Sandals???

[sunrae33]

I am planning to stay at Sandals Halcyon Resort in St. Lucia. Anyone have any info on this resort? Anything at all?

[gummie22]

My husband and I have stayed at Halcyon 5 times! We love the intimacy of this resort. It's very quiet and peaceful. We even called one of the pools the "dead" pool, because it was so quiet. Now, don't get me wrong -- we love to play hard. We've been to Sandals MoBay 20 times! But we also love to dive, and St. Lucia has fabulous diving. So, when we want to dive all day, and then chill out in a romantic haven at night, Halcyon is the place. I'd love to go back, but now we travel with a 6-yr. old, so it will have to wait.

Lorri

[Carib Mark]

I'm not much for all inclusives but I know people who have stayed at the Halcyon and liked it. It gets a LOT of honeymooners so expect that. The snorkeling is great at the park up the road. At the top of th ehill is a fort and there's a small ($5?) charge to enter the park, unless Halcyon has arrangements or you can swim to the rocky area by the park from the end of Halycyon's beach.
If you go, here's a few "do's and don'ts" for the Rodney Bay area of St Lucia if you want to see a bit of the area away from your resort. Saturday is market day in Castries, a 15 min, ~$7 each way taxi ride and the place to shop for tourist items, souvenirs, wood items and great bottles of scotch bonnet hot sauce. The new shopping mall with the Subway and Burger King near the hotel has a few boutiques with some nice women's tanks and sarongs but the rest is hardly worth the visit by comparison. The grocery store there could be helpful if you need a couple items also. If you get adventurous, go across the bay to the beach near the Rex hotels. Spinnakers' is a great place for a cold beer and local foods you may not get to try at lunch at Sandals. If you act like you belong, take a walk into the Rex hotel area (supposed to be guests only but, you aren't going to be bad or anything so it's cool) and find the Quarterdeck for yummy, creamy, tropical flavored ice creams. Lastly, if you thirst to drink with the locals cheaply in the afternoon, follow the signs to the end of that road by the canal where it says "2-4-1" and get 2 for 1 drinks anytime, watch a match on the TV's and see what the locals are like.
The Caribbean is a wonderful place of beauty. But getting your feet dirty, away from the resort can be very rewarding. To quote Twain, (Mark, not Shania..) "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness". Explore and enjoy! It will open your eyes!