Who''s been to a Sandals resort??

[iwannaprettyone]

The bf is wanting to take me on a trip and suggested Sandals...questions?

1. have you been?
2. is it worth the premium?
3. which location did you visit?
4. would you go back?

Just want some input....thanks all!

 

[Maisie]

Have you tried looking at tripadvisor? My hubby and I are considering either Sandals Royal Bahamian or Sandals Whitehouse. Both have really great reviews on TA

 

[phoenixgirl]

I''ve been to the Regency in St. Lucia.

It was what it was supposed to be -- relaxing, good food, fun.

Pros:
staff is very nice
two other resorts nearby and a selection of restaurants and bars
activities and excursions if you want
beach and pool if you want

Cons:
some activities were cancelled and bars/restaurants closed on a rotating schedule when we were there (December)
beach wasn''t very inviting and swimming was discouraged or not allowed most of the trip

Our goal was to get the most for our money. We stayed in the cheapest oceanview room (I think they might have upgraded us one level, but we decided we wanted a view of the ocean but didn''t want to pay beyond that). You''re eating the same, drinking the same, and requiring nearly the same maid service whatever room you are in (maybe double if you''re in a suite, plus you can have concierge service), so the expontential rise in prices seemed like a rip-off. Since we were staying in an older resort, the rooms weren''t super fancy, but were very adequate and we had a nice deck looking at the ocean.

The food was very good. It was better than I expected, but not to die for.

For a while I was very interested in going back just to relax sometime, but I think in the future we''ll probably visit the Mediterranean or stay somewhere in the Caribbean that isn''t a chain. It was exactly what I wanted for my honeymoon, but I''m not sure I''d do it on a regular basis.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

What time of year did you go? Why was swimming discouraged?

 

[vespergirl]

For my first wedding we went to the Sandals at Negril Beach in Jamaica. We hated it so much that we requested a resort change teh first day, and they moved us to the Beaches resort (also all inclusive, I think the same company) also on Negril beach a few miles down the road which was fantastic.

Thge Sandals was a bunch of rowdy couples playing drinking games, and teh beach was totally eroded. The Beaches resort was a lot more peaceful and classy.

 

[Phoenix]

We went to Sandals in St Lucia (not sure if they only have just the one or more) for our honeymoon. The resort itself is really beautiful, but the food (it was an all inclusive thing) was rather below-average. The bars are always full of drunkards, not very pleasant. Facilities were not impressive either but this we didn''t mind so much as we only wanted to spend time with each other.

We had a great time generally but will not go back. it was not worth the premium. We went to Barbados for the second week of our honeymoon and stay in a hotel which is not part of a big chain and were much happier there.

 

[Apsara]

Hi. I hate to be negative but we went to a Sandals several years ago in St. Lucia and it was horrendous. Filthy, low class, just downright disgusting. We were young and stupid and got suckered in by a travel agent (many of whom are compensated to promote those resorts). I remember when I walked in the room, I started crying.

The food was gross--I ordered a handburger and bit into a bone fregment--and the people were just too "into it" with those sily games and stuff, and ill mannered. I would really caution you.

If you are looking for a cheap getaway with no frills, then maybe it serves a purpose, but I go for quality over quantity and prefer to go to the Ritz for 5 days vs. a "Sandals" for 10.

I really would find somehting else.

PS Another thing--in St Lucia, the beaches stink--rocky and hardly any real swimming...but they neglect to tell you that.

PPS Some people there took the "couples only" thing to mean gratuitous sexual activity out in the open. Personally, that disgusts me...

But maybe I''m just stuck up

PPPS The pools were dirty and those "swim up" bars were a real turn-off. Do you really need to drink IN the pool?

 

[sumbride]

St. Lucia has 3 Sandals resorts, and they are all a little different. I''ve actually been to the Grande, which is the nicest and newest one, and I had a blast! And get this... I was there with my parents! They went for a conference and when they booked the hotel, it wasn''t a Sandals, it was a Hilton.. but by the time we got there, Sandals owned it. It had JUST reopened.. as in they were still painting. But it was beautiful and fun and the food was good. The pools were wonderful, the beach was plush with soft sand and it was on a lagoon so the water was calm and you could just float for hours if you wanted to. I liked it so much that when FI and I were trying to decide on our honeymoon, I said I wanted to go back! He''s never been but he''s really excited.

The food at all inclusives isn''t knock-your-socks-off-gourmet, but you do get quite a variety and you can order what you want, when you want. The drinks are not watered down at Sandals... something other places do frequently. And it''s really nice to just lock up the wallet when you get there.

We''ve also been to Barbados and stayed at a non-all-inclusive property. While we had a great time, we rang up a hefty bill, plus we were heading into town for pricey dinners every night. That was also a trip with my parents, so luckily it was their treat, but as we''re paying for the honeymoon ourselves, we''re glad to be going all-inclusive.

 

[robbie3982]

I''m going to Sandals Regency in St. Lucia for my honeymoon and I''ve only heard good things about it before this post. FSIL went there for hers and she LOVED it.

Aspara, I''d hardly call Sandals cheap or no frills. This trip is costing us a lot of money and when I hear no frills I think of staying at a hotel that is just a hotel: ie no food, drinks or activities included

 

[Apsara]

We all have different opinions. I shared mine because I believe that many chain all inclusives operate just a bit differently than higher end stand-alone resorts. I was clear my visit was several years ago. Things may have changed.

We also went there and inquired about it because someone else had said how great it was... And you're right--it isn't "cheap" either... We had thought about Hawaii but the travel agent said, "Oh, you can't afford Hawaii..." We ended up paying almost $8,000 12 years ago for 8 nights there.... I found out after the fact that we could have very well gone to Hawaii for that amount. We were young and untravelled, and got suckered by the travel agent.

In any event, I hope you have a great honeymoon and things are just as you want them.

Interesting--in the "Leon doesn't like this ring" thread, he stated that "channel setting is reserved for cheap jewelry..." I have many beautiful channel set items. He has his opinion--I have mine. What he considers an inferior setting for diamonds, i feel is fine for me. I don't like Sandals--others may love it. To each, her own. I simply shared my experience.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

I appreciate the input, definatley gives me something to think about.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Kathryn, flying out of DFW, sometimes www.funjet.com sometimes has package deals to AIs, and often to Sandals in Jamaica.

The only one I would not recommend is Sandals Montego Bay - too close to the airport. We stayed at the Sandals Royal Caribbean, and flying out of Dallas our entire trip was $1k for 4 days/3 nights.

Here is a list of all available vacations from funjet . . .

http://www.funjet.com/specials/fs0200.asp?OAC=DFW

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 6/6/2007 9:57:51 PM
Author: Apsara
We all have different opinions. I shared mine because I believe that many chain all inclusives operate just a bit differently than higher end stand-alone resorts. I was clear my visit was several years ago. Things may have changed.


We also went there and inquired about it because someone else had said how great it was... And you''re right--it isn''t ''cheap'' either... We had thought about Hawaii but the travel agent said, ''Oh, you can''t afford Hawaii...'' We ended up paying almost $8,000 12 years ago for 8 nights there.... I found out after the fact that we could have very well gone to Hawaii for that amount. We were young and untravelled, and got suckered by the travel agent.


In any event, I hope you have a great honeymoon and things are just as you want them.


Interesting--in the ''Leon doesn''t like this ring'' thread, he stated that ''channel setting is reserved for cheap jewelry...'' I have many beautiful channel set items. He has his opinion--I have mine. What he considers an inferior setting for diamonds, i feel is fine for me. I don''t like Sandals--others may love it. To each, her own. I simply shared my experience.

In the past twelve years, Sandals has overhauled most of their resorts. Almost all of the locations probably aren''t even close to the same resort they were even 5 years ago.

I''ve been to a recently renovated resort, and it was amazing. Wonderful service, great location, and a great price.

For the record, my husband and I generally stay in Four Seasons resorts for vacations, and spent a week at Four Seasons Nevis for our honeymoon. Some people get spoiled by that level of resort, and I admit I definitely got to the point where I was so sick of lobster I couldn''t watch The Little Mermaid without feeling a little ill.

But that didn''t stop me from having an incredible time at a nice AI that mainlines you fruity alcoholic drinks all day long.