We'd read the hype and wanted to check it out.
We spend 2 weeks every year in the caribbean, and have done for the last 10 years, last Christmas (2006) we did the same at Ladera.
The location is splendid, the views can't be faulted and the concept is great. BUT, camping for adults it is! Many creepy crawlies and way too much wild life in the bedroom for this town girl! The outdoor open air rooms a good in theroy, but make cleanliness difficult.
Many little things too such as my husband had a nose bleed 1 night and it was only 2 days later that I noticed the sheets hadn't been changed (as if he'd see that!) For the price, I would almost want clean sheets twice a day! Service was not good either.
But the restuarant was excellant and we really enjoyed all the food, infact we never ate anywhere else for the whole time!
In a nutshell, I've been to better places and it's not worth the money.

We recently stayed at Ladera for six days. We had looked forward to our trip to Ladera for some time, having read Travel and Leisure, the New York Times and other magazines that lauded the hotel, not to mention Ladera’s own marketing material. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of our expectations, and Ladera’s own advertising.

We were most shocked about the service: we usually stay at luxury hotels, but we have stayed in the Caribbean before and were prepared for a “relaxed” service atmosphere. We were not prepared; however, for the consistently poor service we received throughout our entire trip. The hotel and its staff were incredibly non accommodating to the guests, which was especially surprising given the price. Granted, some staff were very friendly, but it seemed there was no middle ground between friendly and surly, with friendly in the distinct minority.

For example, the afternoon we checked in we went to the bar for a snack. We arrived 5:01 (by my watch). Snack service closed at 5. When I asked if we could still order, I received a stony-faced “no.” When I asked if there were any bar snacks like pretzels, the bartender became irritated, and failed to mention the welcoming cocktail party that started in an hour. He seemed affronted by my request – so much so that I was taken aback. Similarly, when we were about 20 minutes late for our dinner reservation, the staff displayed obvious irritation. Quick note about the food: it was okay, but ridiculously expensive (equal Manhattan, at least) while being of average quality. The restaurant was reputed to be the best on the island, but that was not our experience. As another service example, our living room lamp was broken when we checked in, and despite my asking everyday, no-one ever came by to check it out. It seemed like the staff was there to do the bare minimum and were openly irritated by any requests made by the guests.

To make matters worse, the “Jeeves” walkie-talkie system is abysmal. I can’t overstate how bad this system is. Quite simply, the staff ignores you when you call for them. This includes room service and the front desk (the only two options). It was so bad, we kept the walkie-talkie on to listen to the other guests frantically and angrily attempt to get the staff to respond (yes, everyone hears you when you use Jeeves). - It was so bad it became a joke that led us to bond with other guests. We swapped stories about how bad the service was compared to our expectations. Guests had their “favorite” surly staff member, and when other couples tried to complain to the manager, they were told he was “off island” and unavailable. Needless to say, we won’t be back.

It’s too bad. This is a lovely spot. With not too much work, this could be an amazing resort. The views are amongst the most beautiful we have seen. It just seems to me that the owners of Ladera feel that their view is their entire resort and that, as a result, they can short-change the rest of the resort experience with no excuses. That is simply not the case for the rates they charge. Put simply, if you value service and the feeling that you are a valued guest, choose another resort.

Ladera is dream! The unbelievable, jaw dropping beauty of the hotel and the rooms is undeniable. What is even more incredible is that the experience doesn't stop there - no stone is left unturned - from food, drinks, service, spa treatments, activities, even gift shop - everything is nothing less than stellar!

My husband and I rented the entire property for for 4 days for our 80 person wedding - which was a complicated undertaking. But everyone at Ladera was beyond helpful for the 8 months prior to the wedding and, if it's even possible, even more so during the 4 day affair. It seemed as though during the entire 8 months leading through the wedding events that Ladera had only been working with us - that's how the personal and dedicated every interaction was.

The hotel manager, Robert Stewart, personally took care of every single detail - even ones that we didn't think, discuss or even dream of, in order to make the event that much more incredible. The chef, Orlando, customized 4 days of menus that would make even the most sophisticated palate's mouth water. The rest of the staff were the kindest, friendliest, most willing to help people we have come across in all our travels. Everyone was constantly going out of their way to make our stay, as well as all our guests, absolutely unforgettable. We could never imagined a wedding as incredible as ours - and we have only Ladera to thank for it.

Their slogan is "above and beyond." Ladera is really above, beyond, and over the top of any other travel experience at any other hotel you will ever have!

We booked for four days but cut our stay short by one day. The views are beautiful, the room is unique but not very luxurious for the price. The food at the hotel is below average despite the hype and it is easily $100 a meal. It costs $100 each way to take a taxi to anywhere so you are kind of a hostage in your room with no TV, etc. and not so good food. The side tours were okay but amateurish and dirty might be appropriate words here. My snorkel mask was filthy for our tour and there was not much to see anyway - lots of jellyfish.

The Staff at Ladera is great - but who is in charge - I never knew. They seem like an amiable family and spend hours outside the few rooms talking and laughing during the day - they were enjoying the Island where everyone knows everyone else.