This Beautiful Island is located in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean sea and borders the Atlantic Ocean. The Capital and largest city is Castries, the second largest city is Soufriere, this one was the first French colonial capital in St. Lucia. St. Lucia is an independent State and part of the Commonwealth of Nations as a commonwealth realm.
Elizabeth II is Queen of St. Lucia and the prime minister is Phillip J. Pierre. St Lucia has good relations with major powers around the world.
Tourism is a vital form of the economy and has numerous places to visit. The island is the most mountainous of all the Caribbean islands. The highest point is Mount Gimie 3,120 feet above sea level, another mountain is the Pitons. This is the more famous one and is located in between Soufriere and Choiseul. Another tourist attraction is the Drive in Volcano Sulphur Spring. The island has so many more attractions that I can't mention them all.
The Climate is fantastic. Like all of their neighbors the climate is tropical and the dry season runs between December to May, this is the tourist season. The Wet season from June to November is called Hurricane season by the locals.
The official language is English and their culture has been influenced by african, east indian french and English heritage. Their best dish and national dish is green figs and saltfish.
I recommend you to visit the Official Tourism Website to know more details about health regulations, advisory or more information. One good read is the TOP 10 TRAVEL TIPS FOR VISITING SAINT LUCIA
Let me talk about My Visit to Sandals Resort in St Lucia this past March.
My trip started from Albany NY unfortunately there are no direct flights from my city to AVF(Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort is located 40 miles south of Castries, the capital city. George FL Charles Airport is an inter-island airport just outside Castries.) But there are direct trips from other cities.
The airport in St. Lucia is not small, you should be aware that the amenities that one normally sees in airports in the US is not present in the airport at st. Lucy. But it was not a bad experience, it was a surprise at least for me since this has been my first international trip as an adult.
After going through immigration, I arrived at the Sandals Resorts lounge since my stay was at Sandals Regency La Toc, which is approximately 40 miles away. Sandals Resort has 3 resorts on the island Regency La Toc, Grande St. Lucia and Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. I arrived at the resort by car but you have the option of arriving by ferry or helicopter, this being the fastest.
The welcome at Sandals resort is great because as soon as you arrive you don't have to worry about your bags since they bring them to your room. You have a reception with wet towels to cool off and champagne to enjoy. The service is super friendly and if your category is butler, the service remains the same.
Then on my return home, I loved it because Sandals took care of my bags and my transfer to the airport. Sandals were completely organized in that job. They called me by name to address my shutter. The driver of my shutter was super excellent because along the way he told us about important details of the Island and he parked for a few moments in a panoramic area to allow us to take pictures.
Sandals Experience
My stay was at Regency La Toc in a beautiful room with a wonderful view. My room was Sunset Bluff Oceanview Club Level on the second floor. This hotel is phenomenal and although the resort offers a shutter to get to your room, I personally do not recommend it for people with mobility problems.
Sandals had different categories Butler Elite, Club Sandals and Luxury.
Butler Elite: is an unprecedented service only available in our very highest level of suites, provides our most discerning guests with an unimaginably supreme standard of service and luxury, where your every need is anticipated.
Club Sandals: is an extraordinary privilege and exceptional service. Club Sandals offers unique insider’s opportunities exclusive to concierge guests and the best recommendations for discovering all that Sandals has to offer.
La Toc has a total of 323 rooms, a total of 9 restaurants, 8 bar/cocktail lounges, SPA, Fitness Center, golf, sports water, beach and swimming pools. During my stay there were different events but the one that caught my attention was the silent night. This consists of 2 different djs and you listen in headphones where you choose the dj that is playing the music of your choice.
Regarding the 9 restaurants that are: Armando's, Kimonos, Cricketer Pub, La Toc, Pitons, Neptune's Bella Napoli, The pavillion and Soy. Excellent service. My favorites were La Toc, Armando's and Soy.
Overall the experience was extremely pleasant and comfortable. I can't wait to spend a vacation with my husband in this place.
Visit to other Sandals facilities in St. Lucia.
Halcyon Beach
Halcyon Beach is an Eden, its atmosphere is so calm that it makes you want to never leave. This hotel is the first option that I would offer to people with mobility problems since its structure is completely flat. This resort has a total of 169 rooms, 6 restaurants, 7 bars/cocktail lounges, Fitness center, SPA, tennis and volleyball court, beach and swimming pools. Among the 6 restaurants is the famous Kelly's Dockside Over the water restaurant. Sandals offers the opportunity to use the shuttle for free to visit the facilities of the other sandals resorts on the island.
The Grande St. Lucia
The Grande St. Lucia is exquisite. Here you will find the famous over the water bungalows. The resort has a total of 311 rooms and is acceptable for people with mobility problems. La Grande has 12 restaurants, 7 bar/cocktail lounges, landsports, watersports, pools, beaches, SPA and fitness center. The resort is wide open to the natural beauty of the island. I recommend this resort for couples who want to have a very romantic vacation, in my opinion the atmosphere of this resort is more suited to that.
In general
All three resorts have their special peculiarities. But they all have the same services that only Sandals can offer. Sandals resort is adult only, has wifi service, free wedding services and more.