One of our favorite Sandals resorts, Sandals Grande St. Lucian has a lot to offer. It’s located on the incredible island of St. Lucia, which has been called Little Hawaii for its natural beauty; it’s set on a peninsula along a beautiful beach with calm, clear water that’s perfect for watersports; it has romantic overwater bungalows and beachfront Rondoval suites; you can golf here; and you also get access to two other Sandals resorts on the island.
In this Sandals Grande St. Lucian review, we’ll tell you why we love it and what the drawbacks are (spoiler: there aren’t many).
Getting to Sandals Grande St. Lucian
This is perhaps the only negative we can find about this resort—it’s 90 minutes from the airport. The roads are good but winding. We booked alternative transportation because we tend to get motion sickness, and we really enjoyed the ferry ride to the resort and the helicopter back to the airport. Both are great ways to see the island.
However, most people find the complimentary transportation from Sandals to be fine.
Rooms and Suites at Sandals Grande St. Lucian
The most famous suites here are the overwater bungalows, so we’ll give them their own section.
Overwater Bungalows at Sandals Grande St. Lucian
These romantic suites are set over the Caribbean and give you direct access to the water from extended sun decks. Outside you’ll also find loungers, a bistro set, a hammock over the water, and a shower. Inside is a plush king bed and a cool glass insert in the floor which allows you to watch the fish.
These come with VIP arrival in a private luxury vehicle, 24-hour inroom dining, and personal butler service.
Other Rooms and Suites
The other top luxurious suites here are the beachfront Rondoval suites, which are unique circular suites. These are just steps from the sand and feature a private patio with a plunge pool, a whirlpool, a hammock, and an outdoor shower. Inside are vaulted ceilings, a 4-poster king bed, and a seating area. They come with 24-hour inroom dining and personal butler service.
There are also Rondoval suites that aren’t by the beach but have private pool sanctuaries, swim-up suites, and two-story oceanfront penthouse butler suites.
We stayed in a Caribbean Beachfront One Bedroom Butler Suite with Tranquility Soaking Tub and found it quite spacious, with a gorgeous view.
Other options include deluxe, premium, luxury, and club level rooms and suites that are gardenview, walkout, oceanview, and penthouse. All have private patios or balconies, and many have outdoor oversized soaking tubs.
Sandals Grande St. Lucian Restaurants and Bars
With 12 restaurants here and 16 more at the other two St. Lucia Sandals resorts, you’ll have a huge variety to choose from. At Sandals Grande St. Lucian, cuisines include Caribbean, international, Asian, Italian, Indian, sushi, steaks, seafood, English pub fare, and French pastries and crepes.
Our favorite meals were sushi, steaks, seafood, Indian, brick oven pizza, Caribbean jerk, and the Japanese teppanyaki.
Here are all the restaurants at Sandals Grande St. Lucian:
- Bayside: international, buffet breakfast and lunch and a la carte dinner
- Toscanini’s: a la carte breakfast and Italian for dinner
- Josephine’s: crepes and pastries, specialty coffee
- Barefoot by the Sea: seafood for dinner
- Olde London Pub: British pub fare for dinner and late night
- Gordon’s on the Pier: steaks and seafood for dinner; requires reservations
- Dino’s: brick oven pizza for lunch and early dinner
- The Jerk Shack: Caribbean jerk for lunch
- The Mariner: seafood and grilled specialties for lunch
- Bombay Club: Indian for dinner; requires reservations
- Kimono’s: Japanese teppanyaki for dinner; requires reservations
- Soy: sushi for dinner
There are 7 bars at Sandals Grande St. Lucian including swim-up bars, a piano bar, a beach bar, and a British pub, plus more at the other two resorts.
Activities and Amenities at Sandals Grande St. Lucian
The beach here is excellent, with a mile of soft white sand along clear blue water that is the calmest on the island so you can swim, snorkel and paddleboard right there. It also has wonderful views of the mountains, and there are plenty of lounge chairs.
You can do all sorts of complimentary nonmotorized and motorized watersports, including scuba diving, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, waterskiing, wakeboarding, and Hobie Cat sailing. Snorkeling trips leave right from the pier. Scuba here is great, as it includes diving around the base of the Piton mountains.
Land activities include day and night tennis, beach volleyball, and more. Golf is also included with complimentary green fees at and transportation to the Greg Norman-designed championship golf course.
There are 5 pools, 3 whirlpools, and a full fitness center.
Daily and nightly entertainment includes music and activities by the pool, live shows, theme nights, beach parties with local bands, and talent nights.
You also have access to everything at Sandals Halcyon Beach and Sandals Regency La Toc, with free transportation to and from the resorts included.
Excursions offsite are not included, but we highly recommend them. We loved going to see the Pitons and bathing in the volcanic mud pits.
There is also a Red Lane Spa onsite which offers a range of spa services for an extra cost.
Sandals Grande St. Lucian Tips
- Come here on longer trips so you have plenty of time to explore all three resorts and the island
- Book at least one excursion
- Consider arriving/departing on the ferry or helicopter if you get motion sick, or bring medicine for the car ride
- Consider this resort for a destination wedding—it has an amazing overwater chapel for ceremonies with 360-degree ocean views
- Make any restaurant reservations as soon as you arrive so you’re sure to get what you want
How far is Sandals Grande St. Lucian from the airport?
Sandals Grande St. Lucian is 90 minutes from the airport via a complimentary transfer.
Is Sandals Grande St. Lucia adults only?
Yes, like all Sandals resorts, Sandals Grande St. Lucian is for adults only. Only guests who are 18 and older may stay here.