I read the "old" ( 2002) Halcyon review.. .. .. . anyone visited recently? I'm trying to decide between Ocho Rios and St. Lucia. Comments greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I hear the Sandals Grande is the best and the newest of the 3 Sandals resorts on St Lucia.

My husband and I honeymooned in sOR during 8/02 and then celebratd our first anniv in Halcyon. Let me tell u . .. .. . there's a diff of NIGHT AND DAY bw the 2 resorts. LEts start with SOR: Its a beautiful resort (definately smaller than SDR which is very close by - u can actually realistically use facilities at both) The staff was wonderful. Resort was very clean as were the rooms. We stayedat a Honeymoon Ocean front concierge room. The balcony lookd right out at the ocean. The food was great many many options - even for us - we're both vegeterians! Thepools were clean (and cleaned out numerous times during the day) The beach was a little on the small side but there was always enough room and chairs by the beach and all. the beach was clean also (it was combed morning and night) - and it had a breakwater type of thing so the waters were almost always calm. the water s crystal clear u can stand in it and see your feet. There was no debris on the beach and no outsiders pedaling their goods all over the beach. The snrkling and scuba boats used to leave right off of the beach so it was very conenient. The staff ensured that every ust that wanted to took advantage of these services. Just an example: MY husband and I were not thr greatest swimmers ,we could float around in the pool and get from one side to the other . .. .. .. . so we asked if they gave swimming lessons (they dont) but one of the guys in charge of the sports area asked us to meet him (BTW his name is PATRICK!!) in the garden pool at 8am the next day. We did. He put the float vest on us and gave us fins - got us to the point where we were comfy and told us we should head out for snorkeling on the 10 am boat (because the waters are calmest in the morn). . We did - and had a great time - been snorkeling several times since then!! The point is that they really went out of their way!!!

MOVING ON TO HALCYOn:
We really didnt enjoy it at all - The resort is VERY small. We had a similar honeymoon OFront concirge room but it as very small nd dirty. There were MANY mosquitos (If u go I rec putting on repellant bf u go to bed!) The manager explained that July/AUG is their rainy season and so the mosquitos are everyhere. OK . .. .. . The AC in our room was SO LOUd that we could hear our room 1/2 way across the resort. We complained about it and they tried to fix it but they couldn't 2 days later they replaced it.
Food options: The grill was standard fare with the usuall burgers pizza and fries. The itialian place was OK and the main restaurant ( I forgot the name) is where most of the meals are its OK nothing spectacular. The options were a little more limited so it got a little repetitious by day 7.
POOLS: VEY dirty - the main pool was the cleaner of the two. The floats all had much black mold growing on them. Th other pool is actually very pretty - if they cleaned it. No matter what time u got into that pool there were MANY dead bugs (big bugs) in it. When I complained to the manager - he told me that they did clean regularly and that bugs were just a way of life there. I tend NOT to beleive this because we did visit the ST LUCIA GRANDE and it didnt seem to be a prob there!
BEach: Bigger than SOR but much dirtier!!! There was always driftwood and seaweed and algae and all all over he bach. I did not once see an employee cleaning that are. he water is a bit rough and murky. GRANDE has a BIG CLEAN greAT beach - just go there for beach stuff ur better off!
Also - many locals trying to con u into buying braided leaves shaped into baskets.
OK this has turned into smt too long - SORRY but I hope it helped!

hey i think you're going to be much happier with dunn's river than ocho rios. it's bigger, more active, closer to the airport, and to my knowledge, kept up much nicer.

Dr p may be right. DR has a larger property (at least it looked like it) nd I think its newer than OR. It also has more eating options and larger pool areas. It's not THAT much closer to the airport. THere's approx 10-15 mins between the two resorts and there;s a sandals shuttle system bw the two. We decided to go with OR because it's a little cheaper than DR and you can always head out to DR (if that's what u want). . But I think you'll really like OR - it's a nice combo of great facilities yet intimate enough that all the people will know who u are. If u want to do Nothng u can and if u want action theres lots to do.. .. .. .
I cant wait until my next sandals vacation

Recently we stayed a full week (Sunday to Sunday) for our honeymoon in the first week of July. The resort is staffed by the friendliest, most accommodating staff I have ever seen in any hotel or resort!

Our room was clean every day, and most adequate in size and design. The poster bed was most comfortable and able to easily accommodate my tall frame. Any room located in the back of the resort will be along one of the busiest roads on the island. With the air conditioner running, the sound of traffic was muffled. During the rainy season, mosquitoes may be a problem.

The restaurants and food were above average. Mario’s was the best Italian restaurant we have ever seen at a resort, and the food was superb. The service was top notch, and they made sure to cater to your every request. The menu is comparable to the finest NYC Italian restaurant with an impressive anti pasti bar. Arrive there before 6:30 if you want a table- they do not take reservations at Mario's any longer, it is first come-first serve and people line up starting at 6:15. Bayside is purely buffet, but does offer a better than normal quality of buffet food with the grill option and carving station. It is also the only place to get breakfast at the resort. They have theme nights throughout the week, and I would highly suggest "International Night". . The Pier is comparable to a high class seafood restaurant anywhere, but the atmosphere is nicer. Formal Tea is also served during the week for the courtesy of the British guests. Gentlemen be sure to bring at least one pair of comfortable pants, collared shirt, and close toed shoes or sandals, and ladies be sure to bring at least one comfortable but somewhat formal dress, as some restaurants have dress codes- most do not.

The beach is small, but quaint. There is never a crowding issue, and you always have a clear view of the water, though the water itself tends to be a bit silty. Bring water shoes if you are uncomfortable by rougher sand and seaweed. The strolling beach "locals" peddling their necklaces, palm woven baskets, and cigars were a bit pestersome, but a firm and polite "no thank you" usually got the message across if you weren't interested.

There is no off shore snorkeling, so you must take the boat excursion. There are 3 different places they go to, depending on time of day and weather. We thought the quality was average, but a good time none the less. The water sports offered are similar to other Sandals resorts. There is also an activity pool where they "playmakers" keep activities going all day and night.

I've been reading all the comments on SDR and I am very excited about our trip.. ..we leave in 8 days! Does anyone know if there is a photographer on staff, like there are on cruises? I want to make sure I have some photos to remember the trip by and my digital doesn't always cooperate with me : )

yep there is. but you have to buy the photos at a ridiculous price. we, of course, did get one, but they're expensive.

I've spent all morning reading everyone's opinions about SDR (while I should be working!), and everone sure does have different opinions. Maybe you could help me with one more thing.. ..we booked our trip on Expedia. Do you think we could get a room upgrade even if we didn't go through a TA? I hope so! Although I have frequented the Four Seasons in Maui, I most definitely am keeping an open mind! Do people swim off the shore like in Hawaii? I'm getting the feeling the answer is no. Are the beaches and water as beautiful as the appear in photos? I'm a huge water lover and planned on spending lots of time in the ocean.

uh, honestly we were a little disappointed in the water itself just off the shore. it's gorgeous, just like the pics, in Montego Bay. the road you'll take to SDR from the airport will go right along the coast and you can see it's beautiful blue right up to the sand. in Ochi, it's a little more brown right along the coast.. ..i guess because of all the cruise ships that port just about a mile down the beach. just a guess. didn't matter to us cuz we're both more sand people than water people. the sand is ah-mazing. love it. one of the main, main reasons i wanna go back. just like the brochure says.. ..white sand, beautiful, just dusts right off when you get up. gosh, i love it. but the water is beautiful just like 20 feet off the shore. maybe, too, it was just kinda sandy there in front fo the resort cuz that's where everybody was swimmin and they were draggin it in with them and kickin it up from underneath. i don't know. hey, don't worry about it. you're going to have an amazing time there. i wish we could go back, but we really want to try some others too. but SDR was great. irie mon!

we went snorkeling ya know about 200 yards out and it was crystal blue out there. just like it sounds like you want it.

We stayed at both the Grande and golf and spa in St. Lucia. they were both great we took a ride to see Halcy and will never stay there it was dirty small and just plain yucky.. .. . the Grande Is great nice water nice staff clean all over and you can still go to halcy or golf and see it I highly recommned the Grande.. .. .. .. .

on a side note the golf and spa is great but if you get a cliff side suite and want to go to main lobby be prepared for some LONG walks up and down the hill.. . they do have a shuttle that will take you. but other wise long walks we loved it there also was nice to play golf 4 days a week and they unload and keep clubs right at the golf course for you bring your own shoes they are required and if not you must rent smelly used ones.. .. .. .

if you golf ther say hit to a few caddies they might still have our Packers Caps we gave them. cornelius was a great caddie ther as was jason tell them the guys from WIS Elliotts and Hendricks say hi they carried our bags and a cooler of beer for us. HEHEHE we got them drunk and was it funny LOL a great time by all