Sandals Halcyon Beach

Beautiful resort All rooms gorgeous, clean and sumptuously comfortable. Stunning landscaped gardens. A lush tropical paradise We have been staying here yearly since 2006 and have never been disappointed. The food and entertainment plentiful and first class. The staff are beyond exceptional; with heartfelt friendliness and professionalism. A big shout out to some of our favourites and apologies for those missed Bar staff Adonige, Rita, Jimmy, Jonathan Vince, Chris, Daniel, Daween, Jamal, Ryan, Jaque, Josie Bayside Nathalie Amanda Berthlina Sevrina/Erica Veronica Francis Nayak Mario’s Selina April Darnel Gardeners Edward Charlemagne Entertainment Captain Neil Sassy Sam Dylan aka Spiral Leshaun the Dawn Both DJ’s Maids Brendalynn Butlers Gina G Willard Photoshop Estelle Adhoc Ava Venicia Ruth Leary (porter) We feel we are with family when we return to this beautiful resort. Please do not hesitate to visit this little piece of heaven. We will certainly be back, already booked.

First time visiting St Lucia and our first experience at a Sandals resort and we were not disappointed! Here’s a more detailed review of our stay: Arrival/Transfer - I would make sure you fill in the online immigration forms prior to arrival as it really does speed up getting through to baggage claim. Once we were through, you have lots of airport staff waiting and if you mention you are staying at Sandals they will walk you straight through to the Sandals arrival lounge. The lounge is great to grab some refreshments and use facilities before your transfer. We booked a private transfer and I thoroughly recommend doing that. The journey does involve going through some windy roads so the more comfort, the better! It will take over an hour so grab some water too. Resort - as many other reviews have said, the grounds are kept in immaculate condition. The vibe is very much laid back and more intimate compared to the Grande. This was perfect for us as we aren’t into the party scene so Halcyon was exactly what we were after. For the pools, we spent all of our time at the quiet pool as it was closest to our room (Club level swim walkout). Again, this was what we were after as we didn’t like the music around the main pool and just made sense due to the proximity to our room. I did notice on the first day that most of the sun loungers with an umbrella were almost gone at 6.45am. Whilst this was annoying, it just meant getting up early to grab the spot we wanted and then going back to bed. Not ideal but needs must! Our room was absolutely fine, bed was nice and comfy, had a minor issue with our aircon unit tripping out a few times but maintenance was quick to resolve the issue. Restaurants - I’ve got to say, we were really impressed with the quality of the food. I struggle to understand some of the negative comments on the food as that was not our experience (or that of other guests we spoke to). I’d have an idea of which restaurants you want to visit before you go and either visiting the culinary desk or going to the concierge lounge. We were able to get reservations at all the restaurants we wanted to visit at both Halcyon and the Grande. Bayside and Kelly’s are the spots for breakfast with Bayside the buffet and Kelly’s offering a sit down option (with the views an added bonus). Service at Kelly’s was a little slow one morning but it’s not like we had anywhere to be! At Halcyon, I’d say Soy was our favourite as we love sushi and it was of a really good standard. We visited Kimono’s twice, which was excellent. Kelly’s was also great, the crab cake is an absolute must! We enjoyed Mario’s but I know some other guests had a mixed experience there. We visited the Grande for Bombay and Gordon’s and I’d really recommend making a reservation for at least one of those, if you can. Superb food at both places and it was great to spend the night away at the Grande. I would say, allow plenty of time when getting your shuttle as the traffic is really bad getting there (45 mins) but only 15-20 mins back. For our first visit to a Sandals resort we really loved the whole experience and would definitely not hesitate to book another resort but we can see why so many people go back to the Halcyon. It’s intimate, has character and is the perfect place for a relaxing stay.

Everyone we encountered at the resort was so friendly and accommodating. A few people that deserve a shout out are, Ryan at the swim up bar, he was absolutely the best. Dyllan in entertainment, hands down the kindest and funnest soul. Laura was our housekeeper and she was so kind and always made sure we had whatever we needed. Madonna was another house keeper, not ours, but I saw her everyday and she was always so warm and friendly and I looked forward to seeing her smile everyday.

Our first visit to this resort was in 2022 and we couldn't wait to get back. Our second visit was even better than our first. Our rooms have been beautiful and comfortable on both visits. The restaurants are awesome! Sushi at Soy is out of this world and the crab cakes at Kelley's are 10/10. We split our time between the main pool, paradise pool and the beach, allowing for an ideal mix of social time and relaxing couples time. A few of the staff stood out for being particularly attentive: bartenders Ryan and Vince, Dolores from the beach bistro, and Diane. They are all rock stars! I interacted with the GM on our last day and was impressed with her interest and support. We love it there so much that we booked another trip for next year!

This was our first Sandals holiday and possibly our last. After a very shaky start with our accommodation, we were finally moved to a very nice room after a conversation with Sharon, the general manager. Our first room was perfectly located, but very dirty. Dust on all surfaces, dirty rug & toilet paper on bathroom floor! 2nd room, shower that was constantly on hot - so hot you could not stand under it without risk of scolding yourself. Sharon went above and beyond to accommodate us and turned our holiday around. She is a very approachable person, responsive and ensures her guests get the best experience. Our 3rd room was fantastic, thanks to Sharon. Overall, all staff are super friendly and attentive, but a big shout out goes to Destiny who we met on day 1 for our resort tour, she is a young lady with a great personality and fantastic interactions with guests. She would always speak to us when around the resort and came to find us on our last day to say goodbye. She is a credit to Halcyon. Other special mentions go to Berthalina in Bayside who always met us with a smile & looked after us, running after my partner when he left his sunglasses on the table! Michaelina who kept us hydrated with drinks at the beach & the pool, we never had to wait too long! Patrick always greeted us with a smile & a wave. Big Keith at the water sports who tried to teach us to water ski & sail the hobi cat, the strong, silent type! Bayside breakfast & lunch was disappointing, never hot, poor selection at lunch and birds constantly flying in and out of the restaurant, feasting off the tables! This must be unhygienic. Kelly’s was nice, albeit service very slow. Teppanyaki was really nice, we visited twice, great food, brilliantly presented. We didn’t eat at the Italian as the menu was limited and the restaurant looked very uninviting, however we did eat at the Italians at both le Toc and the Grande and these were stunning. The best restaurant of the three resorts was Gordon’s at the Grande, but you do need to book in advance. We utilised the inter resort shuttle quite a few times as we liked to explore the other resorts. We managed to get beds on the beach, however the butlers always reserved the beds under the parasols and tables very early each day, not leaving much for guests without butlers. All beds were very old and uncomfortable and are not conducive to a 5 star hotel, they desperately need replacing. Never failed to get a bed by the pool, what ever time of day. We preferred the quiet pool, lots going on at the main pool and quite noisy. We were fortunate to be at Halcyon for NYE and what a party that was. Credit to all staff, entertainment was amazing, such a great night. Entertainment on other nights was a bit flat, nothing much happening after 10pm. Overall, staff, amenities, grounds were great, but 5 star? I don’t think so.