Travel with Me: Sandals Beware
Day 3 of St. Lucia week is here! Today I am sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly of our stay at Sandals Halcyon Resort, in St. Lucia. Keep reading if you want a sneak peek into the resort as well as 3 tips to know before you go. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to our email list here at themeckhouse.com so you can be the first to read my stories. You can also follow me on Instagram & YouTube.
The Good
Ok truthfully, most of our time at the resort was great. The area was beautiful. The flowers, the gazebos, the trees, and don't even get me started on the pools. There was even turndown service which is a level of amenity I never knew I needed but never what to go without again. Looking out from our room we had an outdoor tub, flowers, and sight of the ocean.
If you are looking for things to do here besides the obvious swimming, there are tennis courts, water sports, lawn games, and a walking path that goes all around the resort. Each evening we took long strolls around admiring the beautiful trees & flowers.
Carl and I played a few rounds of croquet during our stay. It was very nostalgic for us! Also, he will deny it but I'm pretty sure Carl cheated, 😉.
As for restaurants we tried out Kelly's Dockside, Bayside (which is a buffet style), Soy Sushi Bar, & Kimonos. We also did a candlelight dinner on the beach our last night at the resort. Every single meal was delicious!
What to Watch out For
While we did have an overall amazing stay at the Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort in St. Lucia. There are some things you might want to watch out for. I compiled a list of 3 things you will want to know before you go. I know we wished we had been prepared for them!
1. The resort is all-inclusive and employees are not allowed to accept tips. UNLESS you are taking the airport transfer or going on excursions. These employees are contracted out and will expect a tip for their services. So be sure to bring along petty cash for these cases. We got in a bind when we first arrived. I never carry cash and Carl only had a hundred and a fifty dollar bill. So his only choice was to tip $50. I'm sure that money was appreciated though, so we didn't feel too bad about it. If you are on a budget however, this would not be ideal. Once we got to the resort, we were able to break our hundred into small bills for the rest of the trip.
2. The beach is public property. At least that is what we were told for why so many local artisans walked the beach selling souvineers or tours. Beware however, we experienced a lot of these guys telling you its "authentic" and "handmade" when in reality these are just imported goods. We got a couple small turtles for the kids and when we turned them over it said "made in Ecuador" 🤦♀️. Luckily the kids don't care where they were made.
3. Finally the first day you arrive (and possibly the second) expect every employee who offers a service to come up to you and try to sell you on them. These employees are paid a lot of commission and get super competitive with each other. It wasn't a huge deal & they are honest about it, but you will want to have your small talk ready!
Thank you all for hanging out with me here as I shared our experience at a Sandals Halcyon Resort! If you are interested at all in going I would say go for it. I do not regret traveling to St. Lucia or staying at a Sandals resort one bit. The next two installments of the St. Lucia series will take a different direction, tomorrow being a self-reflection blog about traveling without kids as well as some MAJOR family news. Be sure to subscribe, follow, & all the things to stay up to date. See you tomorrow!
Our gnome waving goodbye 💙 more info on this little guy coming tomorrow too.
💕💕sending love & momma to momma support,
Kaylin