Saint Lucia FAM Trip: Touring the 3 Sandals Resorts

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the island of Saint Lucia for work on a FAM trip. For those who are newer to my blog, a FAM trip is a “Familiarization” trip where travel agents are invited (for FREE) to learn about a destination and/or resort. You can check out my other FAM trips here! My sole objective on this Saint Lucia FAM trip was to visit the 3 Sandals properties there and understand the key selling differences between the resorts:

1. Regency La Toc
2. Halcyon Beach
3. Grande St. Lucian
   • This is where the travel agents stayed the entire duration

It was interesting to see how vastly different each property is and how they each cater to a different clientele, which I will discuss further in detail below. For those living under a rock and unfamiliar with the Sandals brand, all Sandals Resorts are all inclusive (meaning all meals, beverages, amenities and activities are included) and they are all Adults Only, Couples Only. Their tagline is “All You Need is Love” because essentially everything else is included. Even tips/gratuity are included. The staff at Sandals aren’t even allowed to accept tips or they could lose their job.

Stay at 1, Play at 3

What’s great is that regardless of which property in Saint Lucia you stay at, you will have unlimited access to the restaurants and facilities at the other two properties. They call that the “Stay at 1, Play at 3” exchange program. A free shuttle is provided to/from each resort as well (but do keep in mind the shuttle is not available 24 hours a day so just make sure you keep in eye on the last shuttle time back to your resort if you do venture out. Now for the day by day itinerary.

Day 1 – Arrival and Welcome Dinner

Day 1 of my Saint Lucia FAM trip was just getting there. My American Airlines flight left Richmond, VA at 7:04 AM and arrived to Miami at 9:34 AM. It departed about an hour later and arrived in Saint Lucia at 2:40 PM. Their airport is very small and manageable. We arrived with another flight around that time so there was a bit of a line to get through customs and immigration. But ultimately, it went by quick.

I quickly found the Sandals lounge at the airport (one of the many advantages of booking a Sandals Resort!) so it was nice to be able to freshen up before the long shuttle van ride.

Saint Lush

Finally, around 4:30 PM I’ve arrived. The first thing I noticed was the terrain. It was different from any of the Western Caribbean islands I had been to like Bahamas, Jamaica and Dominican Republic. Saint Lucia is very lush, it has a similar terrain to Hawaii. I think it should be nicknamed “Saint Lush.” The water is also a darker blue. It’s very beautiful… just different from the clear water I’ve come to expect from the Caribbean islands.

PRO TIP: You can avoid the long shuttle ride by opting for a helicopter ride to/from the resort. The price is currently $150 per person one way and takes a total of 20 minutes each way. If you really want to arrive in style and feel like a boss… here is the link.

After check in, I explored the grounds of the resort. Since I decided to skip out on breakfast and overpriced airport food, I was starving and the only restaurant open around 4:00 PM at Grande St. Lucian was their British Pub called Olde London Pub. It serves your typical pub food like fish and chips and cottage pie with ground beef, root vegetables, potatoes, green peas, carrot and cheese. After a late lunch, it was time to continue checking out the property for pictures then change for cocktails.

Hosted Welcome Cocktails and Dinner

7:00 PM – The group met up and enjoyed welcome cocktails at the outside bar next to Bombay Club, the Indian restaurant. It was a great way for everyone to get acquainted

7:30 PM – Right on time, we were seated for a group dinner at Bombay. This restaurant is one of the few that requires reservations. We enjoyed a set menu of dishes served family style. An array of chicken tikka masala, butter chicken and fish, naan bread, garlic shrimp, rice, and curry spices. A feast for all senses. Delish! I will say that the Grande St. Lucian property is the most lively so in the evenings you’ll see lots of fun options to participate in around the lobby area like karaoke and a Battle of the Sexes game. After a busy day 1 of my Saint Lucia FAM trip, it was time to call it a night.

Day 2 – Marketing Forum and Resort Tours

Day 2 of my Saint Lucia FAM trip was a very packed day. It looked something like this…

7:30 AM – Enjoy breakfast at leisure. There’s a few onsite restaurants that are open to choose from but the buffet was the easiest option to quickly grab and go before my first meeting. The buffet here, Bayside Restaurant, had a large selection of breakfast goodies. Made to order omelets, various meats like bacon and sausage, an assortment of fruit (including chunks of coconut meat!), any kind of bread you could want like croissants, bagels, and danishes. Toppings for the bagels included tomato, salmon, cream cheese, capers, onions and more. There was also the usual side dishes like scrambled eggs, potatoes, and delicious plantains.

8:30 AM – Marketing Forum in Ballroom A/B. The Grande St. Lucian property offers great functional meeting space for large groups. My travel agent group had a meeting in this room to learn about the different marketing strategies for selling Sandals Resorts. Coming from someone with a background in sales and marketing, it was very interesting to me to say the least.

Sandals Grande St. Lucian Resort Tour

10:30 AM – Resort Tour began. We were able to tour the grounds and different room categories here.

Sandals St. Lucia Golf & Country Club at Cap Estate Tour

12:00 PM – The next part of the Saint Lucia FAM trip, we were whisked away to Sandals St. Lucia Golf & Country Club at Cap Estate. This golf course is open to the general public, but there are certain fees associated with using this course even as a Sandals guest. There’s an onsite gift shop where you can purchase an assortment of polos, hats, and last minute gear should you decide you want to play.

Lunch

After touring the course, we drove to Sandals Halcyon Beach where we had a buffet lunch before touring that resort. The buffet lunch consisted of your typical fare: an assortment of salads, breads, meats (fish and jerk chicken), sides like macaroni and cheese with crab and potatoes. There was lots of desserts like an ooey gooey rum cake. Fresh squeezed juices. Yum.

Resort Tour Continued

One thing to note about Halcyon Beach, I did feel that the beach here was the best and largest out of all 3 properties. You’ll see lots of water sports to participate in with an onsite dive shop. As long as you are PADI certified, you can scuba dive for free at any Sandals property that offers it (based on availability and weather of course).

At Halcyon Beach, there’s an over the water restaurant called Kelly’s Dockside where you can order up some scrumptious surf and turf feasts. The vibes I got while touring this property is that it’s perfect for couples looking for quite and relaxation. Not as lively as Grande St. Lucian, but like I said before there’s a beautiful stretch of beach. Very “cozy” if you will. While there may not be an onsite Red Lane Spa at this location, they more than make up for it by offering beachfront spa service. Talk about relaxing!

Free time!

We headed back to Grande St. Lucian where the rest of the day was ours to spend at leisure, getting to know the resort a bit more. So me and other travel agents decided to head to the pool and mingle. This frizzy hair could use some moisture after all.

But first… celebratory champagne for making through the first full day of touring! How extra is this bright yellow and pink peacock dress though? #Obsessed 🍾🍾

Dinner at Gordon’s on the Pier

After mingling with some new friends and sharing ideas on how to get clients and just travel talk in general it was time to get cleaned up for dinner. A few agents and I went to Gordon’s on the Pier which is the over the water restaurant at Grande St. Lucian. That restaurant is also one of the few that requires a reservation ahead of time. I enjoyed the scallops appetizer, surf n’ turf dinner with filet mignon and lobster, and ended with a decadent chocolate and marshmallow dessert.

The food quality and variety of Sandals Resorts really make it worth the price tag that comes with it. They’re not just serving you buffet mush. In fact their buffets are excellent. But their a la carte restaurants really shine bright. Incredibly elegant and fresh cuisine that is always beautifully presented. After dinner, I just rested in the room for the evening and caught up on some emails.

PRO TIP: There’s a dining concierge assistance table right in the lobby and they are open daily from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Just simply go to that table and make your reservations for the week. Too easy.

Day 3 Resort tour

Day 3 of my Saint Lucia FAM tour began with breakfast at leisure.

9:00 AM – Transfer to Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa. So I’ve talked a little about the vibes of the two other properties. Grande St. Lucian vibe is very lively. There’s always something going on like a beach party (picture featured below), or a friendly karaoke competition.  It’s also a very compact resort, meaning all restaurants are pretty much in close proximity to the rooms. You don’t have to walk that far and it’s all flat walking, no up or downhill.

Halcyon Beach is for those couples looking for a great stretch of beach, and a little quiet in nature. Now let’s talk about which clientele is right for Regency La Toc.

PRO TIP: The beaches in Saint Lucia are public, meaning that there are various crafts being sold and late in the evenings I heard a big party bash near Grande St. Lucian right next door. There are guards standing by on all corners to ensure only Sandals guests are at the property but just a heads up you will encounter people selling things, but none of them were pushy. Not like what you would find in some other touristy islands.

Sandals Regency La Toc

This property is the PERFECT location for couples seeking ultimate romance. I’ve sent quite a few honeymoon couples here and after visiting I will continue to recommend it for such. The property is very lush and intimate. Not as lively but still plenty to see and do.

While I don’t see the use in some resorts to have the butler service, I do believe this resort would be the best time to utilize the butler service. Staying in a butler room category you will be given a golf cart that you can drive around the resort. Not to mention your butler can go and fetch you meals which is nice and convenient. The yellow houses below are butler-level two-story 1 bedroom properties. They have their own private pools. Was lovely!

Back to Grande St. Lucian for Final Touring (Over The Water)

After the tour of Regency La Toc, we headed back to Grande St. Lucian for a final tour of the over the water chapel (breathtaking!) and over the water bungalows. Move over Bora Bora and Maldives! The over the water bungalows are now more attainable and closer to those of us on the east coast. Not to mention, ALL INCLUSIVE! I’m ready for another destination wedding to plan!

After touring the over the water facilities, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. A group of us headed to the Jerk shack snack bar for some quick eating. We had the opportunity to order at the next door restaurant, The Mariner Seaside Bar & Grill, as well. So we all ordered some nachos to split, I had the snapper and pasta. Others enjoyed the po’ boy sandwich, quesadilla, and jerk chicken platter.

Dinner

After lunch, we got a bit more swim time in and relaxed.

7:00 PM – Our group farewell dinner was at Toscanini’s Italian restaurant. We were able to order off the a la carte menu and I started with the Parmesan risotto, selected the lasagna for my main dish and ended off with the a great dessert.

Day 4 Back to USA

Unfortunately, this was a short trip so on Day 4, the Saint Lucia FAM trip fun had to come to an end. I will be back to participate in fun excursions around the town. The locals kept talking about a drive-in volcano that’s apparently a neat experience. I’ll definitely have to put that on my list for next time.

Heading to Saint Lucia?