Our Honest Thoughts On: Caribbean Honeymoon Beachview Club Level (GL)

What’s close to the GL rooms at Sandals Grande St. Lucian, and how far is the beach?

Susie C: Depending on which of the three buildings you’re in, you’re either very close to the restaurants and all the action or maybe a five-minute walk. The buildings are all connected by a walkway, and there are elevators in each, and this room is on the second floor, so it’s pretty centrally located and good for most anybody. The beach is less than five minutes away. There’s a boardwalk that runs between the buildings and the beach, and once you’re on it you can walk up and down and decide where to spend the day, the pools are off the boardwalk, the bars are off the boardwalk, and of course the beach.

How do I get from St. Lucia airport to Sandals Grande?

Susie C: It’s about two hours by shuttle from Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), and the transfer is included in your rate. You’ll fly into Hewanorra International, UVF, where all the big planes come in. There’s a smaller airport on the other side of the island mainly for inter-island transfers. Hewanorra is about two hours from the Sandals resorts, and the shuttle is included in your price. It’s a mountainous, winding but beautiful road, they give you a history of the island on the way, the first time we went I saw bananas growing for the first time. One of the cool things about St. Lucia is there’s a Sandals lounge right in the airport, so after customs you go in, they offer you a snack and a beer, take your bags, and call you when your shuttle arrives. If you’d rather not do the two-hour drive, or you get motion sick like I do, there are a few other options I can book: a helicopter transfer, which is my favorite and only about 15 to 20 minutes, it picks you up at the main airport, gives you a tour of the island, drops you near Castries, and Sandals shuttles you the last 20 to 30 minutes. One tip on the helicopter, you can take a carry-on or backpack but checked bags follow by land, so put a swimsuit, medication, and valuables in your backpack because your bags will be a bit behind you. There’s also a two-hour ferry some clients love, they serve drinks and you see the island by water. Or you can hire a private driver, which we did our first trip so we could detour to see the Pitons up close, since you can’t see those famous peaks from the resort. Once you arrive, they’ll meet you with a cold towel and a glass of champagne or the specialty drink, they take your luggage to the room, and the concierge checks you in at the club lounge and walks you to your room.

What are the pros and cons of staying at Sandals Grande St. Lucian?

Susie C: The big pros are the size, the biggest and calmest beach of the three St. Lucia resorts, and the magical landscaping, and the main con is the two-hour drive from the airport. The vibe here is a little more lively and active, and it’s the biggest of the three Sandals resorts in St. Lucia, with the biggest beach and the calmest water, which is why so many people, honeymooners especially, want to come here, and beach people love it because you can walk the beach a long way. The landscaping is absolutely magical, it’s a gorgeous resort, not one of those stripped-down concrete-and-beach places. It’s also very romantic, we love to search out the little hidden spots, there are big suspended beds tucked into the vegetation right off the main pool that gently swing in the breeze and hardly anyone’s ever up there, and another hanging bed over on the beach by where a lot of weddings happen, steps from the water. To be honest, the two-hour transfer from the airport is the main thing to consider, and some of the best stuff, like hiking Pigeon Island, is a bit of a challenge and not handicap accessible. And the popular excursions and reservation restaurants do sell out/fill up, so you should set those up ahead of time if you want to do them.

What’s the dining like at Sandals St. Lucia Grand Bay?

Susie C: They have 12 restaurants and 7 bars, so there’s something for everyone. There’s the Pub, open until 2 in the morning for late-night snacks, Soy for sushi, which is one of our favorites, and an Italian restaurant where you sit outside in the flowers and trees with candles, it’s super romantic. There’s a Seaside Grill, Kimonos for teppanyaki, and Gordon’s on the Pier, one of the popular ones that needs a reservation, your concierge books it, you sit out on the pier, and a fun thing we learned, a waiter told us to save our lobster tails and bits of steak and drop them off the edge into the water at night, and the fish come up to scavenge, they light it up so you can watch. There’s the Bombay Club for Indian, which also needs a reservation and is very popular, Bayside Barefoot by the Sea, pizza during the day, and the Jerk Shack, which my husband loves, we get it to go and bring it back to our beach chair, or balcony. I love the chicken and you can get it spicy or not so much. You also have room service from 7am to 10pm, or you can order from a restaurant to go and set up a private dinner on your patio.

What is there to do at Sandals St. Lucia Grand Bay, on the water and on land?

Susie C: There’s a lot. They have water skiing here which most resorts in the Caribbean don’t have, plus kneeboarding, paddleboards, kayaks, sailboats, and snorkeling is all included with the boat going out two to three times a day. Diving is a big one, this resort has some of the best diving around, and it’s included if you’re certified, you just sign up at the Water Sports Desk on the beach, there are a few restrictions on arrival and departure days, and if you want to get certified they offer a four-hour class in their own pool and then take you out on a dive. That does have a bit of an added cost if you need to get certified. Golf is included too, the course is about 10-15 minutes away, green fees and transportation covered, and I can set up a tee time or you can do it there. There are pool tables, table tennis, volleyball in the pool or on the beach, board games, croquet, bocce ball, tennis, and brand-new pickleball courts. There are 5 freshwater pools plus 3 whirlpools and a scuba pool, some are quiet, some are more active with music and water aerobics. And right off the property you can hike into Pigeon Island National Park for a small fee, maybe $8 to $10 a person, up to an old fort where the views are spectacular and on a clear day you can see Martinique. One excursion we absolutely loved, they picked us up by fast boat first thing, toured the island, took us to the volcano mud baths where we painted ourselves in mud, then to a waterfall to rinse it off, an authentic St. Lucian buffet lunch, a pool party, snorkeling at a beautiful spot, and rum punch and dancing on the boat back, the hosts were the best. I can book it for you, and they do sell out, so talk to us ahead of time.