1. Bayside

One of the great things about Sandals Halcyon Beach is the variety, and it was a nice problem to have to try and narrow down our three favourite restaurants and bars out of the six restaurants and seven bars on site, and the 21 additional restaurants and seemingly countless bars you have access to at nearby Sandals Grande St Lucian and Sandals Regency La Toc. But we couldn’t leave out Bayside.

Bayside restaurant is where you’ll likely have breakfast every morning. A combination of excitement and jetlag drew us to Bayside early each day of our stay, and we sat as close to the beach and the sea as you could. The view is Caribbean perfection. And the food, and the Jamaica Blue Mountain® Coffee is excellent. As well as the a la carte breakfast, Bayside also serves a la carte lunch and a la carte French Brasserie dining by night. But it was breakfast that really wowed for us, and taking a mug of fresh coffee after we’d eaten for a stroll along the sand became our unforgettable daily routine.

2. Kelly’s Dockside

Dressing up and walking along the pier and into Kelly’s Dockside Seaside Bar & Grill, with its lantern lighting and glowing chandeliers, is special. The restaurant is glamorous, elegant, and fun. Eating fine food and drinking fine wine sitting above the Caribbean Sea slightly offshore, with panoramic views all around, is a unique experience.

The food itself, a fusion of seafood and Creole cookery, is great too, as is the service and the ambience. Every meal at Kelly’s Dockside was a leisurely affair soaking everything in, from the Instagram photos we took on the pier outside, to the indulgent desserts. One to savour.

3. Mario’s

It was a tough call and Kimonos, oriental cuisine with Teppanyaki-style cooking, deserves to be mentioned, but ultimately it was impossible for us to leave Mario’s off this list. We didn’t expect too much. Some decent Italian food perhaps in a pleasant setting, but Mario’s is far beyond that. It’s an authentic, exceptional Italian restaurant, with classic Italian cuisine prepared by native Italian chefs. In St Lucia, on your doorstep in the resort.

Mario’s draws its cooking style from the beautiful region of Tuscany, where E.A. Mario, grandfather to the restaurant’s first authentic Italian chef, was born to a family of humble means in the northern Italian region of Lombardia. Growing up in a family of six in a small apartment behind his father’s barbershop, everyone in his family needed to pull their weight to get by. Mario was in charge of preparing dinner and his delicious dishes would bring his whole family together every night. Mario instilled that same sense of passion for his love of food and family into his children and grandchildren. And it really shows. The décor is transportive, as is the food.

Stay

Sandals Halcyon Beach features classic French-Caribbean architecture. Low-rise buildings and cottage-style rooms and suites add to the luxury boutique feel of the resort.

We stayed in an Oceanview Club Level Room with Balcony Tranquillity Soaking Tub. The room design was elegant and luxurious, and the bathroom was a good size. But it was the balcony, and the soaking tub, that made our room most memorable. Enjoying a glass of champagne in the tub, surrounded by bubbles, watching the sun go down, the white sand and turquoise Caribbean Sea visible through the bright greens of the palm trees and lush gardens. Definitely a vacation highlight.

Explore

The Pitons. They’re a must. Normally we’d probably say you shouldn’t feel guilty about spending your entire vacation at the resort, should you feel the need to simply unwind and recharge, and Sandals Halcyon Beach is a serene and wonderful place to stay and do just that. But St Lucia is such an incredible island, and the Pitons so spectacular, we’d recommend at least one excursion to see them while you’re there.

We saw some of the island by land and some by sea. Notable pit stops included chocolate making at Hotel Chocolat’s Rabot Estate, Sugar Beach, a spectacular white sand beach and luxury resort right at the base of the Pitons, and Marigot Bay, an idyllic yacht-speckled bay that was used as a filming location in Pirates of the Caribbean.