Reviewers Rating: 
Great
My wife and I spent our honeymoon at this resort for the week starting Mar17th. Let me start by saying you don't want to travel to this resort for anything less than a week long stay. We left from Philadelphia at 8am on Air Jamaica, traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica (about 4 hours), then to the big airport in St Lucia (about 4 hours), then an hour drive to the resort. We arrived at the resort at 7pm. We were upgraded from a honeymoon oceanview suite to a Sunset Ocean Bluff one bedroom suite. Anywhere on the bluffs is an incredible place to stay. The room had a living room which contained two couches, TV, stocked wet bar and sliding glass doors to the balcony. The view from the balcony (we were on the third floor) was as nice a view as you're going to get anywhere. The bedroom contained a large four-poster bed, TV, door to the balcony, window and a closet with hangers, iron w/board and safe. This was joined by a dressing area with a hairdryer, sink and whirlpool tub. The bathroom contained a nice marble shower which was a nice size for two people. Maid service was exceptional and the wet bar was restocked daily. The daily NY Times fax was also nice for those who want to keep in touch with the real world. It'll be all you have because cell phones and Palm pilots won't be able to get a signal. I doubt you'll want to hook up a laptop due to the hefty charge incurred ! for phone use. You can watch CNN, but there is no CNBC for you stock market watchers. Anyway, I wouldn't go back to Sandals unless I was staying in a suite on the bluffs. Call me spoiled, but I heard others complaining about how small their room at the main hotel was. The bluffs area was quiet, romantic and had its own pool, swim-up bar, restaurant, fitness facility and billiards room.
The food at Sandals is average at best. I'm sure it is all a matter of personal taste, but don't go expecting meals from a 4 or 5 star restaurant. You'll find Japanese, French, Caribbean, Italian and Southwestern restaurants. They are all decent and you'll probably find one that you like more than others. We ate mostly at the Italian place, but also liked the Japanese restaurant. If you're a fan of fine wine, wait til you get home. The local beer, Piton, is good as is the Heineken brewed in St. Lucia.
There were a lot of activities planned at the main pool. Many seemed to be enjoying the pool volleyball games. Since our time was spent on the buffs we didn't participate in the activities at the main hotel. We did want to hear the reggae band which was scheduled to perform at 7pm, only to find out it was pushed back to 10pm. We took two of the excursions that were listed on a sheet provided upon check-in. The first was called Trail-Trekkers, which was a trip to the rainforest in a Land Rover. It was fun standing up in the back of the rover to view all of St Lucia. The guides really enjoyed themselves as they showed us how bananas were harvested, hiked to a waterfall and swam in a mineral pond. They were a lot of fun, but the sites were not worth the expense. The second excursion was the Soufriere Day Sail. We got in vans which took us to the Castries and boarded a Catamaran. The sail to Soufriere was fantastic. This is the best way to see the beauty of St. Lucia, ! including the Pitons. The boat docked in Soufriere and we boarded vans which took us to the Sulphur Springs and Botanical Gardens. Talk about tourist traps!!! At each destination you are hounded by locals to buy their carvings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. There were also some who didn't exactly take the polite "no thank you" too easily. Lunch was provided overlooking the Pitons, which was nice. The sail back was fun, stopping to snorkel and watching some compete in drinking games. Watch out for the "Jungle Juice" served on the boat, it will catch up to you fast!
Bottom line: The resort is beautiful and a great place to spend a honeymoon or romantic vacation. The island, like most, is very poor and I personally don't think worth extensive inner exploration.
(Review originally submitted on March 30, 2001)
Bill
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