I actually don’t even know where to start on this other than we loved our honeymoon in St. Lucia!! We decided on a Sandals resort pretty early, because my parent’s vacation with them all the time, and an all-inclusive package was the best option for us. One day when I was home doing some research, I decided to look at all of the Sandals options. They have a TON of locations, and on top of that each location offers different excursions. My husband and I are big on an adventure so this was important to us. Below is a quick view of each location in which Sandals has resorts.
Sandals Locations:
- Antigua (1 resort)
- Bahamas (2 resorts)
- Barbados (2 resorts)
- Grenada (1 resort)
- Jamaica (6 resorts)
- St. Lucia (3 resorts)
During my research I noticed in the corner of the Sandals screen that they were having a 75% off sale for the next 48 hours. We were probably still one year away from our wedding but I told Jordan we were for sure booking within the next 48 hours to get the discount.
After looking over all the locations we landed on St. Lucia because it’s truly beautiful and my parents loved the island so much. They also offered excursions like the ones we were looking for, which also led us to stay at the Grande. So now after that long intro, I can dive into our honeymoon!
How far in advance did we book:
Like I mentioned, we did book about a year out just because of the deal, so once you get engaged I really recommend taking a little time once a week to see if there are any sales going on!
Our flight:
This was a little different because when we booked our hotel, flights weren’t released yet. But, when it came time for us to book, we booked with American Airlines. We did have a layover both directions, but it wasn’t bad! We opted for the early flight (fun fact: Jordan and I left the Monday after the wedding, not Sunday). That way by the time we got to the island we still had a great amount of time during the day to get settled and explore the resort a little.
Packing:
I will put some pictures below so you can see all the bathing suits and cover-ups I packed, but I also put a list below of items that are important to take!
Suggestions:
- Helicopter ride from the airport! This is a little pricey and was a gift from my in-laws, but it was SO worth it. The view was amazing and we got to the resort much faster than the 2 hour-long bus ride.
- Full day excursion if you are up for it. Jordan and I were there Monday through Saturday, and the excursions they offered all sounded so fun, but we didn’t want to be leaving the resort every day. We opted for a full-day excursion that offered all of the top items we wanted to do!
- EAT ALL THE PIZZA- not much more to say here. When the pizza is made to order right outside your room and all food is included, you eat all the pizza.
- Have a cabana for at least 1 day- This was a gift from my parents, and wow was it fun! They did mess up on what day we wanted to book, but the experience was still amazing. We had a butler who brought us all the food and drinks we wanted. There was a cooler there that kept cold waters and bottles for mimosas.
- Bring chip clips to keep your towels on your chair- you can get these cheap here on Amazon. We found it very windy while we were there so keeping your towel in place was difficult. You want the towel to stay in place while you aren’t at your chairs so people don’t think they are available and take them.
- Don’t splurge for the butler- This is my personal option. I would feel uncomfortable having someone there all the time, but I know other people who did it and loved it!
- Get up early to claim your chair- If you don’t have a butler this is something you have to do. People will get up super early and go claim the best chairs around the pool. This is when those clips come in handy. Jordan and I would wake up around 6 a.m., take two towels down there, and claim good chairs between the pool, hot tub, and bar. Then would go back to our room and go back to sleep.
- Don’t claim a chair too close to a fountain- Minor tip, but I can guarantee the wind blowing random water and mist at you all day is not fun.
- Let the photographers take your picture- It is totally free to let them take your photo, and it is great to have professional photos of the two of you on your honeymoon! They even took candid photos of us when we were on the beach, which was awesome.
- Do a sunset photo session- I believe this is also free. It is a booked time for a single photographer to take you around the resort at sunset taking photos of you.
- Go look at your photos each day- learn from my mistake. MAN alive, did we have a lot of photos we had to go through at one time and narrow them down. Purchasing the photos wasn’t cheap.
- Bring a Yeti- Because this is all-inclusive, you can have as many drinks as you want. I wish we would have brought our Yeti cups because the bartenders have no problem making you drinks in your cup! They stay colder much longer!
- Bring a metal or silicone straw- kind of along with the Yeti…I AM ALL FOR SAVING THE ANIMALS, but I hate paper straws with a passion. St. Lucia only had paper straws, so I would recommend bringing a metal or silicone one to use in your Yeti!
PACKING LIST:
- Passport
- Camera
- Eos Rings
- Kindle
- Physical book
- Chargers
- Pajamas
- Bathing suits
- Sunscreen
- Aloe
- Hats
- Coverups
- Nice dress/romper (A lot of restaurants on the property do not allow jeans or shorts for men, and want women in dresses)
- Sunglasses
- ID
- Toiletries
- Umbrella
- Yeti
- Reusable Straw
- Towel Clips
- Off
- Beach bag
- Sandals
- Chacos
- Wedges
- Hiking shoes
- Razor
- Rain jacket