Sandals Halcyon Beach

It's been several weeks since we arrived home from our first all inclusive experience, and to be brutally honest, the experience at Sandals Halcyon Resort left such a poor taste in our mouths. What was supposed to be a 9 day trip turned into a 7 day trip because we left 2 days early and went home...and we never have left early on vacation!!! We arrived late to the resort and were greeted and taken to our room by a very nice bellman who throughout the stay when he saw us always greeted us with a smile and a friendly hello. Once we settled in to our room, we headed to the Beach Bistro, as it was the only thing open for a late night bite to eat (it was around 9pm). When we got there, the lights were on in the outdoor dining area and the hostess was standing there by the bar area. She proceeded to turn off the lights and walked away without acknowledging us or providing any direction as to how to order food. There was no signage in regards to the dining area. If it had not been for the other guest who was sitting at the bar where the chef was, we would have had no clue that you were to order with the chef. A small blip for the first day, but we let it go. The second day at lunch time, we went back to the Bistro Bar for a burger, and proceeded to go up to the bar to order from the chef (as that is what we had done the night before), and the hostess sternly yelled at us that were not supposed to order from there and that we had to order from her!! We said we did not know this as once again there was no signage as to where to order. On the second night, the air conditioning in our room stopped working, and after several calls down to the front desk and maintenance coming back and forth to flip breakers and the maintenance worker being downright accusatory that we had things plugged in that we were not supposed to that was causing the AC breaker to flip, he finally believed us after sitting in our room for 10 minutes that there was something wrong. After 45 minutes, we were temporarily moved to another room for the night while they worked on the room. The following day, after maintenance was in the room working on the AC, it was still not working, and we were told that they were going to have to move us to another room all together. In regards to the overall service and staff, it felt like no one wanted to be there and that we were an inconvenience. You got more hellos and smiles from the groundskeepers and bellman's then the front house staff (i.e. bar staff, servers etc.). For the money and time that we spent to come on this trip to experience a "luxury resort" like Sandals that apparently holds themselves to a high standard, was mediocre at best. When we decided to cut our vacation short and go home, I went to the front desk to let them know that we would be checking out and they immediately wanted me to speak to a general manager to explain what happened, to which I did. The GM said that she was going to take our concerns to her meeting that she was heading to and would meet us at dinner later that evening (between 5:30-6:00pm). At 6:30pm, a totally different manager showed up and said that she had spoken to her colleague and said that she understood that there was an issue and asked what the problems were?!? When we asked if she had been filled in, she explained that she had not, to which we replied, don't bother. In our opinion, if your not even willing to take customers concerns and displeasure of the resort and not show up yourself, but then send someone else on your behalf and not fill them in on the issue, then don't bother talking to us. The next day, I spoke to yet another GM who offered us a private car to take us to the airport on the departure day. She wanted to meet with us on departure day to go over somethings before we left. On the day we left, she sat with us and offered us a 3-day credit to any Sandals Resort. We kindly declined, as we had already decided that we would not be coming back to another Sandals Resort. She then went away and came back with an offer saying that because we had a poor experience and were leaving 2 days early, they would give us a 2-day refund for the days were were leaving. She then proceeded to provide paperwork regarding the refund. When looking over the paperwork, there was a non-disclosure agreement within the paperwork. It felt like a slap in the face and a total disappointment that we were given this paperwork thinking that possibly out of good faith they were doing the right thing and restoring a bit of customer loyalty. However, once again because of this, we politely declined, saying that we would like to be able to provide a review. It was also not about money at this point, because the money was already long gone. She understood and we packed up to leave for the airport. She did explain that she would be sending our information to a specific customer service agent to have them reach out to me directly in regards to this situation. I did get a follow-up email from the GM with her letting me know that she did pass on my email, but to no surprise, I have never heard from the customer service agent that she said would contact me. Overall, even though we tried to make the best of it for the time we were there, our experience at Sandals Halcyon would not be one that I would ever choose again, as the lack of customer service, mediocre food and food choices, the lackluster atmosphere and activities and just overall a vacation experience that ended up being disappointing and sad.

Lovely Christmas stay at the Halcyon - staff were great, excellent food & a beautiful location. First time at a Sandals resort & was very impressed

Sandals HALCYON was an absolutely gorgeous resort. The staff is very welcoming and friendly. They go out of their way to make you happy. The grounds and landscaping is stunning. You are in a lush tropical rainforest with super lush surroundings. It is quiet, laid back and romantic. Ryan at the pool bar was incredible. Always knew what drink you wanted and served it with a big smile. Mckayla serves drinks on the beach and she is so nice. Very kind staff. St Lucia is a beautiful Island! My husband and I can't wait to visit Sandals again. Top notch service! Food was outstanding!

Enjoyed a week here before moving onto Barbados. The grounds are very well maintained with many beautiful flowers, plants and birds. Beach is clean with a good selection of water sports. Drink choice and brands were excellent, cocktails were delicious. No issue getting a sunbed despite the usual selfish guests reserving some. First experience with Sandals and some disappointment given it’s positive reputation. Our room was big but tired, lacked a modern touch. Would’ve liked to use the bath but it looked old and uninviting. Air con system was good. Housekeeping was good but doors left open allowed mosquitos to enter. Food was good but waiting times were too long, staff work very hard but there clearly isn’t enough of them to cover demand. Loved the pizza van idea for takeaway or eat in a outdoor peaceful spot. Lots of evening entertainment for those who want it, fire pits dotted about for those wanting a quieter evening. Superb hot tub with a lovely sea view which we loved daily. Loved St Lucia and had a lovely time, not sure if it needs to be a Sandals resort in the future ?? The grounds made it for us, humming birds and immaculate care of plants.

This resort was a dream ! The resort staff is so welcoming. We loved Sassy Sam& Le Shaun the Don as our poolside entertainment hosts!