The last time we were in the Caribbean it was May, and it rained just about all day every day we were there. I don't think we'll every try to go in the low season again, since the low prices and the rain seem to go hand in hand. The weather on this trip was absolutely perfect. I never saw a thermometer, but it wasn't ridiculously hot during the day, and it cooled off quite nicely once the sun set. I'm guessing the temperatures ranged between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. On two days we had rain for about 10 seconds. The rest of the time it was very sunny.
I don't know exactly when the hurricane season is, but I've heard it's at the end of the rainy season, probably around October and November. In any case, it's a good idea to find out what weather is to be expected during your planned travel dates so as to minimize unpleasant surprises.
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Since both Sandals resorts are near the Castries airport, the noise of small prop planes coming and going can be heard throughout the day.
There were a fair number of flies and other bugs, especially near the dining areas, while we were there. My legs got a fair number of bites, and I would be sure to bring insect repellent the next time around.
The hot water pressure in the rooms was abysmal, mostly in the morning. There was plenty of water for a shower, it's just that from one second to the next, you never knew what temperature it was going to be.
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WHAT'S INCLUDED, WHAT'S NOT
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Included:
Airport transfers, green fees, resort scuba diving course, snorkeling, scuba diving, basic scuba and snorkel equipment, shuttle service between Sandals resorts, all food, great booze, wind surfing, kayaking, water-skiing, use of tennis pro, most tips, fitness classes, fitness equipment, beach towel use, indoor and outdoor games, nurse services, etc.
Not included:
Caddy fees, caddy tips, club rental, cart rental, scuba wet suit rental, camera rental, photographs, underwater video tapes, horse back riding, tours, trips into town, manicures, pedicures, hair styling, hair braiding, car rental, laundry, dry cleaning, etc.
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For a 7 night stay, including round trip airfare from St. Louis, this trip cost US$4,000 for the two of us. If we had booked the land-only portion of the trip directly through Sandals, it would have cost about US$3300. Round trip air fare from St. Louis would have been a lot more than US$700 for two people, so we booked the air-inclusive package through Club America.
Booking a standard room (if it really exists) instead of a superior room would have saved us about US$150. The most expensive suite would've cost an extra US$2000 for the two of us.
The only expenses we had other than this oh-my-god-up-front cost were:
US$11 each for departure tax. This can be payed in US$ or you can use up any of the local currency you might have left over. It is not easy to convert the local currency back into US$, so don't exchange too much. We exchanged none.
US$5 each for every 9-hole round of golf to pay the caddy. The cost of each caddy is US$4 for each round, but this is the one place you're allowed to tip.
US$10 to get our luggage moved around in the St. Louis and St. Lucia airports. Once in the Sandals resorts, all your luggage is taken care of, and no tipping is allowed.
US$12 for a taxi between La Toc and Halcyon, the one time we didn't check the shuttle schedule carefully.
Other than that, we spent a few dollars on souvenir T-shirts and postcards at the resort, and some drinks at the St. Lucia airport.
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I've pointed out a lot of minor negative aspects of our vacation to try make sure that readers don't have any unpleasant surprises if they choose to go to Sandals St. Lucia. In spite of these facts, this was by far the best vacation we've ever had. It was well worth the money, and we both recommend this resort very highly, especially to non-avid divers.
Since we've now visited three Sandals resorts, here are a couple of comparison notes:
The food and service at La Toc and Halcyon weren't as good as at the Sandals Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica.
The diving and beaches, are much better in both St. Lucia resorts than in Jamaica.
All around, the water sports are best at the Sandals Halcyon.
Since we enjoyed several of the dives so much, we will probably go to a more dive-oriented resort on our next vacation. After an intense week of diving, we might try to stop by Sandals St. Lucia to relax and wind down for a few days.
The next time we try to combine some diving and a lot of other fun activities in one resort, we'll probably choose Sandals Halcyon. There we can spend the morning doing water sports, and then shuttle over to La Toc for the rest of the day's activities. If we did it the other way around, we'd have to wake up at 6 or 6:30 every morning in time to catch the 7 AM shuttle over to Halcyon for diving.
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Liz Hanks
Department of Computer Science
Voice: +1 314 935 5044
Campus Box 1045
Fax: +1 314 935 7302
Washington University
E-mail: liz@dna.wustl.edu
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
USA
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