double POSITIVE Marketing Group, Inc.

Ok, so the term “stranded” may be a little harsh. My wife and I wed on October 23, 2010. Kelly was stunningly gorgeous, the weather was beautiful, and the ceremony was surreal. The reception flew by, as everyone told us it would, but we enjoyed every second of it. The entire day was perfect. Then came the honeymoon. We were all set to travel to the island of St. Lucia. After staying up late with friends and family, we left for the airport at 3am on zero sleep, but that didn’t matter because we knew we were in for the trip of a lifetime. The flight was long, but we certainly can’t complain as we landed in paradise! From the moment we landed, there was a sense of relaxation that we hadn’t experienced before. Was it the fact that it finally set in that we were married? Or that were finally made it after a day long flight? Or was it the magic of St. Lucia that allowed to leave all of our worries behind? The hour and a half ride to the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Resort from the airport was very interesting. We stopped a few times to view some of the brilliant scenario, learn about the  banana crops, and visit some of the local road-side food vendors. The roads are narrow and windy and the St. Lucian drivers act like they’re driving on the autoban. They say if you can drive in St. Lucia, you can drive anywhere in the world. But the most noteworthy sites were the shacks all over that appeared as though they had already a huge storm. They looked as those they would crumble to the ground with the lightest gust of wind. 

When we arrived at the resort, we were greated by smiling, mostly St. Lucia, staff… and of course some delicious rum punch! After the painless check-in, we arrived in our room with breathtaking views of plantlife and the beach. Our honeymoon had officially begun. Everything was perfect – the service was first class, the food was delicious (I gained almost 10 pounds), the water was warm, and the drinks were plentiful! BBC anyone?

After dinner on Friday evening (2 days before we were set to depart), we retired to our room to find a notice indicating that a tropical storm was due to arrive over the next 24 hours, but that there was no concern. Oh, there was concern! We enjoyed a few more drinks at the bar (they brew a Guiness Foreign Stout in St. Lucia!!! – amazing!!!) before finally retiring for the night. In the morning there was another notice. HURRICANE TOMAS was heading right for us!!! We looked outside and saw that the paradise we came to love was being crushed by the storm. Palm trees blowing side to side, debris flying everywhere, bushes and trees derooted, erosion, devestation. It was the worst storm I had ever seen personally. People were starting to panic. They closed the airports so flights out that Saturday were cancelled. Luckily we were schedule to depart on Sunday. The storm worsened and concern greatened. At this point, interenet access, phone systems, and power were intermitent. Luckily there were powerful backup generators that did a great job of keeping power on in the resort. The general manager, Winston, truely earned his paycheck during the storm. He was available at all times to anyone with a question. He did his best to obtain exclusive information and details on the airports and flights. No one was allowed outside as it was very dangerous. They agreed to keep the bars open asking only that no one over-do it as medical attention was minimal at the resort and there was no way anyone was getting out of there to a hospital. At some point, even the hospital lost power and water. Yet we had both. We were extremely lucky in that we were on the North part of the island (the South, where the big airport is located, was destroyed), most of guests kept their cool and were willing to do whatever they could to help out, and of course the staff. The staff at the restort were some of the friendliest, most helpful, genuine people I have ever met. Even during the storms when they had no way of knowing the status of their homes and even their families. Phone systems were down, roads were blocked, there was no way out. Yet the staff continued to do their best to make sure each and every one of us had the best time possible under the conditions. They had buffet-style meals for us in a large ball room (for dinner, we had grilled Carribean lobster on evening of the storm). They even went as far as to setup a Halloween party on Sunday evening. After the storm calmed down, the staff immediately went to work to repair the beaches, clean the pools, repair water damage in building, remove fallen trees and branches, and return the resort to the pristine condition that it was in before the storm. The staff welcomed the help of the guests. We helped to powerwash chairs and walkways, return chairs and tables to their positions along the beach and pools, and anything else we could do to help out the people that made it their goal to help us the past few days. It felt good to give back even if it was a minimal amount. Winston made an announcement that two of the nights that guests were stranded would be complimentary with additional nights at a reduced rate. What an experience. Neither my wife nor I would trade it for anything. We had several days of perfect weather, a little “liquid sunshine”, and some great beach time and then an adventure that few couples can say they experienced on their honeymoon.

My only complaint is that the communication between the resort and the outside world was quite lacking and we tended to receive opposing information from different people. The technology to keep communications alive during a major storm like Hurricane Tomas must exist in St. Lucia. It’s a tropical island – they have to expect storms like that right? It would seem that the resort would have a better method of communicating information to people rather than everyone packing into the lobby to read a 4′ x 3′ board with printed updates or verbal updates. Maybe an information channel like they have on cruise ships, or at least the ability to broadcast a message across the entire resort including guess rooms and suites? But with the limited resourced that they had, the staff did the best job they could of keeping everyone informed with whatever information they had on request.

It seems that St. Lucia is quite the hot spot for honeymooners of late. We know a couple that traveled to St. Lucia only a couple weeks after us so it was interesting to share stories and hear how the island had healed by the time they arrived. If you have any stories from Hurricane Tomas or St. Lucia afterwards, I would love to hear them! And cheers to the people of St. Lucia who made our honeymoon unforgettable!