We just returned from St. Lucia after celebrating our 25th Anniversary on the island. We spent the first four nights at Sandals Halcyon; the final three nights at Ladera. For us, it was the perfect combination. Sandals provided an easy walk to the beach, lots of activities, partying and food. We then rented a car and drove from Castries, through Soufriere to Ladera. We very much enjoyed the winding drive through the mountains and felt it gave us the chance to experience the island outside of the resort settings.
I’ll focus on Ladera, since it’s the topic of this review. It was, in a word, spectacular. We had reserved a small Petit Piton suite, but were stunned to find that the Ladera staff took it upon themselves to upgrade us to Suite E, one of the 2-bedroom Luxury Suites (it appears on their website as the room with the two single swings suspended over the indoor pool).
The upgrade was typical of our entire Ladera experience… it seemed everything was done to exceed our expectations. The staff was friendly, helpful and went out of their way to make the experience special. One of the highlights for us was the Saturday morning market tour in Soufriere, led by Executive Chef Orlando. It was a blast. Upon our return, he conducted a cooking class that was both educational and entertaining.
Regarding some of the criticisms expressed by other reviews:
Rude Staff – Ridiculous… they must have been staying somewhere else.
Creepy Crawlers – We had gecko visitors, we heard tree frogs (but were never able to spot them) and a few moths after dark. Nothing the mosquito netting couldn’t protect us from.
Too Secluded – Possibly, but not if seclusion is what you’re looking for. We thought it was a great opportunity to relax following Sandals, but it might have gotten old if we had been there for a two-week stay. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Pricey – True, but not as bad as I was led to believe. Dasheene evening entrees were in the $30-50 range. We shared an appetizer, had our own entrees and shared a dessert for about $140 American (excluding drinks). Since we had a car, we ventured out for a couple of meals at the Mango Tree, just about a five minute drive down the mountain. It was a little more affordable, very good, with its own spectacular view.
Cold Plunge Pool – Yep. In my view, this is the only valid criticism I’ve read. We ran the waterfall for a full 24 hours and the water never warmed enough to be comfortable. It’s ashamed, because the indoor pool was beautiful and very well maintained.
In summary, if you are looking for the typical, climate controlled Ritz Carlton experience, Ladera may not be for you. If you don’t mind a bug or two in exchange for an up close experience with nature at one of the most beautiful places on God's earth, give Ladera a try.







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