Sandals Resort

Felidae_1981
Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
edited November 2024 in Chit-Chat
So this may be an odd question, but my husband is returning from a year long contract in Afghanistan in June...for a month :(

I am hoping to by then look FABULOUS in a bikini or at least my bathing suit and we want to take an awesome trip. We will only have about a week for it and since he's working 13 hour days, 7 days a week with no holidays he will want to mostly relax...

So we are thinking to go to a Sandals Resort. Has anyone been? Which one? I'm looking at the Grand Bahamian in Nassau...but it's on the steeper side :-/ wondering if it's worth it :)

Replies

  • myopus
    myopus Posts: 321 Member
    Hi friend; haven't had the pleasure of all that many vacations but I'm bumping for you :happy:
    (all those awesome runs will be worth the bikini.)
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    Our last real vacation was in 2005. When he was still Army and got back from Iraq we took a trip to Egypt (only a 4 hour flight and cheap when you're already in Europe). I like the idea of Sandals, no kids, so much fun stuff included and beaches beaches beaches ;)
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
    There is also a Sandals on St Lucia. Depending on price to get there it is AWESOME down there.

    JM
  • Kate_321
    Kate_321 Posts: 18 Member
    Can't comment on sandals resorts as we stayed elsewgere; but stlucia is so beautiful! We went for our wedding/honeymoon and had the best 2 weeks ever. The island Is just breathtaking and everyone was so friendly!
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
    I saw it from the boat as we sailed in and out, looked to be in a BEAUTIFUL location.

    JM
  • Mallory0418
    Mallory0418 Posts: 723 Member
    I've been to the Sandals resort in Nassau...I would suggest you look into other resorts in the area. It was nice, but not worth the money, in my opinion. Many couples we met there said it was the worst Sandals resort they had ever been to. It was a great area, just not much to do in the resort and you won't get ANY customer service unless you purchase the "butler" package. We got the "honeymoon" suite/package and our room was nothing more than a motel room. Very disappointing. So don't let the pretty pictures online fool you. Also, the entertainment was always over by 10:00 pm at the latest. To me, that was really disappointing because I wanted to stay out late and have fun with some night life, and there was none at Sandals.

    Good luck to you and I hope the time goes by quickly for you until June! Being a Navy wife myself, I know exactly how you feel... :frown:
  • Mallory0418
    Mallory0418 Posts: 723 Member
    Forgot to mention, there WERE kids there on some days! The merchants that come and sell jewelery and clothing would bring their children and let them play on the beach of the resort, and nobody did anything about it! Very strange.
  • brushe
    brushe Posts: 181 Member
    Sandals St. Lucia was beautiful. There are two resorts on the Island. My wife and I really enjoyed it 8 years ago on hour honeymoon.
  • INSANITY43
    INSANITY43 Posts: 142
    Haven't stayed at Sandals...but at the Salon the other day several of us were talking "Caribbean" vacations and the salon owner said he stayed at the Sandals in Montego Bay Jamaica and it was outstanding! There is also a Sandals in Ochos Rios Jamaica. I can vouch that Jamaica is beautiful....been there twice...but it was for "medical" missions so even though it was an awesome trip and very rewarding..... no Sandals! PS the salon owner is very "traveled" so I consider his opinion as very right-on!
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    A guy I work with just got back from Sandals in Antigua and said it was fantastic. Personally I would stay away from Nassau I have never heard good things about any resorts on that island, but have heard St. Lucia and Antigua are great.
  • missdaisy79
    missdaisy79 Posts: 566 Member
    Sandals Halcyon Beach on St Lucia was gorgeous - I went there for my honeymoon in November. I loved every second of it. It's quiet, and a slightly "older" clientele, but that suited us fine as we didn't want to party all night long. The one thing I would say is it's quite close to the road, so if occasional road noise bothers you don't book there. La Toc and the Grande on St Lucia are bigger, but I can't comment on those as I didn't go there.

    One thing - get the helicopter transfer from the airport to the resort - will save you an hour in a bus over bumpy roads.
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    I have went to Sandals...it is okay. I didn't feel like it was worthy of the money. I was a bit disappointed to be truthful because I had heard such amazing things....but then it didn't compare to other resorts I'd been to.

    That being said, I am sure no matter where you and your husband go you two will have a blast... The fact that you two will be seeing one another after being apart for so long will make any place special!

    And your husband will think you look great no matter what.

    Good luck and have fun! :)
  • tallen3687
    tallen3687 Posts: 244 Member
    I haver never been to the resort, but I take at least one cruise a year. You should look into cruising. I think you get more value for your money and are treated great no matter what package you have. My husband and I are retired Marines and my best friend is retired Navy. So we cruised for a few years without our husbands because they said they "have been there - done that" about boats. They went on their first one last year and they were the ones who couldn't wait to book the next one. It can't hurt to look into it. Good Luck and have fun no matter what you decide!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    So this may be an odd question, but my husband is returning from a year long contract in Afghanistan in June...for a month :(

    I am hoping to by then look FABULOUS in a bikini or at least my bathing suit and we want to take an awesome trip. We will only have about a week for it and since he's working 13 hour days, 7 days a week with no holidays he will want to mostly relax...

    So we are thinking to go to a Sandals Resort. Has anyone been? Which one? I'm looking at the Grand Bahamian in Nassau...but it's on the steeper side :-/ wondering if it's worth it :)

    We went to Antigua a couple of years ago, there was a Sandals resort directly next door to the hotel we stayed on and it looked beautiful. As you walked through the grounds at the back of the hotel, you went through a gate and was directly on the beach overlooking d-ickenson Bay (take out the dash, had to put that in the name or it censors it lol). As far as I am aware, all Sandals resorts are couples only, no children allowed and no hen or stag parties either. If I had the chance to go on one, I would snap it up believe me, they look superb.
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
    A GF of mine went to Sandals St Lucia for her honeymoon... then they went with us to another all inclusive for like 1/2 the price and they said it was much better, more amenities, etc - from what I've heard Sandals is way overpriced. There are LOTS of adult only all inclusives to choose from.

    Tripadvisor is a great source.
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    I haver never been to the resort, but I take at least one cruise a year. You should look into cruising. I think you get more value for your money and are treated great no matter what package you have. My husband and I are retired Marines and my best friend is retired Navy. So we cruised for a few years without our husbands because they said they "have been there - done that" about boats. They went on their first one last year and they were the ones who couldn't wait to book the next one. It can't hurt to look into it. Good Luck and have fun no matter what you decide!

    I have taken a cruise before - also without the husband :P I looked into it, but the dates we are taking vacation (summertime) are not good for cruising from Florida, as in that not much is offered. I found this odd and even contacted a travel agent who said that during the summer most ships are at ports in Alaska, Hawaii, etc. But I would prefer not to travel so far + pay for the cruise and then also pay for the excursions (we live in Florida, so from here to the Caribbean or to a port close-by would be best).

    I do love a cruise and that will be a vacation sometime. I do think the downside with that is all the extra cost for excursions, drinks and tips though.
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    A GF of mine went to Sandals St Lucia for her honeymoon... then they went with us to another all inclusive for like 1/2 the price and they said it was much better, more amenities, etc - from what I've heard Sandals is way overpriced. There are LOTS of adult only all inclusives to choose from.

    Tripadvisor is a great source.

    Which one did you go to? I checked into "Breezes" or whatever it's called and the rooms look a lot less nice and the amenities were about the same.

    I normally would not consider Sandals, but we are trying to get that "once-in-a-lifetime" trip. I've looked at some Sandals Resort reviews on Tripadvisor and have already decided on a few that I wouldn't go to because of the reviews... for example one or two have the "special angle" when taking pictures of their beaches when in reality they're only very small. But most hotels do this when advertising and I knew I'd have to look into it before going.

    I also looked at the Atlantis in Nassau, but once I include anything (like flight, the water park, food) I am already $500 over the price of Sandals incl. flight and haven't even done any extras yet).
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    I've been to the Sandals resort in Nassau...I would suggest you look into other resorts in the area. It was nice, but not worth the money, in my opinion. Many couples we met there said it was the worst Sandals resort they had ever been to. It was a great area, just not much to do in the resort and you won't get ANY customer service unless you purchase the "butler" package. We got the "honeymoon" suite/package and our room was nothing more than a motel room. Very disappointing. So don't let the pretty pictures online fool you. Also, the entertainment was always over by 10:00 pm at the latest. To me, that was really disappointing because I wanted to stay out late and have fun with some night life, and there was none at Sandals.

    Good luck to you and I hope the time goes by quickly for you until June! Being a Navy wife myself, I know exactly how you feel... :frown:

    Thanks. That is one I was looking at and although I've been to Nassau and liked it (only 1 day off the cruise) I wasn't sure about the hotel because it seems there wasn't much to do other than what the resort offered.
  • mama2shi
    mama2shi Posts: 300 Member
    Our last real vacation was in 2005. When he was still Army and got back from Iraq we took a trip to Egypt (only a 4 hour flight and cheap when you're already in Europe). I like the idea of Sandals, no kids, so much fun stuff included and beaches beaches beaches ;)

    I don't know anything about them, though I have always wanted to go. I just wanted to say thank you to you and your husband for your sacrifices and his service!! I truly am appreciative :)
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    From what I see above I might look more into the St.Lucia locations...
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    Our last real vacation was in 2005. When he was still Army and got back from Iraq we took a trip to Egypt (only a 4 hour flight and cheap when you're already in Europe). I like the idea of Sandals, no kids, so much fun stuff included and beaches beaches beaches ;)

    I don't know anything about them, though I have always wanted to go. I just wanted to say thank you to you and your husband for your sacrifices and his service!! I truly am appreciative :)

    Thank you. But he's no longer active duty. He is now a civilian contractor - basically the same thing with better pay and no weapon (which sometimes I wish he did get to carry one)
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
    A GF of mine went to Sandals St Lucia for her honeymoon... then they went with us to another all inclusive for like 1/2 the price and they said it was much better, more amenities, etc - from what I've heard Sandals is way overpriced. There are LOTS of adult only all inclusives to choose from.

    Tripadvisor is a great source.

    Which one did you go to? I checked into "Breezes" or whatever it's called and the rooms look a lot less nice and the amenities were about the same.

    I normally would not consider Sandals, but we are trying to get that "once-in-a-lifetime" trip. I've looked at some Sandals Resort reviews on Tripadvisor and have already decided on a few that I wouldn't go to because of the reviews... for example one or two have the "special angle" when taking pictures of their beaches when in reality they're only very small. But most hotels do this when advertising and I knew I'd have to look into it before going.

    I also looked at the Atlantis in Nassau, but once I include anything (like flight, the water park, food) I am already $500 over the price of Sandals incl. flight and haven't even done any extras yet).

    Sorry - the all inclusive they went to with us was not in St Lucia (It was Punta Cana) = but they compared it to that because it was the only other all inclusive they'd been to. Since that trip I've been to other non Sandals adult only all inclusives that were even better than the one they thought was better than Sandals - all for lesser prices.

    The best part about trip advisor is the candid photos taken by actual guests - I always sort through all of them to get a true picture of what you'll be getting.

    Whatever you decide, I'm sure your husband will love it!
  • jbdowns35
    jbdowns35 Posts: 352
    Check out "Couples Resorts" There are 3 or 4 in Jamaica. Tons of ammenities & awesome reviews. I am going to Couples Negril in May for my wedding/honeymoon. Going couples only is automatically more pricey than family resorts, but for everything that is included, I found that Couples was the most logical choice for the price. Beleive me, I researched for months before choosing Couples!!! And unlike other resorts I've been to, instead of closing the beach down after dark, they have nightly entertainment on the beach, live bands & bon fires. The beach bar is open until 5:00am. Good luck!!
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    A GF of mine went to Sandals St Lucia for her honeymoon... then they went with us to another all inclusive for like 1/2 the price and they said it was much better, more amenities, etc - from what I've heard Sandals is way overpriced. There are LOTS of adult only all inclusives to choose from.

    Tripadvisor is a great source.

    Which one did you go to? I checked into "Breezes" or whatever it's called and the rooms look a lot less nice and the amenities were about the same.

    I normally would not consider Sandals, but we are trying to get that "once-in-a-lifetime" trip. I've looked at some Sandals Resort reviews on Tripadvisor and have already decided on a few that I wouldn't go to because of the reviews... for example one or two have the "special angle" when taking pictures of their beaches when in reality they're only very small. But most hotels do this when advertising and I knew I'd have to look into it before going.

    I also looked at the Atlantis in Nassau, but once I include anything (like flight, the water park, food) I am already $500 over the price of Sandals incl. flight and haven't even done any extras yet).

    Sorry - the all inclusive they went to with us was not in St Lucia (It was Punta Cana) = but they compared it to that because it was the only other all inclusive they'd been to. Since that trip I've been to other non Sandals adult only all inclusives that were even better than the one they thought was better than Sandals - all for lesser prices.

    The best part about trip advisor is the candid photos taken by actual guests - I always sort through all of them to get a true picture of what you'll be getting.

    Whatever you decide, I'm sure your husband will love it!

    I am not set on a location. Which ones have you been to that you liked? I saw one I like called "Secrets" and it can include unlimited spa treatments - yea - but it's more than Sandals :(
This discussion has been closed.

Categories