Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort

A quick turn off the Castries-Gros Islet Highway and you are at the gate of Sandals Halcyon. The stone-columned porte-cochere ushers guests toward the front desk where an oversized mural of brightly painted Caribbean flora serves as a backdrop. The adjacent lobby is an airy space filled with comfortable sofas and chairs in rich jewel tones, swirling paisley prints, and muted batik. Concierge-level guests head to the nearby private lounge for personal check-ins with their dedicated concierge, chilled towels, and tasty snacks (rum balls and coconut drops) to be washed down with a glass of champagne.

Sandals Halcyon somewhat lives up to its name -- it is the quietest of the three Sandals Resorts on St. Lucia. The 22-acre property is low-key and low-profile. Many of the rooms are set in one-story stone cottage-style buildings with private terraces and white shuttered windows. Stone paths wind through the immaculately landscaped grounds, shaded by sprawling trees, palms, and coiffed flowering hedges. Guests can hide out in oversized daybeds wrapped with breezy linens, on bright green swinging benches, in oceanside whirlpools, and on cushy sofas arranged around fire pits scattered throughout the property. Oceanfront gazebos are used for private dinners and couples massages, almost making up for the property's lack of a spa.

Social-seeking guests head to the main oceanfront pool where a swim-up bar and a ring of closely packed lounge chairs invite conversation. A second, sheltered bar with twin billiard tables is an ideal break from the sun while a stretch of brown-sugar sand beach and calm water entices guests to dive in for snorkeling and sea kayaking. A second pool (also with a swim-up bar) serves the two-story Honeymoon Hideaway area of the resort, offering a retreat-like vibe among the green landscape.

Although its name refers to peace and serenity, Sandals Halcyon is located just off one of St. Lucia's busiest roads. While some traffic noise can be heard from the grounds, the highway is easily forgotten once guests enter the resort. The hotel sits on a lovely stretch of amber sand beach and is insulated by thick greenery -- a collection of palms, mature trees, and blooming shrubs. St. Lucia's capital city and the entertainment district of Rodney Bay are both less than a 10-minute cab ride from the resort. Hewanorra, the island's major airport, is over an hour's drive away.

The resort holds 169 rooms in 10 categories offering three levels of service -- Luxury level, Club level, and Butler level. Quaint, cottage-style rooms are set in one-story buildings with stone terraces, exposed stone walls, and bright white shuttered windows. They offer views of the gardens and ocean from behind hedgerows of flowering shrubbery.

Interiors feature vaulted ceilings with fans and stone tile floors. While not large, the rooms are cozy, awash in a soft palette of creamy beige and ivory. Walls are accented by sepia-toned photographs of seashells and local flowers, as well as decorative medallions, hung over the headboards. Dark mahogany dressers contrast the lighter four-poster beds, desks, and side tables. Bathrooms are basic with marble vanities and slightly dated tile work and tubs.

Rooms in the two-story Honeymoon Hideaway buildings have a darker look with doors, trim, and bar areas finished in mahogany. While the beds and furnishings are similar to other rooms throughout the resort, the bathrooms are larger and more modern, featuring glass tile work in varying shades of brown, marble vanities with vessel sinks, and separate tubs and showers. Rather than stone terraces, the Honeymoon Hideaway rooms have small (non-private) balconies with umbrellas and views of the pool and gardens.

All of the rooms come equipped with air-conditioning, white linens, ceiling fans, CD clock radios, flat-screen TVs with cable, safes, coffeemakers, and telephones. Club-level and Butler-level rooms (which are priced above the Luxury level rooms) receive free Wi-Fi, room service, and stocked minibars.

Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort caters to couples and honeymooners looking to relax. The 22-acre property features lushly landscaped grounds with plenty of shade to escape the harsh sun. Intimate day beds, lawn chess, and shuffleboard are placed throughout the grounds. Two pools are ringed with off-white cushioned lounge chairs and serve as the daytime social centers for this resort, along with a beachfront bar with two billiard tables.

A long stretch (1,039 feet) of amber-sand beach is ideal for strolling, sea kayaking, and swimming. While the resort does not have a spa, guests can arrange massage treatments in outdoor gazebos within earshot and view of the Caribbean, and can also access the spa at the sister resort. The sister property is also where guests will find the fitness center.

Six restaurants cater to the various tastes of diners. A stylish Japanese restaurant and sushi bar offers seating at communal hibachi tables, at the sushi bar, or outdoors in a setting lit by lanterns and flourishing with bamboo. Kelly's Dockside restaurant is set in a bright blue French-Creole style building at the end of a pier. Guests at Halcyon can also take a shuttle to try out the numerous restaurants at the two other Sandals properties.