@Shuck Water We are going to be staying at the La Toc in May. Is there a reason you wish you stayed at the Grand?
Actually quite a few reasons. We didn't visit the Grand until later in our trip, but would have tried to transfer if we had seen it earlier.
La Toc is much older than the Grand, so everything feels a little more tired. Plus, because of the location of the hotel, the ocean and beach aren't nearly as pretty as the Grand. They have rafts at the Grand that are anchored in 4-5 of water in the ocean that you can hang out in and it's just awesome. Also, the transition from pool to beach is nearly seamless at the Grand, La Toc has this massive sea wall that you need to walk down and you can't really go out too far in the water due to the currents.
Another issue, because La Toc is so spread out and separated by guest status, the guests are "clickish", folks that are staying in sunset bluff don't interact with people at the emerald village and they don't interact so well with will the pitons village, etc. It really was the strangest scene. My wife and I are pretty friendly and I found many people there were pompous and arrogant and for no reason. We knew something was up during the drive from the airport to the hotel. There must have been 3 other couples in the van and while we were engaging the driver in conversation and having a good time, we noticed no else was talking. Maybe they were sleepy or pod people. We did meet a couple of the way back to the airport and they had the exact same experience with the guests. We spent one day at the Grand and met at least 3-4 couples and ended having dinner and drinks, it was just a night and day contrast between the two.
Finally, I have no idea why it's this way, but good luck keeping your drinks filled before 5:00 PM at La Toc, the only bar that's open is the pool bar and it's damn near impossible to get anyone's attention. The Grand must have had 3 bars or more open in the afternoon and the staff just seemed happier. In addition, they had games in the pool and were trying to get everyone involved.
It may sound like we were into the party scene, but that's really not the case, La Toc was just boring. People stay in their respective corners and don't talk. When I'm on vacation, I enjoy meeting new people and just want to have a good relaxing time. I'll stop bitching now....
Side note, this is not part of Sandals, but I highly recommend Jus' Sail in Gros Islet. It's basically a private/semi private sailing tour and was one of the best experiences I've ever had. The owners James and Pepsi were a riot.
