Why Saint Lucia is your Romantic Getaway

Saint Lucia is an amazing Caribbean beach destination. Imagine a romantic getaway at a beachside all-inclusive resort. This island needs to be on the bucket list.

Saint Lucia.  An exotic, beautiful tropical beach that seems like it has to be a dream.  Can it be as amazing in person as the pictures make it look?  It can – be prepared for cleavage, mud baths, and movie stars. Read on to discover why the Caribbean’s Saint Lucia is the perfect choice for your romantic getaway.

How did we discover Saint Lucia?

Believe it or not, I saw one of those honeymoon giveaways in 2009 for a Saint Lucia resort and fell head over heels over the island.  Apparently, advertising does work! I never thought I would get to Saint Lucia but it was a great dream to have.  Three years later, there we were, enjoying our “Island Man” drinks on the beach and taking advantage of the Sandals’ all-inclusive resort amenities. 

How did we get there?  I put in the work starting out with researching the resorts, weighing the options between traditional resorts or hotels versus all-inclusive resorts, and decided on Sandals Halcyon.  Now, I’m passing that research on to you.

There are three Sandals all-inclusive resorts in Saint Lucia. We really liked the low-key relaxed atmosphere of the Halcyon, as well as the opportunity to visit the other resorts for amenities. Stay at one – play at three. That philosophy worked great for us!

What makes Saint Lucia a romantic getaway?

Saint. Lucia is a small island located in the south end of the Caribbean, near the South American coastline.  The island is bordered by both the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean and is less than 240 square miles.  Seriously, if the roads were better the entire island could be explored in a day. But the road system isn’t great, so visitors have a more leisurely exploration of this beautiful island.

Saint Lucia has been an eagerly sought property for both France and England for many years. The island was been under both French and English rule and became fully independent in 1979.  Because of this history, it is very easy for American and European tourists to get around on the island. Both English and French are widely spoken, and much of the island’s history is similar to other islands in the Caribbean.

Here is one example of how inviting this tiny island nation is. The small fishing village in St. Lucia in the photo on the left is absolutely picturesque. This village holds a fish fry once a week, welcoming locals and tourists alike, and is highly recommended by both resort staff and locals.  This photo on the right was taken at a scenic spot alongside the road on our way to the resort and has the fishing village in the backdrop.

Scenery like this just lends itself to the relaxed, laid-back Caribbean island vibe. Both the scenery and relaxed vibe lend themselves well to creating a romantic getaway atmosphere.

Activities on the island.

Oh my, if I knew in 2012 what I know now! 

What is your idea of a romantic getaway?

For Papa Joe and myself, that answer is pretty simple. Anything that lets us unplug from the world and plug into each other. In Saint Lucia, that meant spending time swimming in silky warm water while sipping a beverage from the swim-up bar. It meant lounging after supper while being bathed in moonlight and being serenaded by island critters and the sound of waves crashing on the beach. As twisted as it sounds, it also meant spending the day bathing in volcanic mud, kissing while rinsing off in a waterfall, and then feeling how smooth the volcanic mud made our skin feel.

Want to know more?

We did everything we could think of.  Snorkeling, riding horses in the Atlantic, zip-lining, sunset cruise, hanging out on the beach – we did it.  If Sandals offered the activity as part of the all-inclusive package, we did it.  The resort staff were very accommodating and helped get excursions scheduled. 

I don’t want to minimize the time spent doing those things, but a zip-line over a tropical rainforest is going to look very similar in Saint Lucia as it does in Costa Rica. In a word… amazing.  

Joe Knows.  That was the name of our excursion host, and yep, Joe knew. This excursion was probably our favorite excursion. We went snorkeling, volcano mudding, and snorkeling. Snorkeling is always awesome.  Remember me telling you there would be cleavage in this blog?  That’s what the locals call snorkeling in the narrow band of water between the Pitons.

Imagine seeing the incredibly clear blue water and fish swimming nearby while your head is down. Then raise your head out of the water, and see mountains on both sides of you. 

We have had numerous opportunities to snorkel after returning home from Saint Lucia. The water was a little difficult to swim in, but not the worst we have been in. As you can see in the photo, it was an overcast day so visibility in the water wasn’t great. Ranking snorkeling in Saint Lucia against other places we have been (Panama, Dominican Republic, Belize…) Saint Lucia rates in the middle.

Regardless, if you have an opportunity to snorkel in the piton cleavage – that can only be done in one place in the world. Absolutely incredible and a must-do.  

Finishing up our “Joe Knows” day

At the end of the day, we had an opportunity to free swim in one of the historic scenes from “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Yep, it was easy to picture Cap’n Jack Sparrow when looking up at the coastline.  We have had a lot of fun reliving those moments swimming with locals where “Pirates” was shot. As a matter of fact, I even talked Papa Joe into one of those cheesy photoshoots at a theme park using his face in a Cap’n Jack costume. At the end of the day, my romantic getaway got me my own Cap’n Joe. Seriously, who can say put all those pieces together to say that?

Me, that’s who. And you can too.

Last Joe Knows ditty, then I will move on. If you enjoy a Bumper Sticker you will never forget it.  Click on the audio file below for a Bumper Sticker taste of Saint Lucia.  Trust me – it’s worth a try! As is Joe Knows. Visiting Saint Lucia? Make sure to check Joe Knows out.

Yes, this was an amazing day.

More romantic getaway moments on Saint Lucia

Horseback riding in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the St. Lucia Atlantic coastline was pretty special.  We wore long pants and boots as we rode to the coast, stripped out of clothes into bathing suits, and jumped onto our bare-back (no saddles) horses.  Ever been bare-back on a horse while he swims?  It is downright freaky. This excursion also got us the checkmark for the “riding horses on the beach” bucket list item.

Amazing sunsets are a romantic getaway requirement

Have you ever seen the green flash as the sun sets over the Caribbean?

That was our goal on the sunset cruise, but I think the rum punch and conversation with islanders on the cruise got in the way – which was fine.  People were friendly and happy to brag up on their island – I don’t regret missing the green flash at all.  I still ended up with some incredible pictures.

Regardless of how you experience a Saint Lucia sunset, it can be a very romantic event. You bring the romance partner, Saint Lucia provides the rest!

Anyone up for an unexpected surprise?

I’m always up for an unexpected surprise. While I wouldn’t say it was romantic, it was an incredibly fun and special day. The one event that was a total surprise, and is a bucket list item for anyone who enjoys music or dancing.  CARNIVAL!

Yep, the week we were there ended up being Carnival for the island, and the parade route went right by our all-inclusive resort.  So we spent the day on the sidewalk watching the event. Semi-truck-beds loaded with sound equipment and audio speakers, scantily clad people dancing in the street, gyrating to the local music.  And after going back into the bar a couple of times for beverages, the Sandals staff ended up just bringing drinks to us out on the sidewalk. 

This was probably one of the most fun things I have ever witnessed.  A day-long dance party – too much fun!  Nobody stood still long enough for us to get good-quality pictures, but their website is worth checking out. As an update for this story, since writing this Papa Joe and I had the opportunity for a large parade in New Orleans. Supposed to be a big deal – and it was. But it was nothing compared to how Carnival puts on a parade!

My biggest regret is that we didn’t get the opportunity to climb the Piton. Saint Lucia is famous for its twin volcanic spires, the Pitons.  Climbing is not recommended on one of the Pitons, but climbing on Gros Piton is one of the activities the island is known for.  Papa Joe and I usually get some hiking in wherever we go and would have had to give up Carnival to do the climb.  That just means we have to go back so we can do the climb the Piton.

Time to talk about romantic getaway at the resort

Our resort for the week was the all-inclusive Sandals Halcyon. We chose this of the three resorts in Saint Lucia as it fits our personality best. It is the most laid-back of the three, had a more mature clientele, and has an incredible staff. We just aren’t the golf-course type of couple.

In general, the Sandals staff is very friendly and different from many of the resorts we have been to. We met other guests were from around the world.  The pools were very well-kept and two of the pools had swim-up bars.  What I liked most about the pools was the configuration, which included several nooks for semi-private time for couples.

Upon arrival to Saint Lucia, we were ushered into an air-conditioned suite at the airport, given a fresh beverage and cool towel, then off to the resort with our private driver.  All details were coordinated by Sandals.  The Halcyon Resort is about 90 minutes from the airport. They are on opposite sides of the island, and the trip was an experience.  Saint Lucia had experienced a hurricane several months before, and sections of roads were still washed out or down to one-lane traffic.  I was very happy to have a driver!

The Sandals Halcyon is luxurious and filled with greenery, private cabanas scattered throughout the property, and access to warm tropical breezes and privacy curtains. I have very fond memories of these private cabanas.

Sandals Halcyon was beautiful. The private cabanas were comfy and privacy curtains allowed opportunities for romantic private getaways during the day or evening while being surrounded by the amazing Caribbean ambiance. Caribbean style.

More about the all-inclusive Halcyon

The resort offered water sports as part of the all-inclusive package, and we enjoyed taking out a Hobie Cat and watching others exploring in kayaks.  My other regret is that we didn’t spend more time taking advantage of the all-inclusive benefits. We were newbies to travel at the time and had not learned how to balance everything we wanted to do. Now we know better.

At Sandals, all-inclusive truly means all-inclusive.  We have stayed at other all-inclusive resorts where tipping was recommended, and that was not the case here.  Tipping was prohibited, which was a little weird.  The service was impeccable, and the ease of traveling to the other two resorts was remarkable.

Nuts and bolts for the resort

• The resort cost us around $3500 for a week. We reserved it with a $400 deposit, and balance was due a month before travel. At the time of this update, we can complete a reservation at $49 per person. Papa Joe and I are thinking seriously about the Sandals Antigua or Grenada for our December 2020 anniversary trip. More on that to come…
• Excursions – We ended up going on four excursions – I don’t remember much about the 4th excursion, so it must not have been worth the money. We spent more than we should have, around $1000.  That is a lesson learned – take advantage of the all-inclusive benefits before spending money on excursions if you are on a budget.  Being more seasoned travelers now, we enjoy an excursion every other day and use resort amenities the rest of the time.
• Airfare – I believe our air was around $800, which is pretty standard for anywhere we want to travel. We booked our own airfare, Sandals would have booked the airfare for us, but if they do the booking, the resort deposit needs to include the cost of airfare.  It was slightly more expensive to have them book the air travel, but in retrospect, it may have been worth it.

And that’s it.  No extra resort fees, no transport costs.  Done.

Saint Lucia for romantic getaways? You betcha!

There are pros and cons to every recommendation.  Cons first…

• Islands don’t have much indigenous wildlife. Translation – tropical but no monkeys.  Live and learn.  For us, that was a con because we really enjoy wildlife.
• The resort was almost 90 minutes from the airport, through winding mountainous roads.  After getting off a plane, a little car-sickness was kicking in, which the driver seemed to be used to.  But the scenery was amazing.  The 90-minute drive was a con, being able to see scenery – definite pro.
• Sandals staff were very protective and not supportive of us going off property unescorted. For us, that was a con, for others it may be a pro.
• I had to rely on the resort to travel around the island. Again, what is a con for us, maybe pro for others…
• Don’t eat ahi tuna the night before leaving…. there’s another story here. Definite con.

Now for the pros.

There are lots of pros!

• This is a beautiful, lush Caribbean island. I can still see Jimmie Smoking in my imagination?  You have to visit Saint Lucia to understand.
• The island has a laid-back lifestyle that welcomes tourists.
• The Sandals Halcyon was beautiful and provided for every possible need.
• Lots of things to do – or you can just lounge by the pool.
• I haven’t talked about the beaches at all. The beach sand was soft and white, the water was clear and warm, and (my pet peeve) free of seaweed.  We should have spent a lot more time on the water, in the water, and on the beach. And that in itself says something. If you follow my stories, you know the beach is almost always one of my top things to do. For Saint Lucia, the beach only made it in at the bottom of the story. This island is THAT great!
• Sandals Halcyon has a laid back, very personalized feel to it. As the smallest Sandals resort on the island, its’ specialty is a more laid back vibe.
• Here’s another pro – Saint Lucia shortly after sunset. Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine the warm salt air blowing over your skin, hear the cicadas serenading you, and the scent of tropical flowers. Now open your eyes slowly, and imagine… This…

Does this hit all your romantic getaway check-boxes?

It sure checks all of mine. A quick Google search for things required on a romantic getaway shows that things like flowers, spas, private villas, turquoise waters, beaches, and amazing sunsets are common ingredients. Well, Saint Lucia has all of these and so much more!

Looking for your next romantic getaway to rekindle your married flame, sweep a new girl off her feet, or enjoy the perfect honeymoon or vow renewal? Saint Lucia just may be the destination for you!

Looking for information about more Caribbean and beach destinations?

Here you go!