We spent ten nights at Sandals Halcyon Beach in St Lucia in June 2022. It’s the smaller, gentler of the island’s three Sandals resorts, and here’s our honest review, including the things we’d want a friend to know before booking.
Can we manage this?
Booking. We booked through British Airways Holidays, and flew using our BA companion vouchers.
The flight. We flew British Airways business class from Gatwick. It’s about 9 hours direct to Hewanorra, the island’s main airport in the south.
The transfer. About 1½ hours from Hewanorra by private transfer. The roads could do with some investment, and there were a lot of potholes. Our driver stopped halfway so we could take a photo overlooking the bays.
Walking. Flat, with absolutely pristine grounds and lovely walkways. Our room was on the ground floor.
Who’s there. Couples only, adults only.
Our room
We stayed in a Crystal Lagoon Walkout Swim-up Club Level room, on the ground floor. It had recently been renovated, it was nicely decorated, and it was definitely worth the money we paid.
Opposite our room was a smaller pool with a little swim-up bar, and it never got too busy. It wasn’t too hard to get a sunbed in the mornings, either.
The room was quiet. As Club Level guests we used the concierge to book our restaurants, and we used the club lounge now and then. We didn’t pay for any extras at the resort.
The resort and the beach
There are three Sandals resorts on St Lucia, and we chose Halcyon because it’s the smaller, quieter one. Most of the other guests were couples our age, and the evenings were fairly quiet, with entertainment by the main buffet restaurant.
Halcyon sits on a 300-metre beach on Choc Bay, north of Castries. It has three pools and six restaurants, including Kelly’s Dockside, out on a jetty over the sea. Your stay also lets you eat at the two other Sandals resorts nearby, and green fees at the Sandals golf course at Cap Estate are included.
We didn’t go on the beach, which isn’t like us. The sea was a bit rough at that time of year, and we could always get a sunbed by the pool.
The gardens
The gardens were kept so well. With the flat, lovely walkways, they were a pleasure to walk around.
Eating
There were a number of lovely restaurants. Our favourite was Kelly’s Dockside, for dinner and for breakfast, and lunch at the Beach Bistro was enjoyable too.
You do need to book the restaurants, and to dress up for dinner. We only went to Soy once, and once was enough for us.
We didn’t play golf or eat at the other two Sandals resorts, although we did visit Sandals Grande St Lucian, as it was near where we had lunch one day.
The weather
The weather was nice, although we did have a couple of evenings when it poured down. June is the start of the rainy season in St Lucia, so it’s worth packing for the odd downpour.
Getting out
We took two tours. The first was a speedboat trip that took us round a number of bays and on to the Pitons, St Lucia’s two volcanic peaks, which rise straight out of the sea.
Another day we had lunch at Jambe de Bois on Pigeon Island, a national park just up the coast. It came recommended by someone we know who comes from St Lucia, which is always the best kind of tip.
The second was a day out by road in a minibus, visiting a number of sites. Our driver and guide, Norman, introduced himself as “Stormin’ Norman”, and he was absolutely fantastic and so knowledgeable. He stopped at local vendors so we could try the fruit, including some small local bananas, and we tried the local cakes and biscuits too.
We booked both tours through Sandals.
Who it suits
Yes: couples who’d rather have a smaller hotel and gardens than a big pool scene.
Be aware: the transfer from Hewanorra takes about 1½ hours on bumpy roads, and in June the sea can be rough and the evenings can bring heavy rain.
Would we go back? If we went back to St Lucia, we’d like to try one of the other Sandals resorts, just so we could compare.
Antigua or St Lucia? If a friend asked which of our two Sandals stays to book for a first all-inclusive, we’d say St Lucia, because it wasn’t as busy as Antigua. Here’s our review of Sandals Grande Antigua.
Stay dates June 2022. Details are from our own stay and may have changed since.
