By Shannon R. Smith

Recently my husband and I visited the tropical island of St. Lucia. St. Lucia is a small eastern Caribbean island which is approximately 238 square miles in size. It is a democratic country that gained its independence from Great Britain in 1979. The population is just over 166,000. The capital is the city of Castries. It is primarily a mountainous country, being volcanic in origin. English is the official language, with the national currency being the Eastern European dollar. The American dollar, was however, readily accepted wherever we traveled. This particular destination was chosen for its tropical locale, and the opportunity to pursue our favorite hobby, SCUBA diving.

We arrived at the St. Lucia airport early in the afternoon. Getting through the airport took little time. In twenty to twenty-five minutes we went through line, had our passports stamped, and recovered our baggage. Immediately outside the airport was the transportation terminal. Essentially we stepped outside of the building, and the Sandals' staff was right there awaiting our arrival. It was also very refreshing that there weren't twenty people trying to aggressively assist us with our luggage as we'd experienced in several other countries. We were both extremely pleased with our stress free arrival into St. Lucia.

From the airport it was approximately an hour to our facility of choice, the Sandals Grande. If you are an individual plagued by motion sickness, you may wish to begin your anti-emetics before leaving the airport, as the ride from the airport to Sandals was mountainous with many dips and turns. There were several passengers on the route that experienced some degree of motion sickness. Several remarked they wished they had been better prepared for the uneven terrain. It was a chance, however, to see some of the local scenery. The countryside was beautiful. It quickly became obvious bananas were a large part of the commerce in the area, as there were banana trees noted frequently throughout the drive.

Sandals Grande is one of three Sandals resorts on St. Lucia. It is the largest of the three with much scenery and many activities to offer. With regard to the other resorts, the Sandals Regency is touted for its beautiful golf course, and the smaller Halcyon is advertised as a quaint and secluded resort. The latter is recommended for the romantic getaway. One of the benefits to staying at Sandals, however, was that guests were allowed to experience all three resorts on the island at anytime. Your Sandals bracelet allowed access to the Sandals of your choice. Hourly shuttles operated most of the day and night. All one had to do was hop on a shuttle and the amenities of the other resorts were easily accessible.

The Grande was an easy choice for us. It was the largest, and the only Sandals on the island with dive boat operations there on site. It was just a short walk from our room to all the diving and water sport activities. Upon arrival we quickly decided that we had made the correct choice. Our room was everything and more the brochure said it would be, which is not always the case. We had a concierge level room and our baggage was hand delivered there without delay. The Concierge was very accommodating. As new guests, we were provided with a thorough tour of the grounds and the restaurants. We were introduced to the various onsite activities and off site excursions we could engage in. As the trip progressed, we visited the Concierge many times. We were always greeted with a smiling face, and a knowledgeable staff member who made every effort to assist us to the fullest.

One of the best things about Sandals is the fact that the resort is all inclusive. At all but one restaurant there are no additional fees. Gratuity is also not required. There were a couple more upscale restaurants at Sandals which required reservations but meals here were still included in the original price. Gordon's was a special restaurant which cost $150 per couple for the meal if you wished to dine here. In general there was a very good variety and quality of food available.

One of our favorite places was The Pizzeria. It was an outside eatery that made pizzas in a brick fired oven. The thin crispy crust was wonderful! Just behind The Pizzeria was Josephine's. Josephine's was a dessert-lovers delight. Step inside and help yourself to the jars full of chocolate chip cookies or banana bread. Have a yummy shake or delve into a piece of their cheesecake. There were a myriad of desserts, all there for the taking. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!!

The room service menu was much more limited than the Bayside Restaurant where we had most of our buffet meals. Nonetheless we had access to room service 24 hours a day, and used it many times for our early breakfasts before diving. Just remember - after breakfast you may want to order two helpings of each menu item, as the room service portions were quite small However, it was delivered very quickly, and was equally as delicious as the dining downstairs.

We went diving four of the seven days we were in St. Lucia. The divemasters were all very helpful in making sure we got the correct weights and full tanks. They did a good job of keeping divers on track (making sure they completed safety stops, etc), and didn't let anyone stray. The dive boats were spacious, with ample space for dive gear, etc. You could sit up top for a comfortable ride on the dive sites that were further away. There were many extended trips to the Pitons (two easily identifiable mountain peaks).

Unfortunately the diving we did at St. Lucia was average at best. There was plenty of the usual. Trumpet fish and banded shrimp were plentiful, as at most dive sites. We saw many spotted eel, a juvenile drum, and a file fish. One bonus was that there were more stonefish here than I see at most sites. There was a very noticeable absence of the big animals... turtles, rays, etc. The most troubling aspect of the diving, however, was that there were jellyfish everywhere!! Most divers, including my husband, took a good sting. Most of the jellyfish were hovering near the surface which made the safety stops very stressful. There were also some that were seen (and felt) at depth, as well. One divemaster noted that the jellyfish were a rarity. I heard another say "you know what happens when the current comes in... jellies". The current must have been coming in that entire week!!

On the day before departure we signed up for an all day excursion, the "Soufriere Adventure Cruise". The cost was $112 per person. We boarded a catamaran early in the morning and took a boat ride to the Pitons. There were beverages on board including beer, rum punch, and sodas for the taking all day long. We disembarked in the town of Soufriere where we boarded Taxi's that took us to the Sulphur Springs. It was touted as the "drive through" volcano, but there wasn't much driving through it. You walked down to it while a tour guide explained the history of volcanoes and the island. The information was interesting, but the smell of Sulphur was overwhelming! If you don't like rotten eggs, this would not be the place for you to go. There was no "getting used to it"! Whew!!

After the volcano we drove to the Botanical Garden which was absolutely beautiful. It ended in a gorgeous waterfall. We were told the movie "Romancing the Stone" was filmed here, and I could see why. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. After looking at all the flowers and foliage, we headed to a small restaurant at the top of a mountain. Sitting there, looking down at the harbor and up at the pitons, the view was beautiful. The food was satisfying, the people friendly. With our bellies full we headed down the mountain back to the catamaran.

Our return trip included a stop off for snorkeling. We warned the crew and everyone else who would listen about the jellyfish we'd been seeing. Everyone jumped in anyway, and all were back on the boat in about ten minutes, several with stings from jellyfish. Thank goodness bottles of vinegar were plentiful on all boats that week (vinegar is the treatment for dive stings). The stings were quickly taken care of and we were on our way home. As points of interest along the way, we did see a huge containment center for oil, and a very deep and beautiful cove that all the boats took refuge in when hurricanes were headed toward the island.

In conclusion, I would definitely return to the resort Sandals Grande in St. Lucia. The resort was beautiful and full of things to do. The food was good and plentiful, and the staff was wonderful. It was a great place to go be active, or to just sit back, relax, and read a book if that's what you prefer. The diving, however, left much to be desired. It is possible there was better diving elsewhere on the island, but we did not experience it on this trip. I do not like being led into jellyfish infested waters wearing a shorty! I feel we should have been warned. Even had the jellyfish not been there, based on the marine life seen, the diving was subpar. If you're looking for great diving, I'd definitely recommend going elsewhere. For all you non-divers, however, be sure to come and enjoy all the Sandals Grande has to offer!

Are you a new or seasoned Scuba Diver looking for dive information or great deals on Scuba Equipment? If so check out the Scuba blog and Scuba store at http://www.FinForYourSelf.com to find Scuba information and the lowest prices on Scuba Equipment.

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