The most memorable and romantic moment of Katie and Robert’s St. Lucia honeymoon was the boat trip they took around the island. Ti Kaye Village Resort, where they stayed, arranged the outing for them.

There were a few other couples on board with them, which Katie says, “made the trip a lot of fun.” The crew served up wine, cheese and some appetizers as they sailed past the Pitons, St. Lucia’s famous peaks.

After watching the beautiful sunset, Captain Glen let Robert take the wheel and steer the boat for a while. Looks like everyone had a blast.

A huge thank you to Katie and Robert for sharing their beautiful trip with us. And a very happy congrats to these two, who are celebrating their anniversary this month.

Vendors lined the streets selling their food, and everyone sat around to enjoy the big fish fry. The air was filled with music and great smells. Katie said it was load of fun to chat with the local residents and see how they spend their Friday nights. It was a pretty authentic experience and not too touristy.

One van headed back early for those so full of dinner they were ready for bed. The second stayed around longer to wait for guests who wanted to party the night away.

Katie and Robert were quite happy to spend most of their St. Lucia honeymoon lounging and relaxing at Ti Kaye Resort. But they did get out to see some of the Caribbean island’s natural beauty with a Sea and Land tour.

They got to check out views of the island from the water, as well as visit Diamond Botanical Garden in Soufrière and check out the volcanos just like another honeymooning couple Chris & Kim did on their trip to St. Lucia.

They took a dip in the natural hot springs and then grabbed lunch at a local restaurant. Katie’s said the native flowers “were really pretty.” The one above is a lobster claw.

Katie and Robert loved Ti Kaye Village Resort in St. Lucia, where they stayed on their May honeymoon. Katie found the resort through her online research and loved the remote location of the accommodations.

She says it was “kind of a hike to get there” though not literally on foot. The resort’s van picked them up at the airport and they traveled along some very bumpy, rustic roads to arrive at the destination. But Katie and Robert where thrilled with their choice and were welcomed with complimentary cocktails upon arrival.

Katie describes the resort as “pretty small” which means they avoided hustle and bustle and go to focus on relaxation. The highlight of the whole stay was their room. The private porch had spectacular views and a private pool. She says, “It was great to hang out on our own hammock and have privacy in our very own pool.”

There was even a private outdoor shower. Another highlight was the couple’s massage they had on the balcony one afternoon.

The bed was strewn with flowers when they first arrived… a small touch that the honeymooners loved.
The resort has a larger shared pool which Katie and Robert also used. Access down to the beach was just steps away as well. She says, “Every day we had to decide do we wanna go to the pool or the beach today”

For meals, they ate most dinners at the resort’s waterfront restaurant (above) which features seafood and other fresh selections and a “sundress casual” dress code. There is an option for a meal package, though Katie and Robert opted to keep things simple. Most mornings they ordered in a room-service fruit plate for breakfast, grabbed a sandwich at the pool or lunch or had some snacks they’d brought from home, and then splurged on an a la carte dinner.

Katie says the resort was so “amazing” that they’d love to go back someday. And their first stop would be to grab a tropical cocktail under the paper lanterns at Ti Kaye’s on-site bar.

We’re not really sure what’s cuter, Katie and Robert Haines’ photos from their St. Lucia honeymoon or the story of how they met. She tells us it was at the Jacksonville, Florida, ad agency where they both work. She had a crush on him that very first day on the job, but it would take them almost a year to really start to chat. But once they made a connection, the sparks flew and eight months later, they were walking down the aisle in Jacksonville. As Katie says, “When it’s right, it’s right! We just knew.”

She says, “We had talked about Hawaii, but it was just so expensive, both the airfare and the lodging. We knew we wanted a warm, tropical beach vacation. And we didn’t need to sightsee or do a whole lot.” But she was also adamant of staying away from what she calls “the honeymoon mill of all-inclusive resorts.”

Katie turned to the internet for help and kept noticing Ti Kaye Village Resort (above) in St. Lucia pop up. There were so many great reviews, that at first she thought, “ this sounds too good to be true.” Some more research online and a glance at the resort’s website and Katie and Robert were saying, “This is perfect for us!”

These two describe their May trip as “romantic, relaxing and indulgent.” They had a good mix of chilling out and getting out to explore the island. Check back all this week to read about their experiences at Ti Kaye and around St. Lucia.

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!