Since the first day we laid eyes upon a Sandals brochure, we’ve dreamed about going to The Regency in St Lucia. On December 8th, 2007, this dream came true!!
Let’s talk about food! From scanning various web site & reviews, we knew that La Toc would be the pinnacle of good food within the Sandals chain….Yet another reason why we choose to stay here instead of the other props in St Lucia. For starters, we were welcomed with two cookies representing sandals when we stepped into our room. A new perk? Maybe associated w/ the newly improved Sandals Select program for returning guests?? Other treats like this showed up during our week @ La Toc; after the returning guests dinner, and a nightly turn-down treat from Nestle.
For our first night, we decided on a casual dinner @ The Pitons. After posing for a photo-op with our bottle of wine in the room, we dined at their “contemporary Caribbean cuisine” themed restaurant. it was a prelude to the delicious treats to come during the week! I choose a lamb curry with local vegetables, while wifey had a fish dish. (Yes the wine was FABULOUS) And since we had a long day of traveling behind us, and I had never had a steak at ANY of the Sandals themed steakhouses ANYWHERE, we ventured over to Arizona’s, where I sampled an excellently prepared shrimp-topped Filet (medium rare) and fries.
Sandals has perfected the “wood-burning pizza” oven, well at least for the Caribbean. For our first lunch, I wanted to track down these tasty pies! Though the pizza menu is thorough, Kristy and I have our favorites. I choose the Regina (ham & pineapple) while Kristy choose the Vegetarian. Top that off with a local Beer (Pitons) and nachos, and you have a perfectly good Americanized junk food lunch, well-deserved for a soon-to-be Masters graduate & a third-place finisher in a points series bicycle race! No Worries! Our multiple visits to “La Pizzeria” never disappointed.
Next on the list (Sunday night, of course), was the Italian themed restaurant, Armandos, located right out our front (or back) door. Since we had a slight mishap on our way to the pre-selected photo-op site (a mis-step on the wet tiles) we sat in the bar underneath the restaurant and sampled martinis until the aspirin kicked-in to minimize the swelling. After visiting the antipasti bar, Kristy settled on the Cioppino, while I chose a delicious assortment that included Lamb, Pork & Chicken, each allocated to it’s own section of the plate. Beautiful presentation & excellent taste!!! (And Yes, the wine was Excellent!!)
Birthday Eve consisted of a two tasty crepes from the Creperie @ Sandals Grande (sorry no picture) (along with a typical breakfast & lunch, of course), and dinner at the Japanese themed Teppanyaki-style restaurant, Kimonos. Though I tried a “pre-dinner” picture in the room, my preferred picture of the night is one taken outside. Our chef was quite the showman, and he enjoyed fire as much as I do. We had some great table-mates, B & B, who didn’t mind taking a picture of us. Of the various Kimonos we’ve experienced, the one at La Toc walks away with the best tasting food. They particularly seasoned the food well & strong, like you’d expect at a good ‘ole Americanized Japanese restaurant! (…and it paired well w/ our wine!!!)
Ahhhhhhh, my Birthday, to start the day with a Mimosa..just LOOK at the wisdom behind those eyes.(LOL). To celebrate 42 years on this world, I chose the much anticipated “La Toc”. And they didn’t disappoint!!!! After choosing my birthday outfit and a selected Pinot noir from Oregon, we headed out. We met out sommelier (Miose ??), who stopped by our table to talk whenever he had a spare minute. We both ordered the mussel appetizer. Though the mussels were HUGE, they were still tender & very tasty. We followed with a simple salad (greens wrapped in carrot strips, served with hearts of palm & topped with parmesan cheese). For my main course, I chose (surprise!) the Rack of Lamb, seasoned with local fresh herbs, while Kristy choose the bouillabaisse, which consisted of succulent Shrimp, Crab legs, Lobster chunks (yes, I stole that from her,,,hey, it’s my birthday) and salmon. Dessert? We split a Roquefort cheese plate served w/ pears and raisens. An OUTSTANDING meal, and thought I didn’t get a picture, make sure you request “Perry’s” area. He was a fantastic server, who passed the meal like a true expert, not rushed and worry free. What better way to spend a birthday?? With my wife by my side, great food & wine in my belly, a game of pool, and being treated like a King & Queen at Sandals Regency in St Lucia!!
Our mid-week dinner was the Returning Guest dinner, or now newly renamed the “Sandals Select” Dinner. It was at this reception that I met Ian, and immediately knew they were seriously stepping up their services for returning guests. I swear I never saw the guy before tonight, but he knew who we were at first site, BEFORE introductions. He also knew of our “Platinum Level” status (one level below top level of Diamond) and informed us that we were one of three couples at this level this week. (Ian also volunteered to hold a Golf shirt for me next time I’m in St Lucia….as they only had 2 sizes XX-Large & XXX-large available) We spoke to the General Manager, Antoine Brown, who again thanked us for our continued support of the Sandals chain.
The predetermined menu consisted of: Tian of Crab (w/ avacado, deep fried anchovy & cucumber), an organic Greens salad, Rack of Lamb(The BEST yet!!!) and a baked Amaretto cheesecake. I must say, this Returning Guest dinner was the best we’ve had ANYWHERE! The Lamb was perfect (in my eyes), and the Crab appetizer was a first at any Sandals…even the “deep-fried anchovy” hit the right buttons! And, of course, they had a special reserves for the herbavors at the dinner. The wine you ask? It was okay, as we had the “house” Berringer…..more on that later.
Kristy went on stage to stump for Sandals Whitehouse, and for her troubles, we received a gift certificate for two free back massages!!! I managed to get one shot of our outfits AFTER diner, though not really my favorite
Over half-way through the week, we were starting to winddown, foodwise. But we returned to the Pizza place for lunch, where I got the “Quatro Staggioni” (consisted of Ham, mushrooms, olives & articokes, each with their own place on the pie) (picture) and Kristy got the Vegetarian. For Diner, we thought we’d try the newly opened Pavilion restaurant. After posing for a picture in the lobby and trying to incorporate the somewhat sparse Christmas decorations, we settled down to dinner. Maybe we were just “fooded” out, or maybe the chef had a bad night, our food was just so-so. I had the Shrimp dish, while Kristy had the fish dish (sorry for the lacking specifics, but like I said….) BUT I did feel better after stopping by Azirona’s and snacking on a medium-rare filet before going to bed..
For our last supper, we choose La Toc. A FINE choice!! They never disappointed us. After taking a picture for us near the table, our food was presented in spectacular fashion!. No surprise here, I got the Lamb, and Kristy tried their Snapper special How was the wine??? EXCELLENT, we chose a Malbec, from South America…our sommelier even applauded our selection!
The food definitely lived up to it’s reputation! It was some of the best food we’ve had at a Sandals…… It was well varied, and offered enough choices that you could easily stay two weeks ad not get bored with the selections.
The main pool @ the Regency didn’t disappoint!! It was HUGE and right on the beach. It had waterfalls, as well as good jumping spots(actually we were testing the shuttle speed for the new camera) The third pool was halfway between our room & the main pool. It had a hot tub, as well as a view of the room we booked. (Couldn’t tell you about that room b/c we were upgraded to a butler-level room in the bluffs, sans a butler. It was also at this pool, that we decided to verify that our new camera was, in fact waterproof. The new pool in our suite area was typical Sandals-fare, though somewhat smaller than the main pool…. It had a three tiered deck that overlooked the Atlantic ocean It also had the normal swimup-bar with waterfall, a hottub that was always HOT! The beach was somewhat of a shock(erosion). Due to a number of conditions (earthquake in Martinique, Hurricane Dean, and odd weather patterns), the waves were coming in at about 20 feet!! I managed to get past the breakers and rocks early one morning, but the water was closed the rest of the week. In the background of this picture, you can see the waves kissing the seawall, thus no beach.
To get our beach-fix, we choose to spend three (partial) days @ Sandals Grande, about 20 minutes away on the free shuttle. The beach @ Grande was peaceful and inviting, so we grabbed a Gazebo (for the sudden, but short rain spells) and Kristy stole a table from a reserved “spreads”. We spent the days: “shelling”, drank the bounty of the island , tried a few shots for the Christmas cards this year, got pampered by sea nymphs, and posing on various accoutrements. The Grand was a beautiful resort, and we considered staying our entire week there. BUT with really only 1 indoor “nicer” dining facility, (not including “Gordon’s”, which is included for “butler-level rooms”, and extra for “regular” rooms) we worried about having a variety of food w/o taking a bus trip. Though the photo-ops on the return trips were priceless. This was the writing on back of a pork stand....Read the fine print....bottom left-hand corner
Rainbows were plentiful @ the Regency, we must have had two a day! And you know what follows rainbows, SUN (A posed picture, I admit...I hung my shoe on Kristy's foot.....I LOVE this photo)!!! A plethora of wildlife greeted us every night while walking back to the room, our favorite, the frogs, and new the bunch...snails. The much anticipated ping-pong matches were feverish! The resort offered two tables, so we could always get our grove on!!!
Sandals Regency is beautiful. From the mature old trees around the pool & pizza place, to the vistas at the top of the bluffs, there are always flowers in bloom. What's with the wine comments?? Kristy and I have started bringing our own bottles of wine. This way, we get a better selection and variety.
What are you waiting for? Grab your loved one & go to a Sandals in St Lucia!!!!
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