Sandals
Halcyon - St. Lucia
Hints and Tips
I read many, many reviews of the Halcyon before we went, and they were a great source of information to know what to expect. I am grateful for the people who submitted reviews as it helped me plan better, and avoid a few problems from my complete inexperience with travelling in the Caribbean.
I am noting as many "helpful hints" as I can think of in the hope that it will make someone else's vacation a little better. :) Please let me know if you need further information. You can either e-mail me or leave me a private message on the guestbook. I'll add to this page if I think of anything else.
Rooms | Electricity | Laundry | Traffic | Bugs | Frogs | Water | Arrival and Tipping | Checking In | Charging to the Room | Orientation | Side Tours | Diving and Snorkeling | Restaurant Reservations | The Grounds | Money and Vendors | Food and Drink | Shuttles | Pools | Mail | Internet Access | Airport Taxes
Rooms - We liked our room with its vaulted ceiling and ceiling fan, even if it was right by the road. There were rooms like ours in quieter areas that were much closer to the restaurants, and then the more upscale rooms with mini bars and concierge service. Be aware that NONE of the rooms are ON the beach although they are close. Nothing at the Halcyon is far. We had the farthest room in the whole place and it was still only 3-4 minutes to get to the main part of the resort. Another thing to note is that what we call the 1st floor is actually the 2nd floor. I should've realized this having lived in France when I asked to be on the 1st floor. <sigh> Needless to say, we climbed stairs alot. :) I couldn't really complain since I HAD asked for a 1st floor room. hehe But hey - we wouldn't have had our vaulted ceiling otherwise! As I recall, only the standard room class were two stories. So, the lesson for today is, if you want to be on the 1st floor, request a room on the ground floor. ;)
Electricity - As far as I could tell, the only current we had in the room was 220 with British-style plugs. You will need a converter with adapter plug. We got ours at K's Merchandise for around $35. I have a Conair curling iron and when I checked out on the site to see what the voltage was, it said that it worked with both 110 and 220, so all I had to use was the adapter. My battery charger, however, needed the converter as well. There was a special plug in the bathroom for a razor but I don't recall what the deal was with that. There are hair dryers in each room already.
Laundry - There isn't one. OK, there's valet laundry through housekeeping, but unless you want to pay an arm and a leg, just bring enough clothes for the whole time or take a taxi to a laundromat in town. The cost for washing one short-sleeved shirt was $3.75!! My t-shirts only cost $5 to begin with! Ken had enough but I was a little short on shorts, so I did some hand washing one night. I was able to hang the stuff out on the porch so it dried quickly.
Traffic - When you look at a map of the Halcyon, you'll notice a road that runs along the south side of the resort. If you are in one of these rooms, you WILL hear traffic all the time. Some people are bothered by that, but I personally didn't have a problem. It was loud in the bathroom (their bathrooms have screened windows high in the shower that cannot be closed off) but I was not bothered in the room (though I could still hear it). Some couples can't tolerate it. so it's best to know that going in and plan accordingly. If you want peace and quiet (except for those jillion frogs I mentioned) then you'd better pay for an upgrade. I was so tired at night that I always slept like a rock. The extra comfy pillows helped with that. ;)
Bugs
- Everyone who said bring bug repellent wasn't kidding. I am a mosquito
magnet, and if I forgot to wear my Off or missed a spot, I got eaten ALIVE.
We unfortunately got a couple in our room that we couldn't kill, and I
ended up with over 20 bites all over my body. :( Even hubby had some bites,
and he hardly ever gets bitten here.
My doctor told me (after the fact, unfortunately) that taking garlic pills
will keep the nasty buggers from biting. Bad breath is worth not itching
like crazy, trust me. Just have your spouse take them too so you won't
mind kissing each other. ;)
Other than mosquitoes, we saw very few bugs at all. Tons of little frogs,
but no hordes of flies or anything.
Frogs - Come nightfall, you will notice what will at first sound like an annoying video game sound effect. Nope - it's the ten jillion tiny frogs that hang around. Get used to it because they are everywhere and will continue all night long. I just can't understand how such a small frog can put out such a loud sound! We got used to it after a couple of days.
Water - I didn't drink the water from our tap just to be safe, but hubby did and he was fine. We also bought bottled water from the gift shop. It was $2 for a large bottle. I think we bought 4 or 5 over the course of the week. The water IS different which affects how coffee, pop, and tea taste so don't be surprised if your Sprite has a completely different flavor than you're used to.
Arrival
and Tipping - When you get to the airport and collect your luggage, men
in red hats will try to immediately take your luggage and put them on
their cart. Now, they aren't trying to steal it, just make some money.
The thing is, the taxi and Sandals sign-in are maybe a 30 second walk
away, so there's no need for them to haul your baggage when you can push
a cart just fine yourself. They will expect $1 a bag from you, and if
you don't pay, they will come looking for you and ask for the money.
You can politely grab your bags back and he won't cause a fuss, but if
you let the guy take them, please be courteous and tip him appropriately.
Sandals employees
may not be allowed to take tips, but there are certain people along the
way you should tip.
- Shuttle driver - The
person who takes you from the airport to the resort is contracted with
Sandals, but is not a Sandals employee. Unless you feel he has done
an awful job, he should receive a tip just like any other taxi driver.
Ours gave us commentary as we drove along and even stopped a couple
of times to let us take pictures. We gave him $5.
- Tour guides - If you take one of the side excursions and think that your tour guide has done a good job, it is polite to give them a tip. It is not expected, nor is it required, but IMO it is the right thing to do. We gave the director of our volcano tour $20. Now, that may seem like alot (and I thought so at the time when hubby handed her the money), but she was an exceptional tour guide. She was a walking encyclopedia of St. Lucia and we learned a tremendous amount about every aspect of the island and its people. On top of that, when she learned that our detour was going to make us miss our patois lessons at the resort, she gave us a mini-lesson on the van. :)
Checking in - Check-in was such a pleasant experience! We left our bags in the lobby and were ushered into Sue's Piano Bar (air-conditioned) where we were given a cool wet towel and a glass of champagne. We had to fill out two or three little forms, provide a credit card (they take Visa, MC, and Discover), and then we were given a packet of information and a bag with shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, and lotion. From there we were escorted back to the lobby where a gentleman put our bags on a cart, lead us to our room, and hauled all our stuff upstairs. He was a Sandals employee, so no tipping!
Charging to your room - Just about anything you purchase at the resort can be charged to your room, including side tours, gift shop items (except stamps), and that bottle of Dom Perignon you just had to have with your dinner at Mario's. ;) You truly do not need to carry cash around at all on the property. You can settle your account before you check out and either use the credit card they swiped when you checked in, or choose another. We didn't know they took Discover at first, so we had them swipe our MC, but they let us change to Discover.
Orientation - Do it. It's 20 minutes and you'll get some good info about the restaurants, recreation, and other facilities. You'll also get your packet of info on the side tours which is VERY IMPORTANT. If you still don't want an orientation, be sure to get a copy of the tours from the tour desk in the lobby.
Side
tours - There are several, and some only run a couple days a week, so
make sure you look at it the first night to plan your week. Otherwise
you might end up having to take the tour you want on a day the resort
has other things going on you want to do. We learned this the hard way.
Side tours are a great way to see the island, and I highly recommend you
take at least one besides the shopping trip. :)
Diving/Snorkeling - You can go diving (if certified) or snorkeling up to three times a day. If I recall, the times were 9am, 11am, and 1pm. If you're going to do it, go early in the week so that if you have as much fun as we did, you'll have time to go again. :) This was my first time snorkeling, and I was a bit nervous being out of shape and all, but it was easy. :)
Restaurant Reservations - Go to the Sandals St. Lucia websites and figure out ahead of time which restaurants you want to go to on which days. Once you check in and get your stuff stowed in your room, either go back to the lobby or call the concierge and make your reservations!! I cannot stress this enough - if you don't, you will have little chance of getting in to places like La Toc and Kimono. Mario's can only be reserved 48 hours in advance and several others don't take reservations, but for the ones that do, they fill up immediately!! If you arrive on a Saturday, you'll have lots to choose from, but on a Sunday afternoon, there is fierce competition to get the best seatings. We got in around 3pm on a Sunday and we had to take an 8:45 seating at La Toc and a 6pm at Kimono for the days we chose. They were already that booked up.
The Grounds - Read the Sandals website well and familiarize yourself with the resort map. It will make getting around easier once you get there. You'll get a map in your welcome information too in case you forget. Just don't cut across the grass. It's not forbidden, but it might as well be. The Bermuda grass that looks so even and lush hides a ground that is full of holes, little bumps, and some places it's practically a marsh underneath. Unless you like spraining your ankle, stick to the sidewalks.
Money
and Vendors- Don't bother with travellers cheques or changing your money
into EC dollars unless you go out on your own to shops not normally frequented
by tourists. None of the normal stores take travellers cheques, and you
can't cash them in for US dollars at the resort either (although they
can cash them for EC dollars).
ALL of the vendors in the Castries market and Pointe Seraphine took American
dollars. You can haggle with the vendors, but the people are so poor that
we didn't do that too much. We did ask for discounts when buying several
items from one vendor. Most would start out with one price, and before
we'd even say anything, they'd drop the price two or three bucks. :) There
were a few vendors who took credit cards, but know ahead of time that
if you are going to use one, you probably won't get the discounted prices.
It's cheaper to use cash.
The vendors in St. Lucia weren't high-pressure or overly agressive at
all. They took no for an answer, and if we were looking for something
specific, they would do all they could to accomodate our needs. We found
the people to be quite friendly and courteous.
Do not buy any souvenirs at the resort unless you don't plan on going
off-property at all. The Castries market is FAR cheaper than the gift
shop, or even the vendors that come to the resort every Thursday. You
can find most anything in Castries. There are t-shirts, hats, and tropical
clothing galore, but they also have some lovely wood carvings, shell animals,
bowls, vases - most anything you could think of. You can get three adult
t-shirts for $20, and we found sizes up to 3x. The postcards are also
much cheaper in the market than at the resort, and they are prettier too.
Another place that you should keep in mind is the mini-mall across the
road from the Halcyon. It's perhaps a 5-10 minute walk, and they have
a grocery store, bookstore, electronics, and various other little stores.
You can buy Piton beer, and banana ketchup for about 1/3 what a vendor
will charge you. Trust me - it's good! We got a Creole dictionary and
a small Creole grammar book.
Speaking of vendors, some reviews said they had a problem with people
approaching them on the beach. We never had that happen during the day
as they had a specific area set aside for them past the water sports area.
At night a couple of guys would walk up and down and try to sell us jewelry
or carved coconuts, but they were very pleasant and we never felt harassed.
Food
and drink - I thought the food was excellent, in taste and presentation.
Probably my least favorite was Kimono, not because the food was bad, but
because it was just like what we can get here in town from a Benihana
or Tachibana. We had reserved it for two nights because people raved about
it and ended up cancelling the second reservation.
La Toc is excellent! It was by far our favorite and next time I would
probably reserve it for two nights.
Josephine's is a place you can go for lunch, so don't waste a supper meal
on it. The crepes are not french style, so don't expect a jambon fromage
or tomate et fromage de chèvre because it isn't going to happen.
They are different, but still very good, and the dessert crepes are heavenly!
Dessert alone is worth the trip to the Grande.
The Pier is tasty, but next time I would probably try Toscanini's or Armando's
instead. It is wonderful to eat dinner with the ocean breeze coming in
and the sounds of the waves on the sand, though. The food was very good,
but the choices seemed more "exotic" elsewhere. I will say that
the Chilean rosé we had was the best wine of the week. I wouldn't
mind finding a few bottles of it here.
Bayside in the evenings is every bit as good as the "specialty"
restaurants, so if you don't feel like going elsewhere, you can always
get a table there. I wish we had gotten to eat there a little more, and
next time I definitely want to be there for international night.
The Beach Grill has some awesome food for a late-night snack or if you
miss lunch for whatever reason. We loved their hamburgers and chicken
sandwiches, and I definitely ate too many onion rings. They have a flank
steak that wasn't bad either. You can get all kinds of sandwiches, hot
dogs, pizza (frozen variety), salads, fries, etc. Estelle MUST have a
photographic memory. I told her my name the second day we were there,
and told her my husband's name even though he was off playing volleyball.
After he was done, he came up to the grill, and without me even saying
he was my hubby, she said, "Hi Ken." /boggle I asked her if
she knew she was famous. ;)
The dress code is listed on the Sandals website for each restaurant, and
while they aren't going to kick you out, most people adhere to it. What
they don't say on the website is that Henleys for men are also acceptable
at night along with collared shirts. I wore skirts and camp tops most
nights along with some canvas shoes. If you're skinny, just bring a few
comfy sundresses. Unless you get them dirty somehow, you can take them
off after dinner and wear them again later in the week. I brought far
too many skirts and tops.
I greatly enjoyed the variety of drinks, and I didn't think they tasted
watered down. Some drinks with juice might seem that way, but that's until
you realize that their juices aren't as potent as juices tend to be here.
They are fresh and light, so if the drink has alot of juice in it, it
may seem weaker. And of COURSE they're going to put them in plastic glasses
around the pools and beach! Do YOU want to be the one to step on broken
glass with your bare feet? I don't think so. They use glass glasses in
the restaurants and inside bars, and trust me - the drinks in Sue's Piano
bar were NOT watered. I loved being able to try different drinks. Just
bring your binoculars to read the drink boards. I realize my eyesight
is poor, but dang...that print was DINKY! I couldn't read them at all.
One non-alcoholic drink you'll have to try is a Lovely Lady, and also
its cousin, the Banana Lady. We had those often in the pools and at night
with snacks.
Shuttles - The shuttles run between the resorts once an hour. From they Halcyon they leave on the :15, and from the others they leave on the hour. It takes 15 minutes to get to either since the Halcyon sits in the middle of the three. Don't let the guys at the front desk trick you by saying the shuttles all broke down. They had one british couple amost beside themselves before they said they were just joking. We were even beginning to wonder. hehe
Pools
- The Paradise pool (or quiet pool) was where we liked to hang out, but
you do have to get there early (usually before 9) to get a good spot.
However, you can move the chairs around to another area if you want. Once
the bar opened at 10:30, there was more of a crowd, but the pool itself
was still not crowded or rowdy. Many of the "older" couples
tended to go to the Paradise pool rather than the Sunset pool where all
the activities were being held. From 6-8 (or so they told us), they clean
and treat the pools. I think you CAN swim later at night - there is just
no one there to look out for you. The hot tubs by the pool are open all
night.
Do not be even remotely concerned if your shape is far from perfect. The
ads may show only buxom, bikini-clad 20-somethings, but there were far
more of us in the "beached whale" category than little skinny
gals. hehe There were people of ALL sizes, and some of the larger women
even wore 2-piece suits. That wouldn't be my choice, but I'm guessing
they're European because it is something one sees there more often. Ken
and I are both large, but we didn't feel self-conscious at all after the
first day.
Mail
- You can buy stamps in the Sandals gift shop, but go early in the day
as they sometimes run out. Postcards cost .75 EC and they will calculate
the rate so you can pay for them in US dollars. ($1 US = about $2.70 EC,
fixed rate) Mail to the US can take a long, long time. We sent two postcards
in envelopes in hopes they would get here sooner, but it still took two
weeks. Most of my family haven't even received theirs and it has been
3 weeks now. :/ I am a bit bummed about that. I would still suggest taking
down some greeting card-sized envelopes to send them in. If you do, you
should probably put .80 EC on them. I looked up St. Lucia postal rates
and that is what first class international costs. I was shocked when the
two envelopes actually made it.
You can put your outgoing mail in a box just to the left of the front
desk.
Internet access
- It's available at the hotel gift shop, but it's not cheap, and it's
dial-up. I think it was $5/15 minutes. Not too bad I guess if you're just
sending out a couple of quick e-mails or a picture or two. My husband
made it through til the next to last day and gave in to the temptation
even though he didn't say anything til I saw it on the bill when checking
out. ;) He had hoped it would be listed somehow so I wouldn't find out.
hehe
We did see a few internet cafés from the taxis, so they are available,
but I couldn't tell you how much they cost or exactly where one was.
Airport
Taxes - We were told by everyone, including our travel agent, that we
would have to pay the $21 US per person departure tax at the airport.
We had the money ready, but when we went through immigration, they gave
us a receipt that it was paid. We never did quite figure that out except
that perhaps Apple included it in the price and we didn't realize it.
I should go look at my documents more closely.
If you do have to pay, you can also give EC dollars (around 110-115 for
2 people), but they do NOT accept travellers cheques.
