Beer Sandals
St. Lucia Review
Recently my husband and I visited the tropical island of St. Lucia. Santa Lucia is a small eastern Caribbean island is or about 238 square miles in size. It is a democratic country that gained independence from Britain in 1979. The population is just over 166,000. The capital is the city of Castries. It is mostly a mountainous country, being of volcanic origin. English is the official language, with the national currency is the dollar in Europe Oriental. The U.S. dollar, however, was readily accepted wherever they traveled. This particular destination was chosen for its tropical location, and the opportunity follow our favorite hobby, scuba diving.
We arrived at the airport in St. Lucia in the early afternoon. Passing through the airport had recently. In twenty to twenty-five minutes we went through the line, had the passport stamped, and recovered the luggage. Just outside the airport was the transport terminal. Essentially we left the building and Sandals staff was there waiting for our arrival. He was also very refreshing that were twenty people trying aggressively to help us with our luggage as it had experienced in other countries. We were both very pleased with our arrival, there is tension in Santa Lucia.
From the airport was about one hour at our facility of choice, the Sandals Grande. If you are an individual affected by motion sickness, you may want to start your anti-emetics before leaving airport, the trip from the airport to sandals was mountainous with many turns sauces. There were several passengers on the route have experienced some degree of motion sickness. Several said they wished it would have been better prepared for uneven terrain. It was an opportunity, however, to see some of the local scenery. The scenery was beautiful. Soon became evident bananas were a big part of trade in the area as banana trees are frequently observed throughout the unit.
Sandals Grande is one of the three Sandals resorts in St. Lucia. It is the largest of the three with a lot of landscape and many activities to offer. With regard to other resources, the Regency Sandals is praised for its beautiful golf course, and the smallest is Halcyon is announced as an old and secluded resort. The latter is recommended for a romantic getaway. One of the advantages of staying at sandals, however, was that guests were allowed to experience the three resorts on the island at any time. His sandals wristband to access the sandals of your choice. hourly ferries operated most of the day and night. All I had to do was get on a bus and amenities of the other resources easily accessible.
The Grande was an easy choice for us. It was the largest, and sandals on the island only with dive boat operations in the site. It is a few steps from the room at all diving and water sports. Upon arrival we quickly decided we had made the choice correct. Our room was everything and more, said the brochure would be, which is not always the case. We had a room concierge level and our luggage was delivered in there without delay. The concierge was very helpful. As new guests, who were provided with a comprehensive tour of the grounds and restaurants. We were introduced to activities in situ and excursions on the site that could participate in. As the trip progressed, often visited the Conciergerie. We were greeted with a smile, and an official Aware that he did everything possible to help us the most.
One of the best things in sandals is the fact that the resort is all inclusive. In all but a restaurant that no additional costs. The gratuity is also not required. There were a couple more quality restaurants require reservations at Sandals, but meals here could be included in the original price. Gordon was a special restaurant that cost $ 150 per couple for dinner if you want to eat here. In general there was a very good variety and quality of available food.
One of our favorite places was the pizzeria. It was a restaurant that was out of pizzas in a brick oven cooked. The bark crispy thin is wonderful! Just behind was Josephine's Pizzeria. Josephine was a treat for dessert-lovers. Come in and help themselves to bottles filled with Chip Cookies chocolate or banana bread. It has a delicious shake or deepen a piece of cheesecake. There were a host of desserts, all there for the taking. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!
The room service menu was much more limited than the Bayside restaurant where we had most of the buffet meals. Without But we had access to room service 24 hours a day, and is often used for our early breakfast before diving. Just remember – after breakfast you may want to order two servings of each menu item, such as room service portions were quite small, however, was delivered very quickly, and was equally as delicious as the downstairs dining room.
We went diving four of the seven days we were in St. Lucia. Experienced divers were very useful ensure that we have the correct weights and tanks filled. They did a good job keeping the divers on the right track (and make sure the caps completed security, etc) and do not let anyone stray. The dive boats were spacious, with ample space for diving equipment, etc. You can sit up for a comfortable ride in dive sites farther away. There were many long trips to the Pitons (two mountain peaks easily identifiable).
Unfortunately, the dive did in Santa Lucia, the average was better. There was a lot of the usual. banded trumpet fish and shrimp were plentiful, as in most dive sites. We saw spotted eel many, a smaller drum, and fish files. One advantage was that there were more fish stone here that I see on most sites. There was a remarkable absence of large animals … turtles, rays, etc. The most worrying aspect of the dive, however, was that there were jellyfish everywhere! Most divers including my husband, took a sting well. Most jellyfish hovering near the surface which made the security makes it very stressful. There were also some who considered (and sense) in depth, too. A divemaster pointed out that jellyfish are a rarity. I heard another say, "You know what happens when the current enters .. jellies. The current must have been coming in that all week!
The day before departure we signed up for an all day excursion, the Cruise Adventure Soufriere. The cost was $ 112 per person. We boarded a catamaran in the early morning and took a boat trip to the Pitons. There were drinks on board, including beer, rum punch and soft drinks for the taking throughout the day. We landed in the town of Soufriere where we boarded a taxi that took us to the Sulphur Springs. It is promoted as the unit "Through" the volcano, but there was not much driving through it. You walked towards him while a guide explains the history of volcanoes and the island. The information is interesting, but the sulfur smell was overwhelming! If you do not like rotten eggs, this would not be the place for you to go. There was no "getting used to it! "Hurray!
After the volcano we went to the Botanical Gardens was absolutely beautiful. He finished in a beautiful waterfall. Us said the film "Romancing the Stone" was filmed here, and I could see why. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon. After seeing all the flowers and foliage, we went to a small restaurant on top of a mountain. Sitting there, looking down at the harbor and up the pins, the view was beautiful. The food was satisfactory, the friendly people. With a full belly we headed for the mountain back to the catamaran.
Our return trip included a stop for snorkeling. We have warned the crew and all who would listen about the jellyfish that we had been seeing. Everyone jumped anyway, and all were back on the boat in about ten minutes, several jellyfish stings. Thank goodness vinegar bottles were plentiful on all ships of that week (the vinegar treatment is Diving for the bite). The bites were taken care of quickly and we were on our way home. As points of interest along the way, we saw a major center of oil containment, and a very deep cove ยบ and beautiful in all the boats took shelter in hurricanes as they headed toward the island.
In conclusion, definitely return to the station Sandals Grande St. Lucia. The resort was beautiful and full of things to do. The food was good and plentiful, and the staff was wonderful. It was a great place to go be active, or just sit, relax and read a book if that's what you prefer. Diving, however, leaves much to be desired. It is possible there was better diving elsewhere on the island, but have not lived in this trip. I do not like it was put into jellyfish-infested waters wearing a short dress! I feel I should have been warned. Although the jellyfish had not been there, on the basis of marine life seen, diving was mediocre. If you're looking for great diving, I'd definitely recommend going to elsewhere. For all you non-divers, however, be sure to come and enjoy all the Sandals Grande has to offer!
Are you a new or experienced Scuba Diver looking for information on diving or great deals on scuba gear? If so check out the blog of diving and dive shop on target = "_new"> http://www.FinForYourSelf.com to find information and prices dive lower in diving equipment.
About the Author
Shannon R. Smith is a health care professional by day, and Dive Control Specialist by desire. She spends her spare time helping students learn to SCUBA dive. She has written several articles, and with the help of her husband maintains a SCUBA blog in hopes of sharing their passion with others. She has spent much time diving the U.S. and Caribbean waters. With more than 250 open ocean dives under her belt (not bad for a midwest diver), her specialties include deep, night, and wreck diving.
Tap New York 2009 Beer Festival