Sandals Regency La Toc

Just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at St Lucia Regency La Toc. Hopefully this review will help someone coming. We primarily scuba dive but will try to put as much here as we can. Staff The staff were fantastic at this resort, super friendly and easy to talk to if you make the effort to talk to them and ask them how they are and about their lives. We met the famous Charles who couldn’t do enough for us, any time he saw us he brought us a special treat, especially when he realised we’d waited 40 minutes for a pizza. He was such a friendly guy and you can see how much he loves making sure guests are happy. He goes above and beyond to ensure your stay is wonderful. Every sandals needs a Charles! Emma the loyalty manager and her team were a pleasure to get to know, we only really spoke to Sophia and Denzel but all were very friendly. Kristine, the manager of the Pitons was such a lovely lady, she spent some time talking to us about her experiences of moving to St Lucia as we’re keen to move to the Caribbean. Her team were fantastic. Dale, the manager of the Pavilion was a pleasure to talk to, we spent a lot of time there as that’s where breakfast and lunch is as a buffet plus they have dinners on certain evenings. We met so many of the team here but a few really stood out as going above and beyond, Peter, Hyacinth, Priscilla and Gillianna. Liverpool aka John works on the bar at the main pool, such a great guy, he ended up knowing what we liked to drink and when he saw us would just have it ready. Tamara on reception was super helpful. Walking around the resort we also spoke to other members of staff who we came across, we just didn’t make a note of all names. Some of the younger staff were maybe a litter shyer so didn’t engage much but you get that everywhere. We didn’t have any bad encounters with staff. Spa I had a deep tissue massage with Petrine, I must admit it was up there in the list of best massages I’ve had and I generally have about 4 a year! I’m not sure I would have paid the full price for it but that’s my personal preference, I had a voucher as part of our loyalty points so it didn’t cost as much, I was quite happy paying what I paid but wouldn’t have wanted to pay full price. If you can afford the extra though a massage is a nice treat. For me I would rather spend the money on excursions exploring and experiencing the island. Excursions We did two excursions, one through the hotel and one from the guys on the beach. Hotel trip - island routes - we did the chocolate making and rum tour. This was a land based tour, took just over an hour to get to the chocolate making, they melt the chocolate but then you help temper it and then pour and decorate. This is followed by lunch at a sports bar in Andes La Raye called Valelse. The food was delicious, we had the bbq chicken and mahi mahi. This was then followed by a tour round the islands rum distillery with rum tastings. There is a shop on site where you can purchase the rum, they were good prices. Beach trip - we booked Bennys Boat tours for a speed boat trip, first they take you past some iconic scenery used during pirates of the Caribbean and dr Doolittle. Then snorkelling at which point you get dropped off to a dock for a taxi to take you to a waterfall and mud baths in the drive in volcano. The mud baths were a lot of fun and made our skin so soft. We had Rasta D as the tour guide, he was a lot of fun and told us some great info about the island. Diving The diving does not go from the resort directly, you get the shuttle at about 7.45am (when it’s on time) and they take you to the marina in Castries. On a Saturday with hardly any traffic it’s a 10/15 min drive, other days took about 25-45 mins. Whilst it was nice to see the capital and see life outside the resort we spent a lot of time waiting around for the bus and then sitting in traffic. Diving was nice, lots of fish like being in an aquarium on multiple occasions, few really nice wrecks, couple of wall dives especially at the base of the Pitons. Those sites were an hour away, most about 25/30 minutes. Turtles are only seen at Turtle reef, only saw 2 spotted eagle rays over 19 dives. No sharks. Lots of lobsters, eels, few crabs, scorpion fish, lion fish, and then just a ton of your usual Caribbean fish, absolutely beautiful. This resort will do lion fish spearing but only on a private dive. First few dives we had about 20 odd divers, towards the end only a handful, 4 or 6, was nice to experience both. Monday-Saturday is 2 tank dives, Sunday 1 tank, we didn’t bother with Sunday dives as too much travelling for us for one dive. The dive team were great, really nice guys, we dove with Shelaura, Tiny, Nash, Barney, Shaggy, Ace and Wendy with Morgan and Anthony as skippers and Captain Geezer (aka Mike). When there are less divers it’s easier to spend some time chatting to the team, you just don’t get a chance when it’s mega busy which is a shame. We also paid for a private night dive, it was a little murky as we had heavy rain that day and it washes a lot off the land into the sea but still fun. Other water sports There is daily snorkelling but we didn’t use it as was diving. It’s the same with diving though, you get the shuttle to the marina to get on the boat. There are kayaks and hobie cats available at the resort when the sea conditions are suitable. The Grande had some extras like knee boarding, wake boarding, wind surfing. Generally the sea is calmer over but there is more water activities in that area so you have to swim in the marked bay whereas La Toc you have a bit more freedom. Weather We were at the end of hurricane season, generally it was fantastic weather with only 2 days where it rained quite hard for maybe 2/3s of the day on and off. Didn’t bother us much as we were diving so wet anyway, it’s dryer underwater! Beach/ Sea The beach is lovely. We had green and yellow flags at the start however were red at the end and they won’t let you in if red flag. The waves can get quite large with a strong surge. There was a storm out at sea which is what caused the rain and stronger surges otherwise think it would have been calmer. The sea does get deep quite quickly, you don’t need to go far out. There is strong surge which can make swimming harder. Dining I won’t go into much detail about dining as other reviews have done this but generally all food is great. Great choice at breakfast in the pavilion, something to suit everyone. Lunch is generally buffet in the pavilion, pizza or neptunes which is sit down. The quesadillas are fab. I would say some dinners were better than others but if you go for more Caribbean inspired food it’s superb. The pavilion has a fantastic carrot cake for dessert at dinner. There are some cats around at meal times but they’re not pests. You also get the signature Caribbean little black birds around the pavilion during buffets, they’re very entertaining to watch. Return dinner We are sandals select members and this was our 4th visit to sandals. We’ve never been to the return dinner on previous stays based on reviews online saying it’s not worth it but decided to do it this time. We actually really enjoyed it. We got to meet new people as well as meeting the staff. The food was beautiful especially the chocolate eclair which we were told was a new addition, definitely one to keep! You get your gift at this dinner as well and this time they had the sandals necklace back which we’d heard haven’t been around in years. Resort The resort is quite hilly but coming from the UK and in particular Kent, we didn’t have major issues with this however there is a resort shuttle that runs you up to the top of the hill where Amarndos is. There is a pool up there but it’s quieter with just a bar, the majority of the life is at the main pool. There is a third pool in the middle which is the quiet pool but still close to food and drink. There are some pool activities in the main pool but as we were diving we missed most of them but the day we was around they weren’t over the top or annoying. We did do a visit to the Grande with the inter resort shuttle, took about 50 mins but was great to see St Lucia even if just from a bus. Whilst it was a nice resort we actually preferred the vibe at La Toc, the staff seemed a lot friendlier and we prefer that everything is a bit more spread out at La Toc so you don’t feel like you’re stuck in one resort. We like to walk a little. Although La Toc could do with a creperie :) Sun beds generally go quite early, we were out diving most days so down for breakfast at 7 and by 7.30 most beds were reserved. More so towards our second week when we noticed it was a bit busier. The first week we were able to get sun beds quite easily on our return about 1pm but second week was a lot harder for that. I think most are butler reserved. We did notice some try at butlers reserved weren’t used till much later in the day which can be annoying. Towels generally come out about 7.30am. It could be harder to get towels after lunch with one day none available at all but to be fair it’s so warm you air dry anyway. On departure day the middle quiet pool has a shower in each toilet at the bottom of the spiral staircases which saves you extending your room if a late departure. No hairdryer but it’s hot, you’ll air dry. The app is really useful for checking restaurant schedules and what is open and when as well as using Gina to leave feedback (previously the loop) or to ask for anything. Some of our fridge items and toiletries weren’t refilled so we simply asked for some on there and the team delivered so quickly. The app also has the daily schedules on for entertainment. There is a resort shop but items are quite expensive. There is also a little mini shop with local vendors by the water sports centre which was nice. There is a lot of wonderful wildlife around the resort, keep your eyes out for geckos, hummingbirds, crabs, my husband even saw a mongoose one day as well as the resident cats and a few dogs we could hear. We’ve seen other reviews with people complaining about issues like ants in their rooms, yes we had a few getting in through the vent in the bathroom but they’re not a problem, you’re in the lush tropics of the Caribbean, you are going to get bugs. We’ve also seen people complain about cracked tiles. Yes they are there but it doesn’t detract from an amazing holiday. They’re usually quite good if it’s in a prime place they replace it asap, others can wait, you’re on an island in the Caribbean, it’s still luxury. If you think about how hard the staff work and how hard it is to get items in the Caribbean it gives you a greater appreciation for what they do. To summarise we would highly recommend this resort and would love to return however we’re working our way around the world so we won’t be back for a while but this is top of the list if we did return! Read less

I had a good time here, but…be aware this resort is not handicap friendly or accessible. There are no elevators, so you must be able to use stairs. I realize this is a foreign country and do not have to meet ADA requirements, but I expected elevators at the least. Having said that, the food was pretty good. The wedding setup for my grandson and his bride was excellent. Non-alcohol drinks are watered down. Alcohol drinks are good. Room was clean and employees are friendly and very helpful. Shuttles were hit or miss with timing. You can wait a few minutes or half an hour. Plan accordingly to get to where you want to go on time. Read less

My experience at Sandals Regency La Toc has been fantastic - particularly because of Charles. He has been very attentive to my husband and I’s needs, and has been an absolute joy. I’m a big believer in customer service, and I would return to this resort specifically because of Charles. He is absolutely wonderful, kind, patient, and thoughtful. Charles goes above and beyond to ensure the guests feel happy. We’re here to celebrate our honeymoon, and Charles has made it a special week for both of us. Read less

We were in the butler suites and we had the best Butler team! I want to give a shout out to our amazing team. Livester, Elsa and Tarra.... they really made our visit the best!! They ensured we had everything we needed and wanted (and more) all of the time! Livester would pick us up for dinner with our favorite drinks in hand, Tarra would ensure that our pool chairs were locked in every day and Elsa helped us with reservations and excursions (among many other things)! I cannot say enough about this team and if you can request a team.... Livester, Elsa and Tarra are the ones to request!!! I miss them already! Read less

We are preparing to experience our last day at the resort. We chose this resort to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Upon arriving we had a frustrating hour or so trying to find a beach or pool chair, and it is hot walking from pool to pool to pool. After we finally found a place to settle we tried to make dinner reservations and was surprised to find that nothing was available for three days. We are from Maine. We are simple people who find joy in all circumstances. We have a very busy life with 4 children so we had really built this vacation up in our heads. We set aside the 5+ grand for the trip and counted the days until we could take off. We quickly learned that there is a real experience difference between those who book butler service and those who do not. Those who have butler service don’t stress about finding a pool or beach chair. They don’t stress about dinner reservations. They don’t stress about getting around the resort ( they have golf cart shuttle service). After a few hours on the resort it was clear that the 5+ grand wasn’t enough money spent to give my husband and I the experience we wanted so I went to the front desk to request a room upgrade, letting them know that we will pay what needs to be paid. They assured me that someone would contact me. I was contacted this morning, the day before we were leaving. Being people that always look on the bright side my husband and I enjoyed priceless time alone with each other. We laughed about feeling like “second class citizens” compared to the butler service patrons at the resort. We made memories that are irreplaceable and we didn’t let things out of our control influence our ability to be happy! I would note that the staff is incredibly friendly and that is a bright spot of the resort. I would not however book with Sandals again. Having been to Aruba, Puerto Rico, Dominican, etc. I would shop around for our next vacation and make sure to ask or questions of niche brands like Sandals. Read less