Sandals Saint Vincent

We stayed at the gorgeous Sandals St. Vincent 6/26-7/5 - original 5 nights turned into 9 nights due to Hurricane Beryl. Easy, nice airport. Breathtaking views along the winding road on the 55 minute drive from the airport to the resort. We were the only couple in the van and it was mostly 1-2 couples arriving per van. The resort is only 3 months old and is so beautiful! This long property is flat, easy to navigate, and has some bicycles for anyone to use. We booked the Dark Falls Experience with stops at the Pirates of the Caribbean movie site and botanical gardens with lunch and it was definitely a highlight!! Our tour guide Jason and boss driver were excellent and made it even more special. 2 buses full, so book in advance. We enjoyed the long, main pool with the cabanas, but the music was very loud. So our favorite spot was at the crescent/wifi pool facing the beach - that was the millionaire dollar view! Hurricane Beryl arrived the day we were supposed to leave. The resort was very prepared and handled everything like pros! Giving us food to-go boxes and games for the room. Afterwards, they were feeding us a delicious buffet again. It was amazing seeing the process of standing the palm trees back up. It's the staff that makes this resort really shine! And the top stand-out is Neekeitha, server from Butch's. We loved Butch's and ate there 3 times ordering different things, but the staff here is superior! Neekeitha, Tiffany, Donesha (sp?), and hostess with the smile Riann. I felt like they were family when we left. We loved their chocolate cake so much that the night after the hurricane, Butch's was closed and we all ate at the buffet instead. It was extra delicious for a buffet, but we mentioned that we missed the chocolate cake from Butch's so thanks to Romana our server, Owen the pastry chef, Tamisha and Nadida the assistant chefs, a chocolate cake from Butch's magically appeard to our table!! Thanks to Shammah from the Sales Dept. Andrae from the front desk that decorated our room and had the sweetest welcome note! Dekisha from a restaurant that brought us water outside. Everton the boat captain that was so friendly and welcoming on the beach. Chaz taught us to sail and made sure we got it in before the beach was cleared for the storm. Geminicia the photographer was great and so sweet. Willie always stopping and checking on us from Loyalty. Cary picked us up in a golf cart in the rain to go to the lobby. Super friendly pastry chefs Sean and Collin (even came to our rescue at the airport). Geneal (sp?) from Crema brought us drinks outside when Sora was closed. Samoni from the front desk was so so nice and helpful every time. Sorrofeena the butler. To name a few, but we can't wait to return because we really felt at "home"! Read less

Sandal’s St Vincent - a special Anniversary kid-less break away for my husband and I after a long 14years! We were there from May 27th-June 5th…..An unforgettable vacation where we made a lifetime of memories! Sandal’s St Vincent and the Grenadines was nothing short of paradise. In one direction of the resort you are facing luscious green mountains and rainforest, spin 180 degrees, you are faced with deep blue and green hues of the ravishing Caribbean Sea and black and white sand beaches! Right from the airport transfer by sea to the very end where we had a bucket list of things to check off before we boarded our taxi back to the airport after a requested late check out….it was total BLISS! We weren’t sure of quite what to expect. We were entirely skeptical as we had booked at a brand new resort which had just opened and we were amongst the first to occupy these rooms. Originally we had booked a 9 night stay with 1 night complimentary as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary in May. We managed to strike a deal where we booked 7 nights to stay in one of the Lady Palm rooms and then for the last 2 nights stay in one of the over water villas (only because availability had opened up since they were fully booked). However, 5 days before we were due to fly we received a phone call from Sandals telling us that the overwater villa’s were still incomplete and we would have to decide on other options for our stay. Following some debate and many options later my husband and the Sandal’s representative agreed on a 7 night stay in the 1 bedroom Villa with a Media room and Butler serviced kitchen where the patio faced a large pond with lots of lush plants which was located in the village to the right of the beautiful resort. We were later moved to a Beach villa for the last 2 nights with the exact same room layout but with a private pool facing the white sandy beach and seafront!! What a sight to be waking up to! I’m going to write this review in a similar format to what people have written before so it’s clear and categorised! Airport Transfer: We landed at the airport around 2pm local time, the airport so tiny, looked like only two planes flew in and out at any one time. We took a short 15min car drive up and down the everlasting one winding road that goes around the island to the dock. Brace yourselves if you suffer from motion sickness like my husband does pop some Dramamine pills before getting into that taxi transfer and will help with the boat afterwards too. We were welcomed by our experienced driver Ken who was fantastic and briefed us on some history of St Vincent and shared tips for the week passing around the map of the island so we can start planning! Arriving at the dock, we were asked to remove our footwear as we boarded the Jilly Bean boat which is one the most beautiful vessels I have traveled on. Comfortable cushions to seat the occupants and 2 floors so you can take in the breathtaking views from above. The captain Tommy was brilliant along with the Sandal’s staff on the boat including Keon (who we built an amazing rapport with throughout the rest of our stay….more to come on this!) They served us light refreshments including soft drinks, water and their local beer Hairoun….so easy to drink! Along with their staple legendary Plantian chips both salted and sweet! So fresh! Those views on the journey to the resort were mind blowing and to experience the island firsthand by sea as soon as you land was a whole new experience! So happy we took this opportunity! It felt very special! Arrival at the Resort: We were lucky enough to have the Sandals 5star butler service so as the boat docked we were greeted on the deck with some soulful singing from the butler staff and management welcoming us to the island and to sandals St Vincent. We felt like we were VIPs or celebrities! There may have been about 5/6 other couples on the boat transfer and we each had our own butler’s assigned to us that greeted us with colourful Leis and a Blue refreshing welcome drink. Butler Brilliance: Our wonderful, thoughtful, caring and extremely experienced Butler Dianne met us on the deck and chaperoned us through the resort. She gave us a tour of the flattering resort and offered to click memorable pictures along the way! Escorting us around in her buggy the entire time! We arrived just before sunset so we managed to capture our first one for the week ahead! Divine! We were later introduced to the rest of Dianne’s team Ranell and Raynesia who were much newer in the role but equally just as accommodating. This team of 3 never failed to woo us and Dianne with her forward planning always had a surprise up her sleeve. As we were celebrating our 15years of marriage she certainly went the extra mile to relight our romance!! Dianne, Ranell and Raynesia spoiled us throughout the entire stay, meeting all our needs and requests. Initially we didn’t know how to use our butlers as this was our first experience with this service. They made us feel very special and at ease. They had organised the entire week and made bookings for restaurants in advance which was really helpful. The only downfall with this is that you don’t feel in control of your own time and it almost feels like someone has dictated your vacation a little. However, if you look at it positively, atleast it’s one less worry of picking up that phone and making the booking and wasting time in doing so! They picked us up before dinner and dropped us right outside the restaurants as a lot of the evenings the rain showers would bless us at sundown. We told Ranell we were avid gym goers in the mornings so he organised bikes for us so that we could easily get from our villa to the gym and back and had a protein shake waiting for us in our room on our return! They ALWAYS managed to reserve us the best cabana’s by the main pool and sun loungers by the infinity pool and on the beach so all we had to do was turn up! Chairs ready and dressed up with necessary towels and a cooler with our favourite beverages! Definitely 5star treatment. They would tell us off if we got up to get our own lunch from the restaurants and demanded they would organise and bring whatever we fancied to our loungers! Spoilt with a capital S! The only other awkward thing that the butler service offered was we carry their extra mobile device with us so that they can communicate with us easily and vice versa. They named ours “Todd”. We quickly persuaded them to help us ditch Todd and exchanged our personal phone numbers with them so they can communicate with us through “What’s App” which was 100% game changer! So recommend this if your butler team are comfortable with it! Highlight of the trip was when Ranell showed up with Fresh Coconut’s filled with cold coconut water by the infinity pool! My husband loves them and when Ranell delivered his to him by the poolside all the people around us were in awe! These Jaw dropping moments were class! Restaurants: OMG the food was EXCELLENT! Seriously and very hard to believe and find especially in a new resort that just opened! We couldn’t believe our luck. Breakfast: Italian restaurant Sora which was buffet style and Parisol Beach House for an al fresco dining experience at sunrise/sunset and by the beachfront where you order their scrumptious local dishes and small bites off the menu! The cassava pancakes were my husband’s favourite so light and airy and we loved the Phoulori which came with a fresh mango chutney. My ultimate favourite dish was the “Doubles” if chickpeas are your comfort food then this is the dish for you! A local delicacy and one I would go back for time and time again! The only thing I would comment on for Parisol is that after ordering your food you do wait for quite some time before they bring it out to you, but once it’s out it is mouth watering! All the bites from the lunch menu were great too…..yes we ate a lot….but we wanted to try everything! The artichoke dip and the cucumber and chocho salad were a couple I remember!! Lunch: Already mentioned Parisol above, they have their Pizza/salad takeout “Isola” and “Imoro” which they make infront of you! So fresh and piping hot! Very novel ingredients too….I discovered you can have fig and Prosciutto on your pizza and it tastes like heaven! Jerk Shack was great for your local flavours with classic jerk chicken/pork, fish in foil, roasted sweet potato and my upmost favourite Beef or chicken patties!! Still savouring that melt in my mouth feeling from that final beef patty I had before my airport taxi home! Snacks: Crema - ice cream parlour open from 11pm all day serving other sweet treats including coconut macaroons (hubby’s fave), cookies and other sweet treats. Blum - coffee shop we didn’t really try but our butlers left many treats from here in our room so the pastries were decent and coffee was your typical Caribbean smooth and strong! Dinner: All the restaurants were great, we have nothing to complain about at any of them. I will tell you our favourite dishes from each one! Scrimshaw - seafood restaurant….our favourite dishes were the Popcorn shrimp, Conch salad and the fried Snapper! Desert: Cheesecake mousse. Butch’s - steakhouse - Dungeness Crab cakes and the Delmonico steak. One of my absolute favourite deserts I have ever tasted came from this restaurant and is a MUST TRY: Passionfruit Crème Brûlée to DIE FOR! Sora - Italian - Appetisers: Bresaola Carpaccio salad, Braised Brisket Ragú (Delicious!), ofcourse lasagna and the Penne All’Arrabbiata! Not forgetting the Espresso Martini!! Gatsu-Gatsu - Sushi - some of the freshest sushi we have ever eaten. Albacore, yellow tail and tuna were good in most configurations! We loved in particular the Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna and you can never go wrong with Shrimp Tempura! Lastly….Bucaan…one of its kind in only Sandal’s St Vincent….they call it a collective culinary experience. Family style dining for the dining table seated of 8/10people. The cuisine is all locally crafted and ingredients sourced by local Caribbean flavours. A unique experience at its max and one that Sandal’s St Vincent prides itself on. A must try for sure! Excursions: We only did one excursion which was the waterfalls and Pirates of the Caribbean tour with a small hike and lunch at a local restaurant. The experience was insightful and educational to learn of how the locals go about their daily lives, how they live etc. Again with breathtaking views from the one winding road of StV as we went up and then back down and round and round. We got to experience nature, birds, see plenty of fruit growing on trees and best part was waving at all the locals from old to young so friendly! We did the Butler Cruise which is their included butler version of the sunset cruise and it was magical! David Harrison who is the butler Manager and Jenny from the Boat, captain Tommy and the entire butler team looked after us so well. We saw the Pirates of the Caribbean set by boat, took us to see the volcano and on our way back the breathtaking sunset and dolphins leaping beside our boat putting on the best show ever! They gave us refreshments and snacks on the boat and played some tunes under the sunset….we had a boat party and were jiving the night away. Apparently we got lucky with this too as speaking with others that did this sunset cruise, it all depends on the day and the weather but we thankfully got all the delights! Entertainment and pools: all the pools were amazing! The main pool stretches down the entire resort with all the cabanas on either side. We had a saxophone player come one day and that was really unique! The only thing that was slightly unwelcoming was the very loud music from the DJ….sometimes it was hard to have a conversation unless you’re shouting. The Infinity pool by Parasol was our favourite spot, quieter and directly looking out to shore where boats were going back and forth, people snorkelling and Watersports! Just wonderful sights. Talking about watersports….at Sandal’s SVG you can keep yourself busy with so many included with your stay! Kayaking to the Bat caves, tubing, sailing, water skiing and snorkelling were amongst the few that we challenged! So incredible! I had also booked myself in to do a beginner scuba diving course at the Dive Shop. Here I had the most incredible coach. Coach Keon….so patient, knowledgeable and kind. He explained everything in such detail and was entertaining throughout the entire experience. I will never forget his teachings and his humble nature. In fact Botta the Dive Shop manager arranged for my private dive as all the others signed up were experienced divers and before our leave he arranged for us to go out and check off my 20feet dive with Keon! Spa: We booked in for a couples massage at the spa. This was a lovely relaxing activity to do as a couple. We chose a 90minute candle wax massage. It was relaxing, I usually prefer more pressure during my massage however I think throughout some of this time I actually shut eye so it must have been zen! They have a couple of plunge pools and a spool out in the courtyard. Also gender specific sauna and steam rooms. Nighttime: we loved the Rum Bar! Some fantastic nights we spent in there! From silent discos, to karaoke nights and tackling giant jenga! We met so many lovely couples and they became our crew for the time we were on vacation! The Dj was great out in the courtyard too. We boogied most nights away in the Caribbean heat mixed with spring showers! Dogs: There are a few stray dogs on the resort, stories are that they had been occupants of the land before the resort was built so we are invading their territory. They are friendly and harmless though. We saw many people feeding them leftover meat etc to keep them happy. They don’t really bother you unless you’re sat on the loungers with food and they just patiently sit there staring at you until you are finished. One time however I made the mistake of leaving some beef patties in the middle of the cabana bed as they were too hot to eat, went away for 2 mins and the dogs had pounced at them and made a mess….luckily our Butler Dianne caught the scene and cleaned everything up before we had any idea it had all happened!! Staff: special mentions are a must, we were looked after above and beyond our expectations! Our trio of Butlers Dianne, Ranell and Raynesia….were the best team (even after speaking with other couples who had butlers…from sharing stories our team always came out on top with their deliveries and attentiveness!) we got lucky here too! David Harrison - Butler Manager - you are doing a great job by managing, organising and delivering everyone’s demands and needs. With Kerry besides you, your team will excel to even higher levels! Botta - Dive Shop manager thank you for looking after us and arranging for our private dive when nobody else would dive with me! Mr. Keon Murray the best diving teacher in the world, I learned you only started swimming in your 20’s! My gosh you are a genius underwater and skills you have developed and mastered in such a short time are commendable. People look out and request for Keon in the Dive Shop I assure you he will wow you with his talents and patience. Brett - General Manager, one of the nicest and humble people we met around the resort. We met him at the Sandal’s select dinner as we were returning customers, from there on everywhere we would bump into him he would stop and have a chat with us! Remarkable personality and so much experience! A special shout out to Rohan (from the Bar) he was excellent! Alron from the Watersports hut….he was very accommodating and taught us all things water sports! The only disappointment we endured was not having our initial request honoured of staying in the over water villa….maybe next time! By far one of the best vacations my husband and I have experienced and if there weren’t many other sandals resorts to choose from then I believe we would be back at Sandal’s St Vincent time and time again! Thank you for an incredible time and we left feeling on top of the world! Read less

We spent 8 nights at the beautiful new Sandals property in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The entire staff has been amazing and extremely friendly. We will definitely be back. The island is so beautiful and there were so many things to see and explore. Our room, the lady palm Club Suite was BEAUTIFUL. It was nice to have a swim up pool to jump in daily and even at night. I want to make sure these great people of St Vincent and the Grenadines are recognized and celebrated for their service. Ketura - (Main pool waitress) - She was so friendly and genuine and never hesitated to check on us or make sure we had what we needed. We absolutely LOVE Ketura. Jamila - (From Cream) - She was so pleasant and made us her signature Ice Coffee; it was absolutely delicious! Vahshurrun - (Loyalty Desk) - He was amazing, always smiling and willing to make sure to go the extra mile to answer any questions we had for our next trip. Byron - (Jerk House) - Thank you Byron for your warm conversations and exceptional service during lunch/dinner. The entire staff at Buccan (every waiter, host, and the chef) - the service was top notch and delicious. We enjoyed the entire night! Kudos to the staff of Butch's thank you for going over & beyond. The lamp chops were delicious and you accommodated for another round of lamp chops after closing down the grill. Loved the warmness of the staff. Our waitress Roshanna, Supervisor Macelia, Chefs: Romeo, Shorn & Stanley; Jessica, Nekeitha, Rhianna, Tiffany & Hezron you all deserve 5 stars. Uroy & Kayshorn - Two great landscapers who took the time to speak anytime we saw them on the resort. They both were friendly & always welcoming. Ulrica (with the entertainment team) - A ball of fun and energy. She is such a sweet person and extremely talented. We truly enjoyed the entertainment and her singing (beautiful voice). Avron & Captain Tadius - Thank you for the private boat tour. It was amazing and the views of La Soufriere were breath taking. Avron went out of his way to help us get a private boat tour although they were all booked. He and Captain Tadius gave us some history of the island and made sure we were comfortable the entire way. Everton is also apart of the Watersports team and he to was amazing in assisting us while on the beach. Such a gentlemen to ensure we made it out the boat safely upon our arrival to shore. Neither hesitated at any time to make sure we were having fun & enjoyed our tour. Thank you to the amazing Watersport team. Vivian - the midnight bartender made us drinks before turning in for the night. We thank you for the late night casual conversation. Your Martinis that you made us were on point!!! Tashanique from Sora - She made us our favorite omelet every morning and did so with a smile. As you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be back! Until next time...The Usher's Read less