Sandals Halcyon Beach

We arrived at the Halcyon late December for an enjoyable Holiday. The journey from the airport is approximately 1 hour 20 to 40 minutes depending on what St Lucian taxi driver you have.

After a long drive through twisty hilly roads, you enter Castries, which upon closer inspection is a little grotty for want of further descriptive words. This is the capital however!

Halcyon is located just a short drive from Castries (can take an hour for a 2 mile journey in rush hour) the road works in the vicinity of the hotel are causing somewhat chaos, as there is no foot path from outside the hotel, just a dirty grass verge with litter and traffic of immense proportion. To leave the hotel on foot, they made every guest read a disclaimer or "a notice". This warned you how busy the road was and that you must sign a book to acknowledge that you understand its dangerous outside.

When we were checked in, we received a welcome drink and a care pack containing some shampoo etc... We then were taken to our respective rooms. The room we got was stiflingly hot and no thought had been given to tired weary guests, that might want a nice cool room.

The rooms are a slight disappointment for they are dark (badly lit) and of basic decor. We felt we were staying in a posh Travel INN. However the room was adequate but when you are spending in excess of £4K, you expect more for your money.

The restaurants are as follows in our candid opinion. The pier was sweltering as the air con had packed up, and further more did not work for the whole week, this made eating in there unbearable, especially due to the dress code the hotel specifies. Food was nice but portions were small.

The other restaurant was always a self-service sit down affair; this was located near to the main pool. Not much to say however, you ate your breakfast in here and lunch, so you really did not want to be spending another meal there.

In the mornings the staff would take you to a table and ask you if you would like tea or coffee. You were lucky to get either, as it either did not turn up or it was incomplete without milk. In other words you were forgotten about.

Marios was an Italian next door, this was probably the best of the restaurants as it was air-conditioned plus had helpful staff.

Rats were a slight issue in Halcyon, as one day we were walking to breakfast only to see a large pair of rats scurry past us into a hedge, they were not scared as they looked at us through the clearing in the hedge. I think that rats to be fair are always going to be an issue here, as food is on tap day and night!

The worst gripe we had was the level of staff that were making themselves at home, as if it were their own holiday. The level of management was obviously low as you do not expect staff to be playing pool and drinking behind a bar that was closed to the public. On a number of occasions we saw staff had nothing to do, and were sitting around, on the other hand you get poor over worked staff that try their best such as a hardworking gardener on New years day or the cleaners that work themselves to the bone cleaning rooms from 9-5.

A classic example of staff attitude was a waiter shouting at the top of his voice under our canopy whilst we were sunbathing to attract his colleague’s attention, he was collecting our empty plastic beakers. Not what you want, when you are trying to relax.

If I had to sum up the hotel I would award on a scale of 1-5 in these areas

Staff 2

accommadation 3

cleanliness 3

Hotel 3

beach 3

Grounds 4

Local area for beauty 1

A very average hotel for people who want such a memorable holiday. The hotel in our opinion is only a 3 star Sandals resort, Halcyon needs to get their act together or they will loose their overall reputation. Management needs to streamline staff levels as there are clearly too many staff in some areas and not enough in other areas. Standard of restaurants and food must increase in quality, even if it means serving more fresh vegetables, as these were a rarity. These are our findings from Sandals Halcyon in St Lucia and may not represent the hotels standard in general, however this review is an accurate picture from two discerning travellers

We arrived on 26th May to be greeted with champagne and an icecold flannel after over an hour transport from the airport. Because the paradise pool area was having a block renovated we were upgraded to a lovely one story block of four bedrooms. The room was spacious and comfortable. The resort has the most fabulous gardens and it is full of interesting plants and trees. My husband had fun taking pictures of the humming birds some of which even came to feed on the flowers outside our patio.

The staff are amazing and make you feel really welcome. I am not good with names but thankyou Agnes, Andy,Andrew, Delores,Amanda, Lea,and of course our room manager Alison for making our stay so fantastic. We were given a bottle of champagne to celebrate our wedding anniversary which was such a surprise. Thankyou,

We ate at all the venues at the Halcyon and the food was good in them all. We particuarly liked Bayside and also the pier Restaurant. We loved aternoon tea at the Paradise Pool. You could even help yourself to an icecream cornet. We did go and visit the other two sister hotels but always prefered coming home to the Halcyon. The other two resorts were larger but more impersonal and did not have such lovely garderns.

Entertainment at the Halcyon included traditional drumming and folk dancing. There was also steel bands and limbo dancers. Sometimes there was a band with a singer.

However after a full day we were in bed relatively early but the youngsters stayed up.

You can be as busy as you chose or just relax. Our greatest memories will be the fantastic staff and the beautiful location.

Okay, I'm not sure what the rest of the nay-sayers real problems were, but after reading the negative reviews, I can only assume that those reviewers 1) Have no concept that St. Lucia is a poor country, 2) The resort is there to service YOU. If you have a problem, deal with it immediately. Complaining here after the fact is a weak way to flex your muscle.

So, with that said, let me get on with my review...

I've never been to the Caribbean before, and I was travelling there on my honeymoon.

When you get through customs at the airport, don't let ANYONE touch your bags that doesn't have a SANDALS nametag on them (even if they have a Sandals shirt). There are lots of baggage handlers that try to take your bags and walk them the 30 feet to the Sandals check-in area. Skip that with the utmost urgency (Have some back-bone folks). If you get tricked into letting them take the bags, at least give them a tip (1-2 bucks), cause you won't allow yourself to be tricked again on your return. Or give them nothing. That certainly makes them appreciate foreigners more. Just take my advice now, ignore them and take your bags to the Sandals desk yourself.

Having grown up in the Phildelphia Area, I certainly understand the "roll 'em up and lock the doors" mentality of driving through the poorer sections of an area. And the initial ride from the UVF airport to the resort (any of them) is quite an exercise in holding down your lunch and clutching your valuables. There isn't much you can do about it, but if you suffer from motion sickness, or fear of driving around blind bends, sit in the back, take some ginger pills (far better than Dramamine), and try to sleep. Its a 1.5 hour drive to/from the airport, through some of the poorer sections of the island and very, VERY twisty, curvy, up and down, paved, unpaved, pothole ridden roadways.

You think you're off to a resort in a remote area, but, with a sharp left from the main roadway, you're in the resort. Now I'm thinking "What kind of place could be THIS close to the main roadway???"

Now, the initial greeting at the resort was "strange" to say the least. It felt like a timeshare situation, where each busload of arriving couples are kept together, provided with champagne, given some info about the resort, and asked to fill out some forms (no big deal). Although, for a company as big as Sandals, I was surprised to see so many spelling mistakes on the forms (not that this review is perfect).

We had a Conceirge level room, so we were personally escorted to our room by the concierge, whereby many other items about the resort were explained to us. Our room was complete with a stocked fridge, 4 bottles of common liquor, and the resort wines (Stone Celler by Beringer). The room was clean, cold, and a beautiful bungalow with purple and yellow flowers in bloom in the vines just above the porch roof. This is NOT a brass-and-glass room/hotel. Which brings me to the next issue with reviewers. What is the purpose of your room when you travel? I see it as 1) A place to sleep, 2) a place to shower, 3) a place to store your stuff. If you complain about the room you have, it should be because it doesn't fulfill one of these requirements. You're at a beautiful island in the Caribbean, for God's sake. Why does the room need to be 5-star?

We quickly grabbed a drink at the pool bar, and attended the orientation (which I recommend you do). You're expectations will be much more in line when you go through the orientation. I don't know what the first week in June should be like in St. Lucia, and how much the ecomony has affected it, but this resort, at that time, was a quiet oasis in the Caribbean. At these resorts, you will get out of them what you give into them, and, quite frankly, with the exception of the room, you're free to go to either of the 2 other resorts and spend your whole day there if the Halcyon is too slow-paced for you.

In the spirit of slow-paced, I have to say with all honest belief, that watering down or swapping alcohol in the liquor is a common practice done at ALL 3 resorts. There are obvious reasons for this: 1) Cost to the resort, 2) Liability, 3) Overall fun of the guests. As for #1, when you see the amount of alcohol poured on a regular basis, you can certainly see that, no matter what YOU paid for the vacation, there is no way they could afford to give away drinks of top-shelf liquor at that price. #2 is obvious for a litigation standpoint, and #3 I think of in this way: If you drank as much alcohol as they can pour you in some of those drinks, in the hot sun, at the pool or beach, with a crowd, with watersports, pool games, and night time entertainment, there would probably be lots of sick guests, and lots of vomit to clean up on a regular basis. So, take from that what you want, but I have been in a number of situations where I feel I can safely say the alcohol is cut. If you don't believe me, try this before you go. One night, pour yourself a shot of Frangelico (a good apertif). Then ask for the same whe you get down there...You'll know it immediately. But, since most of the good drinks are blended, they're fun, fruity, and refreshing, even though they rarely give you a buzz.

And on the subject of alcohol, there are 2 beers available. Their local beer, Piton, and Heineken. I don't know how they could water those down (they're in kegs or bottles), but they don't seem as potent as beer in the States, and way less than you Canadian residents get. Drinkable, but, in many cases, not the most ice-cold.

So that gets the drink situation out of the way. On to food....OH...MY...GOD! There was so much of it, and it was ALL great. Sorry to say that we never got out of bed from our quiet room early enough for the buffet breakfast, but others told us that it was something of beauty, with all kinds of items available, such as cold cereal, hot porridge, lox/salmon, breads/danish and all kinds of eggs and breakfast meats cooked to order. We had snacks, lunches and dinners at ALL the resorts, and we can't complain about any of them. And for the complainers of dinners in the "high-end" types of eateries (high-end meaning that you need a closed-toed shoe and a collared shirt, sometimes pants), because of the slow-pace of the courses, I can only say, again, that, as a newlywed couple, we were happy to have that quality time together. To enjoy the view, to people-watch, to take in the restaurant, and talk to the staff. You want to eat and run? Then skip the restaurants, and go to the grill/bars and grab a burger. And remember, this is all-inclusive. Therefore, if you like an appetizer, then order 2, order 3, it doesn't matter, and no one gave us a hard time if we modified our orders to include items not specifically in the ingredients (like adding shrimp to a beef dish, grilling instead of deep-frying a fish, and other requests). And, no matter what, eat at the Piton at the Regency. Its quite a change in menus from the "given" must-see restaurants (French, Italian, Japanese). The "play" pool at Halcyon is the one closest to the beach, and has a swim-up bar. The "quiet" pool at Halcyon is in the back, has its own bar, and is the place where you can read a book, sunbathe your tan-lines away, and where HIGH-TEA can be found. That includes tea sandwiches, scones, ice-cream, cookies, etc. At the other resorts, we spotted a mobile cart offering drinks beyond the pool bars, and an ice-cream cart. I can only assume they have an area for High-Tea, but we didn't go looking for it.

MEN: As a word of caution. Although the resort is called "SANDALS", and you're a male, bring along at least pair of closed-toed shoes (Docksiders or boat shoes do fine, even without socks), and a pair of long pants. I can only recommend that you get a pair of linen pants, as they are breathe-able and light in the St. Lucia climate.

Resort amenities: The water at the Halcyon was much less "rough" than the other two resorts. All watersports were available, and, due to either the low occupancy or the perceived older couples, there was hardly ever a wait for anything. You can learn to scuba there (if you're not licensed, it's $70, and then you can scuba for free at all the Sandals resorts). Note that Sandals does not have jet-skis or para-sailing, although you can pay to do those things out of your own pocket at the Grande.

Each resort has a group of "Playmakers". These employees are tasked with getting people involved in the daily events (tennis, volleyball, ping-pong, darts, etc). Since the crowd at the Halcyon was so small, not too many of these events actually take place, but only due to lack of participation by the guests. Pool volleyball is always a winner, and it was a much nicer experience to play at the Halcyon with 6-7 people per side than at the Grande or Regency with 8-12 people per side. I wonder if the ball ever hits the water in those resorts??? Anyway, if you go to the Halcyon, look for the "G-Man"...He's the playmaker named Gerard. He's VERY into his job, and helped make the experience unforgettable.

Try to get to the Manager's receptions at your resort. We went and won a massage. They give away a number of prizes, as well as Hors-D'oeuvres.

BTW, the main pools at the Grande and Regency were gross. With the large numbers of occupants, the water was cloudy and dirty. Too many people with lotions, and drinks (and probably using the pool as their personal bathrooms). The Halcyon pools were crystal clear. I'm sure due to the smaller crowds, but also to the availability and ease of finding the restrooms (when asked at the Grande, even an employee could not direct me to the closest bathroom...weird?)..

Sandals really does their homework with some of the excursions. I can recommend the Catamaran to Soufriere (both directions, skip the one-way bus version they offer). The bus picks you up in the lobby, you're safely taken to the docks, and the whole time you never feel like you're in any type of danger or being handled by a fly-by-night organization. Keep in mind that none of the excursions are free, but all you need to do is leave a credit card imprint with the front desk, and charge all the excursions to your room, so there is no money handling at the excursions. However, many of them bring you through gift-shops, so you might want to bring some cash with you. On that subject, they take the US Dollar, as well as their EC. Really no need to exchange, but, you won't ever get change (coins) in US dollars. If an item is 1.75 US, expect to pay $2 and get no change.

As for site-seeing...I don't recommend going out on your own exploring, but the resort will arrange for a cab for you, someone they trust to take care of you, and you can get recommendations for places to visit off the beaten track, but remember, if you don't feel safe, don't do it. At least from the native people that I encountered there, both resort employees and locals, I found them to be very nice, and very proud of their island. Let them know how much you love their paradise, you'll get a smile to brighten your day. Also to keep in mind is that the beaches are NOT owned by Sandals. They are free, public beaches, and, yes, some locals will try to sell you everything under the sun. If you're interested, don't free bad about haggling, it is common there, but if you don't want something, be clear about it, and you will probably be left alone. NO THANKS is a valid answer to "Hey Mon, let me show you what I make". But they are a poor country. What would you do to help feed your family if you lived there?

I can recommend that, if you like hiking and a great spot for pictures, go to the Grande, and, just past the watersports area is the end of the resort. Just beyond that point is Pigeon Island, about a 200 yard walk from the resort boundary to the front gate. This is a national park, and its $5 US per person to go in. They have trails up to an old British fort high above the ocean, with information signs at various places, where you can walk up to and take some great pictures. Its well worth it, if you do nothing else.

In short, don't wait for the resort to come to you, you go to the resort. Be a part of it. Get involved, or don't. When you do, you'll take more away, but if you just want to relax, then just do it. But please, if you have a problem, get someone on it RIGHT AWAY, and, if you're not happy with that response, take it to the next level. Don't wait. You may get nothing more than a dinner at Gordon's out of it (the only restaurant at Sandals that you have to pay for), but at least you get something.

If you're into Spring Break, loud (and sometimes ignorant and OBNOXIOUS) younger crowds, packed pools and few beach chairs, then I think the Regency and Grande would be your perfect destinations. If you want a more laid-back, quiet, and user-friendly resort, I highly recommend the Halcyon. In the long run, pick the LEAST-EXPENSIVE resort, and then pick your poison by taking the busses between them all. The Halcyon is right in the middle of the 2, and the trip to either one is 1/2 the time than the trip from the Regency to the Grande (and vise-versa).

Enjoy your time there, look for the "G-Man" at the Halcyon, and them him that Steve and Dawn sent you.....

Each July, my wife and I travel to an all-inclusive resort. As we prepare to return to Sandals, it seems appropriate to review Sandals Halcyon. Simply put, it is Paradise On Earth! We have stayed in luxury resorts from Aruba to the Bahamas, and from Turks & Caicos to Punta Cana D.R. ... but we now have a true "Favorite."

Sandals Halcyon has a flavor and feel all its own. It is the most laid back resort we've ever visited. We love the many hammocks and cabanas, the beach, the beautiful grounds, and the relaxing dinners. We left the resort feeling like rubber bands that had been totally unwound.

For those who want to liven things up a bit, there are plenty of opportunities to do just that ... especially since there are 3 Sandals Properties on the Island and guest can use all three. But again, this trip was all about relaxing ... and we did just that.

Our only outing was a day trip in which we saw virtually everything on one day: the rain forest, the valcano, the mountain views, etc. It was a spectacular day.

We love the weight room and workout facilites. Since we exercise daily, this is always an important feature for us. The food was very good ... our favorite was the Italian Restuarant. The staff members were the friendliest that we have ever encountered. The ladies who gave us our daily massages were wonderful.

Though all the rooms are very nice, we are greatly looking forward to this upcoming trip; all the rooms have been remodeled! We are told that they now have flat screen TVs and all new interiors. This will only make a great resort even better.

If you are looking for a wild, party resort ... this isn't it. If you are looking for the most relaxing time of your life ... looking for Paradise On Earth ... then THIS IS THE PLACE!

David & Kathy

Nashville, TN.

We got married at Sandals Halcyon on the beach. It was the best wedding, we could not have ask for anything more. The resort was unreal. So laid back it was the vacation we needed. We did go to the other resorts but they were very busy. It you like that type of place you so really go to the gand or the regency. Halcyon is quit, laid back place which is great with people with a busy life style like us. We are in our late 20's and their were many people our age. The food to the people were great. You can tell they work very hard to please you. We can not wait to go back!!

The Halcyon is a really nice place, and for us it was the best of the 3 Sandals on St. Lucia. It is much smaller and the grounds are much nicer than the others, there is greenery and trees everywhere. The others are great too, but are more built up.

The restuarants are great. The Pier was our favourite, the food was awesome and the setting beautiful. Mario's was great too but we found the food a little rich for our tastes and because there are no windows there's not much St. Lucian character apart from the staff. The beach grill did us lunch almost every day, not a very wide selection but nice. We tried the Bayside once for lunch and were not impressed, pretty much "school dinners" so we didn't bother trying it for dinner. Breakfast there was good though, with freshly cooked omlette, pancakes, crepes or waffles as well as all the usual sausages, eggs, bacon, toast, bagels, yoghurts, pastries, melon, mango, pineapple, etc etc!! We also went for dinner at the other hotels several times. La Toc at the Regency was probably the best food but like Mario's, it's quite enclosed so really you could be anywhere in the world. Kimono's was awesome, we went there 3 times. Your experience here depends on your chef, a good chef can make it very entertaining but if you get a trainee it can be a bit less exciting. If you get a trainee I'd recommend going again in a different timeslot, oh and make sure to do some Sake Bombs!!

We stayed in a concierge room, and found the upgrade well worth it. For starters, the location was great, and far away from the refurbishment work that was going on around Paradise Pool. The concierge room fridges are stocked every day rather than every other day. Concierge rooms also allow you to book tables at Mario's and the Pier, whereas other guests have to wait for a table, this saved us over an hour's wait on several occasions.

The refurbishments currently going on are quite extensive. In the time we were there, they were still doing rooms around Paradise Pool and this did cause some noise in this area. Paradise Pool itself was closed on one day, for addition of handrails. The pool tables were resurfaced while we were there, also the darts board was re-done and the beach shelters were re-tiled. So it is more than just the rooms that are being refurbished.

As for value for money, well if you're looking for value for money, you're looking at the wrong class of hotel. If you're looking for a luxury all-inclusive then you have to pay big bucks and the Halcyon is a great choice. In our opinion the best of the 3 Sandals on St. Lucia, and also the cheapest!

My partner and I just returned from a week at Sandals Halcyon Beach in St. Lucia, and I’m so relaxed that I can barely function. Is that a sign of a wonderful vacation? Yes it is!

Our new travel agent, Amy McHugh at Dream Makers Vacation Services, helped us book the best tropical holiday we’ve had in quite a while. While we were initially interested in Sandals Grande on the same island, it turns out that the Sandals Halcyon was the right club for us. We really enjoyed the relatively small size of the property, the laid back atmosphere, and most of all, the gorgeous greenery that graced the resort. It was like living in a botanical garden for a week! Plus, we liked the calm waters of the beach, and swam in the ocean several times a day. We also snorkeled every day, a service that Sandals provides. Be sure to ask the boat captain to take you reefs other than the run-of-the-mill Honeymoon reef. Try Boneyard or Rusty’s Cove. Captains Dean and Sammy were most accommodating in this regard, and provided a lot of interesting information about the island as well.

The food at the Halcyon was fine, as were the drinks. My favorite brew was the local Piton beer, which is as good as it gets. Be sure to have a Piton (or three)!

As a gay male couple, we were a bit concerned about being in the minority at Sandals. But as it turned out, the gay issue was not an issue at all. While we did get a few stares from some of the guests, the Sandals staff was extremely gracious and pleasant throughout our stay. Moreover, Sandals (at Amy’s suggestion) gave us a lovely upgrade to a beachfront room with concierge service. For gay or lesbian couples interested in trying Sandals, their policy seems to be that gays are welcome. We even saw a photo of a gay couple displayed in the window of the resort’s Photo Shop.

The Halcyon staff could not have been more professional. They were friendly, courteous, and attentive to our needs. Both my partner and I were duly impressed with the level of service at Sandals, and would be happy to return to the Halcyon or another Sandals in the future. Melissa, our concierge, was brilliant, as the English say. She always greeted us with a smile, and took care of our requests in a timely manner. And Jeanine, one of the staff photographers, befriended us and took pictures of us on the beach on our last night.

We took the all-day catamaran excursion to Soufriere, which was a blast. I highly recommend this trip to anyone visiting St. Lucia. It’s a great way to see the Pitons and Soufriere. You also get to snorkel at Anse Cochon, one of the best sites on the island.

It is hard to think of any complaints, which for a New Yorker is unheard of. There are mosquitoes on the property, so you should bring bug spray if you don’t want to get bit. But that’s about it.

I can’t recommend Amy at Dream Makers enough. She is a travel expert who listens to what you are looking for, and then tries to help you find it. She does not try to sell you something you don’t want. Amy works closely with Sandals, so if you are looking for this type of all-inclusive holiday, I would certainly contact her.

Thanks to Amy and the staff at Sandals Halcyon for a fabulous vacation! We hope to return to the St. Lucia and the Halcyon soon.

We traveled to this resort for our honeymoon and were very impressed with the level of service and the quality of the food. I am not going to say everything was perfect but we loved our experience at the Sandals Halcyon Beach.

Here are the pros from our visit.

The service was amazing. We never lacked for attention during a meal, nor waited to have a drink refilled. Every single staff member gave a smile during our stay. We were often asked how our holiday was progressing, by maids, bellmen, landscapers, servers, bartenders, and all the top level managers as well.

The food was routinely excellent. Dining at both Mario's and The Pier provided us with excellent meals. The service and quality was superior. I can see why many here have rated these two restaurants as the best that Sandals offers in St. Lucia. At the Bayside, we tried various meals that were out of our usual dining experiences and were rewarded with both interesting and new tastes experiences and positive comments from the servers. Although we both passed on the Curried Goat that was served at one lunch buffet!

The grounds are beautiful. This hotel has been around for many years and the grounds are mature and very beautiful. We went to both the Grand and the Regency and were not overly impressed. (More about that below).

The people are what make this resort. We were so impressed with the people who were the to make our vacation special. No fake smiles that you get at any restaurant here in North America, no fake "Hi I am your server" comments. At this resort the staff cares about you. To us that makes all the difference!

Here are the cons.

The hotel is older and as a result some of the rooms are a bit run down. The air conditioner was unable to cool the room during the hottest part of the day. The Paradise Pool could use a good cleaning, There was construction noise coming from the rooms that are being renovated.

As for the rooms being a bit run down. This is being addressed as Sandals is in the process of renovating all the rooms. Having looked at some of the renovated standard rooms, we were favorably impressed with the upgrades. Construction creates noise, nothing can be done about that. The construction noise was not obtrusive and the senior management team were out by the Paradise Pool checking to see if it was too loud. Good on them to be out talking with the guests.

The air conditioning in the room we had was old and tired. The unit was checked out and nothing could be done short of replacing the until unit or moving us to another room. We never pursued that option as we were not often in the room in the afternoon. We just went to the pool to cool off.

The only thing I could fault, was that the Paradise Pool had a bit of a dirty ring around it. This was at it's worst in a couple of areas and we simply stayed away from those areas. Around the swim up bar, there were no marks and all was good.

We went to the English Pub at the Grand for dinner on night and were not impressed, We were seated by someone who very obviously wanted to be someplace else, anywhere else! We waited 10-15 minutes to order and just as long for a glass of water. A drink order took considerably longer and then was not as we requested. The food quality was not what he had come to expect from the Halcyon Beach, All in all, pretty disappointing. Another night we went to Kimono's at the Regency. This was a very entertaining evening and we will likely return to eat there when we return to St. Lucia next year.

In closing, if you are looking for a party resort, for great night time entertainment, a large new resort, go elsewhere. Sandals Grand is the place you want to be. If you want high end luxury, head to the Regency. The Halcyon Beach is a small quiet, intimate resort with superior levels of service and a large return clientele. Us included!!

I could not put into words how wonderful the staff at the Halcyon resort is. We did not go wanting for anything during our honeymoon. Denver was the first person that we met when we go to the resort and made sure that we were settled in and relaxed after our long travel day. Melissa, our concierge, was the best ever. She made sure that we were well taken care of, and her personality was just off the charts! The room was amazing. Even with as messy as my husband and I were, Valencia did an excellent job in keeping it tidy for us. The bartenders were on point at all times. Agnes knew what we were drinking by the second hour we arrived. Cindy always had great recommendations for a mid day snack or early dinner at the Beach Bar. Chevere was just as sweet as she could be. George made sure that all of our adventures went smoothly and that we were well prepared for the boat trip and horse back ride. The photographers were wonderful as well. Fefe did our photo shoot, and had us laughing the entire time! The entire time we were there we had staff stopping by our porch just to say 'hey', or to catch up with us and see how our adventures went. The Halcyon is the smallest of the three resorts on the island, and the most intimate. We met so many other couples and made some life long friends during our stay. The friendly staff, along with the lush greenery and beach, will bring us back every year for our anniversary.

This was our first Sandals experience. It was great...despite a room assignment near construction (which was not listed on the Sandals website), the guest services manager very happily moved us to one of the newly renovated rooms in the 500 block (away from the noise). The renovated rooms are very nice and feature a great bath and large flat screen TV. The bed was very comfortable. My wife Cathi and I took full advantage of all the resort had to offer and we met some very nice guests while there and made some friends. My wife and I snorkeled several times and I went on 5 SCUBA dives in the beautiful St. Lucian waters...we also took advantage of the pay for one and play at three aspect of our stay by visiting both the Grande and the Regency in addition to staying at the Halcyon Beach. I would definitely recommend staying at the Halcyon for cost and visiting the Grande as the sun and beach are better there. The gardens at the Halcyon Beach are expertly manicured and provide for a romantic setting. The food was equally good at all three Sandals in St Lucia and the number of restaurants provided an excellent variety. If you want do a tour, I suggest doing it within two days of your visit....we didn't do any as time went on, but had plenty of "included" activities to fill our time...if you want some fun, but don't want to go on a tour...go to the Grande and walk out of the resort to visit Pigeon Island...it's a nice hike and you can see Ft. Rodney and some really spectacular vistas (on a clear day you can see Martinique - 40 Km to the North)....we had such a wonderful time, we have booked our next year's vacation at Sandals Antigua and saved 50 %!

Spookily we also stayed in room 505 (see previous review from wvu9) a newly upgraded room...it had felt like we were the first ones to have stayed there until we read their review! We stayed here 10 years ago on honeymoon & returned last month to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Of course there have been improvements over the years but Sandals have managed to keep the character we loved about the Halcyon while upgrading rooms, air conditioning restaurants & building new Cabanas to relax in if you want a break from the sun while enjoying the fantastic grounds. Another attraction of the Halcyon is the shuttle bus running to enjoy the facilities of the other two nearby Sandals (we'd recommend a day at the Grande, using their beach, quiet pools hidden away & lunch at Barefoot by the Beach) but, fantastic as this is we'd always choose to stay at The Halcyon, with the fantastic Pier restaurant our favourite. If it's a special occasion the candelit dinner, romantically served in a beachfront gazebo as the sun sets is highly recommended, another great memory of a fantastic hotel!

If you are thinking about a trip to St.Lucia, here are a few pointers. Ask your self what kind of vacation do you and your spouse desire?? The Halycon Resort was the most relaxing resort of the three on the island. Is was kinda secluded and quiet. There were not as many guest there as the other resorts so it was a lot calmer. My husband and I enjoyed the resort because of the quietness and closeness of everything. The staff there was great and so was the service. We did visit the other resorts. The Grand was more of the party spot. It seemed to be a lot more younger people at that resort and the day we went, it was hopping. The beach at the Grand was beautiful, I actually liked it more than the Halycon. The Regency was kind of the median of the three. It wasnt as active as the Grand, but busier than the Halycon. This resort had the best beach out of the three. The water was amazing. The one good thing about the Halycon was that it was directly in the middle of the other two. Its only a fifteen minute bus ride to the Grand and the Regency from the Halycon. Oh yeah, and if you are a person to get car sick be sure to take something before you land because the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel is about an hour or so and it defintely was a crazy one. Both my husband and I got sick.. All in All, we soooo enjoyed our vacation. It was worth the money and we will be Sandals customers for life. Good luck and enjoy your expected vacation!!

Staff are amazing our favorite was Arron, makes the best cocktails.

Warning to any non cat lovers there are about 5 within the hotel don't really bother you but do come into the dining areas which I don't like, staff happy to move them though.

Hope your not in bed when the cleaner comes as you'll be startled with her knock, but they do a great job.

Greeted on arrival with glass of bubbly and cool towel, got to our room and had a bottle of champers on ice and towels made into swans with flowers around them on bed. I loved it, husband didn't really notice hahaha and we also got honeymoon breakfast delivered to our room the next day.

Food great, Italian in Regency amazing

Lots to do during the day if you want to play games like darts, shuffle board etc, we didn't at first but got into it eventually as can be a bit boring doing nothing all day every day

Went on 2 drip dolphin and whale watching which was amazing, lots of dolphins no whales, lunch not good though, the one of the boat trips during the day, takes you all around the island, botanical gardens and provide a nice lunch and lots of free drink on the boat

Unfortunate for us we were in the old block so no fridge and the rooms no where near as nice as rest of complex, bit disappointing considering how much it cost. As we were leaving the were about to renovate the block though.

Over all a great time, very relaxing

Jan 09, Sandals Halcyon Bay, St Lucia.

Arrived early evening to be greeted by chaos in airport arrivals. Don’t bother with a porter, the Sandals bus is right outside the terminal door (cost me $5 to learn this). A 90 minute drive in an old taxi bus (Sandals, please get some new busses…) followed by a greeting at Halcyon bay with drinks and cold towel (really welcome).

Shown to a reasonable room which was in one of the older blocks but the air con and fan worked OK. I went to bed early with a headache, wife went to bar and got ‘merry’. Woken by wife at midnight who had a friendly evening talking and drinking with new friends. Killed 2 mosquitoes. Both of us got bitten during the night.

Power walk round the grounds next morning was a great intro to the estate which is absolutely beautiful.

Breakfast was excellent with a huge choice including freshly cooked eggs, fish (which was really good) or steak.

This was the start of a really great two weeks. Staff cannot do enough for you, the word ‘NO’ has been surgically removed. Their training manager has done a fantastic job. The Sandals staff are some of the best trained on the island.

Halcyon Bay is a really friendly complex. Loads of sun beds although the popular ones acquire towels quite early. Fantastic beach and free sailing on Hobi cats (real fun)or sun chasers. Loads of other water sports also, all free. The snorkeling trips are worth the boat ride even if, like my wife, you don’t snorkel. The reef snorkeling was great, even followed a turtle for a while.

There are quite a few Brits along with Canadians and Americans who were really friendly and made the holliday memorable. This was with the exception of one drunk from Boston who wanted to restart the Irish conflict and nuke anyone not American. So glad he didn’t represent the rest of the Americans there.

There are free buses to the other two Sandals estates, theGrand and the Regency, which were much more impressive but lacked that friendly atmosphere in the Halcyon.

All the restaurants were good with the Italian at the Regency getting our best vote. The Japanese at the Regency was entertaining but the food was bland. The French restraint was also very good.

This was probably one of the best holidays we’ve ever had. Many thanks to the staff at Halcyon Bay.

My husband and I just returned from our trip to St. Lucia. After looking at all three Sandals locations in St. Lucia, we decided to stay at the Halcyon. It's definately smaller than the the Grand and the Regency, but the size only ads to the intimate atmosphere that the Halcyon offers. The grounds are absolutely beautiful with an unbelievable variety of blooming vegetation. The staff were incredibly friendly and really went out of their way to make sure that all of our needs were met. This was our first experience staying at a Sandal's resort. I'm happy to say that it surpassed all of our expectations. If there is a Sandals location at our next vacation destination, we will definately stay there.

I would recommend asking for one of their newly renovated rooms as they are beautiful. When we first arrived, we were greeted with a glass of champagne and a cool towel which we welcomed after the long ride in from the airport. I read many reviews about how terrible the 1.5 hour ride from the airport to the hotel was. Frankly, both my husband and I found the ride to be a great way to see the island and to get a lay of the land. Once we checked in, we met Maverick and he led us to our room. Maverick is just one example of the great quality of staff working at this resort. He has a great personality and is always ready to greet you with a smile. The Halcyon is perfect for those that wish to have a laid back vacation in a quiet and serene enviroment. The sand on the beach is not as white as many other caribbean locations, but the water as well as the beach were very clean. We would highly recommend staying at the Halcyon,

The Sandals Halcyon was perfect for our wedding. We stayed in the Honeymoon Beachfront Concierge Room, room 128 (this is such a great deal). Nice large room, wonderful bed and the bar was restocked every day. We were the only wedding on Saturday, April 25, and the staff was wonderful. Highly recoment Gavlin our photography. He was fantastic. The concierge staff were so helpfull with making dinner reservations for my large party of 10 people. While the family was there we ate at Mario's for our rehersal dinner (the steak is wonderful) and the Pier for our wedding dinner(mahi mahi to die for). The family left on Sunday and my husband and I enjoyed going to dinner at the Regency's La Toc (very elegant french, super romantic) Sunday night and Monday we ate a Kimono's (fun hibachi style). It was really nice to have the chance to go eat at the Regency and it was only a 15 minute ride there. I am a hugh foodie and the selection every morning at Bayside was great. We generally at lunch at Bayside also and again so much to choice from. We liked the buffet style since we just wanted to grab a quick bite between swimming or laying out.

I have to mention the canopy day beds in the garden. You haven't truly relaxed untill you spend the afternoon with a good book laying out in them. I just loved the lush gardens around us and the ocean sounds.

Our activities were the ziplineing tour (monday-wonderful and so worth it), snorkeling(tuesday), and the day cruise to see the mountains, water fall and volcanos (wednesday-we chose this sea tour because the buses caused us to have motion sickness if were in them too long). The gym at the resort is great.

Over all we could not believe how much we got with Sandals. The all inclusive is the way to go.

First I feel compelled to disagree with some of the negative comments from previous reviews.... ie, poor service, bad food, watered down drinks, stuffy Europeans, bugs (OMG), etc.

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife and I researched several resorts and chose Sandals Halcyon in St. Lucia.

Upon arrival we were welcomed by Leri, beaming a sincere smile, and genuinly pleased to meet us. We were seated on a comfy couch, given a glass of cool champaign and a cold damp towel to wipe the wearyness of a 10 hour travel day from our brows. Julian, the front desk manager, told us our Beachfront Concierge room was not ready and that we would have to spend the night in a different room. My guess is it was because we arrived Thursday when most guests probably arrive / leave on Fridays. As it turned out this was a bonus. It was nearing dusk so we wouldn't have enjoyed the ocean view so late in the day anyway. We were given a credit PLUS we were able to enjoy a beautifully renovatd room in the "600 block". The 4-post bed was very comfortable, the new 42" plazma TV was easy to see, the mini fridge was stocked with water, pop and juices and (it's just my guess) the tub looked like it was big enough for two. The only issue my wife had with this room was that the tub/shower, toilet, sink and mirror were all in the same room. Not a deal killer.

The Beachfront room we moved into the next day, although not as new as the previous room, was very clean and plenty big. Stocked mini fridge and complimentry mini bar.

THE ONLY issue I had was with the ironing board. I think it was the original. It needed to be bigger and more padding. Everything else with the room was great!

We spent most of the days at the Sunset Pool. This is the more active pool of the two on the property with music playing all day and is where we met the energetic "Playmakers" G-man, Garfield and Eslyn. They are in charge of rounding up participants for various activities such as pool vollyball, water olympics, shuffle baord, etc. The activities kept us moving and was a great way to "break the ice" with other vacationers. (G-Man, I can't get the vision of you wearing that wig out of my head). I can promise the drinks are not watered down. If you think your not getting your money's worth, ask Vidal to make your drink with a double or triple shot, depending on how soon you want to turn in for the night.

For those that prefer a more quiet atmosphere, the Paradise pool is where you want to be. The beach wasn't anything "spectacular" but was more than adequate for sunbathing or taking a nice stroll. There are a few local "beach vendors" outside the property (I only saw 4 all week) but they are polite and won't bother you if you tell them you not interested.

With the exception of the chocolate mousse, the food was great. For breakfast we were greeted at the Bayside by the wonderful and smiling Delores, offering us a cocktail of champaigne and orange juice. She was always pleased to seat us so that we had a clear view of the Carribean. (Keep an eye out for Francis. He's the guy that can pass for Seal)

Eggs and omlettes any style made to order, pancakes, waffles, french toast, bacon, sausage links, cereal, fresh fruit, potatos, baked tomato slices, danish and baked beans (must be a European thing).

The Pier was excellent, serving only in the evening. Several fish dishes and steak. Mario's was our favorite. Italian fare (fish and filet mignon) and an excellent antipasto bar. The minestrone soup is some of the best I've tasted. I've read a couple of bad reviews about getting into these restaraunts but we never had any problem.

I talked to a few people from the other two Sandals resorts and they report that the vacationers at Halcyon were the most friendly. I wish my wife an I had been able to get to know some of the people we met a little more. My wife and I will probably come back again in hopes of meeting wonderful people like Nick and Ruth, Robby and Nedra, Paddy (thanks for the shirt), Gavin and Lindsey (good luck), Heather ( too much fun) , Rhonda and Andrew and the couple from England who's name's I forgot (good luck with Sicily)

All in all, if you looking for a resort that is relatively quiet , friendly and an intimate atmosphere, this is the place. Things seemed to wind down around 11:00 although the piano bar was open late. The service was great and the employees were all very friendly and cheerful.

The food was great, the drinks are made from top shelf booze, the Europeans are some of the nicest people I've ever met and we never saw any bugs.

We have just returned after two weeks - loved it - great room and loved the choice of either the quiet pool which we preferred as it was just for guests who wanted to chill read a book or just float in the pool or there is the noisy pool where all the fun and games were held but we opted not to go this one.

There is enough on this site already to let you know about the staff, the food and all the usual stuff about this hotel so I am not going to repeat it all.

We are very grateful to the management who took care of us as we are returning Sandals guest's as we went to Sandals Negril last year. Emailed the management team and politely put in some requests weeks prior to going and all these requests and more were met.

All the staff are wonderful, ones that stand out are Agnes, Selena and Chever ( As for Chever who we don't think waters drinks down at all...she is a lovely girl, efficient,professional and treated all guests with a respect a smile and she was very attentive)

If I had to list all the staff who we found great...I would be putting all their names on this review... but the one that does stand out is Selena...she is management material by far !!

If you want a quiet resort to relax then choose this one, then you can use the Sandals transport to the other hotels in the evening for meals as we did. This hotel ticked all our boxes and we will be doing another Sandals hotel again.

Once again, a fantastic trip to Halcyon St Lucia. Only downside was the wait to get through the airport (but that’s not Sandals fault). Arrived with 3 other couples, to be greeted by Che with cold towels and champagne, and the usual form filling. Maverick took us all to our rooms – we’re in Room 506, by the Paradise Pool, which is one of the renovated rooms. The room is well furnished, and has a fridge (which we didn’t have on our last trip, and I mentioned at the time that it would be a good idea to have). Lovely bathroom, with a large oval-shaped bath. A large wardrobe with plenty of hangers and large four-poster bed. Also a flat-screen TV (which we didn’t watch much, as we were out most of the time).

Restaurants – Bayside (breakfast, lunch and some evening meals), usually buffet-style, but occasionally had set-menus. Mario’s (Italian) which we enjoyed (even the evening the power went off!) The Pier (mostly local cuisine). I think our favourite was The Pier. The Beach Grill which we used for a quick snack after diving. We did go the La Toc at the Grande a couple of times, the first night hubby got chicken instead of the lamb he had ordered, and the second night my steak (which I had asked to be well-done) was certainly well-done! Otherwise the menus were good. The rum-baba is to die for! (almost as good as death-by-chocolate!!). Didn’t eat that the Regency this trip, but mostly because we were too laid-back to bother travelling far in the evening. The staff were fantastic – Francis, Martha, Celine, Sheerann, Natalie, Otis, Rosemary, Matthius (who makes the best poached eggs!), Gus, Lisa, Bradley and others whom unfortunately I can’t recall the names (that’s probably the Alzheimer’s!!!)

One word of warning, some guests (usually our American cousins) have a habit of feeding the cats – so be aware that the cats will wander to your table expecting titbits. Please, the staff care for the cats, feeding them and getting them looked at by local vets, so they don’t require feeding.

Bars – Never had to ask for extra alcohol in the drinks – always seemed to get the ‘good’ stuff. Either Piton or Heineken beer (usually had the Piton). Again, it was nice to see so many familiar faces on the bar – Agnes, Valerie, Rita, Aaron, Malinus (forgive me if I’ve spelt any names incorrectly!) . Nothing seemed to much trouble for them and Agnes made a special ‘coffee’ cocktail for my husband.

Pools – mostly used the Paradise Pool as it was quieter, but there was always something on at the main pool. Playmakers Eslyn and Gerald were always on hand and cheerful, even in the occasional rain shower! Eslyn is the karaoke queen!!!

One thing we noticed was there were certain couples who would get 3 or 4 towels each and place two towels on a lounger in the sun and the other two on a lounger in the shade (for later!). Very annoying as it sometimes meant there were no available loungers in the shade for anyone who was prone to sunburn, despite using Factor 40+!

Dive Centre – as we spent most days (apart from the day we went to watch the cricket – can’t think which team won!!! (sorry guys), we went diving (22 dives in 14 days, a record for us), and we both felt the dive team were very special. Charlie, Damian, Barney, Simeon, Val, Ian, Martin, Elijah, Randy, Sammy, Captains Dean and John, and Ace the photographer were FANTASTIC! (Sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone). They were knowledgeable about the sites and what we might (or might not) see and took the trouble to point out different fish to us so we could photograph them. My favourite dive site – has to be the one between Petit Piton and Gros Piton, so much beautiful coral and many different fish. My special thanks to all the dive guys and Windell, you have a great team of guys and we are looking forward to diving with you all again.

One previous trip advisor commented that the diving was only at 8.20 in the morning, which I can confirm is incorrect. If you are a certified diver, doing the two-tank dive, then yes you leave for the boat at 8.30 in the morning, and are usually back by 1pm or so. There is a dive at 10.20 which is usually for resort divers or those doing their certification dives and another at 1.20 (again for resort divers). I’m sure if you only wanted to do the one dive, the guys would take you later in the day. There are also snorkelling trips which are at slightly different times.

The photographers at Halcyon are great, our thanks to Garvin, Ace (who does the dive photos), Estelle, Alvin, Herries, Jeanette, Fefe and any I’ve forgotten. Garvin and Alvin even took time to help me figure out how to use my new digital camera and gave my husband a few tips.

Everyone, from the managers down to the maintenance staff and gardening staff (thank you for the songs Benton and telling me about the plants and the calabash) are so friendly and always chat to you – my husband used to allow me an hour to get from the main reception to our room (usually a five minute walk) as I would be chatting to everyone!

The managers, Christopher Elliott and Lennox were very approachable and took the time to listen to any comments, complaints or compliments, (and we had more compliments than complaints!). For all the England cricket fans at Halycon (there was a game while we were there!), they organised transport to the ground, packed lunches and bottled water for all those that wanted it.

Noelite and Albert sorted out our returning guest invites and also our ‘certificate’ for our free week’s stay – thank you to both of you.

It was wonderful to see Alison (gift shop manager) again and Clifford who is now at the Regency but was the Signature Guest ‘manager’ two years ago – thanks so much to you both.

I did have one complaint for the chefs – sorry guys, but the food is far too good!! I’m reluctant to say how much weight I put on, suffice to say it was over 7lbs!!!!

Finally, all I would like to say is a very big thank you to Chris, Lennox and all our Sandals ‘family’ for making this trip so memorable. We achieved our 70 nights stay on this trip and received our free week, which we will be hopefully returning to Halcyon to enjoy renewing our friendship with everyone.

We flew in to Castries (SLU). It saved several hours, as we were at the pool within twenty minutes of landing. We had checked in on line and had our room before 9am.

We were in the 600 block, and the updated rooms are excellent. A well stocked fridge, flat screen TV and electronic safe are amongst the upgrades. The rooms are larger; achieved by extending in to the patio area. Decor and fittings are standard Sandals.

The cleanliness of the room was acceptable, but not up to the usual level of care, and the decorative towel folding is probably a victim of the little economies that have been introduced. This didn't spoil our stay, but it is appropriate to mention it.

The grounds remain superb, and the restaurant staff were impeccable, prompt, polite and friendly. Frans - the intern, is a great asset.

Maverick and Denver both excelled as bell boys, and keep everyone smiling while getting on with the job.

Eslyn and the G man are still grinding away as playmakers. Their energy levels are incredible.

As usual we had a wonderful time, and enjoyed the reunion dinner. We were well entertained and made to feel like we were home. We will definitely be back!

My boyfriend and I absolutely loved the Halcyon. It was smaller of the three Sandals property in St Lucia, but more relaxing and laid-back. What I loved most about it was the gardens and the rooms we had. The rooms didn't look like your typical hotel rooms. They were comfortable, cozy and you got your own front porch which made it feel more private. There were definitely a lot of the older couples around. I was told that 80% of them are returning guests.

Beach and pool: We never went down to the beach because we found that of all three, Grande had the best beach so we spent two full afternoons there. Regency's beach was okay, but wasn't as appealing, but their pool was definitely unique. The pool at Halcyon was small. They had two pools, but they weren't as big as the Grande or Regency, which isn't all that bad. I found it quite relaxing.

Themes: The Grande was definitely more modern looking (I mean the name just says it all). Regency was okay too, pretty modern looking. They were the only resort (of the three) with a golf course. But Halcyon's theme (Garden of Eden) was absolutely amazing. I am so glad we chose the Halcyon. As much as I love the beaches and all, I couldn't resist the gardens. I could spend all my days there!

Weather: April was a good time for us. It still rained, but the rain was always brief and lasts no longer than (the most) half an hour. After that, the sun comes back out again!!!

Restaurants and food: For the most part, the food was great. I found that some days the food was very salty. My boyfriend and I couldn't figure out whether it was because they're use to eating salty foods or if it was because previous tourists have complained about the food not having enough taste or flavor? But we assumed it was the second one because we took a tour into the city one day and tried local foods. Certainly very different and yummy! Not saying the food wasn't good at all. I guess it just comes down to each individual's liking. I have to tell you that The Pier and Mario's are AMAZING! We had a hard time choosing between the two when dinner came around. The Pier had great choices of food and simply delicious. Mario's had great food also, but I must recommend the dip spread they offer in the beginning with bread and bread sticks. Mmmmm....I have to try and play around and make my own. I think they've mentioned that they used olives, garlic, olive oil and anchovies. Yeah, might not sound as yummy, but wait until you've tried it! Then there's the Bayside. It's your breakfast and lunch buffet area. The food is overall okay. I mean it's breakfast and lunch, we didn't really care as much. Overall, great food!

Rooms: The rooms (as I've mentioned before), are comfy, cozy and private. Honestly, when we saw pictures online and in brochures, we weren't really expecting to get what we saw. You know usually in the books they make it look better and more appealing. But when we got there, the rooms were just as they were in the brochures and it was great! It was clean and it was cozy. You feel like you're at home! We loved it!

Services: Services were overall excellent. The ladies at the front desk, at the excursion desks were wonderful and very helpful. We went on the catamaran ride to Soufriere (must do) and we went horseback riding for half a day (and got to take the horses for a ride into the Atlantic Ocean)...also must do! There were plenty of excursions and I wish we had the time to do all, but we also wanted to visit the cities and other resorts so we didn't want to pack our schedules in so tightly. Next time....when we go back! :P Glenda, who works at the gift store was very friendly and pleasant. We had great chats! Gavlin from the photo shop was great. He took our pictures for us and besides just taking our pictures, he advised us on places to go, restaurants to try out and so forth. Really great guy! Then there's also Celine. Great hostess at the restaurants. Always made our evenings pleasant and enjoyable!

Overall, I liked staying at the Halcyon. My boyfriend and I weren't celebrating anything special. We just wanted to go on a relaxing vacation and this definitely was. Each resort had their own uniqueness. If you wanted to enjoy the beach and more people atmosphere, definitely the Grande. You like golf, there's the Regency. If you're looking for a more quiet and relaxed time, definitely the Halcyon. My boyfriend and I are not an old couple, but we were happy with our choice. We had the option of hanging out at other resorts during the day, and at night when if we just want to chill and relax, we could come back to the Halcyon.

This was our free trip to a Sandals resorts, after spending 70 nights at Sandals resorts. all of which were spent at Sandals Negril, which we LOVE, and our 1st to St. Lucia. The staff here is also great; and we had no complaints; only great memories.

We are so impressed with the Sandals resorts, we have NO desire to go anywhere else. We've always booked with a local travel agent, but after the prior year, when our flights weere changed and our travel agent failed to notify us (saying we should have checked ourselves) we decided to book ourselves. But I'd read several reviews of an online travel agency http://dreammakersvaca.com/ and booked through AMY there. HIGHLY recommend her! She is AWESOME! Kept up updated all the way; and booked our group all together and kept us updated along the way. You can see pics of Negril, Dunns River, and St. Lucia Sandals resorts here: http://boys5times.smugmug.com

If you need ANY info on Sandals or Amy, email me @ [--]I would be happy to give you any info you want/need!

Barb

My husband and I returned to Sandals Halcyon for our 10th wedding anniversary. We had been married in the gazebo on the beach with twenty of our family attending. We had a great time the first time but since the pressure was off it was much easier to relax on this trip. When we arrived we were greeted with a drink and our own personal check-in. When they found out we were celebrating our anniversary they upgraded us to an oceanview room just steps from the water. Heaven! It wasn't one of the renovated rooms but it was just like our own beach house....just perfect. They are renovating the whole hotel and we can hardly wait to return to see the end result.

We were treated like royalty every day. Alot of the staff remembered us and we were impressed that alot of them were still there. It was like coming home. We were invited to a special dinner for return guests and had a wonderful time. On the morning of our anniversary we were given a bottle of champagne at breakfast and were given a reservation at the restaurant of our choice. We chose the Pier (seafood) and when we arrived we were given the same table we sat at 10 years ago. The table was sprinkled with flower petals and we were served by the same waitress (Deloras) as we had on our wedding day. The food was delicious, service was impeccable....could you ask for more? It was so romantic.

There are many trips to choose from but since we had been on most of them we only went on the shopping trip to Castries. We did visit the Regency and the Grande which are both beautiful hotels but we prefer the smallness and cozy feeling of the Halcyon.

We enjoyed the Japanese restaurant, Italian and the Pier the best. I had a banana at the main buffet every morning at breakfast. They are amazing...way better than at home.

There are two pools with swim up pool bars which we really like. The main pool has all the activity if that is what you like. We spent half our time at the beach and the rest at the back pool where it is quite relaxing and quiet. The drinks are great, cold and no waiting in line.

We have been on many trips, Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and many more places. The Halcyon is by far our favorite place in the world. We highly recommend

it. Can't wait to get back there.

My husband and I just got back from St. Lucia and all I can say is that its amazing! When we arrived we were very tired from the flight and ready for peace and quiet, the hotel was beautifully kept and everyone was very nice. We stayed in the honeymoon suite and right when we got there our bed was all decorated and they had champagne waiting for us it was very special. Throughout the week we joined in on the activities that the hotel had and got to meet a lot of other couples and it was a blast. The hotel staff knew are names and we felt very special unlike a lot of other hotels where your just a guest, they were like family to us. The concierge at the hotel was very helpful when we had any questions about anything. It was also very nice how you could go to the other hotels to eat at thier restaurants and go to the pool or beach too. We also took an excursion around St. Lucia and it was very interesting to see the little towns and to see the drive in volcano, and the beautiful waterfalls. To sum up our trip we would have to say that it was like a home away from home and was the best trip both of us have ever been on, and I dont think we will ever forget our great experience in St. Lucia at the Sandals Halcyon Resort.

First of all I would like to say a special "Thank you" to all the people at the Halcyon Sandals resort for everything that they did to make our stay the most memorable vacation we have ever had. We went on this vacation to rescue our relationship, we needed to get away from our lives at home to see if there was anything to salvage. When we first got there we were tired from the trip but when we first saw the lobby at the Halcyon we had a renewed spirit. From that day on our stay there was surreal. I almost wonder looking back if this place even exists-it was that amazing, magical to say the least. This resort, along with all the other sandals resorts, was really "couples" centered. The entire time we were there all the food and drinks were second to none. The Snorkeling adventure was fun, we had a blast. Brian went wakeboading and skiing alot. We went to the other two resorts, they were all spectacular. We were never bored. There were so many amazing places to eat, all had their own unique setting that was so much fun to visit. They all had shuttle buses to take you to and from all 3 resorts, that was so handy. I could go on and on about how wonderful of a time we had but that would take all day. We could not have picked a better place to go to save our relationship. By the time we were ready to come home we were so much closer in all aspects and I guess you could say that everything combined in our experience there made that all possible. It is what I call "The Sandals Difference". I would recommend this place to anyone!!! I cannot wait to go back there. We started saving our money as soon as we come home!

We really love the all-inclusive vacation concept. We preferred this smaller resort. Our Honeymoon Beachfront Concierge room was near the Wedding gazebo, close to pool, restaurants, water sports, and entertainment. We had a front porch that looked out on the Caribbean. Husband enjoyed watching all the boats on the ocean. We even took out a Hobie cat one day. Wife enjoyed piano bar. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by purchasing a few "extras" like wine, cheese, and chocolates delivered to our room. We had our evening anniversary meal at the Pier Restaurant. The romance of the lush garden-like grounds provided many opportunities for quiet walks. We met lots of wonderful people---staff and guests from around the world. We took advantage of the convenient shuttles to the Sandals Grande and the Sandals Regency, two other gorgeous resorts.

We just returned from our first vacation at Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia and thought the entire experience was amazing. The food is delicious, the service is great and the staff always friendly and smiling. The upgraded concierge level room added to the experience with special check-in, in-room bar service, and easily arranged dinner reservations and spa treatments. We've already booked our next vacation at Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island and cannot wait for the continued pampering and luxary that Sandals offers.

We stayed at Sandals Halcyon from 3/6-3/14. We were greeted upon our arrival with a damp towel and champagne. We signed our registration forms (less that 5 minutes total) and headed off to see our room with Anselma, our conceirge. (By the way, Anselma is TOP NOTCH!! as she took care of all our reservations for the week and helped us with any questions we had throughout our stay--Always with a big smile and a hello "Kenny and Lisa" )We were celebrating my birthday and our fourth anniversary (actual date was late Feb.) When we arrived at our room we were very suprised to see chilled champagne and a card Congratulating us on our Anniversary and birthday celebration! We also had SSG T-shirts laid out on the bed with other invitations for for special events throughout the week.

We were located in room #127 --which I am going to swear is the lovers suite...we even had our own heart "rock' in the wall of our patio. I was very excited and loved everything about the room location and the resort!!

We ate at the Bayside that night (as recommended by Anselma) as the dress is casual and it was buffet. Perfect for the tired traveler. We rested well--the mattress was sooo comfy.

Over the couse of the week we dined at Bayside. Mario's, the Pier the Grill at Halcyon, Kimonos (Regency), and had lunch at Barefoot at the Beach (Grande). We never had a bad meal!! Everything was DELICIOUS and the service we received was impeccable. Everone was so nice and appeared to be genuinely happy to be serving us!!

We made many new friends (both guests and staff) and had a wonderful time. Kenny is more laid back and loved the relaxed, quiet atomosphere of the resort to get some reading in (he never gets a chance at home) and I, on the other hand have the "cannot sit still disease". The playmakers and the other guests make you feel welcome to participate in whatever acitvity is going on...I played pool volleyball, croquet, darts, horseshoes, took some cooking lessons, did some beach olympics, and fittness walking and read a teeny bit.

The grounds were spectacular--truely paradise!!!!

We took some shuttles. One to the Grande and one to the Regency. They were on time both trips. We had a great time coming back from Kimono's at the Regency!! Hi to all our fun friends from the bus!!

I could go on and on, and will try to do some posting on the forum. I will post pics soon too.

We have been to numerous all-inclusives and the Halcyon rates very high on our list and will probably rate a return!! Many of the people we met had been coming for numerous years (one couple was on their 10th year) and it is easy to see why!!

We are mid/late forties and loved the laid back atmosphere. We met some younger folks from our hometown that LOVED the action at the Grande. They felt the Halcyon was too quiet...just some things to consider as you book your trip. That's the advantage of stay and one and play at three.

Just a little thanks to all the employees that we can think of right now--certainly not an all-inclusive list as everyone was super!!!!

Thank you:

Valentine-- for keeping our room immaculate and for your great smile and great attitude!!!

Anselma--for your sweet greeting every time we saw you and for coordinating all our plans and special needs!!

Shereen, Ensyle, G-man, Chester (the tennis pro), and Garfield (the fittness expert) for the fun and entertainment you provided us throughout the week!!! (Watch out for Garfield though, he'll try to cheat on the croquet course....)

The Papparazzi--Harris and Jeannie who took candid photos throughout the week and did a 15 min. session at sunset to help us capture the special moments!!!! I really love photos and treasure those candid shots!!

Christopher--for making the employees at the resort a priortity and for your great personality that makes Halcyon special.

Richmond--for all the bar service!! Be sure to thank everyone for us!! Everyone was super! Hi Agnes!!

Marsha from Red Lane spas--for your great smile and sales techniques--Kenny will regret not having one of your massages--I think he already does!!

All the wait staff--for welcoming us and serving us so gracisously!

(Special thanks to Natalie and "Citrus" aka Otis at Marios's --we had alot of fun!!

And hi to all the guests at the resort from 3/5-3/14 who made our stay memorable!! Special hellos to Crawford & Nancy, Kate & Peter,Chuck &Helen, John & Eva, Drew & Melissa, Julie and hubby (from the Grande), our new friends from Boston, Bolivia and Miami, and all the other friends we made during our stay--I can't believe I have already forgotten some names????? I guess it is the age thing!! I hope we can stay in touch!! I promise to write soon.

In summary, would be stay again, definitely!! Next year is our 5th anniversay and we were married at Sandals Negil!! (Also awesome!!) so we are planning to return their for sentimental reasons (Hi Rory and Sue if you are still there), but we certainly hope to return to Sandals Halcyon to reunite with some new friends in the near future!! Great trip--one of our favorites!!

I will write a seperate review for Serenity Tours (owner John S. Mathurin) to give an in depth view of our private land/sea excursion--It was awesome and it deserves it's own special review (www.serenitytvl.com). Excellent person and excellent tour!!!!! Not to be missed!!

Sandals Halcyon--we sure will miss you--hope everyone stays safe until we are able to return to your spendor!!

Thank you Sandals for an unforgetable vacation. We actually stayed at the Halycion resort, the services were awesome. We were greeted with champaign and cool washcloth. We were immediately escorted to our room, luggage already there. We were then told we were upgraded to the honeymoon suit overlooking the ocean. In our room we were greeted with platters of fresh fruit, cheeses and crackers and a private bottle of champaign. We were in heaven. The room has a mini bar with snack and drinks that they stocked daily! Our bed was made and turned down for us every evening. All of our needs were met plus some!! The atmosphere was relaxing, you couldn't even tell there were alot of people satying there. We never waited for the hottubs or the bars to free up! All of our drinks were delicious and refreshing. Thank you again Sandals for an awesome experience. We we plan to visit again!

We spent 11 nights in a 'paradise pool premium' room, in the recently refurbished Micoud building (2 levels - rooms 600-609 on the ground, 610-619 upstairs). It's beatifully furnished, great bathroom, one of the comfiest beds I've slept in, and excellent view over the pool.

We had an upper level room which we liked because the ground level patios are open with the footpath very close, so no privacy.

The Micoud & Dennery balconies have open railings, which since we travelled with friends were brilliant for chatting across to the adjoining one. No overhead canopy - got full early sun, then nice & shady from late morning onwards. Most other blocks, apart from Dennery, have full height balcony dividing stone walls & canopy. More private, but not sociable - depends what you prefer.

We chose Halcyon because it is smaller than the Regency or Grande sister resorts, and suited us in terms of peacefulness. Shuttle buses to the others run every 2 or 3 hours from mid morning, then hourly from late afternoon, until 11pm to cater for more people wanting to dine elsewhere. They were never full when we used them, but Sandals provide a taxi if there's ever not enough capacity.

Food was very good - lots of starling-like birds flying around in the open air Bayside restaurant, grabbing crumbs from plates, especially at breakfast, so don't leave your table unattended. Not recommended one for anyone with a bird phobia!

Service in the Pier and Mario's restaurants were very good. We found they could sometimes be a bit slow with offers of drinks refills in the Bayside.

However, a major downside for us was that the red flags were flying, forbidding sea swimming and watersports for the first 10 of our 11 days, and we had particularly wanted to do quite a bit of sailing. We discovered that the Grande is much better located for sailing, set on the sheltered Rodney Bay instead of the open ocean, and it would have been helpful to know before we booked what the % red flag days are on each resort. Although we didn't fancy a larger 'high rise' resort, the sailing availability would probably have tipped the balance.

Only a couple of little gripes:

- the proverbial 'towels on the sun loungers and garden four-poster beds'!! From day break, people would pop out and place towels (plus books, just in case towels were too impersonal and moved) to reserve their favorite spot for the day, often only to occupy it for a couple of hours. There are only a handful the 4-poster garden beds, so very greedy. I had no hesitation in neatly placing possessions to one side if no-one had been there for half an hour or more - plenty long enough in my opinion for bathroom and bar visits - but it leaves a sour taste and totally spoils the relaxation when the disgruntled owners eventually return. I would have liked to see Sandals far more actively discouraging this rather than turning a blind eye.

- none of the Halcyon restaurants accept dinner reservations, and so at 6.30 a 'school-lunch' queue formed for the Pier amd Marios. You either joined it and dined much earlier than preferable, or took the chance that they were full, which did happen for us on several occasions, and then have to wait until nearly 9 for a table, else eat at the Bayside.

We were very suprised to read some of the negative reviews of the Halycon. We don't know where these people stayed but to us the Halcyon was perfect. The rooms were great, the air conditioning worked, they were clean and very comfortable. We loved sitting on the veranda after dinner or before we ended the night. It was very peaceful and relaxing.

The staff were amazing and very accomodating. You could feel the energy they had, and to the people we were around, everyone was happy. We especially enjoyed the company of our favourite bartenders, Aaron and Agnes. Agnes made the best Banana Lady! Aaron was always looking out for us.

We had the chance to go and visit the other 2 Sandals, but we were quite content at the Halcyon. We would spend the days on the beach, or relaxing in the outside beds, or partaking in the many activities. We went on the rainforest hike, which was incredible, such lush forest and then we did the cruise to Soufriere. We then went to the Volcano (smelled horrible) but we felt great after breathing it in.

The food was incredible at the Halycon. We never had one complaint. Mario's had an incredible pasta dish, called something rusticana. I had it twice and I could have eaten it every night. The Pier was incredible and the staff were amazing. The beach bistro was a great place for a afternoon or late night snack. Great chicken wings.

The drive from the airport to the resort was a bit windy, but not as bad as some people post. You got to see alot of the island which was great, it is one beautiful island. I would recommend that if you do suffer from motion sickness you may want to take something, but we really enjoyed the ride, you really get to experience the Caribbean driving.

Please do not pay attention to the negative reviews of this resort. I think that the people that are leaving these negative reviews would be impossible to please. I think they like to complain for the sake of it.

We absolutely loved the place and we will be back whenever we can.

There is a super guy on the beach named Charlie, he sells some incredible stuff, bring him some Canadian maple syrup and he will be very grateful.

We stayed in the Halcyon in January for our delayed honeymoon, and we couldn't have picked a better place to stay. The hotel was fantastic and all the staff were really helpful and friendly.

The hotel is small in comparison to the other Sandals hotels on the island, but this suited us down to the ground, and provided a more personal touch. You also get to know the staff. Look out for Agness who works at the poolside bars, she is lovely and makes a mean cocktail.. Maverick on the front desk, great guy really helpful and a great laugh and Matteus on the grill at breakfast, he makes a great omlette.

The idea of being able to use the other hotels restaurants is a great idea, we used this service a couple of times, and had some great meals out. The Pier (on site) was the best restaurant out of the lot in my opinion, we had 2 fantastic meals there...

As I mentioned it was our delayed honeymoon and also my wifes birthday. To our suprise we received a bottle of champagne when we got to our room, and we also got another bottle of champange along with cheese and biscuits, this was a lovely touch and something that made the holiday feel a little more special.

Overall we were very impressed with the hotel and how the staff try and make you as welcome as possible. The only realy complaint that we had was the Sandals photographers, who seem to hound you a little bit too much, I mean who wants a photo taken when your sweating and covering sun cream!!!!!

For a bit or further adventure try taking a helicopter from the Airport to the hotel, this was a great experience and much called for. After an 8 hour flight, you just want to get to the hotel, and the helicopter takes about 20 minutes, where as a coach transfer takes over an hour....

Sandals Halcyon St. Lucia was so lush and beautiful it really was the Garden of Eden. We were able to experience all the beauty of the island at the resort. Excellent hospitality and wonderful facilities...We'll be back...:)

The previous POSITIVE Halcyon hotel reviews are pretty accurate and I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my holiday with Sandals Halcyon, had no problems, and found them excellent value for money. Some of the previous negative reviews were made by guests staying at the hotel at the same time as ourselves. All I can say is that we spent many nights socialising with fellow guests in the piano bar until the early hours and enjoyed a light snack at 3 am in the beach grill on the way back to our rooms serenaded by the tree frogs (not crickets). Perhaps some of the younger guests had retired too early and thus missed all the fun.

I found the watersports staff courteous and friendly with the guest safety of paramount importance. They were not willing to bend the safety rules even for a professional mariner like myself (Sandals Policy). We did encounter 2 days of high winds when the watersports were cancelled. Another problem is that when there is a big swell on the beach they cannot launch the rescue boat because of the danger of it being swamped (as has happened in the past). This occurred on 1 day after the previous 2 days of high winds and watersports were cancelled even thought the actual winds on the day were light.

The rest of this long report is basically for divers, as I found this information hard to find and not well covered by reviews before I went to Sandals. All diving and snorkelling trips leave from Castries harbour. Shuttle buses run from each Hotel at 0820, 1020 & 1320 approx each day. The shuttle trip takes approx 15 mins depending on traffic. The dive boats are scheduled to leave the dock at 0900, 1100 & 1400 each day except Sunday when only the 1100 trip runs. The 0900 trip is always the 2 tank dive and mainly caters for qualified divers only. The later trips are for single dives, dive training and snorkelling. If you are staying at the Grande a different Dive boat (but similar type) leaves earlier directly from this hotel. Regardless of what hotel you are staying at all diving and most snorkelling takes place at various sites between Anse La Raye and the Pitons about a 20-30 minute run by Dive boat from Castries Harbour (add an extra 15 mins if you leave from the Grande). The Dive boats are 46’ feet long with twin screws and can do about 22kts. They have a very basic toilet and open deck freshwater showers to rinse off after diving. As the dive boats can accommodate up to 20 divers when full, in practise you get a 30 second freshwater rinse in between dives. Light snacks and water are also provided for the surface interval between the 2 tank dives. The Dive boats carry a first aid kit with oxygen and a VHF radio. All equipment (except wetsuits) is included and is maintained to a good standard. As the water temperature is 27 degrees Celsius a lot of people choose to dive in shorts and t-shirt even bikinis. If you prefer a wet suit you can hire a 3mm shorty for 5-10$ a day or buy one outright for 45$. These wetsuit prices are approximate and may vary. I brought all my own gear except tanks & weights, which was probably not necessary as the regulators and BCD’s provided are of a good standard. If you just want to snorkel then you are required to wear a lifejacket (provided) when you are in the water.

All qualified divers regardless of qualification level (Sandals policy) are expected to do a single shallow 30-40 minute first dive to check everything before being allowed to sign up for the 2 tank dives. If you have not been diving during the previous 6-12 months you may be required to do a quick pool check. If you cannot tick all the medical boxes on the disclaimer form you will not be allowed to dive. If you have any medical conditions make sure you bring a note from your doctor saying you are OK to dive with no restrictions. All diving is restricted to 20 meters (65 feet) and the tanks are 12 litres in size and filled to 210 Ats. The dives will last around 40 minutes unless somebody blows all their air. There is one wreck dive twice a week to the “Lesleen M” a (55 meter) 165 foot freighter which was sunk in October 1986 by the Department of Fisheries as part of a project to provide artificial reefs. It is covered with hard and soft corals, sponges and hydroids, and provides an ideal habitat for many fish such as queen and french angel fish (hangs around the propeller). Turtles, morays, jack and barracudas also frequent this wreck. The sandy bottom fringing the wreck is home to numerous schools of sand eels and divers should look out for our resident frog fishes, sea horses and black bar soldier fish.

The wreck sits on an even keel on a sandy bottom and it is possible to penetrate the hold and look in the engine room (engine has been removed). The deepest point of the wreck is in 65 ft. of water whilst the highest point is in 40ft. depth.

All the rest of the dives are scenic drifts or wall dives around Anse Cochon (Bay of Pigs), or twice a week in the Pitons area with some with a gentle to moderate current in places. Expect to see the usual abundant tropical reef fish with lots of morays, barracuda spiny lobster, octopus, reef squid, eagle rays, puffer fish, stonefish, and friendly turtles. If you are lucky you might see stingrays and flying gurnard. Stingrays were the biggest fish I came across on the 11 dives I did in the 2 weeks. According to the divemaster you will not see sharks or manta ray in this area. On the boat trip to the dive sites keep an eye out for dolphins and flying fish.

The dive groups were usually split into 6-8 people plus a divemaster who led the way. You form a line around the divemaster and if anybody spots anything interesting you attract the divemaster's attention who then summons the rest of the group by banging on the bottom of his tank with a stone. With the usual visibility of 25 plus meters this system works well and means you can sweep a large area. Occasionally you might be accompanied on the dive by a professional resort photographer who will happily sell you his usually excellent photo’s at 10$ each when you get back to the hotel. There is no pressure to buy and you can browse at your leisure in the hotel. As they say in St.Lucia “No pressure no problem”. A private dive for a minimum of 4 divers at 80$ each extra will get you a night dive or a dive to the other wreck the “Daini Koyomaru”. This Japanese dredger was sunk in the south end of Anse Cochon (Bay of Pigs) in September 1996 by the Department of Fisheries.

If the Local Coastguard gives a small craft advisory warning and they did twice during my 2 weeks then all diving will be cancelled for that day. In practise this means winds in excess of 25-30 knots, this is not usually known until the morning of your dive. Usually they will call your room to tell you if a dive you are booked on has been cancelled. Wind forecasts for the days ahead are hard to find and the only place I have seen them displayed for 24hrs in advance was when I visited the Grande.

Finally I want to thank John, the Dive boat captain and his crew for making us all feel very welcome on board, providing me with some lovely diving and I particularly praise his attitude to safety for all on board.

Richard

Marine Pilot & Divemaster

MY husband and I just returned from spending two weeks at Sandals Halcyon. If you are looking for a romantic getaway Sandals Halcyon is the way to go. This is our second time at the Halcyon, we love it there. It's quiet, intimate and very romantic. The staff is great. They are very personnable, and they will go out of there way to please you. The resort has cottage style rooms, they are only two stories and embelished in alot of foliage. The grounds are immaculate. There are three restaurants at the Halcyon, Bayside, which is buffet, the Pier and Marios. You do not need reservations either for the Pier or Marios. You also have a choice of many other restaurants which are at the Sandals Regency and Sandals Grand. We tried them all, the food is very good. They have a shuttle that will take you to the other two. you can even spend the day at them also. The other are very big, but also very nice. We found that the staff at the other two were not as personnable as the Halcyon. Diving is also included. My husband is a certified diver, he loved it. He did nineteen dives in the two weeks. So if you are looking for a great romantic getaway, Sandals Halcyon is the way to go.

Oc2puss

Windsor, Ontario

If your a big all inclusive fan, this is you dream vacation! Being in the hospitality business, I appreciate great service that's not faked, forced or phoney. Watching managers working with waiters and support staff is refreshing and relaxing. There's nothing worst than some shithead mgr. trying to impress by bossing staff around, it's embarassing and uncomfortable.

The hotel genuinely wants you to have a great vacation and will do whatever they can to accomadate your requests.

I was very impressed with the resort, and it's staff.

Was my first trip to a Sandels resort, won't be my last!

Keep up the good work.

Despite the sometimes poisonous negative reviews, I am glad to say I experienced the resort myself first hand, and we had a great holiday here. I joined TripAdvisor as I was incensed by the negative comments about this place, which nearly ruined our much anticipated vacation.

Do not be put off - Halcyon Beach, and St Lucia, is a great destination.

We booked through Virgin Holidays - flight from UK took 8 hours, usual Virgin Atlantic service. Be prepared for slow immigration checks, which did take over an hour, but I've had far worse at San Franciso and Boston. Sandals staff greeted us post-immigration, and we then had the 90 minute minibus ride to Castries. It is windy, and the roads are rough in places, but that is Saint Lucia for you !

Arrival at Sandals Halycon was extremely friendly - champagne welcome, luggage taken to room, keys issued within 10 minutes (they do warn you about not losing the safety deposit key, which I notice some people have complained about this week on TA - but it's fair enough - there is only one key to the safe in each room, and it's big enough to put a Digital SLR and Lens, wallets, mobile phones, money etc in).

We stayed in room 700, old style block - lovely. One of the great things about Halycon is it is small - yes it is more suited to those looking to relax in the gardens, listening to the sound of the garden birds and ocean waves - if you want the background of jabbering tourists by the pool - try the other Sandals on St Lucia. We loved the peace and tranquility, as did the many British and Canadians staying there (about 80% of the residents - one couple has been coming to Halycon for over 10 years).

Back to the room - air con worked fine, big TV, comfortable bed, clean bathroom - colonial style 2 -storey block - which again gives this place a certain charm - we visited the Grande St Lucian one day, 3- storey blocks, garish red roofs, geared to the US market and younger crowd - give me Halycon every time !

Food - I would have liked a change of menu more frequently (it changes once a week) - and expect to wait for a table unless you are prompt for dinner at 6.30 pm or choose the main Bayside eatery - but all the restaurants (Bayside, Marios and The Pier) offer excellent food, and a good choice of vegetarian, meat and fish. Breakfast in the Bayside was a delight - fresh cooked eggs, pancakes, omelettes, waffles, crepes - plus lots of hot and cold buffet choice.Antipasti buffet at Marios is a highlight, as is the daily seafood catch at The Pier. And for the peckish, there are nachos on tap at the Beach Bistro and Afternoon Tea at the Paradise Pool.

There are negatives to Halycon - but let's put in perspective. It is open to the Caribbean Sea, and 3 days we were there we were unable to swim in the sea due to the waves. Watersports also not available these days. But the paradise pool (the quiet one) more than makes up for it - again, if you want guaranteed watersports, then the Grande St Lucian is probably better for you - but you might also struggle to get a beach lounger there. Next time, we will stay at Halycon, but know we can also get the shuttle to the Grande for the watersports and dip in the sea.

Tours from all the Sandals are easy to book (tour desk lady was one of the most helpful people we met there), and there is lots of choice. We did the Land and Sea Adventure (superb value, including lunch at a hotel in Soufriere) and Rainforest Skyride. We also took the Sandals shuttle to the Grande, and then walked up the causeway to Fort Rodney on Pigeon Island - definitely worth the $5 entrance fee.

Departure was simple - again, be prepared for Caribbean pace and limited facilities - but we used the Virgin Check In and Chill service - boarding passes issued at the hotel at 11 am, bags taken direct to airport and did not have to bother with them again until London. Return flight to Gatwick was 7 hours 25 mins.

Ok, some people do get unlucky - we got a blocked toilet on the last day, but it was dealt with by reception immediately. We also got some days wet weather, but overall we enjoyed ocean side cocktails, Caribbean island pace of life on restful gazebos in peacful garden surroundings, sunsets, great food, and really friendly service (cannot complain about a single thing related to the staff, everyone was top notch).

We will be back next year,and we will be at the Halycon Beach.

I am a compulsive travel review reader and researcher, and all I can say is that we have truly found our new "home away from home" in the Caribbean at Sandals Halcyon Beach.

Last year my husband and I traveled to Jamaica twice -- once to the Sandals Royal Caribbean, which we did not love for several reasons (poor food, no air-conditioned restaurants, very annoying beach vendors -- although the manager, Jeremy Mutton, was fabulous) and once to the Royal Plantation, which is the high-end property owned by the Sandals family in Ocho Rios. While we absolutely loved the food, service, and beach at the Royal Plantation, its small size and quiet environment was a little too quiet for my husband....and its price point is a little higher than I can go on a regular basis.

While in Jamaica we visited almost all of the other Sandals properties there - Montego Bay, Dunns River, and Grande Ocho Rios. From our experience, I can truly say that we both MUCH preferred the Sandals St. Lucia properties (each is great in its own way), and the Sandals Halcyon Beach will be our regular vacation spot from now on.

Sandals Halcyon offers the child-free, all-inclusive vacationer who is not unrealistic about what an AI vacation offers (some reviewer was outraged that there was not all-you-can-eat crab, lobster, etc. available) with an EXCELLENT vacation. Here's why:

1) Price point -- Sandals Halcyon is usually the most reasonably-priced of the St. Lucia properties. If you get one of the newly refurbished rooms (which we did), you will be staying in a perfectly pristine, modern, lovely room. Unlike most other Sandals, upgrading to a higher-category room at SHB only gets you a better location closer to the beach -- they don't have the upscale, luxurious suites that the other Sandals have -- but they are also a thousand dollars (or more) cheaper. If you want a fabulous, glitzy room go to one of the other properties. If you want to have a lovely, relaxing time in a very comfortable room with the ability to enjoy all that the three Sandals St. Lucia properties have to offer, stay at the Halcyon. It's up to you to decide what is the most important thing for you.

2) Service -- Sandals Halcyon is the smallest of the 3 St Lucia properties, and you will quickly get to know many of the wonderful staff there. We experienced absolutely wonderful service from the overwhelming majority of staff at Sandals Halcyon, whether at one of the great restaurants, at the bars, in the wedding office, etc. etc. It was really nice to feel so taken care of!!! Also, this was our first opportunity to attend a "Sandals Select" dinner, and all of the management made it their job to make sure we all had a great time. Christopher Eliot, one of the top management team members, was exceptionally gracious to us during our entire stay!!!

3) Food -- There is a reason why most people who review the Sandals St. Lucia properties rate the Halcyon restaurants at the top of the list. We absolutely loved the food at Mario's (the wild mushroom risotto is outstanding, and the "double" rack of lamb that I requested twice was delicious.) The service there (especially Nathalie, Celina and Milanus) was excellent!!! We both loved the antipasto bar as well. The Pier is also very nice, although it was not my top favorite. The breakfast and lunch buffets at the Halcyon were MUCH better than at Sandals Royal Caribbean. The food we ate at all of the other resorts was overall very good. The food at the Regency was also very good (especially the jerk chicken and pizza we had for lunch at Arizona's and our entire dinner at the Pitons) and the milkshakes at the Grande were fabulous. And the DRINKS!!! The entire week we were at Sandals Royal Caribbean I had to order screwdrivers because the blended drinks were so bad. At the Halcyon and other St. Lucia properties the drinks were delicious, and as strong as you wanted them! (I think that folks who complain about watered-down drinks don't normally drink them outdoors in 85 degree weather -- melting ice = more water in drink. So either drink it faster or order a double shot -- they can't control the heat, which is why you go to the Caribbean in the first place!)

4) Diverse Types of Fun -- There were such a variety of things to do at all of the Sandals, it was great! For fabulous beach time we would go to the Grande, which truly has the white, powder sand beach we all dream about. The water there was more "Caribbean" blue, and you could see little fish in the water (as well as all the way down to your toes). They also have their own snorkel and diving boats, and Marley in the watersports center truly MADE MY DAY by helping to solve a problem that I caused! At the Regency they know how to party -- their "Reggae Explosion" night was the best attended of any evening activity we saw, and the band was GREAT! They also have some great dining, although almost everyone we met said Kimonos wasn't any better than your local hibachi restaurant. The Halcyon was a lovely oasis -- the setting was so peaceful and beautiful, and we made some lovely new friends there (hello to Dougie, Wilma, Pamela and Jim from Girvan, Scotland!) Unlike the bigger properties that had more of a hotel setting, at the Halcyon you were never more than two steps from nature, and just a few steps more than that to the ocean. Also, the dining there was great. This is what really sold my husband on the St. Lucia Sandals properties -- the fact that you got so much more variety of fun and dining without having to pay extra!

5) Convenience -- Sandals Halcyon is in between the two other St. Lucia properties, both of which are awesome to visit for different reasons. It is never more than a 10-15 minute minibus ride to either property. However, if you are at the Regency and you want to go to the Grande, it's going to take you at least a half-hour each way to get there. We had a great time traveling between properties, seeing the different aspects of St. Lucia (including the awesome cows and horses).

We are already planning our next Sandals Halcyon vacation. St. Lucia is an EXTREMELY beautiful island, and the people we met there were great.

The hotel was intimate, meaning that you got to make friends with other guests very easily. The layout allowed you to chill by the quiet pool or do activities in the sunset pool (pool volleyball was a big favourite).

All the staff were very friendly, especially Gladys my little tutu x

The food was excellent and you have a huge choice of restaurants if you want to take a short bus ride to the other two resorts.

The wedding we had was well organised and stress-free. The only moan I can think of is that our guests we invited from another hotel had to share our room to get changed but apart from that it was perfect.

We would definately come back for more pampering, thankyou

arrived may 16 tired from the trip so just chilled that night,we stayed in 505 my sister and her husband had room 506. the next few days were just awesome.relaxing by the pool

drinking piton beer THE BEST BEER IN THE WORLD and meeting cool people.

service was slow at times but life is too short to complain about that. rooms were spotless food was good and look foor maverick, jimmy,and arron they will hook you up.

go see rosta charliy on the beach and tell him DAVE THE RAIDER FAN got nuttin but love. want to shout out at the people in the pool, TONY, DAVE, JOE, and everyone else

that chilled, you know who you are. so for everyone that had nothing good to say about this resort. YOU CANT MAKE THEM PEOPLE HAPPY. HALCYON RESORT IS A BLAST.

DAVE AND LISA

WVU 9

O.k., some parts of the resort, like the area around the central pool could do with a make over, but overall this is a lovely place with great gardens, reasonable to good food (nothing wrong with the variety and quantitiy of it) a nice but narrow beach and a great and very quiet pool area. (Maybe more quiet than normal as occupance was only 60%?)The rooms were good too and the staff was great: personable and charming. One word of advice. (Make that a paragraph). If you want to do a boat cruise around the island, do not book it from the hotel. We were not told the boat was a party boat. Big mistake. The Carnival I came equipped with boxes the size of houses. The music made it impossible to talk. Annoying as it was raining and we couldn't flee to the deck. We asked for it to be turned down, as did another tourist with a chronic ear condition. But the captain only turned it up. As that man was as belligerent, macho and mysoginist as his music it somewhat spoiled the day. Why someone so rude, stupid and with no intention to compomise is left in charge of a boat with a very mixed group of tourists is one of the mysteries of the 21st century. Another couple told us later they had hired a car and

driver for the day to see the island. They had paid half what we paid for that stupid ship! And they still had their ear drums. So my advice would be, take the initiative and see what tours there are to be had outside the comfort of your resort.

We're pretty easy to please people in our early 30s, who appreciate good quality but have no desire to be waited on hand and foot. This was our first stay at an AI - we like to actively plan our trip usually. We were on our honeymoon.

ARRIVAL and CHECK-IN: Yes, the trip by taxi to the resort from the airport is over an hour and the roads are an eye-opener. However, we thought this gave a little context to the island and how people are actually living outside the bubble of the resort. The roads really weren't much worse than many in Europe - take an anti-nausea pill beforehand if you are at all prone to that. The check-in was quick and easy, with some champagne and a cool towel provided. The lobby of the Halcyon is quite nice.

ATMOSPHERE: Overall the feeling is laid-back, certainly more than the other two Sandals resorts in St. Lucia. It’s a bit cheesy since it's all about couples. Most other guests were celebrating a honeymoon or anniversary. Ages varied, but there were probably more couples 45+ here than the other two resorts. Do not go in expecting the advertised "luxury" because it's just not there. Evening entertainment was very average.

THE RESORT: Beautiful gardens are very well kept. There are two pools - one with music constantly playing, many activities, and the swim-up bar; the other is a quiet pool which we much preferred. The beach is lovely, easily accessible, and we never had trouble finding beach chairs (the resort did not seem very full, and I don't know whether it was because we were so late in the season, or the economy, or a combination of both). We never had a red-flag day where we could not swim. You do get occasionally harassed by vendors on the beach, but a polite, firm "no thank you" usually takes care of that. We never tried the water sports, but they looked like a lot of fun.

THE STAFF: Some staff were great, very genuine and friendly – for example, the woman at the tour desk and the concierge, Melissa. They were a bit rare however. I thought many of the staff were sort-of "phoning it in". I felt like they were all instructed on putting up their guard and on what they were allowed to say to guests. I had to work through this sometimes to get a real, genuine interaction.

ROOMS: With the exception of the rooms that are currently being renovated, I think most of the rooms are similar in decor - older style (think retiree condo in Florida), sometimes the tile needed some work, but overall clean and absolutely adequate. We did have some problems with the water temperature in the shower being inconsistent, but nothing major. The bed was incredibly comfortable.

FOOD: There are three dinner restaurants at the Halcyon, and you can take the shuttle to the Grande or the Regency to try their restaurants too. For dinner at the Halcyon ate at The Pier and thought the food was mediocre, and at Mario's and thought the food was fairly good. For breakfast/lunch we ate at Bayside (variable quality), and for lunch the Beach Grill was fine. The self-serve nachos at the Beach Grill with that 711-type plastic cheese sucked me in more than once. At the Regency we ate at La Toc (trying too hard to be a "good restaurant" with variable results - appetizer and dessert were very good, entrees were average and came out cold, service was terrible to the point where we started laughing about it with the next table, but in fairness I think our server was brand new), and at Arizona’s (pretty decent buffet, right by the beach but a little too dark). At the Grande we ate at Barefoot By The Beach (quite good all around). The food isn't close to five-star for North America, but is adequate and sometimes quite good.

DRINK: Drinks were plentiful when requested, though I think somewhat watered down except the wine. They are happy to make fun drinks for you. We usually did have to ask though - we weren't often asked if we wanted more. The local beer, Piton, was pretty good.

DAYTRIPS: We took the Catamaran trip down to Soufriere which was very good. We also did the rainforest skyride, which was informative but not very exciting. If I could do it again I would work up the guts to do the zipline.

CONCIERGE SERVICE: Because it was our honeymoon and there was a “sale”, we upgraded to a concierge room, which is the highest level at the Halcyon. This meant our room was very close to the beach, and we also got a stocked bar and the use of the concierge. We liked the location, though our room was a bit too close to the main pool/restaurant area so we also got quite a bit of noise. I think the beachfront rooms towards the end of the first building are probably best – I think this is room 134, and the analogous room on the other side. We did use the stocked bar, but honestly, the actual bar was about 15 seconds away, so I am not sure it was worth it. We used the concierge to book reservations at restaurants that needed them, but since the resort wasn’t at capacity I don’t think this was an advantage. The other thing the concierge offers is a “free shopping trip” on Fridays. What they don’t tell you is that it’s sponsored by the Columbian Emerald company, which takes you to all their stores before allowing you to look elsewhere. Unless you are interested in a major jewelry purchase, this trip may be a waste of your time. Overall I did not think the concierge service was worth the cost.

THE OTHER RESORTS: We spent most of our time at the Halcyon, but visited the Regency twice and the Grande once. The Regency appears to be the top-of-the-line resort of the three, and also the largest. You need to take a shuttle between some of the rooms and the main building, which doesn’t really appeal to me. The beach did not look very accessible, and I heard they had a lot of red-flag days for swimming/water sports. The guests at the Regency definitely dressed more for dinner than those at the Halcyon. I assume since they have golf and the higher Sandals room categories they attract a slightly different crowd. The Grande was also larger than the Halcyon, but without shuttles. The beach looks very nice and is right there – no retaining wall separating it from the resort. The evening entertainment (bands, saxophonist) was quite good. We only visited towards the end of our stay, but wished we would have gone over earlier. I would definitely consider staying at the Grande if we were ever to do this again.

OVERALL: We had a great time relaxing and spending time together. The beach was excellent. I would consider returning if I were to do another AI trip. If you plan a visit, keep in mind that Sandals is very good at marketing – do not expect the luxury they describe. If you can live with that, you can have a great time.

The Sandals Halcyon has numerous activities to keep you busy that are included at no cost to the visitor. The free water sports were the best part of the trip so far. Our guide “Shawn” took us out on one of the Hobie sailing catamarans. He was very friendly and reassuring about getting back into the beach as well as letting us know that the staff would be keeping an eye on us while we were out there. Beyond covering the safety aspect of this trip he also took the time to talk to us about the island including other events and must see items on the island – drive in volcano, diamond waterfalls, botanic gardens. As we came in after taking the catamaran my wife decided she wanted to go kayaking. The staff again “Shawn” was quick to get us outfitted and tell us about how to get back into the bay waiting for the swells to come before approaching the shore so the kayak would not capsize. If you are looking for a great time with no cost out of your pocket the water sports at Sandals Halcyon is the way to go.

We had a very enjoyable stay at the Halcyon. The grounds are incredible. We stayed in the newly refurbished rooms by the Paradise Pool. It was a beautiful room and very comfy bed. The AC worked well and we enjoyed the mini-fridge, although they only stocked up the juice and pop twice during the week!

Although we are in our 30’s, we were not travelling with friends, so the quiet, laid back atmosphere and the older crowd at the Halcyon was perfect for us this time. We were looking for a intimate, quiet, get-away. If you like a more rowdy scene and a younger crowd, the Grande or Regency would be better for that. Although there were lots of fun activities happening at the Sunset Pool, we just didn’t join in. We liked to read and relax at the quiet paradise pool. We did really enjoy the snorkelling trips included. The boat trip alone is worth it.

We have no complaints about the pools, food or drinks. The food was delicious and we had no issues at the restaurants. You just can’t expect to always get in the first seating and may have to wait until 7:30 or 8:00 on some nights for dinner. Not a problem for us. We went to Arizona’s at the Regency and Barefoot in the Sand at the Grande. Both were excellent, and we didn’t have to wait when we arrived shortly after 6:30. Our evening at Barefoot in the Sand was our favourite. The lanterns, warm sand, ocean breeze and lights in the bay made for an incredible setting. The service and food was fantastic as well. We went back for lunch on another day and enjoyed it, but the evening is the best!

Our only complaint about the Halcyon is the beach. It’s just OK on the good days and if the wind is up, it’s not good at all. The red flag was up and we couldn’t use the boats etc on 4 out of 7 days. We figured out the Grande is always calm and headed over there for the day. The beach there is fabulous and the flag was green even on our red flag days. It’s definitely worth it to head to the Grande. But the Regency did nothing for me. The beach is small and was red flagged as much as ours. We toured around the grounds of the Regency, but I didn’t like the lay-out or the overall feel of the place. The shuttles worked out really well for us – no complaints there.

We took a taxi downtown and enjoyed the market, although I found the prices high and the vendors hard to bargain with. We didn’t do any of the hotel trips, but booked our own tour through Cosal Tours. It was fabulous. Well worth the $65. They picked us up at the hotel, and then picked up our friends who were in for the day on a cruise ship. It was a great day complete with local food and plenty to drink. Our guide “Bumpy” was very good. As long as you can handle the roller coaster roads in St Lucia!

Overall, we had a great vacation. It was our first time at Sandals. We would go back to either the Halcyon or the Grande. But I am not sure that the extra cost for Sandals is really worth it. We had no complaints because we got in on the 50% off sale, but I would have been disappointed if we had paid full price. St Lucia is truly a paradise and I would highly recommend it.

St Lucia was a wonderful travel experience. The hotel was really cozy and romantic with very good restaurants. The poolside room we had was really nice and new and clean. It was on the second floor and had a balcony. The buildings were only 2 stories high. People at the resort work very hard and were generally very friendly and helpful. The beach was really beautiful and the water warm. We got to use the sail boats and went on the free snorkelling excursion. They have so much to offer and you can take a free shuttle bus back and forth to the 2 other Sandals resorts. We tried all of the restaurants which the service was good and the food was excellent. There was one exception: La Toc at the Regency was a lovely atmosphere and our server was good. The appetizers were nice, just not as hot as we would have liked them, but the main meal was not good at all. I ordered the steak and it was inedible. I could hardly cut it with my knife. My husband had the chicken which was dry and overcooked. The desert of creme brule saved the day as it was really good. It was a nice place but the food was not the best.

The overall experience we had was wonderful and we will go back there someday! This was also our first Sandals resort and it definitely won't be our last! We really like their system with the all-inclusive resort.

We booked this hotel Oct 2008 for March 2009 after reading Internet reviews - almost all were glowing. That it was an adult-only hotel and relatively small was a big draw. The reality was quite different from the adverising and reviews. Although we liked the intimacy of the small hotel, it did feel crowded and busy and unlike other small hotels we've used, no one knew you except one or two restaurant staff who recognised you from previous visits. The resort is tired and shabby with unclean areas around the pool and equipment that has certainly seen better days. The photographs you see in brochures and on the Internet are obviously from when it was a new resort.

STAFF Some staff worked very hard and were always cheerful and helpful, but quite a number seemed proficient in just looking busy and there were a few who were just miserable. Three who stood out as being exemplary were Celina (Bayside and Marios), Otto (Marios) and a gardener called Benton

ROOM We booked a Paradise Pool Deluxe and requested a refurbished room from advice on one review. This did not happen. We arrived at the hotel about 8:30pm after a tiring day's travelling. All we wanted was to sleep. Consequently we did not question our room as perhaps we should have done. Over the course of our stay we came to prefer the location and the fact it was single story and very quiet. There had been a token attemp at improving this room, with freshly painted woodwork (missed the inside of the open-fronted wardrobe) and walls and new wall tiles in the bathroom. The bathroom floort iles were new, but were wall tiles and quite a few had been chipped along their sides and just grouted and grouting in "awkward" places like behind the door was messy. The taps and shower had not been replaced and looked old. The shower changed frequently from too hot to too cold with no apparent reason .There was no extractor, just a small open louvred window so we found it best to leave the door open to avoid a sauna effect. Some rooms had a problem with insects and guests were bitten and they seemed to be coming in through this louvred window. The hotel sprayed when guests complained, but the problem should have been dealt with by preventing the insects form getting into the room. Our room had no such problems, though we did have a single cockroach one evening. The hotel's response was to say they'd spray the room, though there was never any evidence that they did. The wasbasin was outside the bathroom and next to the open wardrobe so no splashing and in the way of the wardrobe. The bed was very comfortable, but the pillows definitely not. Bedlinen was clean and changed frequently, but the fitted sheets did not fit the mattress. Lovely white towels and plenty of them. Room cleaned well. We know some rooms have been refurbished and guests in these rooms seem pleased with them - try asking for one when booking and try to follow up the request.

GARDENS These were well-established , beautifula and well-maintained. Lots of photo opportunities for the many couples getting married here. The paths through the gardens are either concrete or paving slabs. The concrete paths must date from 2006 becuase of the many names with dates inscribed in them. The paving slabs are loose and there are signs warning of uneven surface and rocking. The double lounging beds in the gardens were not particularly clean and you'd probably want to lie on a towel, rather than the cushions, but these beds are reserved by guests just like the pool loungers.

BEACH Not particularly deep between the garden and the water and with a narrow level bit before a drop-off to the water. Not many parasols. The better part is to the right of the Pier Restaurant, looking out to sea. Unfortunately while we were there (14 nights) the red flag was in place for 12 days. Not the hotel 's fault there had been bad weather and the sea was rough. Still, it meant no sea swimming, the beach was not cleaned so was unpleasant to sit on and no water sports. This might be a consideration if the beach and water sports are important parts of your holiday. The position of the Halcyon means when seas are rough it suffers. The Grand is in a selcuded bay so was not affected. Halcyon guests have free use of all amenities at both other hotels so it just meant a shuttle bus to the Grand. While we were there they stopped some shuttle buses so they do not run until mid- morning and some people commented that finding loungers at that time of day at any of the hotels was a problem. We found there were some, but not on the beach and as I prefer to watch rather than participate it meant standing around for ages or finding a lounger some distance away where I couldn't watch my husband. Not a big problem, but irritating. The water sport equipment looked in need of replacing with broken or missing straps,

POOLS Small scub-diving pool, busy activity pool and quiet Paradis Pool. We used only the Paradise Pool for relaxation. The floor was cracked and in some places just downright dirty. The main area round the bar was clean, but other areas were not and on three days I asked for bird droppings and accumulated dirt to be cleaned, though the first day no one was available to do it. Nor did it improve over the 14 days of our holiday. It was often crowded and sunbeds claimed early. There was an oil mark around the pool at the water line and the pool floats were mouldy around the edges. Some days the water had an unpleasant smell and I did wonder if this had anything to do with the cleaner used around the bar area as it seemed stonger adter I had seen this done. Sunbeds had seen better days with most white plastic ones cracked or too dirty to clean. Wooden ones were more comfortable and did lie flat, but some had slats missing and they were heavy to move.

RESTAURANTS Marios was the best restaurant of all three hotels and the Pier was also good, though only a few tables along two sides had window seats so very few people fot to look out of the windows. Lunches were good. Evening meals were odd in that at 6:30 you queued and people were seated until the restaurant was full, then you were put onto a wait list for 8pm or even 9 pm. As we preferred eating later my hushand would queue at 6:30 and ask for a table after 8pm.

DIVING Good, though my husband had to pay $100 for a medical certificate before he was accepted. Not paeticlarly good diving, but the dive staff were very pleasant and helpful. Snorkelling - for 35 minutes in water you are away from the hotel for just over 2 hoiurs with bus transport to boat and boat rides there and back. Not brilliant, but interesting enough.

I wish I had taken photographs to support these grouses, but we just wanted to relax and enjoy our holiday without letting it get to us. I know people will think we are people who just maon about anything, but that isn't the case and I've never written a review before and just wanted others to be aware. I read too many good reviews that I don't consdier truly reflect this hotel.

round the pool on most occasions, with insuficient sunbeds, parasols and clean towels not arriving until mid-afternnon. This led to the awful dawn walk to reserve sunbeds - if you didn't join in there were none left after about 8pm and the "best" places were gone by 7pm. We only used sunbeds when we were there (apart from short breaks to see the rep or the occassional lunch), but this was not the case for many. I sympathise with the reviewer who removed towels and belongings after a time, but do not have that nerve.

We decided that for our honeymoon we would stay at a place that has a reputation for excellent service, food and luxury. However, we quickly realized that Sandals Halcyon was going to far from our expectations and no better than your average 3/4* hotel almost anywhere in the world. There were too many things to list and explain why this holiday has seriously been below our expectations and not worth the amount of money spent. So the more important things are: a) food quality was average, b) unable to get in to the Pier or Marios unless you queue at 6.30, c) ran out of Piont & Cabernet wine – unbelievable, d) dress code not enforced, e) scuba diving only offered at 8.20, f) picture in brochure inaccurate – you can’t walk around the bay. In short “Sandals” has a reputation of being top class, so we spent more money to experience this on our honeymoon. It wasn’t money well spent!! Sorry but we will not be visiting a Sandals resort again.

This is the first time I have actually written a review from a trip. However, I used trip advisor a lot prior to our trip and feel obligated to write a review of our recent trip to the Sandals Halcyon and Sandals Regency in St. Lucia.

We have done other all inclusives and several cruises so I feel we have some experinces and had reasonable expectations for our trip.

In general the Halycon is older, smaller than the other resorts, but it is still beautiful. The grounds are beautifully maintained and our room (premium pool deluxe) was very beautifully renovated.

Our primary problem was the service!! There wasn't any! I am a nice, polite, and friendly can talk to anyone type of person. In general, the only staff that was the least bit friendly were the grounds crew and housekeeping crew.

Repeatedly we had problems with the restaurants, all of them. We wouldn't get our order, our drinks, and when we did they were wrong.

No pool towels, which doesn't seem like such a big problem, but just another one. Really the problems just when all added together make for really lousy service.

We had actually decided to leave early because of all the problems, not trying to say anything about our complaints. Just to keep them to ourselves and quitely leave and go to Ladera-Stay there if you can afford!! but they would NOT let us leave early and give us our money back. We spent a day getting the run around from all of the front staff to the director of guest services. They just wanted to give us days at another Sandals at some point. However, we didn't want to stay at a Sandals again. We wouldn't and won't. The one thing I have power over now is where I spend my money and it won't be with Sandals.

The trip cost us a lot more than it was worth.I recently took a vacation at St.Lucia Sandals Holcyon from 2/15/09-2/22/09 me and my huband room#816.We unfortunaly left very disappointed and dissatisfied due to missing personal valuables and lack of service.Because the resort is all inclusive, I decided not to carry our valuables in order not to loose them on the beach. I lost my rolex watch and $1.500.00cash from safety deposit box(not even electronic)from my room.The crime investigation Dep.of St.Lucia as well security manager were notified immediately.The hotel manager in several conversation he questioned my honesty and fell short of doing his job by not insuring my safety but also the safety of all his quests.From a prestigious resort chain as Sandals and high room rates,I expected at the very least safety in return.

Please! Please! Please! Save your time/money and go somewhere else. This place is sooooooooo ridiculously boring (no words can ever describe how lame this resort truly is) If you like to sit around and read books all day and then go to bed at 6:30 p.m. this place is your paradise. For those of you who actually have a life and like to meet people and have a little fun go to the Grande if you really have your heart set on going to St. Lucia. The Grande is pretty lively well past midnight. The Halcyon is a sharp contrast with the crickets being the loudest all evening long. This place really sucks. I'll never forgive my travel agent Lonie Goutermont from the virtuoso group for not doing his homework and ruining my honeymoon. I spent about $ 4,500 on my vacation and was bored to death at this resort. The water sport department is a fraud. They were shut down 4 out of 6 days. Primary excuse was "water is too rough mon" I called B.S. on this because the water had "RIPPLES" just like on a lake. One day they told me they didn't have their "rescue boat" for the day so they weren't allowed to let anyone use any of the equipment. I was soooooo irritated by these clowns. I was convinced that they were getting high in the back as their eyes were all blood shot ( I personally don't have a problem with this but DO YOUR JOB! We're paying a lot of money to stay here.) Call me crazy, i'm sure this couldn't be true in St. Lucia. Anyway, for what it's worth my wife is 36 and i'm 30. This place is NOT for this age group. If your 50 + and an introvert who likes to read books all day and hear crickets all night then this place, like I said before, is your paradise. I've rambled on long enough and have plenty more negative stories but it makes me sick to my stomache to think about it. Anyway, if you still go to the Halcyon you deserve it.

The people who rave about this resort must have stayed somewhere that we did not!

The brochures with their retouched photos promise luxury and what is delivered is third class worn out and tired indifference.

Check in threatened us with near death consequences if we were to lose the key to our room safe, presented a warm glass of champagne and then attempted to elicit a $600,00 deposit for unspecified future requirements.....

The so called signature restaurant is a tumbled down building much in need of repair - light fixtures with bare bulbs, shingles missing, and a menu with six items! The major concern was that diners arrive in a shirt with a collar...shorts and sandals are fine, but your shirt must have a collar! The food is inedible - even fish dishes are destroyed.....slimy fish appetizers and a wine list [with a respectable assortment ] that elicits "we don't have any of that sir" no matter what you order, round out the evening

Our so-called ocean view room was completely enveloped with overgrown vines - if you leaned out on the balcony and pushed the vines aside, one might catch a glimpse of the ocean. Room air conditioning rroaring and rattliing noisily throughout the night...no room service, no fridge or minibar in the room, no robes and a maid who ordered my wife out of the room as she was "ready to clean it!"...paint chipped and missing, and sheets that were ripped as they didn't fit the worn out mattress.

The horrible Carribean custom of "leaving a towell on a beach chair means you own it for all time"is observed here so we ended up either sitting on the sand or getting up at 6:00 AM ,and missing breakfast so as to secure a beach chair and a little bit of shade.

The Italian restaurant, Mario's serves tiny but generally tasty portions but has the same "we don't have that sir" wine list...closed one night, [I've never been to a resort in some 25 years of Carribean vacations that closed a restaurant at any time during high season]....but we ate there the other six nights...other choice was a bus ride to one of the other resorts, but reports by other guests that week of being treated like "second class citizens" cancelled those plans

The breakfast / luncheon pool restaurant was generally run of the mill - one of the nghts we were there, the owners insulted every guest who wasn't a somehow preferred sandals customer by holding a "special customers only" dinner in the middle of the dining room for the rest of us "plebes" to watch from another section of the restaurant.

The best part of our trip was an afternoon of "zip lining" at a location that nothing to do with the hotel

We spent thoudsands to be a little pampered at what is purported to be a five star resort - the Toronto papers advertising "Half Price St Lucia" when we returned home really capped thing off..

Did I mention that my written complaints to the Hotel General manager elicited a [paraphrased] "if you don't like St Lucia, don't come back"

Sandals - you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!