Sandals Resort - All-inclusive questions

mrsbanany

We aren't getting married until 2015 but my FI and I are trying to figure out our honeymoon budget so that we know how much we need to save.  We want to go to the Caribbean and I have looked into the Sandals Resort in St. Lucia.  At that resort we would be looking at about 2.5k for the rooms (all inclusive so it includes meals, snorkeling and other activities etc.) Which would bring our total cost up to about 5k once you include flights and spending on extras (private dinner, tours etc.)  FI was concerned that it might not be worth it.  He thinks that we may be able to get a better deal by going somewhere else and that is not all inclusive. He thinks we may not use all of the things that are included, thus making the price too high for the value.  Just wondering if anyone has ever been to a Sandals Resort and can speak to wether you use all of the amenities that are included in the price and if it is worth it.  

AprilH81

What is included that you think you may not use?  Do you not drink alcohol?  That is about the only thing that is worth some real monetary value that would be "wasted" if you don't partake.

tcnoble

@monkeygirl18 this is your cue

@amandaj424 we are also getting married 2015 (March 28th!) and planning to go to Sandals Grande in St. Lucia. We are at about $5,200 just on the room alone - we decided upgrading to a club level room was worth it - and then airfare so yep it can turn out to be quite an expensive vacation!! But I really can't imagine not using all, if not MOST, of the amenities they offer. What kinds of things are you afraid you might not use? You never know what might entice you once you're there!

Knottie37373131

I am getting married at Sandals Grande Riviera in Jamaica May 15 2015. Our cost for a seven-night  stay in a Butler, concierge honeymoon suite is 3433.00 + 198.00 trip insurance. Our flights are probably going to cost about $800.00 for both of us round trip. We are actually paying around $275.00 for our wedding, and FI's parents are going to most likely buy all of our photography and videography. I have read that the only people who accept tips are the butlers. We plan on bringing some singles to tip bar tenders and restaurant workers if we feel we would like to, but that is it. We will also more than likely bring about $50.00 for our Butler. I think if you were to go on any tours or pay for extras maybe you should limit yourself to $500.00. I think that there is enough to do at the resort for free that it is not necessary to pay for extras everyday. We have set up a registry for our honeymoon through sandal's resorts for a few activities, but that is it.

* Make sure once you book you keep checking to see if your room has been discounted. I originally booked at 4004.60 and checked back the next week to see my room had gone down 571.20. I called Sandals, and they were happy to credit me and send me a new invoice. I plan on calling them if I notice the room rates going down again.

Jells2dot0

FWIW, there are other all inclusive chains other than Sandals in some destinations where there is not a Sandals. Some of them even price out a bit better. They all offer slight variations on what is included. Check out Secrets Resorts, Excellence Resorts, El Dorado Resorts, and Couples Resorts (Couples is all in Jamaica, where there are also some Sandals)

MayDay513

We went to Sandals Royal Bahamian in May for 8 days. We thought it was totally worth it. We snorkled on 3 different days. We drink and eat a lot. It was fantastic.

I think it's better to do an all inclusive so you don't have to think about paying or carrying cash around. Sandals had a no tipping policy. We only tipped out butlers at the end of our stay, just because.

Knottie37373131

We are trying not to plan too much because we do not want to always be on a schedule. I think part of this is because we are getting married so we already have a few meetings with coordinators and are doing some salon services such as nails, and possibly hair. We will be there for seven nights and are getting married on our 4 day there so we can get a feel of the resort and our surroundings. We will be there for seven days  I know the one thing I really want to do during the week is snorkeling because I have never been. We are also really excited to try our some of the restaurants.

beachyone15

FI and I are seriously considering Secrets (also an adults-only all-inclusive resort) bc it seems to be less $$$ than sandals and looks just as nice with all of the same perks. You also might want to consult a travel agent bc sometimes they can give you tips that you may not otherwise see on the resort's website.

[Deleted User]

tcnoble said:

@monkeygirl18 this is your cue

@amandaj424 we are also getting married 2015 (March 28th!) and planning to go to Sandals Grande in St. Lucia. We are at about $5,200 just on the room alone - we decided upgrading to a club level room was worth it - and then airfare so yep it can turn out to be quite an expensive vacation!! But I really can't imagine not using all, if not MOST, of the amenities they offer. What kinds of things are you afraid you might not use? You never know what might entice you once you're there!

Alright...I was going to leave this alone as "worth it" is highly highly subjective.

Ok, so here it goes. What exactly would you not use?? Food,your room,the beach,alcohol,water sports...what?

That being said, (these prices include everything under the sun that you could possible think of spending money on. If you need more info PM me and I can PM you my spread sheets)

6 nights SGSL Club level 2008 June: $6500, 2009 June 7 nights SN Club 7k, March 2011 SA 7 nights Club 7k, THE Royal Cancun March 2010 and June 2013 (now Hyatt Zirilla sp?)(no added water and land sports like Sandals)(Jr. Ocean Front Corner Suite) 6500k both times, SGSL March 2012 Club 7 nights 7k, And although we haven't gone yet, SW 6 nights club $6400.

Now, the none AI: Key West June 2010,2011 and 2012 Hyatt Resort and Spa Gulf Front King 4 nights.

Also, have priced out Belize for next year (renting a beach house at Maya Beach) and I'm at 7k for 7 nights (using me current spread sheets but modified for non AI with pricing I've gotten from some very helpful people on TrioAdvisor).

I should note: all of these trips have had a min. of two excursions but most have had three.

As for others like Sandals being cheaper, are people comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges(ie: #of resturants,bars,pools.stay at 1 play at 3*that only applied to de Sandals*,what about the desirability of the location...etc...??)

Again,"worth it" is subjective, but, to us, yes, it's worth it.

mrsbanany

You're right, worth it is very subjective.  I guess a better question would be, did you use enough of the included features that you felt that you did not overspend?   I honestly think we will use everything and I think it would be better than carrying cash or charging everything to the room and then being shocked with a huge bill at the end.  We love to eat and drink and with St. Lucia you can eat at all 3 resorts on the island so you never have to eat at the same place twice. I think my FI is afraid that we will not use most of the land and water sports.  Also, how many tours and additional features did you use? We definitely want to do the private dinner for 2 on the beach and would like to do a tour of the island or something.  Did you find that you would have been bored if you had not done the added tours or excursions? 

Those who have stayed at Sandals, did you upgrade to the club or butler lever? We have been pricing out the basic level but did you think your stay was improved greatly by the higher levels? 

Having been to the Caribbean before but never stayed at an all inclusive, I feel like I spent a lot of money. $100pp to snorkel, over $100 to eat and drink every night etc.  Not being able to carry cash around would be lovely. 

jenna8984

Also it might just be me (because I'm frugal) but even if I bring $1,000 with me I still feel "guilty" ordering filet mignon and champagne every night and paying for snorkeling. So for me it's always worth it because I can eat/ drink/ do whatever I want without feeling bad/ guilty about the daily prices adding up. 

[Deleted User]

 I guess a better question would be, did you use enough of the included features that you felt that you did not overspend?  Surprisingly, not really.  The first time in SL we took  out a kayak and went snorkeling through the resort, the second time we didn't use any of the land or sea activities provided by Sandals, in Jamaica we took out a hobbie cat, in Antigua dh went snorkeling through Sandals.  I will say though, we did use the mini bar in our room every day as well as the provided with our room category room service. 

Also, how many tours and additional features did you use? We pretty  much did three tours at all of them except our last time in SL when we we did two and the third was on our own.

We definitely want to do the private dinner for 2 on the beach and would like to do a tour of the island or something.We did this on our hm in SL and our 1st anniversary in Jamaica.  It was nice but we wouldn;t spend the money to do it again.  Turns out,  it's just not really our style.

Did you find that you would have been bored if you had not done the added tours or excursions? Yes, we would have.  We are very active normally so we wanted a good mixture of activity and relaxation.  We pretty much have found our good mix by doing a beach day followed by an activity followed by a beach day and so on. 

Those who have stayed at Sandals, did you upgrade to the club or butler lever? We have been pricing out the basic level but did you think your stay was improved greatly by the higher levels? We won't do less than Club level as we like the mini bar and the room service yet, we won't do butler as it's too costly and not our style (we can't see having someone at our beck and call). 

I can certainly see where your coming from as that is why we like AI's.  Our basic rule of thumb for non AI is whatever you have spent on the room for the week plan on bringing that in cash just for food and drinks.  Thus far,  that has held true for Key West and shore trips here in the summer.

If you would like to check out my travel reviews for some additional info and pics just click "Our Website" above my siggy pic. 

Should you have any other questions please feel free to ask. 

BTW, my siggy pic is from Sandals Negril most beautiful sunset ever.

[Deleted User]

Just found this link over on TripAdvisor

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/06/travel/escape-debate-all-inclusive-resorts/index.html

xxBrittanyLB

We are going to Sandals St. Lucia Regency La Toc in November of this year. We originally booked a luxury level room that yes, had all inclusive food and drink but did not have room service, a bar in the room or anything along the sorts and with flights it would cost us $6000. The people we had booked through were very misleading and we thought we were getting a club level room that had room service and all of those extra luxury thing. 

We both weren't very keen on the butler idea because we both are farm people, and were raised to do things yourself and it would be very awkward for us. 

However, talking to a friend of mine who also was raised the same way and she and her husband got married there told me the butler suites were 100% worth it. They didn't have to wake up early in the morning to reserve a spot at the pool because the butler did that, if her husband wanted a romantic dinner in their room and a nice bath drawn for his wife the butler sat all of that up also. If they had a long night the night before and didn't feel like going to one of the many restaurants on the island for breakfast the butler brought it to their room and did anything you want. The butlers will even unpack for you and set up any excursions/massages you want! We found a room that we absolutely LOVED in the butler suite but my fiance' thought that the butler would be standing outside our room all the time. However, our travel agent said that they give you a cell phone that you can contact them at any time you want. 

Every single one of my friends went their on their honeymoons and said that it was 100% worth the money because it is all you can eat, drink, activity. Plus they have entertainment nights that she said was a lot of fun. Upgrading from our room that would be the equivalent of us renting a room in our hometown with all you can eat and drink to a butler suite was the best idea that we had an right now with insurance, flights and a 7 night stay is costing us $6800. Which really isn't that bad because we are also watching prices for individualized air because right now we have bulk air which is at a standard rate. If you watch airfare prices that can cut your costs tremendously because it is not like a flight to Disney World or something that a lot of people go to all the time, that's why it is so expensive.

But all in all, do what you and your future hubby thinks is best! That is how we ultimately chose what to do because we both have never traveled out of country and we want to have kids sooner than later so we said, "Hey, it's our honeymoon and a once in a lifetime experience. We are never going to spend THIS kind of money again, so let's just go ALL out and make it a memorable experience." Good luck! 

thisismynickname2

My sister and BIL just adore Sandals- they've been to one in Antigua and one in St. Lucia (don't remember which). This summer they're going to one in Jamaica. 

At one of those bridal shows, I got a big fat Sandals brochure (well, book) that had a grid to compare all their resorts and all the amenities included. So, I don't know if you're married to the idea of St. Lucia as an island or Sandals as the type of resort, but that could help you narrow down your amenity list to what you'd actually use.  For example, I would want a room with its own plunge pool but have no interest in a golf course. That would very much impact which resort I'd choose. 

MayDay513

I think some islands have multiple Sandals resorts so if you stay at one you can still hop to the other ones and check them out.