voco Sandpiper All-Inclusive Resort, Port St. Lucie: What You Need to Know Before You Book

By Mark and Clare, Pack With Purpose. We haven’t stayed at the voco Sandpiper ourselves yet, so this is our researched guide, not a firsthand review. Everything below comes from current guest reviews and the resort’s own information. When we do get there, we’ll come back and tell you how it actually felt.

The photos sell a classic Florida all-inclusive. Palm trees, an infinity pool, cocktails included, kids’ programs running all day. What the photos don’t show is that there’s no ocean beach here. The voco Sandpiper All-Inclusive Resort sits on the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie, and that one fact should shape whether you book it. It’s also IHG’s first all-inclusive resort in the United States, reopened in January 2026 after a $50 million renovation of the old Club Med Sandpiper Bay. This post covers what’s actually included, what early guests are saying, and who we think should book it or skip it.

Getting there

Here’s a rare thing for an all-inclusive: you can drive there. The resort sits just off I-95 in Port St. Lucie, which puts it on the exact route so many Canadians take to Florida every winter. If you’re a snowbird, or you’re doing the classic family road trip down the east coast, it slots right in.

Flying from Canada, you have options. Palm Beach International (PBI) is the closest airport, roughly 45 to 50 minutes south, with direct flights from Toronto through the winter season. Orlando (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) are both about two hours away and usually cheaper to reach from most Canadian cities, and Orlando’s theme parks are close enough that some families bolt a few resort days onto a Disney trip. There’s no shuttle culture here the way there is in Cancun, so plan on a rental car. You’ll want one anyway for beach runs. One heads-up: self-parking costs US$15 a day ($), which is a strange thing to charge at an all-inclusive, but there it is.

The setting and who it’s for

The resort spreads along the St. Lucie River with 335 renovated rooms and suites, every one with a private balcony or walkout patio. The grounds lean hard into sports. This was a Club Med for decades, and it still shows: tennis courts, sports academies, waterfront yoga, paddleboards, kayaks, and a marina with access to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Best for: couples and families in their 30s to 50s who want the all-inclusive format on a shorter, simpler trip than the Caribbean, plus anyone who’d rather spend a vacation actually doing things. The activity calendar here is fuller than most beach resorts we’ve researched. One note from the Canadian seat: the “no passport needed” angle you’ll see in the resort’s marketing is a US-only perk. Canadians need a passport to enter the United States, same as for any Caribbean trip. What you actually gain is a direct flight, familiar roads, and no long transfer at the other end.

Who should skip it: anyone whose picture of a Florida vacation is walking out of the lobby onto ocean sand. The river frontage is pretty, and there’s a riverside sand beach on the property, but the real ocean beaches are on Hutchinson Island, about 20 minutes away by car. If the ocean beach is the whole point of your trip, and for a lot of our readers it is, you’ll be happier at an oceanfront property and this one shouldn’t make your shortlist.

What does the all-inclusive cover?

The one-price model here covers more than we expected for a US property.

Included: all meals and snacks across the resort’s restaurants, house cocktails, beer, and wine, the three pools, non-motorized watersports (kayaks, paddleboards), tennis and sports courts, fitness classes, the kids’ and teens’ programs, nightly entertainment, Wi-Fi, and daily housekeeping.

Costs extra ($): self-parking at US$15 a day, motorized watersports through Salty’s at the marina (jet skis, tubing, fishing charters), spa treatments, premium liquor, and excursions. Dogs are welcome, which is rare for an all-inclusive, but the pet fee is steep at US$75 a night for one dog ($).

Rates start around US$321 a night plus taxes and fees for up to four guests, or 72,000 IHG One Rewards points. All prices on site are in US dollars, so budget with the exchange rate in mind. If you collect IHG points, this is currently the only way to redeem them for a US all-inclusive, and stays of four or more nights can qualify for a fourth night free with the IHG credit card. Check current pricing before you book, because opening-year rates tend to move around.

Amenities

Rooms

All 335 rooms and suites were redone in the renovation, and they’re the most consistently praised part of the resort. Guests describe them as spacious and comfortable, and the private balcony or patio on every room is a real perk at this price. The river-view king rooms are the ones to ask for. A few reviewers have hit maintenance problems, things like dead outlets and in-room phones that couldn’t reach the front desk, which reads like opening-year growing pains but is worth knowing.

Pools

Three of them: a family main pool where the daytime activities run, a splash pad for little kids, and an adults-only infinity pool overlooking the river. The infinity pool is the photo everyone posts, and reviewers back it up.

Food and drink

Riverside Market is the main venue, a global spot with live cooking stations. Solara does coastal dishes by the infinity pool, Match Point covers casual sports-bar food, and a café handles coffee and light bites. Two more venues, Lucie’s and the Versus bar, were listed as coming soon at the time of writing. Here’s the honest part: food is the most divided topic in early reviews. The breakfast buffet gets consistent praise, but a number of guests report showing up to find only one restaurant open, with crowds and slow service to match. If every venue is running, the lineup looks strong. Early guests haven’t always found every venue running.

Bars

The Hideaway serves the pool crowd and the Sunset Bar faces the river for exactly the moment its name suggests. House drinks are included; premium pours cost extra ($).

The waterfront

No ocean beach, as we said up top. What you get instead is river frontage, a sandy riverside beach, a marina, and included non-motorized watersports, with jet skis and fishing charters available for a fee ($). It’s a genuinely nice setting. It’s just not an ocean beach, and no amount of marketing photography makes it one.

Gym and fitness

A proper fitness center with Peloton bikes, plus included classes through the RPS Sports Academy, waterfront yoga, and pool aerobics. Stronger than the average all-inclusive gym.

Entertainment and activities

Live entertainment nightly, sports programming all day, an arcade, and mini golf. Reviewers consistently call the resort lively, and this is the part of the resort that still runs like the Club Med it used to be.

Kids and teens

Dedicated kids’ and teens’ programs are included, along with the splash pad and family pool. The resort was nominated for Newsweek’s Best All-Inclusive Family Resort for 2026, and family reviewers are among its happiest guests.

Our take

The voco Sandpiper is a good idea that isn’t fully executed yet. The concept is strong: a points-friendly, activity-heavy all-inclusive that’s a direct flight or a highway exit away instead of a full Caribbean production. The renovation looks the part, the rooms deliver, and families seem to be having a great time.

But early guests are paying full price for a resort that’s still ramping up, with venues not yet open and service that hasn’t caught up to the room count. And the river setting, lovely as it is, isn’t the beach vacation a lot of travelers will assume they’re booking.

If you’re already driving down for the winter, or you’re sitting on IHG points, book it with your eyes open and you’ll likely enjoy it. If you’re flying down for a once-a-year beach week, wait. Either pick an oceanfront resort instead, or give this one a year to finish opening and check back on the reviews. We’ll update this post when we’ve stayed there ourselves. Before you book, check current pricing on Expedia and read the latest guest reviews on TripAdvisor, because a resort this new can change fast in both directions.

What to pack for the voco Sandpiper

This one’s a sun-and-sports trip with a car in the mix: pool days on site, a drive to the ocean beach, and more activities than you’ll get through. Pack for moving between all three.

Zomake packable backpackFolds flat in your suitcase, then carries towels and snacks for the 20 minute run to Hutchinson Island.

baleaf one-piece swimsuitBuilt for actually swimming, and between the pools and the river you'll be in the water a lot.

Kanu Surf swim trunksUPF 50 woven into the fabric, which matters when the sports calendar keeps you outside all day.

FURTALK straw sun visorRuns cool on the pool deck and packs flat for the drive.

riemot luggage cup holderTwo coffees, one free hand, whether it's the airport or a highway rest stop.

The rest of our travel kit, and why we chose each piece, is in the Travel Store.

Resort Reviews: Our Star Ratings

These ratings are based on aggregated guest reviews and the resort’s own information. Five stars is excellent, one is poor, and half-stars are allowed.

Sources: voco Sandpiper All-Inclusive Resort official site and IHG hotel page; Expedia listing and guest reviews; TripAdvisor guest reviews; Upgraded Points opening coverage.

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