7 Things to Know About Sandals St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Sandals St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a new adults-only all-inclusive resort that opened to the public on March 27, 2024.

This resort was a new build and is the latest addition to the Sandals portfolio. It marks a major milestone for the company, as well as for the Caribbean island nation: This is the first international project of its kind in St. Vincent, and was made possible by the new international airport. There is literally no other resort quite like it.    

TMR visited the new Sandals St. Vincent and the Grenadines resort for the 19th Sandals Star Awards, held May 13 to 17, 2024. This was the first time in over five years, or more than 1,700 days, that Sandals had hosted an event of this scale for travel advisors. It was also an opportunity for advisors to see the facilities first-hand, and get a proper feel for the resort.

According to Dawn Bolte, senior director of travel industry sales, there will be more opportunities for advisors to get on-site via the Back To The Beach program, as well as updated online training for Sandals St. Vincent (contact your local BDM for more information).  

In the meantime, here are seven things advisors should know about Sandals St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

1. The trip to and from the airport is difficult
The locals joke that there are “no straight roads in St. Vincent.” Based on the shuttle trip to and from Argyle International Airport, this appears to be true.

Multiple advisors attested to feeling very carsick due to the winding, hilly roads between the airport and the resort. The trip is at least 45 minutes in length, and depending on traffic, this could involve a lot of rapid acceleration and deceleration, as well as countless tight turns. It’s a good idea for anyone arriving on the island to take anti-nausea medication before getting in a vehicle.

There is an upsell opportunity here: Guests staying in the Butler Elite villas can get complimentary water taxi transportation to and from the airport. This does require setting up ahead of time, but it is faster (approximately 20 minutes) and should be a smoother ride.  

2. Sandals St. Vincent & the Grenadines is still being built
Sandals St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been open for two months but is still a work in progress. Unsurprisingly, this means that construction is going on as certain areas are completed. This won’t impact a guest’s stay necessarily—the areas being developed are the far edges of the property, so noise isn’t really a concern—but it does limit activities. As of writing, the tennis and pickleball courts are still being built.

There are some minor details being worked out with rooms as well. Due to a lost container, the shower shelves have not been installed in many bathrooms. Some rooms may be missing other furnishings or certain functionalities; our villa’s patio lights didn’t work, and another advisor told TMR she didn’t have couch cushions. These are relatively minor details, but good to know for those finicky, perfectionist clients.

Finally, the overwater villas were not complete at the time of TMR’s visit. These are Sandals’ first two-story overwater bungalows. Part of the Butler Elite category, they are among the most luxurious offerings at the resort. Based on the Sandals website, guests can start booking these villas in July 2024.  

3. Ladies, bring a converter (and maybe an extension cord)
St. Vincent uses outlet types A, B, and G; however, the rooms at Sandals St. Vincent are mostly type G. There are Type B (the ones used in the U.S. and Canada) power sockets by the bed, as well as USB ports for charging devices. 

There is a catch: There are no outlets in the bathroom, and the closest outlet is type G. This means that anyone looking to use an electric styling tool like a hair straightener or curler won’t be able to use it with a mirror unless they have a converter and the cord is a couple of feet in length. In the Butler villas, it is possible to use the bedside outlet and the closet mirror—but again, the cord would need to be quite long. 

4. Book Buccan and Butch’s ahead of time
Sandals is known for its gastronomy, and St. Vincent is no exception. The food at the resort is top quality, and there are multiple dining options throughout the day. Most of these are walk-ins (or a Butler can scope out a table ahead of time); however, arguably the two best restaurants, Buccan and Butch’s, do require reservations, and those slots fill up fast. 

Butch’s Island Chop House should be familiar to anyone who’s stayed at a Sandals resort before. Named after the company’s founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart, the fine-dining restaurant appears in several resorts and has a reputation for exquisite, elevated surf and turf. Buccan, on the other hand, is unique to Sandals St. Vincent and is a must-try experience. Featuring family-style seating and local cuisine, Buccan is unlike anything else Sandals offers and is guaranteed to deliver a memorable experience.    

5. The resort is spread out
Sandals St. Vincent is deceptively large. Although it only contains 301 rooms and villas, the lot is 50 acres—and because of the way the resort is laid out, guests will have to traverse a significant portion of that, regardless of where they stay. 

The dining is split into two main areas: near the lobby is Buccan, The Jerk Shack, Blum, and Gatsu Gatsu, while the rest are grouped by the beach. Only two restaurants serve breakfast, and they are both located by the beach: Sora (buffet) and Parisol (a la carte). Technically, guests on the east side of the resort could just grab a coffee and a snack at Blum, but chances are they’ll want a proper meal to start their day, and that requires a bit of a trek.

Another quirk of the layout is the dive shop location. The Aqua Center is located behind Lady Palm Building, nowhere near the beach.  

Sandals does provide transportation options. Dutch bikes are available to get around the property quickly. Guests can also contact their butler and request motorized transport.    

6. Shopping is limited
Other than beach essentials and souvenirs, there is very limited shopping at Sandals St. Vincent. Part of St. Vincent’s appeal is the lack of mass tourism: The island has a small-town feel, with independent shops and stalls dotting the main roadways. 

Chances are, guests staying at Sandals St. Vincent are heading straight to the resort. Unless one plans an excursion into Kingstown to explore its shops, guests will have to make do with the Argyle airport duty-free (which wasn’t open while TMR was there), and the on-resort store. Clients planning a trip should be warned that if they forget to pack anything (i.e. makeup, a book to read, etc.), it may be difficult to buy a replacement in St. Vincent.     

At the time of TMR’s visit, the resort shop wasn’t fully set up, although guests could make purchases. There were stacks of boxes in the shop and many shelves were empty. For example, there were items like women’s hats and flip-flops, but the sunglasses display had not been set up yet. As a very new resort in a country new to this level of tourism, such kinks should be expected, and are likely to be sorted out in the coming weeks and months.  
 
7. The wifi is unreliable
Known for its romance, Sandals Resorts creates an environment perfect for “unplugging”—but for anyone who wants to post on social media or balance a “workcation,” the resort’s wifi might be an issue. 

TMR experienced unstable wifi during the stay, which affected both internet access as well as the TV service. Sandals is going paperless, so all of the information (dining options, the map, etc.) is accessed through the smart TV. When the internet was down, that information was also down. At times, the wifi was unavailable for an hour or more. 

It’s a good idea to download a copy of the resort map and the room service information ASAP when arriving so that it can be accessed if the wifi goes down. There’s nothing worse than having a dinner reservation or spa appointment and realizing you don’t remember where to go and the map isn’t working. Remember: Sandals St. Vincent is very spread out, and it’s easy to forget where something is.

The wifi issue may also depend on where one is staying. (Other advisors and guests TMR spoke to did not experience wifi outages.) There should be internet access across the entire resort, so if it goes down in one’s accommodations, a guest could always walk to a cafe or a poolside cabana and get reception there.