IHG’s voco Sandpiper Resort Brings Timely New All-Inclusive Option to Florida

Troubles in the Middle East have stranded travelers around the world. Snow storms have closed East Coast airports. Global Entry is suspended due to the government shut down. 

If the headlines of the day have clients looking for an all-inclusive resort vacation stateside, Intercontinental Hotels Group has a brand new option.  

So new on the scene that it’s not even highlighted on the website yet (Discover voco Hotel Locations), the voco Sandpiper All-Inclusive Resort in St. Lucie, FL, just joined the handful of properties offering a true all-inclusive experience on U.S. soil. And while it’s just beginning to flesh out the possibilities, it’s easy to envision what soon may come to be.  

Two months before its originally scheduled grand opening and with just half of its buildings open, voco Sandpiper has begun accepting the many guests eager to try out its product. (And a seasonal promotion going on right now makes it a great time to check out the beautiful new bones being built in a $50 million makeover of what once was Club Med Sandpiper Bay, at a really good value.)  

Drive Your Chevrolet Through the USA 

Surely the timing is good, with global tensions and wintery weather. As cruise lines have discovered, there’s a real appetite these days for multi-gen all-inclusive vacations you can drive to. And what could be more stress-free than renting a car and driving 100 miles or so down from Orlando (as we did) or up from Miami to break up a longer vacation in the Florida sun? If you’re coming direct, you can fly into Vero Beach (VRB), which is about 40 minutes away or West Palm Beach (PBI), which is about an hour—or even sail into the new 64-slip marina. 

For now, three of what eventually will be six or eight buildings are open, with 150 rooms; two more buildings will open by the end of 2026 or early 2027, bringing the room count to 249. All the buildings of the Club Med Sandpiper that stood here but have been ripped down to the cinderblock walls and designed anew. There are two room types, king and two-bedroom family suites—and all are colorful and spacious, with big balconies overlooking the lake.  

There’s no ocean beach on the property, but there is sand along the shores of the St. Lucie River for the kids—and even the dogs if you’d like—to dig in, and peaceful waves to lull the sun bathers. You can go in the water, but sign warns of “wildlife” and the locals tell me every lake in Florida has alligators, though they usually will not bother you. A better option, perhaps, is the beautiful pool deck with an infinity pool looking into the sunrise. Or take a kayak or paddleboard included in the all-inclusive price, or rent a jet ski or boat. There’s also pickleball and tennis, and a heart-shaped helipad where Jimmy Carter used to fly in back in the day.  

But the full all-inclusive treatment is in the works; by late 2026 or early 2027 there will be Italian and Mexican restaurants plus a steakhouse, shows in the theater, a spa, activities by the pool, a kids club, Lucie’s beachfront food truck, mini golf, and 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The buffet will fill in with Moroccan tangine and specialty stations.   

Not Quite Ready for Prime Time 

Things were pretty quiet in the cool weather of the Monday and Tuesday we spent there, sharing the resort with a few small groups and a corporate meeting of furniture salespeople that seemed content sitting around the fire pits in the cool winter sunshine. For now, only the buffet restaurant is open for meals, and the food is ho-hum. But the staff reports that the property is full on weekends, and sales are building into the spring.  

For right now, locally based travel advisor Beth Brownstein noted, it’s important for travel advisors to set expectations for their own or their guests’ trips. There may not be enough to hold your interest for a full week. It’s not a “luxury” vacation, and surely not for foodies. Not yet. But the rooms are large, the grounds are pretty, the activities are really fun. Even now it’s a good option for a few days of stress-free R&R in the sun—and maybe a Mets spring training or USL soccer game or two.  

“Port St. Lucie is one of the fastest growing cities in Florida, and there are lots of great local tours and nice beaches nearby,” she says. “And I can see it for a destination wedding, or as a great option for people who don’t want to fly.” 

In the end, the success of voco Sandpiper will come down to the quality of its food, the level of service it achieves, and the activities it offers. It’s too early to rate those things; it’s still skin and bones right now. But the bones are very pretty. And in the depths of a cold, cold winter in the North, it’s hard to resist the lure of a few days of carefree drinking and eating, sitting on the beach and kayaking in the Florida sun. 

And no passport is required.