Antigua and St Lucia

I had the opportunity to travel to the Sandals properties on Antigua and St Lucia in a very quick but rewarding trip.

We toured the new Mediterranean Village at Sandals Antigua first. This all suite property is absolutely beautiful. It is very well designed with rooms set back from the water, but with beautiful views of the pool and the ocean. Best views, of course, from the upper floors. Most suites have double Jacuzzi in the room and exceptional marble bathrooms with large modern showers. All rooms have flat screen plasma TV's.

The pool is very large and is is bordered by the king size cabanas. The butler level villas also border the pool. They have private plunge pools. Didn't get to see the inside of any of these because they were full.

The property is completely finished. It took a really long time, but the wait has been worth it.

Unfortunately, because the Mediterranean Village is just a short walk from the original Sandals Antigua the 16 year old side of the property is looking worn. They are planning to refurbish this side of the property, but right now I think that people staying on this side would be a bit disappointed. The landscaping is very nice on the original side of the property, but the rooms need updating.

Beach is beautiful on both sides of the property.

Then, we were off to St Lucia. Upon arrival after the hour long transfer from the airport, I was shown to my bi-level water's edge suite at Sandals Regency Golf and Spa. This is a very large property and when arriving at night it is difficult to get a lay of the land. But, we caught the shuttle that runs continuously throughout the property to the restaurant selected for our dinner. It is normally ala carte, but on Monday nights they have a theme buffet with a Caribbean limbo show complete with fire eating dancers. Both the dinner and the show were very good. And, of course, the dinner was accompanied by Sandals signature wine by Beringer.

The beach is not the high point of this resort. The butler suites, many with private plunge pools, are set high on the cliffs and the views are spectacular. The water's edge suites have always been one of my favorite categories at this resort and I was very happy to stay in this category. The living room and bar area are on the main level with a very large balcony. The bedroom and bathroom are on the lower level. There are TV sets on both levels. There is a door that takes you outside to a path that goes right along the water's edge and down to a beach area. These rooms are very close to the piano bar and a small pool area. Because the property is so large and spread out it is easy to find some private places to be alone.

We had ala carte breakfast at the Italian restaurant. I had a vegetable frittata that was exceptional.

Then onto Sandals Grand St Lucian. This property has a much more upscale glitzy feel to it. The swim out suites are unique although more destinations are copying this concept. The new rondival suites are a wonderful well executed concept. They feature outdoor showers, private plunge pool, exceptional bathrooms and bedroom/living room with plasma TV. Of course, full butler service. I would highly recommend this property. Both the Atlantic and Caribbean side have pros and cons, but I like the Caribbean side best.

Sandals Halcyon is scheduled for a full refurbishment and it needs it. The property was hit by hurricane Dean, but has recovered nicely. The grounds are beautiful, but the rooms are showing wear and are dated. The rooms at this property are very large and are going to be 8 feet bigger when they remodel. This should be done in about a year. For clients looking for a good price at a small intimate property Halcyon is a good choice. The transfers run between the resorts all day. But, the traffic in St Lucia was much worse than I expected and it could take up to a half hour to get to the other resorts.

I have quite a few pictures of the properties and would be happy to share them with anyone interested. Just let me know.