Sandals La Toc vs. Grande

wagpav1920 · February 2013

I'll be honeymooning in October 2013 and I'm trying to decide which Sandals to go to....La Toc or Grande. My fiance and I want a mix of private and fun. Any suggestions?

dazyabbey · February 2013

Why are you deciding on Sandals?

It seems like many people are obsessed with going to a Sandals Resort because of advertising and because Travel Agents push them (more commission). Sandals are great resorts but they are way over priced and tend to be more about the money then the experience.

What are you looking for in a honeymoon? And what is your budget?

(I don't try to be anti-Sandals. I just hate that everyone always thinks it is the only option for honeymoons and they sometimes are unwilling to look into other options)

wagpav1920 · February 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_sandals-la-toc-vs-grande?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:3a7ecff9-1bdd-4090-aeca-38b638d6d824Post:34bef08e-c84d-4fd5-a522-043cc6aa80b7">Re: Sandals La Toc vs. Grande</a>:
[QUOTE]Why are you deciding on Sandals? It seems like many people are obsessed with going to a Sandals Resort because of advertising and because Travel Agents push them (more commission). Sandals are great resorts but they are way over priced and tend to be more about the money then the experience. What are you looking for in a honeymoon? And what is your budget? (I don't try to be anti-Sandals. I just hate that everyone always thinks it is the only option for honeymoons and they sometimes are unwilling to look into other options)
Posted by dazyabbey[/QUOTE]

I'm looking for an all-inclusive, adults-only resort, which I feel limits me to start. We want a mix of activity/relaxation. I can't sit by the pool all day but also don't want to be on the go non-stop. I'm not looking to make friends, so I would like a hotel that we choose to have the element of privacy. I've been to Sandals before and had a great experience.

Thank you for any input you have!

[Deleted User] · February 2013

We've been to the Grande twice,most recently was March 2012. Reviews and pics in the link above my siggy pic. HTH We've also been to two other Sandals,one of which i did not give a good review to, and The Royal Cancun which is AI and adults only,although min age is actually 16. There are other AI adults only out there and we know that, as I'm sure you do, but we love Sandals. I don't feel as though in our case the media pushed Sandals on us. I mean, now I see commercials for them all the time but back in '08 when planning our HM I don't recall seeing any. I just did a lot of Internet research and stumbled upon them. As for a travel agent. In our case, I've never even used one. They are a bit high priced as compared to what we are getting and spending to go to The Royal Cancun again this year . However, to fairly say they are over priced one must compare apples to apples. IE: AI, adults only, same island,same time of year,comparable room,comparable amount of restaurants and bars as well as comparable included activities. As a side note: where they are truly over priced are the excursions "canned tours" they offer. You are better either A going with a local or B renting a car and going off on your own. I think here you will always find either a love or hate for Sandals. In the end, the decision comes down to what you want.

SlothGoals · February 2013

You should look into Couples resorts as well: www.couples.com

Their excursions are all included in the price and they are adults-only resorts.

brittblaz · February 2013

Everyone has their own opinions on here. But in the end it is YOUR decision, so go with your gut. Sandals has many great options for honeymoon destinations. My FI and I will be headed to St. Lucia La Toc 2 days after our wedding in June. We are going through Sandals and couldnt be happier with our choice. We already know a couple who came back from their honeymoon at the same location and said that it was well worth it! La Toc has the perfect amount of fun and privacy. We booked through AAA so we were given many options to choose from in the beginning and this is the route we ended up taking in the end. Good luck!

dazyabbey · February 2013

I am not trying to be harsh or mean in any way. I know lots of ladies have traveled to Sandals and have loved every minute of it. But many of the people I know that travel or have been to multiple resorts usually say they are overpriced and not really worth the extra expense. If you do a quick search on Google it will tell you the same thing. Sandals tends to charge more to make it feel like you are getting a better experience. On top of that their advertising budget is huge and they have pretty much cornered the market in terms of All Inclusives. If you have ever been to a Travel Agents office they have a million posters and will try and push you towards Sandals.

I am okay with people that have done research and know they want to go to Sandals. But in most cases they will say "Lets go to Sandals" and don’t even know there are other resorts out there. This is one of many posts similar to this and most of the ladies on this forum agree that Sandals is overpriced.

Edit:
I forgot to add on. I did a quick search on Sandals and Couples websites for the Negril locations and doing a search leaving from Omaha in September (cheaper time of year) was about $600 cheaper to book through Couples. That is the most basic possible room for both resorts. 6 night stay.

SraEstrella811 · February 2013

We will be staying at La Toc for our HM this summer. We choose this one over grande because of several recommendations of other couples that have been there. In the end when you pay for one you can spend time at all 3 so it doesn't matter which you choose. I am sure you will have a fabulous time wherever you decide.

SuMmErKuTiE · February 2013

OP please check the sticky at the top of the board. I posted an article a while back about the top AI's in the world and the Sandals resorts never make those lists.

Bottom line is Sandals is over advertised and over priced. If people just researched a little more they would find much nicer resorts for a fraction of the cost. I also feel like "we're going to Sandals in St. Lucia" is just way overdone. Go somewhere new! Friends of ours spent more to honeymoon at Sandals in St. Lucia than we did to honeymoon in Fiji which is just absurd to me!

Plus a lot of travel agents are affiliated with Sandals so they push the resorts, so do your own research before going to see a travel agent (if you're going to) and find other resorts that'll get you a lot more for your money.

Ditto dazyabbey I'm not knocking anyone going to a Sandals resort, I just get upset when people don't do any research and end up paying more for less when they could be at a nicer and quieter resort and paying less money. It seems to be the 1st resort chain people think about for an AI since they advertise so heavy and travel agents push them so much. There are many other luxury adults only AI's out there just do a simple google search. HTH!

dazyabbey · February 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_sandals-la-toc-vs-grande?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:3a7ecff9-1bdd-4090-aeca-38b638d6d824Post:bafbc19b-ece3-4354-a34a-533f41606f90">Re: Sandals La Toc vs. Grande</a>:
[QUOTE]OP please check the sticky at the top of the board. I posted an article a while back about the top AI's in the world and the Sandals resorts never make those lists. Bottom line is Sandals is over advertised and over priced. If people just researched a little more they would find much nicer resorts for a fraction of the cost. I also feel like "we're going to Sandals in St. Lucia" is just way overdone. Go somewhere new! Friends of ours spent more to honeymoon at Sandals in St. Lucia than we did to honeymoon in Fiji which is just absurd to me! Plus a lot of travel agents are affiliated with Sandals so they push the resorts, so do your own research before going to see a travel agent (if you're going to) and find other resorts that'll get you a lot more for your money. Ditto dazyabbey I'm not knocking anyone going to a Sandals resort, I just get upset when people don't do any research and end up paying more for less when they could be at a nicer and quieter resort and paying less money. It seems to be the 1st resort chain people think about for an AI since they advertise so heavy and travel agents push them so much. There are many other luxury adults only AI's out there just do a simple google search. HTH! :)
Posted by SuMmErKuTiE[/QUOTE]

Awww, you come off so much nicer than me. :-P

Ausome13 · April 2014

I was very antisandals when I started looking. I wanted a small boutique all inclusive resort. But then I fell in love with St. Lucia. Sandals is the only resort in our price range, but with them we are getting a private pool in our room and a butler.

hannahj0 · May 2014

We went to Sandals La Toc in St Lucia this past April. We LOVED it. We took a shuttle to the Grande one day, and ended up making "friends" with another couple who spent a day at Halcyon. My opinion on the 3 St Lucia Sandals resorts:

Grande - We really only saw the Swimming pool, but there were a ton of people - they had pool side games going on - music playing. It looked like a lot of fun, but also reminded me of an adult spring break. The views of the island from this resort were incredible.

Halcyon - Our shuttle dropped people off here and we felt it looked VERY quiet. The other couple that stayed a day there confirmed that it was much quieter than La Toc where we were staying. They did say it was very nice, and would be good for couples wanting an intimate, quiet vacation.

La Toc - I truly thought we had the best of both worlds at this resort. The pool was lively but not too loud or crazy. I thought the restaurant selections were better than the other resorts. If I were to go to St Lucia again, I would probably choose La Toc again.

CierraMcFadden10 · May 2014

When are you going in June? We will be there the June 30th-July5th!

Knottie37373131 · May 2014

I am getting married at Sandals Grande Riviera in Ocho Rios, Jamaica May 2015. It was my favorite resort for the best price. Our wedding is basically included with the exception of the photography package that is expensive. We want an adults only laid back experience. We will likely make only a few reservations with the exception of dinner. We also don't want to feel like we have to be on the move all day every day,

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