Comparing Sandals Halcyon Beach, Sandals Grenada, and Sandals Grande Antigua

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Sandals is known for their all-inclusive adult-only resorts in the Caribbean. With currently 17 locations, how do you pick the best Sandals location for your trip?! My husband and I have visited 6 of the 17 Sandals resorts, and in this post I’m comparing Sandals Halcyon Beach (Saint Lucia), Sandals Grenada, and Sandals Grande Antigua.

Sandals Resorts

If you aren’t familiar with the Sandals brand, they have resorts all over the Caribbean – Saint Vincent (their newest property), Curacao, Barbados (2), Saint Lucia (3), Grenada, Bahamas, Antigua, and Jamaica (7). Mine & my husband’s first Sandals experience was on our honeymoon in 2007. We visited Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau.

The exceptional service, beautiful beach locations, and truly all-inclusive experience keeps us coming back to Sandals for anniversary trips. Another major draw for us is that Sandals resorts are adults-only. We go on kid-free trips a few times every year, and going to an adults-only resort is a huge perk for us! If you’re wanting to include the kids, Sandals has kid-friendly resorts called Beaches. Beaches resorts are located in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos, with another location opening soon in Exuma.

We’ve stayed at many different all-inclusive brands all over the world and know the term “all-inclusive” can mean different things at different resorts. With Sandals resorts, “all-inclusive” means:

• All meals, including snacks and room mini-bar snacks
• All drinks, including premium spirits, house wine, and room mini-bar drinks
• Entertainment around the resort
• SCUBA (not all Sandals properties offer SCUBA)
• Water sports
• Golf green fees (not all Sandals properties have a golf course)
• Sports and other activities
• Fitness classes
• Wifi
• Airport transfers
• Tips, taxes, and gratuities

Here is a chart comparing Sandals Halcyon Beach (Saint Lucia), Sandals Grenada, and Sandals Grande Antigua:

Resort	Distance to Airport	Restaurants	Rooms	Room Categories	Room Cost per person/per night
Sandals Halcyon Beach	75 minutes	6 *27 with stay & play	169	13	$266-$703
Sandals Grenada	5 minutes	10	257	22	$317 – $846
Sandals Grande Antigua	20 minutes	11	373	21	$306 – $923

Sandals Halcyon Beach, Saint Lucia

Sandals Halcyon Beach is located in Castries, Saint Lucia. There are three Saint Lucia Sandals locations, and the Halcyon Beach property is known as the quieter, more intimate of the three. The resort has guests that are more “mature age” than the other two resorts, but would also suit honeymooners (or those on an anniversary trip) looking for a quiet, laid-back beach destination.

The property is set in a lush tropical oasis, with lots of Caribbean charm.

At the time of posting, rooms range from $266 per person/per night to $703 per person/per night. There are 13 different room categories from which to choose, including rooms with balcony soaking tubs, walkout beachfront rooms with tubs or private pools, swim-up suites, and Rondovals. Rondovals are a Sandals term that is a combination of the words “round” and “oval”. These are oval shaped bungalows or villas that have their own private pool. Some rooms/suites are more modern and some have more of an older Caribbean feel. Make sure to look at photos before choosing your room type, so you know what you’re getting.

Our room category was the 1BP Beachfront Honeymoon Butler Room with Private Pool Sanctuary. We highly recommend this room category, if your budget allows. If you’re looking for a room that is steps from the beach with your own private plunge pool and ocean views, this is the one for you.

This Sandals trip was our first experience with a Butler room category. While we don’t feel a butler room category is necessary every time we visit Sandals, we very much enjoy the added benefits. If you’re celebrating your honeymoon or a big anniversary and have the extra funds, I would say go for a butler room at a Sandals property!

So what are the benefits of a butler room category, you ask? Your butler can unpack for you, make your dinner reservations, reserve lounge chairs on the beach or by the pool for you, reserve off-property activities, and bring you drinks & snacks on the beach. Another perk is you’ll get your own cell phone that you use to contact your butler with anything you need! Please note: If you don’t have a butler category room, make sure to book your dinner reservations for each night upon arrival at any/all of the Sandals resorts.

A few more things you might like about this resort:

• Golf green fees are included at the Cap Estate Golf & Country Club. It is a 25 minute ride away, and transportation is included. Golf cart rentals are mandatory and $50 for up to 2 people.
• Kelly’s Dockside overwater restaurant
• Stay at 1 and play at 3. Sandals offers roundtrip shuttles everyday from any Saint Lucia property to the other two properties. This gives you the ability to explore all three locations, enjoy the amenities, and gives you a total of 27 restaurants to choose from! When we were in Saint Lucia, we spent a half day at Sandals Grande St. Lucian and went for dinner one night at Sandals Regency La Toc.
• SCUBA is included for those certified, or you can get PADI certified at the resort!
• 3 pools
• Kayaks, waterskiing, tubing, snorkeling, Hobie Cats, paddle boarding, kneeboarding, and wakeboarding
• Table tennis, shuffleboard, beach volleyball, board games, pool tables, lawn chess, croquet, tennis, and pickleball
• It’s one of the best priced Sandals resorts

Things we didn’t love about this resort:

• The mosquitos love me and found me here. Bring insect repellent if bugs like you.
• It was a long ride from the airport on a winding and hilly road. The trip took about an hour and 15 minutes.
• We stayed in a walkout room on the beach so didn’t have an issue with this, but if you book a room towards the back of the property, you might hear some street noise. Also, there are no elevators. If this is an issue, book a walkout room.

Since we didn’t stay at the Grande or La Toc, I don’t feel I could give a full review on either. Here are a few notes from the time we spent at both resorts:

Sandals Grande St. Lucian

The crowd here was livelier and younger. If you’re looking for a party crowd, this is your resort. They do have a quiet pool, so you are able to still have quiet time. The Grande has 311 rooms and 19 room categories with Rondovals and overwater bungalows (which I would love to stay in one day!). The Grande has 5 pools, an overwater wedding chapel, and an overwater restaurant. It is the closest Saint Lucia Sandals to the golf course; only a 5 minute ride. They offer SCUBA, snorkeling, waterskiing, and wakeboarding. This location is the furthest Sandals Saint Lucian resort from the airport and the highest priced Sandals St Lucian resort.

Sandals Regency La Toc

La Toc is known for their drastic elevation difference from the rooms on the beach to those up in the bluffs. Although the bluffs offer stunning millionaire suites that offer 180 degree views with a private infinity pool and whirlpool, we didn’t want the steep climbs. There are golf carts available for staff to shuttle you, but we didn’t want the hassle of waiting around. That’s why I loved our beachfront walkout room at Halcyon! If we wanted our toes in the sand, it took all of 30 seconds. La Toc has 323 rooms with 22 room categories. One of the room categories that is unique, besides the millionaire suites, is the two-story villas with a private pool. They have the longest stretch of beach between 3 Saint Lucian resorts, 3 pools, golf, SCUBA, snorkeling, and tennis.

Sandals Grenada

Sandals Grenada is located in St George’s, Grenada on Pink Gin Beach. This resort is relaxation meets adventure. You’re only a 5 minute ride from the airport, so you can get your vacation started sooner! There are private spots around the resort to cuddle up with your spouse – from hammocks in the gardens to a sunken seating area in the middle of the swimming pool.

At the time of posting, rooms range from $317 per person/per night to $846 per person/per night. There are 22 different room categories from which to choose, including many rooms with balcony soaking tubs, walkout beachfront rooms with tubs or private pools, swim-up suites, villas with an infinity edge pool, and Rondovals. Some rooms are more modern and some have more of an older Caribbean feel. Make sure to look at photos before choosing your room type, so you know what you’re getting.

Our room category was the WB – Pink Gin Beachfront Walkout Club Level Room with Patio Tranquility Soaking Tub. I loved the location of our room, #1107. We were close to the beach, with beautiful ocean views from our front porch. We were close to the sand volleyball courts and large pool, but not too far from the restaurants. My favorite feature of our room was the soaking tub on the front porch. I took several baths here during our stay! There is a privacy curtain, but if you want a little more privacy, make sure to book a beachfront walkout room further down the beach (to the East). There is less foot traffic to the East side of the property.

A few more things you might like about this resort:

• 5 pools
• Kayaks, windsurfing, snorkeling, Hobie Cats, paddle boarding
• SCUBA
• Table tennis , shuffleboards, tennis, bocce ball, beach volleyball, board games , pool tables

Things we didn’t love about this resort:

• While it didn’t bother us because our room was on the beach, the rooms closer to the airport side will notice air traffic noise

Sandals Grande Antigua

Sandals Grande Antigua is located in St John’s on Dickenson Bay Beach. The resort is divided into the Caribbean Beachfront Village and the Mediterranean Oceanview Village. The warmth from the staff made this resort memorable! And with 365 beaches in Antigua, you won’t run out of beaches to explore!

At the time of posting, rooms range from $306 per person/per night to $923 per person/per night. There are 21 different room categories from which to choose, including poolside walkout rooms, beachfront suites, and Rondovals. All of the rooms at this resort have more of an older Caribbean feel. Make sure to look at photos before choosing your room type, so you know what you’re getting. If you want more of a modern room type, check out other Sandals properties.

Our room category was the GO–Mediterranean Oceanview Club Level Suite. While it was perfectly adequate, we would choose a different room category if we returned to this resort. The Rondovals look amazing, but aren’t for us because they don’t have ocean views. We would most likely book the Caribbean Honeymoon Beachfront Butler Suite. Stay in the Caribbean Beachfront Village for a quieter stay.

A few more things you might like about this resort:

• Dickenson Bay is one of the most picturesque spots in Antigua and has one of the longest stretches of white sand on the island
• 6 pools
• SCUBA
• Canoes/kayaks, snorkeling, Hobie Cats, scuba diving, paddle boarding, and windsurfing
• Table tennis, pool tables, beach volleyball, board games, croquet, bocce ball, tennis, and pickleball
• The fire pits around the property. Each night after dinner we would find a new fire pit or hammock spot to relax and listen to the ocean.

Things we didn’t love about this resort:

• Our room was set back from the beach and on a high floor. While we loved the peaceful ocean views this offered, it was about a 3-5 minute walk to the beach, depending on how long it took to catch the elevator. We would love to be closer to the beach and restaurants next time.
• We didn’t love the local foot traffic from vendors selling items on the beach
• There is no dock, so you’ll need to wade out in the water if you’re going on the snorkeling adventure

If you’re looking for activities to do in Antigua, check out this post on how we explored the island: Antigua by Air, Land, and Sea.

What to Wear for a Sandals Vacation

You will need a mix of “Resort Casual” and “Resort Evening” wear.

For dining during the day, swimsuits must be covered and shoes worn.

In the evening, men will need dress pants, nice shorts, or jeans and a polo or button-up dress shirt. A collar is not required, but t-shirts are not allowed in the evening. For women, a dress, two-piece outfit, or dressy pants and blouse is okay. For footwear, dress shoes or sandals are okay. No flip-flops, slippers, or tennis shoes. No hats or caps.

You can find some of my favorite items to bring on a beach vacation here, including my favorite beach hat that is perfect for traveling!

Here is a link to my favorite beach reads.