Summer never actually graced the UK this year despite endless wishing, so as the days started getting shorter again I was feeling cheated rather than recharged and ready to take on the remainder of the year. What better way, then, to make up for lost time and refuel on vitamin D than with a trip to the Caribbean?
Affectionately called St Vincy, Saint Vincent is known for its rugged beauty, vibrant marine life and luxe private isles that encompass bougie yachting stops such as Bequia and Mustique. Compared to other Caribbean islands, Saint Vincent is relatively untouched in that there are much fewer resorts than other popular tourist hotspots in the region. So chances are, if you're flying in here, you're on your way to check into the newly opened Sandals.
Even in the day's fading light, on arrival in Saint Vincent I could tell that this was one of the most beautiful places I had ever visited. Lush vegetation enrobes the entire island, with cheerfully coloured houses perched impossibly amid mountain ranges that overlook the turquoise sea.
A warm welcome on arrival set the tone for the rest of the evening at the resort which saw us settling in to our suite and exploring the expansive grounds. And if we were in awe of the landscape in the evening, I'd go as far as saying our brain chemistry may have been permanently altered when we got to soak up the full glory of the views in the morning.
Over the week we spent at the resort there wasn't a day that went by where we weren't marvelling at the beauty of the valley we found ourselves in. Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is surrounded by achingly beautiful mountains and verdant landscapes that wouldn't feel out of place in a Disney film, with the expert landscaping of the grounds only serving to enhance this natural beauty.
Within this idyllic setting the resort boasts its own white sand beach, 11 restaurants, nine bars (including one swim-up!), a Red Lane spa, four pools, tennis courts, pickleball courts, and even its own scuba pool where you can earn your certification.
Featuring 301 rooms that range from Palm suites to overwater villas, having looked around each offering, I can confirm that whichever you end up booking, you're in for a treat. Our garden butler suite had its own outdoor soaking tub, his and hers vanities, a walk in shower, movie room (where rest assured, we watched Mean Girls over room service one night) and perhaps best of all, our plush king size bed.
Oh, and did I mention the butler service included? Yes, you read that right. Any want or wish can quickly be realised with a call to your butlers, from helping you make a dinner reservation to securing the best sun loungers on the beach.
Our first full day saw us exploring nearby bat caves by kayak before graduating to sun loungers and eventually stopping by the Jerk Shack for some authentic comfort food of jerk chicken and Jamaican patties. After embracing the slower pace of island life by planting ourselves back on the beach for the best part of the day, when the sunset eventually arrived we strolled home, stopping at intervals along the way to fully soak up the golden hues of the sunset and cotton candy pink clouds that engulfed the valley. After a round of sundowners we headed to Scrimshaw's for a fish feast where we found a standout food favourite of the trip in the perfectly crisped chilli popcorn shrimp.
When it comes to food at Sandals you're spoilt for choice and there's no compromising on quality. All dishes are skilfully prepared with a St Vincy twist, blending local fresh ingredients with favourite plates.
Gatsu Gatsu offers up the freshest sushi spread, with notable mentions including their seared tuna tataki rolls, champagne lobster, crispy spicy tuna and beef tenderloin robata. Butch's serves high-quality hand-cut steaks and seafood, with their take on surf and turf proving so good that we ended up having it a second night through room service. Sora is your go-to for the morning breakfast buffet and Italian food in the evenings, while lunch offerings include Parisol's à la carte by the infinity pool, Isola for pizza and Imoro for nourishing salads and bowls. Each restaurant has its own unique offering and signature dish, with Crema's ridiculously rich brownies making for the perfect post-dinner indulgence.
In terms of what to do during your stay, most of our mornings tended to start with a spot of pickeball. Though guests have the option to book private training sessions, we ended up borrowing rackets and playing just us most mornings before breakfast, with the novelty of working up a sweat against the backdrop of Slim Aarons-esque mountains truly never getting old.
While we adopted a slower pace of life for many of the days we spent on the resort, there's certainly no shortage of things to fill your time with. For those wanting to achieve a full state of zen, the Red Lane spa is a must, with their jasmine massage proving a highlight of the trip, not only because of how relaxing the treatment itself was, but also thanks to the oasis of calm the spa has managed to curate.
For the more adventurous among us, all guests have access to a generous selection of water sports that range from sailing to paddle boarding to tubing, with there even being guided snorkelling and kayaking trips on offer, along with a long list of evening entertainment such as live bands, movie nights and steel pan drum sessions. And that's all before I've even had a chance to mention the daily pool volleyball, sip and paint sessions and artisan craft market that comes to set up each week.
One of our favourite days of the trip, however, saw us exploring the rest of the island with our friendly local tour guide Fraser. "It's a small island, everyone knows everyone,” he tells us. In fact, nowhere on the island is more than a 15-minute drive from the beach, though we revelled in the opportunity to see what the rest of the island had to offer beyond its world famous beaches. We learnt that Kingstown is known as the city of arches and that Heritage Square is where you can count on a party each Friday, while Vee Jay's is where you'll find the best rotis in town.
One of the highlights of the day trip with Fraser was seeing the oldest botanical garden in the Western Hemisphere, a lush landscape where we admired rolling hills and plants from across the world such as Egyptian river bamboo, a Lebanese red cedar, a buttress tree from Brazil along with plants from Japan, Madagascar, Hawaii, Tahiti and beyond.
Of course, if you'd rather see the sights by boat, that's always an option too. One day we took a private Island Routes tour to Bequia, dubbed ‘the most desirable island of the Grenadines’. It's little wonder why, with the picturesque coastal path that wraps around the island providing some impossibly beautiful vistas of the bustling yet charming Admirality Bay. The powerboat ride with rum punch in hand was an adventure in itself, with us stopping along the way to snorkel nearby and admire the powder white sands of Princess Margaret beach before sampling Bequia's famed floating Bar One.
Back at the resort that evening, we experienced the laid-back family dining concept at the newly launched Buccan's. Seeing guests come together to enjoy several courses in groups of six or eight, it was over Chef Rebecca's hearty coconut roti, grilled snapper and lamb curry that we met Sandy and Roger, regular Sandals goers who shared their lives with us as we gobbled down each delicious creation.
In fact, many of the guests we met during our trip seem to find themselves drawn back to Sandals time and time again. It's little wonder why – after all, Sandals have had over 40 years to perfect the special formula of relaxation, and this was apparent to me by the way my anxieties I had carried with me from London slipped away when we first arrived.
It wasn’t until we were whisked away on our boat transfer back to the airport that it dawned on me: this was the first holiday of the year I had allowed myself to completely disconnect and not check in on work emails once. If that's anything to go by, I'd deem this holiday a roaring success.
A seven-night stay for two adults at Sandals Saint Vincent and The Grenadines in a Bamboo Palm Room with Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub costs from £2,459 per adult. Price includes all-inclusive accommodation, return economy class flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow Airport and resort transfers. Price is date specific and valid for travel on selected dates in September 2025.
Prices are guaranteed at the time of booking regardless of departure dates, and are secured with a £175 per person deposit, some exclusions may apply depending on travel dates. All holidays are packaged with flights and are financially protected when booking through Unique Caribbean Holidays Ltd (UCHL). Package holidays are ATOL and ABTA-protected. All pricing is subject to change and availability. To book, call 0800 597 0002 or for more information about Sandals Resorts visit www.sandals.co.uk.
