St Lucia was the second stop on our Disney Southern Caribbean Cruise and one of the islands I was most excited to see. I had long read about it's twin peaks, the Pitons, and the world's only drive-in volcano. While I was dying to check the drive-in volcano, I opted for another Sandals resort tour because I have come to understand that I can do a much better job as travel agent when I've physically been to a property. I made the right choice because I found that Sandals Regency La Toc is a place one cannot truly appreciate from a brochure. It is a unique resort that simply must be seen to be understood.
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| St Lucia's famous twin peaks, the Pitons |
On board the Magic, we woke up at 5:45 am to watch us pull into Castries, the capital of St Lucia. I always enjoy watching the ship slowly pull up to a new island as the sun rises over our destination. It was so exciting to get my first glimpse of St Lucia and it was just as beautiful as I imagined with dramatic mountains rising from the sea, covered in lush green rain forests. Our ship entered a small bay and then proceeded to do a 180 degree turn in order to dock the ship pointed straight out. It was an amazing engineering feat and at times, I thought for sure we were going to hit land turning that mighty ship in a relatively small bay.
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| Goofy on the back of Disney Magic |
We got off the ship at 8:00 am and walked to the end of the dock to get picture of Goofy on the back of the ship and then decided to walk into town before heading to Sandals. The walk to town was lovely, right along the bay and only about 15 minutes. I was not impressed with the town of Castries as it was lacking in the Caribbean color I have become accustomed to and seemed old and rundown. We walked through a very old craft market and bought a quick souvenir. We were the only visitors and I could feel the vendors hunger for sales, so we didn't linger long. We proceeded through the fruits and vegetables where I have never seen so much produce in one place. The fruit looked fresh and delicious, yet unfamiliar.
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| City of Castries |
We decided it was time to take a taxi to Sandals when we were approached by an overly friendly local who wanted to give us a personal tour of the island. Just as flashbacks from our Jamaica "tour guide" taking us for fools by taking our money and our pride in one fell swoop started to enter my mind, the cab driver we had previously met, came to our rescue. Ricky whisked us away and told us we didn't want to be taking this man's tour. We said we had been "taken" by such a tour in Jamaica and weren't about to fall for that again!
Ricky drove us up the green mountain side and then back down again to the entrance to Sandals Regency La Toc. The drive was quite beautiful and Ricky told us that as a kid, he used to climb down the same mountain in order to swim at the same beach that Sandals was now located on.
Ricky drove us up the green mountain side and then back down again to the entrance to Sandals Regency La Toc. The drive was quite beautiful and Ricky told us that as a kid, he used to climb down the same mountain in order to swim at the same beach that Sandals was now located on.
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| Stunning views from the pool |
We checked in with the staff at Sandals and after a warm hug from the Sales Manager, Shamaine, we were told to come back at 11:30 for our tour. This gave us time to have some breakfast and walk around the property to get photos. The first thing that struck me was how different this Sandals was from Sandals Grande Antigua which we had toured the day before. At first I wasn't very impressed with Sandals Regency La Toc. The beach was smaller, the sand not as white and the water not as green but as we walked up to the cliffs, I realized that this resort was not about the beach. It was about the views. It was about the tranquility. It was about he intimacy. I ended up falling in love with this resort that was unlike any other I had every been to.
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| Another great view from another pool |
There are 3 different Sandals resorts on St Lucia and it was hard to decide which one to visit. I ultimately decided on Sandals Regency La Toc because they are the only Sandals that have the famed Millionaire Suites. I suspected a resort tour may be the only way to see them but I also knew that they are booked 1 to 2 years in advance so I would need luck on my side. We met Kerishma for our tour and she informed me that she only had one room category that she could show me and that it was the Millionaire Suites! I couldn't believe my good fortune!
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| Millionaire Suite 2-Level Balcony with Infinity Pool |
The Millionaire Suite lived up to its reputation with its jaw dropping 180 degree views from a 2 level balcony that includes an infinity pool, whirlpool, outdoor shower and lounge chairs. I could very much imagine myself in that suite, living like a Millionaire, and enjoying those views with my husband in our on private sanctuary. Who knows, maybe someday!
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| Neptune's where we had lunch |
After a thorough tour of the sprawling 220 acre property that wraps around the side of a cliff and tapers down to the quiet beach, we had lunch at Neptune's and enjoyed lovely views of the cove. Finally, it was time to take a swim and we were more than ready with all of that Caribbean heat and humidity. Just as we got changed into our swimsuits, it started to rain. I figured we would be wet when we swam anyway so why let a little rain stop us. We waded in and it was fun to swim in the rain. The great thing about this beach is that Sandals is the only resort on the beach so it is very secluded. After a half hour of carefree swimming in the rain, thunder chased us out of the water.
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| The lovely beach at Sandals Regency La Toc |
We changed into dry clothes and sat in the gorgeous open air lobby and watched the downpour. There was no longer any sign of the lush mountains, only gray rain meeting the gray sea. It may have been tempting to let the weather rain on our parade but we didn't. Instead we decided to try the drink of the day, the Millionaire Special. It seemed appropriate after getting to see the Millionaire Suite. And I felt like a millionaire sipping the Millionaire Special gazing out into the Caribbean Sea with recent memories of the Millionaire Suite playing in my mind.
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| Caribbean Sunset at Sea |
Our cab driver, Ricky, came to get us early so we left Sandals and headed back to our ship. The traffic was very slow getting back to the port and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. At the cruise port, we perused the shops which were all the usual suspects. Back on the ship we got ready to sail away and were treated with an amazing show. On the port side of the ship we watched St Lucia slide by with increasingly good views of the Pitons and the almost full moon shining overhead, while on the starboard side we saw a magnificent Caribbean sunset. The rain had departed and left us with a gorgeous night to remember.
Click here for more pictures from my adventure in St Lucia!
I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels. I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive weekly travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.
Happy Travels!
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