in the past. Like who has been said in the past, beware for the men waiting by baggage claim. They literally will try to take your luggage from you to move it only half a step and then expect a tip. I actually saw one guy hold this couples luggage hostage until a tip was given. Just grab your stuff and look for the Sandals representative so you cab take the complimentary shuttle to the resort. We met couples who did fly into the larger airport UVF and did complain about the drive.. they recommended the helicopter ride however that will run you 120-140pp. I will admit that the driving in general was frightening at times.
** When we arrived at the Grande, we were greeted by Concierge and taken up to the Concierge suite, given champagne and cookies, as we waited. We had booked the Honeymoon Swim-up Lagoon room. The wait was brief and we actually met a wonder couple who had just gotten married on Long island as well and also had booked a Honeymoon Swim-up Lagoon room . We were greeted by Ellie - The best Concierge person one can have -- Thank you Ellie. Since the rooms were not ready, Ellie gave us a brief tour than walked us to Barefoot by the beach for lunch and drinks as we waited. When she came back she told us that our room was not ready and that they had upgraded us to the Rondoval Suite until the next day. I just have to saw WOW!!!! The room was incredible and we enjoyed everything little piece of it for that day and a half. Indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi, Indoor and Outdoor Showers, twin vanity and sinks, 50in Plasma screen TV, private pool with waterfall.... Perfect. The next afternoon we were placed in our original room and our stuff was brought to our room for us. We loved our swim-up room. we had the corner unit, completely upgraded with new furniture and TV. It obviously was not the Rondoval, but it was great, clean, cozy, and more than we had expected, due to the previous negative reviews we had seen.
Tours: We did two tours through Sandals. the first tour was the Souffiere Cruise tour. It was a all day tour 8am-4:30pm, $98.00pp. We has a great time. You take a cruise around the island on the catarmaran, go to the Drive in Volcano, Maragoy black beach, Botanical garden, beautiful scenic lunch and then snorkeling. We really enjoyed it and recommend it. The second tour was a mountain bike riding tour through the rainforest 7am-1:00pm 60.00pp. My husband and I are both pretty athletic and loved it. We had the best tour guides. You definitely get a work out but it is well worth it. We even got to try some fresh Guava, Cocoa beans, coconut and rare plums. We road to the waterfall and took a refreshing dip. We also hiked through Pigeon Park which is walking distance from the resort and only cost $5.00pp. You can hike to the top of the mountain and see the whole island and Martinique.
Restaurants: We were very fortunate to have Ellie, she was able to get us into Kimonos and La Toc despite reservations being booked. We also had the opportunity t enjoy a seven course meal with seven different wines a the new Rondoval Suite exclusive Gordon's Pier Restaurant because we were picked to be in a photo shoot.
Regardless of which restaurant we went to, the service was always excellent. The saying is No pressure, No problem, so just remember, you are not at woek, you are not in rush, you are on vacation!!! and you will enjoy every minute in St. Lucia.
*Bayside: One of our favorites for all meals. The breakfast buffet was great, lunch buffet tasty and dinner seafood selection were terrific. Only problem, as with Barefoot by the Sea during Lunch is that the birds are all over. they will not bother you as you are sitting and eating, but the minute you leave your plate, they are diving in to pick up your scraps.
*Barefoot by the Sea: good for afternoon snack. Dinner is also romantic, just make sure you have plenty of Mosquito repellent.
*Josephine: We ate there once for dessert and the crepes are sinful.. That's why we only ate there once.... MUST TRY!!!
*Toscanni: OK. Probably the least favorite. Pasta was very overcooked. Atmosphere is nice but food, not so good.
*London Pub: We only went here late at night when the husband needed a late night snack. They also have a small dessert bar and are open till 2am.
*La Toc: I really enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere. the Seafood bisque was terrific. Definitely try to get reservations
*Pavillion: Located at the Regency, along with La Toc and Kimonos. They have a great breakfast spread.
*Kimonos: Food was good, but average, atmosphere wonderful and very entertaining. I believe its the entertaining part that drives couples here. Worth trying.
Activities at the Grande: If you are into watersports, we definitely recommend the Grande over the Regency or Halcyon. The water is a lot calmer, since your in the bay. We met a lot of couples who had stayed at the Regency and would come over to the Grande during the day to take advantage of the water activities because some days activities were restricted on their side do to the rough waters. If you like waterskiing, tricylcing, sailing, scuba diving or snorkeling -- the Grande is for you!!
Shopping: We did go into town towards the end of our trip two other couples that we met. It was an experience, but honestly the bargains are that great and the locals can get a little persistent which annoys the crap out of me. I would say, if you want to get banana Ketchup (must try) and hot sauce (Another must) go to the local supermarket near the Halcyon. It is dirt cheap!
Again, I can say nothing bad about our experience at St. Lucia. We would definitely recommend this resort to anyone. If you have the extra money and really want to be to yourselves, I would recommend the Rondoval Suite, it was amazing!! They are still do some renovation, however there was no one placed in any of those rooms, so that should not be a worry.
Just enjoy, relax, laugh and love.... And remember No pressure, No problem
