What Sandals clearly does right is provide couples with the perfect recipe for romance… Great service, all-inclusive drinks and food, candle-light and rose petals all in a gorgeous tropical setting. By picking these resorts you know right away you’ll get the things other couples have to seek out on their honeymoons.

Kim sums up her fabulous St. Lucian honeymoon with some wise words and one of the best sunset photos this website has yet seen…

“If we go back we would most definitely stay at the same hotel and order ourselves the best drink on the island called the BBC (Baileys, Banana, and Coconut Cream). We really enjoyed the entire trip … it was well worth every dime we spent … we’d do it again in a heartbeat!”

Thanks to my lovely cousins for sharing their honeymoon. I’d love to hear from more couples who’ve stayed at one of the many Sandals resorts and had a great time. Email us your happy stories!

The stand-out meal of the trip for Chris and Kim was dinner at La Toc. This French restaurant located within the Sandals Regency Resort, offers gourmet meals and wines from around the world.  Kim says, “It was an amazing meal with great service.”

They also checked out Gordon’s a more casual, open-air, white table cloth restaurant specializing in seafood at Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Sitting out at the end of a large pier over the Caribbean, you have great views of the water and the resort. Kim even convinced Chris to try lobster. And he survived.

The honeymooners also liked Kimonos at the Sandals Regency Resort. This spot is also casual, and offers diners a Japanese-inspired meal. The meals are cooked on a hibachi-style grill at the table, making the meal as fun to watch as it is to eat. Like every spot Sandals offers, their are beautiful ocean views from the two-story dining room.

In the last post, Kim was raving about the Concierge team that took care of them at Sandals Grande St. Lucian. On the Thursday of their trip, the team organized a hike in Pigeon Island National Park. Kim says, “We decided to go because it looked interesting.”

The team brought them to Fort Rodney, an old British military base. Not only did they get a bit of St. Lucian history – and cannons – but they also got spectacular views of the ocean and islands from above. But the best was yet to come.

Kim says, “They surprises all of us with was a sunset cruise around the bay. It was nice with snacks, beer and champagne. We thought that was a great perk of our level of room considering others paid for the hike and sunset cruises and we got to go for free.”

Kim and Chris couldn’t be happier with their choice of Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Kim says, “It was a gorgeous hotel. The staff was wonderful and very helpful. There are three Sandals on the island. We visited all three to take advantage of their restaurant choices, but we felt that Sandals Grande St. Lucia was the best of the three. It had the best beaches and the best pool. It was all-inclusive and you could travel between the other hotels for more variety in food and activities. It also included snorkeling and scuba diving, which can be a large added expense on vacation.”

Breakfast was awesome everyday, “We enjoyed room service every morning while overlooking the Caribbean Sea and on clear days we could see Martinique. It was just so beautiful and we were able to share it together.”

Chris and Kim think the Concierge Staff went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of at all times. Kim adds, “I recommend to anyone staying here to get a Concierge level room.”

Having the resort staff organize all the activities (and costs, and transportation, and directions…) left them free to do what they craved most: relax!

Hear more about the staff this afternoon.

Chris and Kim’s adventure cruise finished with a snorkeling trip. They were blown away by the beauty they saw just below the ocean’s surface. The great part about going through the resort is that they not only know the best local spots to dive in, but they also provide all the equipment you’ll need.

Sandals also offers a ton of other watersports, like scuba diving, kayaking, glass bottom boating and waterskiing. Kim tried her hand at kneeboarding (picture waterskis without the need to stand and balance) and had an absolute blast.

And of course, they ziplined through the rainforest. My favorite thing about this shot – beside how happy these two look – is Kim’s comment. “This is the only picture we have from the zipline because we are both afraid of heights and didn’t want to drop the camera!” Way to face your fear and have some fun, guys!

One of the most fun days Chris and Kim had was when they took the Soufriere Adventure Cruise. She says, “A large catamaran sails around St. Lucia and stops in the town of Soufriere. You board a bus that takes you to the Volcano.”

La Soufriere is the volcano on St. Lucia. The island prides itself on having the world’s only “drive-in volcano” because you can literally drive your car right into the crater!

Near the volcano are naturally occurring sulfur springs, which make you feel like you’ve stepped out of the Caribbean and onto another planet. Chris and Kim sum these up as “smelly.”

Much less stinky was the view from the hilltop spot where the Sandals tour guides took them for lunch. The spectacular panorama is the town of Soufrière and the beautiful Caribbean waters. Hard to enjoy the view when you’re a honeymooner too busy gazing into your sweetheart’s eyes…

Chris and Kim also checked out Diamond Botanical Garden in Soufrière with lush waterfalls and lots of tropical flowers. The garden is also known for natural hot springs and mineral waters that were thought to have healing properties.

Check back for more adventures later today, when we see their adrenaline really get pumping!

When my cousin Chris married his wife Kim in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Tim and I were honored to be guests. These two are the best… they’re the kind of cousins who’ll drive you to the ER when you’re sick and your hubby’s out of town (they did that for me!) and then keep you company for the three hour wait (they really are great!)

Kim who works in sales, and Chris who works in Risk Management, left behind their Hoboken, NJ, home in November 2009 for the sunshine of St. Lucia for their Caribbean honeymoon.

St. Lucia is a small island with only 160,000 residents and a National Rain Forest Reserve. Sandals has three resorts on the northwest tip of the island: the Sandals La Toc Regency Golf Resort & Spa, the Sandals Halcyon Beach and the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort, where Chris and Kim stayed.

They loved the option of being able to visit all three resorts and the shuttle buses leaving every half-hour or so make this easy. These two had an amazing time on their trip, and packed in the fun.

When it came to choosing a honeymoon destination, Chris and Kim looked into several Caribbean islands as well as Costa Rica. Their research told them that Sandals in St. Lucia was the perfect fit for them. It offered plenty of variety with the beaches and numerous pools. They took advantage of the planned outings for some adventurous fun. But mostly they took plenty of time to just relax as Mr. and Mrs.

Happy 2010 everyone!! Tim and I had a fantastic long weekend down in the DC area celebrating with friends. New Years Eve was a blast, with a big feast we all prepared together and lots of toasting. We also got to celebrate with some of our favorite friends Darren and Emily… they just got engaged two weeks ago, so there was lots of talk about wedding and honeymoon plans.

We’ve got another big week of posts coming up with Chris and Kim’s honeymoon in the Caribbean. These two – my cousin and his wife – fell in love with the Sandals resort in St. Lucia.

I have to admit it. I was a total anti-Sandals snob before their trip. Maybe it was the the old TV commercials or the gigantic brush script logo at the bottom of the ginormous pools, but I thought these resorts must be cheese-tastic (think Michael Scott from The Office.)

My mind was changed when Chris and Kim came back raving about their experience… perfect beaches, great food and no stress. These all-inclusive resorts have found the perfect recipe for brides and grooms who don’t want honeymoon planning to be a chore. Thousands of couples every year choose these resorts for just that reason.

Last week I dove into learning more about Sandals with an open mind. I spent hours reading reviews on other travel sites and forums. I tried to get the full experience without actually being there. Sandals Resorts may not be right for every couple. But they can certainly be a ton of fun for lots of you out there. So sit back and enjoy five days of sunny St. Lucia with the new Mr. and Mrs. Gregorio!