Weddingbee boards

It seems a lot of people go to Santals on St. Lucia and have a hard time deciding between the 3 resorts. I know we did so here's my rundown after returning. We ended up picking the Halycon Beach resort for its small size and calm atmosphere and are so happy with our choice. Each resort offers something different and here is my most unbiased breakdown. Please feel free to PM me if you want more info on the resorts. I will do a seperate post on excursions soon.

Regency - this ressort is the most southern of the 3. It is also the most spread out and has the lagrgest main pool. Literally everyone we met while here was on their honeymoon. The room selection here ranges from the modest to extravagant. Many rooms overlook the pool or reception but don't have balconies. Concierge level is popular. I heard there were even overwater bungalow rooms but never found them. Two of the 3 restaurants requiring reservations are here and both are amazing. The water is not clear blue and the sand is shallow. You will need to take a bus to snorkel or dive but I believe the other water sports take place on site (we didn't do any here). The music in the main pool was techno while we were there and the drinks come in larger cups than at the other 2 resorts. We didn't observe any activities taking place at the pool but a ping pong contest was held nearby. This is the resort with the golf course but we didn't use it so I can't confirm or deny its beauty.

Halycon - this resort is right in the middle, making bus transfers the quickest. It is small with no building over 2 stories but every room has a balcony or patio. There are few rooms with conceriege or above services but the staff is very accomodating. We met several honeymooners but many guests celebrating anniversaries as well. There were a lot of Brittons here which could be due to preference or just the time we visited. The crowd is older on average. This the only resort which offers tubing and the water sports were often without a line. Snorkeling and diving is done off site at the same site as the Recency. The gym is currently under rennovations to be finished next week (I believe). The 2 sit down restaurants here were amazing and many people come from the other resports at night to dine. There is very little evening entertainment. The music at the main pool was a mix of current hits and carribean. This is also where the play makers organized activities like volleyball and bingo.

Grande - This resort is on the northern tip of St. Lucia, near pigeon island. This is the largest of the 3 with the most rooms and longest beach front. The ocean is clear blue and the beach is expansive. Water sports are almost always green here due to the location in a cove. If you plan to rent jet skis or go para sailing, this is the resoprt which has those options set up externally. There are many restaurants and a large foyer. Again, there are a lot of room types to choose from. The main pool music was mostly 90s hits and activities such as kareoke and music trivia took place at the main pool from time to time. Evening entertainment was often the most intense here. The lunch buffest also has a greater selection to acommodate more people.

The shuttle runs every 2 hours from 10 to 5 and then every hour there after until 11pm if I remember correctly. Getting from resoprt to resort was easy but if there are too many people they hire out taxis for the overflow and really pack you in. The shuttles have amazing air conditioning too! Each resort is 15 minutess away so if you want to go regency to Halycon it's 15 minutes and Regency to Grand is 30 minutes. I imagine Grand to Regency is a bit longer (35-40 minutes) because they have to stop at Halycon and that involves an extra round about. Ultimately if you don't want to wait for the shuttle it is also possible to hire a taxi but the shuttle is included and the taxi is an added expense so most people wait.

I haven't checked in here in awhile and just came back because someone sent me a PM. I would be happy to answer more specific questions based on may personal experience ibut the best way to get my attention is by PM.

 @Lindsaygooding: We paid just about 5k for flights from Boston and 9 nights at the Halycon. Since this was not our first Sandals stay we are in the Select club and got a room upgrade for free so we paid for garden/pool view but got an ocean view which was nice. We didn't feel we missedo ut on much by not having concierge service since we were at a small resort and everything was easily accessible.

@kiran08: I think they are all technically non-smoking but I vaguely remember smoke so I think you are allowed to smoke in the outdoor bar areas. I don't think any of the rooms are smoking but many have balconies so he should be fine with a balcony.