TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

My mom and I decided to take a mother daughter trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas to relax and unwind. Sandals Grande St Lucian was perfect for this! The resort was so beautiful and so well maintained. The food was great. The employees were very attentive and made the experience so enjoyable. Leana from the entertainment staff was absolutely lovely! Leana went out of her way to include us in activities, chat with us, and even had lunch with us one day. My mom and I have been to several Sandals resorts and this is the first time someone working there has taken the time to have lunch with us and let us really get to know them. Mouka was also really great, and joined us for lunch too. He was very personable and we had a great time dancing with him at the white party. Nyah’s fitness classes were a blast. She was upbeat, challenged us, but kept it fun. She was very accommodating with everyone of all ages and their limits. I truly had an amazing week there and was so sad to leave. I definitely hope to return there one day!

I recently got back from this hotel after my best friend got married here, and I would highly recommend staying here. Not only is the hotel beautiful and the restaurants vast in option and delicious, but the STAFF make this hotel amazing. They are so attentive, so kind, so friendly, and they really made our trip the best it could possibly be. The entertainment team were excellent, especially Leana, she took the time to get to know our whole group and learn our names too. It makes a trip special when the staff go to this level of effort. Also Alex was amazing wait staff. He brought me my favourite drink every day without me ordering it and was so attentive and an excellent member of the sandals team. Go stay here!

I would like to recognize 3 people for making this trip so fun. Leana in entertainment was so awesome!. She was a great entertainer as well as being friendly and sweet any time we saw her - a great asset to the company!. Mauka in entertainment was also very nice and fun. Nyah who did the exercise classes was superb!. She knew just how far to push and when to adapt for the needs of the group!. The entire trip was good with the exception of check-in. We were left standing alone when everyone else was taken to the introduction them to their rooms.

We are not typically resort type travelers but this trip changed our minds. Sandals really does think of everything. It was wonderful to have a shuttle available from the airport and even our shuttle driver was amazing. We were greeted by Nigella and Janelle upon arrival and they were super kind and informative as they helped us get settled at the resort and in our suites. The first night was a beach themed night and the entertainment was phenomenal and fun. Our main objective for our 4 days there - scuba diving. I definitely recommend Sandals resorts for scuba diving, especially as a new scuba diver. They make it easy even if you aren't fully familiar with everything yet. Pamella was especially kind and helpful with booking our scuba excursions. Ken was a PHENOMENONAL dive master. Huge shout outs to Kcey and Marcus as well. We had a great time. I mentioned that Janelle helped greet us earlier, well I also highly recommend that you get a massage from her or Cynthia while you're at the resort. It was wonderful out on the pier with the waves in the background. So relaxing! Now to talk about the service. You cannot talk about service without first and foremost mentioning Gania. He was the kindest, most wonderful human we met on that resort. He always went above and beyond. We first met him as our server at Gordon's on the pier (the food there was out of this world too) and he served us many times afterwards. Philip was also so kind and helpful and Kristoff was a ton of fun as a server. We had a couple of minor issues while at the resort but they aren't even worth mentioning because any issue we had was quickly resolved with kindness by the team. Neilla was fantastic from the front desk. Finally, as staunch "non-resort" people, we decided to go ahead and set up a loyalty account with Sandals and book another trip because the team at Sandals Grande St. Lucian changed our stubborn minds on resorts. Princess and Denzel helped us book our next trip with Sandals, because obviously we'll be back. Next time to the Bahamas but I can say with certainty that we will return to Sandals Grande St. Lucian one day.

Sandals Grande St. Lucian – December 2–9 Overall Rating: 6.5/10 Our stay at Sandals Grande St. Lucian was, unfortunately, an average experience that didn’t meet the standards we’ve come to expect from the Sandals brand. It felt more like a typical chain hotel than a true 5-star luxury resort. Many guests we met were celebrating special occasions, just as we were, and looking back, I wish we had paid closer attention to recent reviews before booking. Service The biggest disappointment was the extremely slow service across all areas of the resort. I appreciate “island time,” but this was beyond that—expect long waits for nearly everything, especially meals. The staff were consistently friendly and polite, but the pace of service heavily impacted the experience. Dining Food quality was hit-or-miss. • Gordon’s and Kimono’s, the two reservation-only restaurants, offered noticeably better meals and service. • The French and Italian restaurants served good food, but the wait times were so long that they overshadowed the experience. It genuinely felt like the resort was understaffed. • The Bayside breakfast buffet was extremely disappointing and nowhere near a 5-star standard—I would avoid it entirely. • Breakfast at the Italian restaurant was much better, with fresher options and a more pleasant atmosphere, though still slow. We ended up waking an hour earlier each morning just to ensure we had enough time. Tip: request an outdoor table—it’s a lovely way to start the day. A major highlight was the Jerk Shack, where we ended up eating jerk chicken daily. Ordering “to go” speeds things up significantly; we brought our lunches over to Barefoot by the Sea and enjoyed them with our feet in the sand—perfect. Location The location is stunning, though the travel time from the airport is long. We highly recommend booking the helicopter transfer; we took the shuttle on arrival and immediately regretted it. The scenery is beautiful, with mountain views and quick access to Pigeon Island. We loved hiking both peaks—about 1 hour and 30 minutes total, with moderate and advanced sections that require proper shoes. Rooms & Grounds The resort grounds are beautifully maintained and the rooms were generally nice. However, the mattress was extremely firm and the pillows were poor quality, which made for uncomfortable sleep. A key note: Luxury Oceanview rooms face the Atlantic side, where you look past a road and parking lot to see the water—and you’ll hear cars racing by at night. If you want a true ocean view, book a Beachfront room on the Caribbean side. Lesson learned. Additional Concerns • Persistent beach vendors: We were approached constantly—excursions, jet skis, souvenirs, and even drugs. You cannot walk the beach without being stopped, and even brief eye contact invites a pitch. We avoided the busier section of the beach just to relax. I understand that St. Lucia’s beaches are public, but I was surprised Sandals doesn’t manage this more effectively. • Beach chairs: Be prepared to wake up around 6 a.m. if you want a shaded spot. Most of the desirable chairs were already reserved by butlers before sunrise. There seemed to be plenty of seating and shade around the pools, but the beach was a challenge. • Beach drink service: On the far end of the beach (where we sat to avoid vendors), drink service was almost nonexistent. It may be better elsewhere, but if you choose that area, plan on getting your own drinks. • Aggressive spa sales: Spa employees frequently pushed treatments, which detracted from the relaxing atmosphere. • Poor spa maintenance: The included spa facilities were disappointing. The cold plunge hasn’t worked for months, the hot tub barely bubbles, and only one sauna/steam room was functional—and the working one looked unkept and possibly had mold. These amenities matter to us, so this was a significant letdown. • Restaurant reservations: These were surprisingly hard to secure. On our first full day, we tried to book a restaurant for our anniversary and nothing was available. We had to settle for less desirable times and ultimately paid extra for a special dining experience which, to be fair, was excellent. • Gym facilities: The gym has a great layout and includes a studio, but the equipment is outdated and limited. This feels like a simple upgrade that would greatly improve guest satisfaction. Final Thoughts Sandals Grande St. Lucian sits in a breathtaking location with beautifully maintained grounds, but the overall experience did not match the luxury standard we expected. With better maintenance, more attentive dining operations, improved service speed, and a stronger focus on guest experience over upselling, this resort could truly excel. For now, it remains a beautiful destination with clear potential—but one that didn’t quite deliver the seamless, elevated stay we hoped for.