| Hi, Debbie, I know it is a bit late, but I have always used your very great site in the past and will continue to do so.I felt compelled to send you a review. My husband and I stayed at Sandals Halcyon on October 6 to October 13, 2008 . We were there because our daughter was getting married on October 10. She and her soon to be hubby stayed at the Regency La Toc, the soon to be in laws stayed at the Grande(.They were to stay at the Halycon with us, but after not even one day, hated the resort so much ,they made an upgrade to the Grande.( More on that later).My husband and I had no real complaints, simply because this was purely my daughter’s choice of destinations,( I had no say,) We were just very happy to be there for her! We ended up paying a whole lot more than had we gone to Cuba or the Dominican Republic, as my husband and I will always chose to do, given a choice…..I had read the reviews, so I had a heads up and knew what to expect .My husband and I had been to Sandals in Jamaica, many years ago, and because I had researched and read the reviews on St. Lucia, I was not expecting anything great… I was not wrong. We had no complaints with the staff, or the food. The overall food choices in the buffet and al a cartes were Ok, but again, nothing to write home about! The resort was very small and very plain. The two small pools were nice, but nothing like the brochures showed them to be! The room we had was clean and yes, it did have a four poster bed, like all the Sandals chains, but it was not remarkable…..No fridge, or bar, and I had to go to the front desk after the third day to request that someone please sweep or vacuum our room., as this was not being done. To be honest, we had nicer rooms and housekeeping service at other resorts we have stayed at such as the Blau in Veradero or the Riu in Mayan Riviera or the Melia in Santa Clara, Cuba. There were no nice touches such as towel art,ect, (small things you come to expect when you are staying at a supposedly first class resort!) .The other couple, the parents of the groom, were so disappointed because they had based their vacation on the brochures and the word of their travel agent…. Just a little note, nothing is as it may seem!! The water is not blue, there are no palm trees on the beach, there is no white sand! We did not experience any white glove service! On a good note, my daughter was treated very well at the Regency La Toc, and was very happy for the service and care Anna the wedding consultant showed her. Every detail was taken care of, including the great Sax player who played at the wedding. Her room, which cost more than ours, was no better than ours! She did have a fridge, but if they wanted anything out of it, aside from water,it was at an additional cost! Crazy, since this is Sandals!! As an aside, it rained everyday we were there! Not the fault of Sandals to be sure! Just do not go away in October! The sun did come out on October 10 for Jess and Steve on their wedding day! We have lovely pictures and the happy couple had a basically stess- free wedding.
All said and done, I will never pay the money to return to a Sandals, as I feel you are just paying for the name. I love Cuba and will always continue to go there. Try a Riu or a Melia or maybe the new Barcello in Santa Clara. You can’t beat the price or the wonderful beaches(blue water, white sand,) as well as the very lovely Cuban people! This is only the suggestion of someone who is well travelled. Happy Travels!
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