Sandals Resorts and St. Lucia La Toc

Please keep in mind our experience was in the midst of the Covid pandemic. Protocols are likely to change regularly. I will not be covering travel restrictions and guidelines as they are likely to change.
This is our fourth Sandals Resorts experience. None of our trips have been paid for by Sandals and all opinions are my own.

Getting There:
We flew Delta Airlines to St. Lucia and back home. We had a wonderful experience both ways! We flew from Charleston to Atlanta, about an hour-long flight, then Atlanta to St. Lucia, about a 5-hour flight. We do book airfare and our resort stay separately since we use airline miles to save on flights. But you can book both on the Sandals website if you prefer.

Upon arrival at the airport in St. Lucia, you have the option of a Sandal’s bus, a private car, or helicopter transfer to the resort. The car ride is about 1.5 hours. We wanted to get to the resort ASAP so we took the 15-minute helicopter ride, which offered amazing views of the island. Upon landing you then take a 10-minute car ride to La Toc and the other two Sandals resorts are slightly farther away. I would suggest booking the helicopter ride upon arrival, this way if the weather is bad, then you can take a car to the resort and save your helicopter ride for your departure from the resort. We took a private car back to the airport upon departure. The ride was fine for me, I even fell asleep. However, the roads are very windy so if you tend to get motion sickness, take something ahead of time. Overall, if you decide to take the car or ride the bus there, the resort itself will make up for the journey!

Airport fast pass – This fast pass was amazing!!! As soon as we stepped off the plane a Fast Pass representative greeted us and was holding a sign with our names on it. She informed us which forms we needed and when they were needed throughout our airport experience. She was SO helpful and SO kind! We had an amazing airport experience with the fast pass! We skipped a line of about 200 people waiting to turn in Covid paperwork and get through customs. We made our way through the airport in about 15 minutes but if we had waited, it would have taken at least an hour! The only downside is that if you decide to do the helicopter tour then they assume you’re waiting in the long lines. So we waited in the Sandals lounge for about an hour until it was our turn to take the helicopter to the resort, which has great accommodations like drinks, private bathrooms, AC, TVs, and a comfortable atmosphere.

Check-in at the resort is very easy and if you opt for butler service then one of the butlers will meet you and take you to your room. Keep in mind if you take the helicopter transfer in, your luggage will be on the Sandal’s bus, so it will arrive about two hours later to your room, so we were told. I packed a small bag with a swimsuit, sunscreen, a few toiletries, and a change of clothes so that I had everything I needed to lay by the pool and change for dinner, in case my luggage took longer than normal. It took about 4 hours for our luggage to arrive.

Butler service
Is butler service a must-have? No! Honestly, we chose butler service for our honeymoon and absolutely loved it, so we always book a butler level room. It allows us to be absolutely carefree and spend the most time relaxing. Butler rooms usually come with 2-3 butlers as they rotate shifts daily. If you decide to go this route, make sure you fill out the butler preference sheet and make a copy of it to bring with you as they don’t always receive it before you arrive. You can request this form before your arrival through Sandal’s or you can fill it out on the Sandal’s app. On the preference sheet, you can include any allergies, dietary restrictions, preferred drinks and snacks, alcohol to be stocked in your room, and pretty much anything else you want throughout your stay. Your butler will take care of all of your dinner reservations, bring lunch to your pool chairs, bring you special treats randomly like drinks and snacks, leave other special surprises in your room, etc. Honestly, they will do anything you ask them. I’m sure we don’t use our butlers to their fullest potential as they will even unpack your suitcase and iron your clothes but I obviously love to do that myself! Butler service also comes with a personal cell phone that allows you to call or text your butlers anytime! If you’re looking for a truly relaxing and pampered experience then go with butler service. However, if you decide butlers aren’t the right fit for you, you’ll be totally happy with any other room category. My only tip is to make sure you make all your dinner reservations the first evening you arrive. You can do this through your butler or the concierge so that you get to dine where and when you want. 

We have had the most amazing experiences with our butlers but keep in mind you’re on island time. Things don’t happen instantly but still in a timely manner. Usually, when we place a food request it takes about 30-45 minutes to arrive. With our butlers, we can tell them when and where we want to eat and even have it delivered to our room or where ever! This is great if you want to have extra time by the pool or beach and not get dressed up. Also, if you have special alcohol requests they will do their best to accommodate you even if the resort doesn’t carry a certain spirit. Your butlers are there to make your experience exceptional so enjoy the perks! 

Food and Bev
You’ve paid for the trip before you arrive so all food and drinks are included! There is a manager’s wine list that has more upscale wines at a fee, which will be presented to you daily at dinner. 
Some of my favorite drinks at the Sandals are a Hummingbird (taste like a strawberry banana smoothie), margarita, champagne, mojito, espresso martini, and the rum punch! Don’t be shy, ask to try something new or different!
There are so many great food experiences at the resort! Every resort usually has a set of similar restaurants with different names. Our favorite restaurants are the pizza, Italian, French, Indian, Chinese, steakhouse, and specifically the returning guest dinner. The returning guest dinner is for those guests that have stayed at any Sandals resorts in the past. It was my favorite meal of the whole trip!
If you’re new to sandals, try as many restaurants as you can!  There’s also a room service menu available all day and night so if you need 11 pm nachos, just call room service or your butler! Always let the staff know of any allergies or dietary restrictions beforehand.

Gym and Exercise
Sandals Resorts all have gyms and even daily exercise classes. Some gyms are better than others at different resorts but they all have the typical gym equipment.
We were lucky enough to have a golf course on our resort that allowed you to walk for exercise, about two miles round trip, and definitely a good workout, as St. Lucia was full of hills! There are also two small to medium size gyms with treadmills, weights, and other exercise equipment. Keep in mind St Lucia is full of hills so you can even walk or run the whole resort to get a good workout. There are also scheduled workout classes but I’ve never attended any as my goal is to not be on a schedule! 

The Spa
We always book a couples massage at each Sandals resort. We love this special treat and the staff always does a fantastic job. The spa also offers several services from hair and makeup to nail treatments. At the end of your spa services, a member of the staff will try to sell you a few products. Be upfront about what you want and don’t want! If you don’t want to buy the products, a simple no thank you will do!

Room at Sandals La Toc
We stayed in the Oceanfront Two-Story One Bedroom Butler Villa Suite with Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub – BW. It was pretty much a small condo/apartment. We had plenty of room and I loved that the living area and bedroom were completely separate. We spent most of our time on the top terrace enjoyed the amazing view and sounds of the ocean!

Our room was absolutely beautiful and spotless. I’m a huge germaphobe and I gladly walked around our room barefoot and didn’t feel the need to sanitize any surfaces like I would if I were staying in a hotel. Housekeeping comes daily to mop the floors, change the sheets, and wipe down every single surface. As always, make requests or suggestions if something is not to your liking. 

We usually book a butler room with a private pool but we hardly ever use the private pool. Also, the rooms with a private pool rarely have a great view so this time we opted for a beach view and no private pool. It was our favorite room we’ve ever had! Seeing and hearing the waves crash daily was so relaxing and beautiful to watch. Again, totally your preference! We used the private pool most on our honeymoon at Sandals Ochi Jamaica since we enjoyed the privacy. 

Sandals St. Lucia La Toc Grounds 
The entire resort is so well kept and maintained. I have noticed on several occasions the pool being cleaned early in the morning. Housekeeping comes to your room daily. There are hand sanitizing stations throughout.
There are three pools: a large pool with a swim-up bar, where we spent most of our time, and two small quiet pools. I loved being at the large pool where all the action was! There are daily activities and games around the pool. If you decide to sit at the pool deck, this is the only Sandals resort I’ve been to where your butlers cannot reserve chairs for you ahead of time daily, at the main pool only. So every morning around 8 am we went down and put a bag down at two chairs. Most of the days we got the chairs we wanted but there were about two days that we sat facing the pool instead of the beach, which we preferred.
The beach is absolutely beautiful and there are plenty of chairs on the beach as well. The beach is big enough to feel spread out and take a short walk. One of the biggest complaints about this resort specifically is the roughness of the water. On this side of the island, the water can be calm to rough so the water sports staff will put out a different colored flag throughout the day to let you know if it is safe to enter the water. A green flag means all-clear for swimming and water sports, yellow means swim at your own risk and water activities are limited, red is no entry or water sports. We had yellow flags every single day and a few red flags in the evening. We didn’t mind at all since we were perfectly happy in our lounge chairs and in the pool! However, if the beach is VERY important to you and you want to take advantage of all the free water sports, I would consider staying at Sandals Grande St. Lucia as their beach is said to be very calm daily.
With that being said, the three Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia are stay at one, play at three. Meaning there is a transfer between resorts throughout the day. My intention upon booking was to spend a few days at the Grande to enjoy the beach. However, due to Covid, the transfer between resorts was not available.

Other Tips:
– Pack plenty of sunscreen! We went through 3.5 bottles in 7 days. Buying sunscreen at the resort will cost you a small fortune.
-Photographers will come around daily to take your photo. If you allow them too they will ask you to pose about ten different ways. I love having pictures taken of David and me but I usually tell each photographer that they can only take two photos of us. You can see all of your photos in the photo shop and buy them individually. You can view and download all of your purchased photos digitally through a QR code.
– Don’t forget any medications and OTC products you need! There is a limited supply of medicines at the resort shop.
-There are several add ons available like a private candlelight dinner and excursions at an additional cost.
– If you have butlers, tip them in cash at the end of your stay. Only butlers and spa staff can accept tips. All other employees are not allowed to accept tips.
-The resort offers paper straws, which were fine with me. But you can always bring your own reusable straws and tumblers if you want your drinks to stay cooler longer.
– Download the Sandals app to stay up to date on daily activities, fill out your butler preference sheet, see restaurants menus, and several other features.
– We have worked with a travel agent to book all of our Sandals trips. Kim is amazing and very knowledgeable about these resorts. I grew up with her daughter so I’ve known her for a long time! If you prefer to book through a travel agent, at no extra charge, please contact Kim at kim@unlimiteddestinationsllc.com and let her know you were referred by Rachel Creech!
– Sandals Resorts are adults-only but they also have family-friendly resorts called Beaches!

Other Sandals Resorts We’ve Visited:
Sandals Ochi Jamaica – We honeymooned here and did several excursions! This was 5 years ago and we loved our experience. However, I have heard this resort is currently in need of property updates.
Sandals Grenada – We experienced the best service at this resort! The beach and pool are both amazing! I also loved the steakhouse at this location.
Sandals Royal Barbados – This resort had a ton of restaurant options as you can stay at one and play at two. The other Sandals location is within walking distance so it’s easier to bounce back and forth. The whole property is beautiful!

If you decide to book here are some tips to get a good deal:
– Look for 7-7-7 deals on the Sandals website every Wednesday. The offer includes 7% off 7 different rooms for 7 days. If you’ve previously booked and your room shows up on the 7-7-7 deal, you can rebook at a better rate but your perks will change. For example, if you received a spa credit at your initial booking but the current promotion is a candlelight dinner then you will receive the current promo and lose the old perks.
-While at the resort you can book your next trip and receive 10-12% off at the travel desk!

You can find additional photos and videos from our trip to St. Lucia by following me on Instagram @honeysweetpetite then click on the St. Lucia highlight