Sandals Regency La Toc

Sandals Regency La Toc occupies a five star hillside estate at Castries on the west coast of Saint Lucia, running down to a half mile crescent of sand. It is adults only and designed for couples, and it is all inclusive throughout, so meals, top shelf spirits, land and water sports and the stocked minibar in your room are covered. The scale is the draw here, with rolling hillside, coral bluffs and fairways all within the grounds.

Twenty four room categories run across three levels, Sandals Luxury, Club Sandals and Butler Elite. Views take in oceanfront, oceanview, partial oceanview, beachfront, pool and tropical garden. Room types include Rondoval Butler Sky Villas with a private pool, rooftop terrace and soaking tub for two, and Millionaire Suites with a three storey sundeck, retractable glass walls and a plunge pool, alongside two storey, walkout and penthouse suites.

Water sports take in kayaks, windsurfing, snorkelling, Hobie Cats and paddleboarding, with equipment and professional instruction provided. Scuba diving through the PADI programme reaches the reefs, walls and wrecks these waters are known for. On land there is beach volleyball, pickleball, lawn chess, croquet, bocce, horseshoes, cards and pool tables, and green fees are covered at the eighteen hole Cap Estate Golf and Country Club. Entertainment runs day and night.

Three pools and four whirlpools sit across the estate, one of the pools reserved for adults, with a swim up bar, a poolside bar, sun terraces, loungers and umbrellas alongside. Red Lane Spa handles the treatments, from couples and full body massage to facials, head and foot massage and a salon. The fitness centre runs group classes beside cardio and weight training on Life Fitness equipment, and there is a sauna.

Ten restaurants and eight bars sit within the estate, one of the bars a swim up. La Toc serves Five Star Diamond French cooking, Kimonos runs Japanese teppanyaki and Armando's covers Italian, while Soy Sushi Bar, Neptune's, Bella Napoli Pizzeria, Buccan, The Pitons, The Pavilion and Cricketer's Pub fill out the rest. Robert Mondavi Twin wines are poured throughout and every room carries a stocked minibar.

The Pitons and the Anse Chastanet reef are the two attractions the resort points to first, and Island Routes runs a Soufriere Adventure Cruise taking in both the Pitons and the Sulphur Springs mud baths. Bird watching, treetop ziplining and a dune buggy trip can also be booked. Hewanorra International Airport is a thirty four mile scenic drive away, with transfers covered.