My wife and I went to Ladera in May 2008 for our Honeymoon. For two people who enjoy the outdoors, but are by no means outdoor enthusiasts or nature lovers, Ladera blew us away with its beauty, food, service, and uniqueness.

We stayed in Suite H, a Petit Piton suite, and we did do the all-inclusive. I'm not sure if we drank it, but we defiinitely ate our money's worth. The food and service at Ladera was unbelievable. The only bad night at Dasheene was Tuesday night. They do a buffet, and it is average at best. All the rest of the meals were outstanding. For lunch we ate most of our meals off of the bar lunch menu....we highly recommend the Piton burgers. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Our room was plenty big enough for two people, and my wife really enjoyed the mosquito netting above the bed. It was really romantic. Our plunge pool was chilly...not freezing...and we used it occaisionally. We had two lizards in our room every night, but they were a good 20 feet from the bed on the wall...so no big deal.

If you are looking for a relaxing vacation with an unbelievable view, then I would highly recommend Ladera...I never thought I could go on vacation and just sit and totally relax, but the view from Ladera proved me wrong.

We went to St. Lucia 5/17/08-5/25/08. We first went to Sandals Regency for 5 nights. Then, we took a tour transfer with Spencer Ambrose to ziplining, lunch, before arriving at Ladera.

When we checked in, I saw our room # on the check in form said X7!!! We had booked a petit piton room, so I knew we were upgraded because of the room #. The rooms that start with X are dream suites. We had someone take us to our room while they transported our bags. We realized how valuable a service this was when we started to walk to our room. The newer dream suites were built on the other side of the restaurant Dasheene (to the left if you are looking at the rooms from the reception.) Instead of taking us through the restaurant, which was a lot easier, he took us up a STEEP ramp and stairs to X7…the last suite, all the way at the top. But I wouldn’t have traded it for any easier hike because the view from the room was incredible. They don’t mind you walking through the restaurant for future trips up and down. It feels awkward, but much safer especially in heels!

Our room was 2 stories with the little “kitchen” area downstairs with refrigerator, sink, french press coffeemaker, and hot water pot. On our taxi ride, we had Spencer stop to get us some Piton beer. We knew we were going to Ladera where the minibar would not be cheap, so we spend $20 US and got 3 six packs. We had enough beer for our 3 days at Ladera and brought some home. It was quite a deal, since Ladera charged $5 for each beer. (There was plenty of room in the minibar to put whatever you want in there.)

There was a sitting area downstairs with couch and table with 2 chairs to eat any meals in the room. Of course, the pool was on the first floor and it was big enough that it had a wading area, then a deeper part. We had a swing which was a nice touch. The waterfall was not the same thing as the heater in this room. Our room steward said the heater was not turned on. However, the sun warmed the pool most of the day, and it was not as cold as the main pool at Dasheene. Upstairs was our bedroom with a sitting area with 2 comfy chairs to enjoy the view. The view even from the bed was awesome. Our bathroom got a nice breeze when we opened the shutters; sometimes it got a chilly with the shutters open. The shower was open to the room with no curtain. I am glad that I had read about the shower’s hot water before I went. The hot water will come…you just have to wait about 5 minutes. So start the shower, then come back in a few minutes to check on it. The newer rooms have regular faucets, not the shells that you see in the pictures. So it made washing your face a lot easier. The room came with an amenities kit, with eye patches, ear plugs, binoculars, star gazing map, etc. There was no rum like the steward said there would be. Double check your basket before the steward leaves! There is also a mosquito kit, with bug spray, citronella, etc.

During afternoon tea, all you have to do is ask for the snacks. They will bring small sandwiches and scones. Try the Ladera Punch with rum. At check-in they give you the non-alcoholic version. At sunset everyone hangs out at the bar, some play games from the hotel’s collection. We ate all 3 dinners at Dasheene. They all were wonderful. I think it is good advice to get the chef’s choice of the fish of the day. He knows exactly how to bring out the best in the dish. One of my regrets is we did not do the cooking class on Saturday AM. I think all that did it loved it. We enjoyed the chocolate fondue dessert the last night. It was excellent. Breakfast was also delicious. You get a fruit plate and yummy breads and scones. They give you butter, strawberry jam, and homemade banana jam. You can then order whatever you want off the menu which is included in your room price. My husband loved the pumpkin pancakes. You can also go to the table set up to get cereals and homemade local juices. You should try these, very unique!

On both days, we took the 9am shuttle to Jalousie beach. We took our Piton Beers with us in our bag to save some $$. We found an umbrella and chairs with shade. There were plenty available until about 10:30am. The view at the beach was incredible. It looked like Hawaii. However, I really did not like the sand. It was not raked and had a lot of debris in it. I like the colorful volcanic sand better, in my opinion, it is softer. We asked the drink server if we could have a bucket of ice when we ordered our bloody marys in the AM. Then we put our Pitons in the bucket and we were set for the day! The snorkeling was great. Be sure to ask your shuttle driver before you leave for Ladera for the equipment. If you are taking pictures while snorkeling make sure it is when the sun is shining in that area. It gets shade a lot of the day, so the pictures do not turn out as well. We saw tons of colorful fish, eel, a water snake, and a squid. The water is a comfortable temperature. Lunch was pretty expensive on the beach, but we saved $ with our beers!

The second day, it was raining when we headed down to Jalousie. We were the only ones going down to the beach at 9am that AM, but we wanted to snorkel again. We decided to stay for just an hour and take the 10:15 shuttle back to Ladera. We even double checked the times of the shuttles for our pick-up. However, because it was raining no one came down on the 10am shuttle, which meant they didn’t come down to pick us up. We waited 45 mins before I walked to the reception at Jalousie and had them call to pick us up. Make sure if you want to be picked up and it is a slow day, you tell the driver you want to be picked up at a certain scheduled pick-up time. That way you won’t have to call for someone to pick you up.

We returned and spend the afternoon in our room and had room service for lunch. We could not get the Jeeves to work (it was always low battery even plugged in for 3 days) so I walked down to order. Lunch was great and cheaper than lunch at Jalousie! We enjoyed relaxing in the room and would do this more next time we go. It is peaceful. We do want to bring an iPod docking station so we can have some light background music for next time. We also visited the main pool. It was cold! But I had a nice Ladera punch while lounging on the chairs. My husband always brought his own Piton beer to the pool and the bar when we would go. They didn’t seem to mind. We also tried the sulfur mineral baths. It is something interesting to try.

On our last day before checking out, we got a couples massage. They did it in the gardens. It was pretty good. The price was more expensive than what they emailed me. It cost about $300 with the included tip. I think I want to do the couples massage class where they teach you how to do massage on each other. When we checked out, they give you some spice bread and 2 bottles of water for the ride. Nice touch. We also placed an order for a picnic lunch from Dasheene the night before and took it with us to the airport. When everyone in the airport was standing in a long line for anemic sandwiches, we had jerk chicken sandwiches and spice bread. It was a nice farewell lunch. If I could have done it differently, I would have arranged for Spencer to take us to the airport. Ladera charged $90 to our room for transfer and we were in a small car with no AC. We did not tip because I assumed for that charged the gratuity was included which I confirmed with the driver.

Advice: Take a lot of $5 bills and $1 bills. We got to a point on our trip and had only $20 bills. This did not work to tip. We had to get some change in EC and tip that way.

Overall, it was an amazing experience in St. Lucia. Ladera was magical and we definitely will return and spend about 5 days at Ladera next time. It takes that long to let the chill set in. We would like to spend 5 days somewhere else on the island as well. We love Sandals, but maybe we will try 5 nights in Rodney Bay next time then 5 nights at Ladera .

It’s almost been a year since our honeymoon in St. Lucia. I research extensively the Ladera resort and the area before we booked. I review Trip Advisor religiously but tried to keep an open mind that not everyone will enjoy the same vacation. My overall review of Ladera is great – I just have a few things that I wish I would have considered and I hope this review will help you too.

RESORT: Ladera Resort is a stunning resort – the views from every room (yes, we made a lot of friends and got to see quite a few rooms) are spectacular. The lush greenery and the wildlife – mainly birds makes for a very relaxing vacation. The pool is nice so are the grounds in general. They supply water guns at the restaurant and in your rooms to shoot at the birds, but we never did. The birds were so brave but they never bothered us.

STAFF: Very attentive and accommodating. I’ve traveled to the Caribbean several times and while it is more a laid back approach all the staff was accommodating and helpful. Just giving them a smile and will make world of difference. The wait staff in the restaurant was a little slow, but then again we were not in a hurry so it wasn’t a big deal.

DRESS CODE: You will need to dress nice for dinner – women in skirts or nice pants and guys in collared shirts and slacks. You have to have a reservation for dinner too. You can call the day of and make a reservation. Breakfast and Lunch are more casual and do not require a reservation. You can wear your bathing suit with a cover up, of course. We got room service a lot –it was wonderful.

ROOM: We stayed in Suite Q – it was very nice but once you see the other rooms of the other guest I started to feel like we could have booked a better room. You cannot, obviously, choose which suite you get, but if you book through a “real” travel agent, not Travelocity, Expedia, etc. the travel agent usually has strings they can pull to request a specific room. We didn’t stay in our room much so I don’t have too many complaints about it. You will have total privacy from the other guests so that is a nice plus. We had some friends that stayed in the Hilltop Dream Suite and that was AMAZING. I was so jealous. Suites A, B, C I know for a fact are amazing.

FOOD: The food was beyond wonderful. Honestly. The head chef at Ladera has studied in NYC and all over the country. Ladera’s restaurant has been voted and still is the best restaurant on the island. I cannot recommend enough that you purchase the all inclusive plan. My husband and I both drink and quite frankly we wanted to relax and beverages were in need. So it was a no-brainer that we purchased the all inclusive plan including beverages. Breakfast, lunch and Dinner are all included in the all inclusive package - that includes room service too. The food is very expensive. Think $200 to $300 for dinner for a couple – without wine/beer! Get the all inclusive plan. Like I said, it is a no brainer. By the end of our 7 day vacation we were ready for some non-Caribbean food. But that is normal, I guess.

BEVERAGES: The beer/wine/liquor is not of the caliber in the US or elsewhere. There are only 2 or 3 choices of beer – one being Piton, the local beer which tastes a lot like Corona. I didn’t mind it. My husband likes a darker beer so he hated it.

TIPPING: It goes without saying that tipping the staff will get you better service. Give a few dollars to each person – they will be more likely to go out of their way to help you. Again, no brainer.

WEATHER: We went in July – it was freggin’ hot! No A/C and no TV in any of the suites, so we were ready for both at the end of our trip. The trade winds are nice, but in July it was pretty hot. 90 to 95 degrees every day. It rained almost every afternoon too – think Florida rain showers. The rains come and then the rains go – as the locals say. Wear sunscreen every day – you truly will burn in a matter of 30 mins. The staff will encourage you to wear it. The rays are much hotter in St. Lucia.

EXCURSIONS: Since Ladera is on a mountain you have to ride a shuttle to Jalousise beach. A nice beach and I recommend you go at least one day. Make sure you are aware that Jalousie lets Ladera guests use the beach but any food/beverages you will have to pay for – at it’s kind of expensive. 2 beers and 2 sandwiches is over $25.00US. We did several trips, including the Fish Friday trip into town – that was pretty cool except I wasn’t keen on eating fish by a local vendor right thereon the street. Try not to be so picky. The locals are extremely nice and there is not much crime, but it is a very poor island so expect to see a lot of beggers.

RENTING A CAR: Don’t even think about. The locals will tell you not to. When you arrive at the airport and take the shuttle to Ladera (which is about a 30 minute ride) you will see what I mean. It is too dangerous. The roads are not marked, there are not many rules/laws. Although you can rent cars in other Caribbean islands, this one is not recommend. If you decide to, wait until you arrive and then book through the hotel. We did not meet anyone who rented a car.

Any other questions about our trip? Feel free to email me: speindl@carolina.rr.com. All of our honeymoon pics are on my blog: http://listmaker.wordpress.com/

We spent 3 nights at Ladera, in a Gros Piton Suite, for our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. It is not everone's cup of tea, but the combination of relaxed atmosphere and natural beauty was perfect for us. The resort really focuses on being a part of the natural environment, but maintains a luxury level you won't find on an eco-tour.

Here's the things that might turn some people off: The entire resort is constructed of wood, stone and tile. It's hand crafted and quite pretty. It's not worn or rotten anywhere, but I know some people prefer their metals and plastics. You sleep under mosquito netting, but we were not bothered by bugs at all. We did have little birds in the room, looking for food. We also had an occasional tiny lizard and my wife had a frog in the shower once. There is no air conditioning, but the night breeze keeps you cool at night. There is a constant noise at night from the tree frogs in the rainforest that can be disruptive to sleep. We just ran our plunge pool's pump and the sound of falling water drowned it out.

We loved the three walled room looking out at the Pitons and down over Jalousie beach. The views were stunning, it seemed like I could have hit the Petit Piton with a thrown rock. The plunge pool was plenty warm enough. We used it every day, drinking Piton beers and just taking in the views. We also used the free shuttle to Jalousie to sit on the beautiful white sand beach there. We went in the middle of the day, but there was still plenty of chairs and shady spots. And the drink service was fantastic. We didn't use the Anse Chastanet shuttle for a few reasons: the shuttle only makes two trips a day, compared to about six for Jalousie. It is longer, it goes into Soufriere and then you take a water taxi over. And you have to bring your own beach chairs, which Ladera provides but still seems like aretty unfriendly policy.

The staff at Ladera was top notch. Reception and housekeeping handled all our requests with a smile. Everyone was friendly and greeted you every day. We booked a Soufriere tour through Ladera to show us the volcano, botanical gardens and waterfalls. They gave us one of their drivers, Ethelbert, to take the two of us out and show us everything. He was fantastic, pointing out all the different fruit trees, showing us the sights and taking into Soufriere. Ethelbert was extremely knowledgable and has lived in Soufriere all his life. It showed because it seemed everyone we passed was calling his name and waving. He would stop on the side of the road and pick various fruits and give them to us to sample. I learned that fresh cocoa beans don't taste like chocolate at all, they taste like bitter chalk. But the slimy goo they are packed in is very tasty.

Finally, there was Dasheen, the restaurant and lounge at Ladera. Dasheen enjoys the same open-air views of the Pitons as the rooms. It was magical stting in the lounge having a tropical drink and watching the sun set behind the Pitons. We ate dinner there twice. The first night was great. Service was fast and our meals, mahi mahi and shrimp dasheen, were extraordinary. The second night was a buffet and wasn't so good. It was Tuesday, which is the night the manager has a cocktail reception for guests and serves hor d'ourves. My guess is he wants to recoup some of his losses for the reception by serving a $50/person buffet and dishing out lower quality items. Service was slow and seemed a little confused. A full breakfast every morning was complimentary to guests, and was very good. Overall, I would recommend Dasheen, just avoid Tuesday nights.

We were very happy with our stay at Ladera. It's not a place for people who want to be sealed in from nature or want constant excitement or super luxury. But it is so beautiful, and so relaxing, and the staff is so helpful, that I can't see how anyone can not enjoy themselves there.