Just got back from Ladera, St. Lucia. Any questions?
Apr 17th, 2000, 09:17 AM
#2
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I'd love to hear about your trip and the accommodations at Ladera. <BR> <BR>What kind of room did you stay in? Problem with bugs? <BR>Weather this time of year? <BR>What activities are musts (beaches, rain forest, gardens, waterfall, snorkel, etc). <BR>What restaurants do you recommend? <BR> <BR>Glad you had a great time. I'll be there in a few weeks. Can't wait . . . <BR>
Apr 17th, 2000, 09:58 AM
#3
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Hi, so was it as beautiful as it seems? We are thinking about it in Dec. Is it a hassle to get to the beach? Is the food expensive and are there other restaurants in the area?Do you need to rent a car? I really want to stay here but my Husband wants to ocean kayak and water ski and he thinks an all inclusive might be better. Any information would be great. Thanks Julie
Apr 17th, 2000, 10:09 AM
#4
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Juli: Glad to hear you had a great time. Now is your chance to answer all the same questions for other people that you were asking before you went! So tell us more -- what room did you stay in, did you take any daytrips, where did you eat, how was the food, etc. Tell us how it was different from what you expected, what you loved, were there any disappointments, etc. Your public awaits.
Apr 18th, 2000, 04:47 AM
#7
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Hi Juli! Thanks for the e-mail. I guess I guess I am not the only one who wants to hear all about your trip! You mentioned that dining was very expensive. Did you eat exclusively at Ladera or did you try some local more inexpensive restaurants? How was the service at Ladera? Did you do the barbecue buffet at Ladera? I know, I am incessant - I can't help it - I am counting the days. Believe it or not I am actually looking forward to the plane ride! 5 hours of peace and quiet - I think I need a vacation huh? Thanks again!
Apr 18th, 2000, 10:27 AM
#10
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Well I must begin my saying that Lisa is the queen of St. Lucia info. but I will try my best. I am going to try to answer all of your posts at once so if I jump around forgive me. Let me begin by talking about Ladera. We stayed in room Q which is a deluxe suite. It was very nice but it did not have a balcony on the side opposite the pitons.(You'll see what I mean when you get there) We never had a problem with bugs or animals. You would see the occasional moth but the birds that came to visit us took care of any little pests. There were three birds that came to visit every day. In fact one was bold enough to land on our bed on his way to the other side of our room. The view is spectacular! The breezes are just perfect to keep you cool and even though our pool wasn't heated we still enjoyed it. As far as bringing things I did take Lisa's advice and brought some candles which we really didn't need but it was nice for atmosphere. You may want to bring a little portable radio. Since most of the nightlife ends fairly early in St. Lucia we found ourselves back at the room by 10:30 some nights. We played a lot of Gin rummy under our mosquito netting. We also brought a bottle of liquor for an evening cocktail. Other than that I think that you'll have everything you'll need. O.K. now on to the food. We did eat at the Ladera a couple of times. It is pretty pricy. You are looking at about $25-30 just for the entree. We ate breakfast there everyday which is included and has some of the best fruit and juices you have ever tasted (eggs, bacon, pancakes etc. too). We did do the managers buffet and it was fun. It gave you a chance to meet other folks that were staying at the resort and actually that is where we met our tour guide Simon who took us around most of the rest of the week. He was wonderful. Very knowledgeable! He can be contacted through Ben's Taxi <BR>459-5457. I'm sure that he will be there at the Ladera. We also ate at the Hilton for lunch which was NOT cheap. Burgers were $12. I think it may be wise to bring some snacks so that you can bypass lunch a couple of times. The food down there is awesome. I gained 6 pounds. Here are the restaurants that I reccomend. <BR>-The Hummingbird (you have to get the baked seafood appetizer) <BR>-Camilla's (sit on the balcony, it gives you a great view of the town) <BR>-Ladera (The manager's buffet) <BR>-Anse Chastenet (Go to the buffet on Tuesday night it's $45 pp but the food looked great. We just went for the steel drum band which was fun. Try and catch the sunset here it is spectacular) <BR>-Bang between the pitons on Wednesday (they have the best floor show. Bring your video camera) <BR>-Hilton (We grabbed a late dinner up at the main building which has a wonderful area on the balcony that you can get sandwiches and desserts) <BR>-Captain Hook (This is a small local restaurant that Simon took us to one night late) It was very local and cheap. <BR>Now for activities...I think the jeep tour is a great idea. We <BR>did not do that ourselves but we saw a group coming back and it looked <BR>like a blast. There is also a half day sailing trip that I would <BR>recommend. It is $35 U.S. and you can book it from Ladera. We booked a <BR>trail ride on horseback to the Sulpher Springs/Volcano through the Morne <BR>Coubaril estates. It is right by the Ladera. That was $30 per person and <BR>well worth it. I desperately wanted to do the helicopter tour. It's expensive but I can only imagine the sites that you would see. We never went to the north end of the island. We did meet couples that took a drive around the Island. The drive to Castries is about an hour and a half on some extremely windy roads. There are some water taxi's that you can take which would be better. I hear that the beach in Marigot Bay was nice. <BR>Beaches... The beach at the Jalousie is beautiful. Nice white sand, beach chairs, and great snorkeling. The shuttle ride is no big deal it only takes about 10 min. Julie- The Hilton has ocean kayaks, water skiing, catamarans, skurfing, etc. My boyfriend and I both went water skiing. It was $15 which I thought was very reasonable. Most of it is included for Jalousie guests so if you can hide your towels from the Ladera you may pass for a guest. Your towel by the way is like a badge at the beach. Depending on the color you may be asked to move from the spot that you are sitting. Some rude Americans actually made us move at the beach at Anse Chastenet because they liked our little 2 by 2 area of the beach. I couldn't believe it. Anyway to sum it up the island is beautiful, the people are great and if you go with an open mind you will have the time of your life. Please feel free to ask more questions but this should be a start. <BR> <BR>Juli
Apr 20th, 2000, 08:04 AM
#14
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DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW THE AMT. OF TIME IT TAKES FROM VIGIE AIRPORT TO LADERA? <BR>ALSO I THOUGHT THE DELUXE ONE BEDROOM SUITES HAD HEATED PLUNGE POOLS? <BR>WERE YOU ABLE TO HAVE LIGHTS ON AT NIGHT OR WERE THE BUGS TOO BAD? <BR>DOES THE RESTAURANT AND BAR STAY OPEN LATE AT NIGHT? <BR>THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFO. YOU HAVE PROVIDED.
Apr 20th, 2000, 09:03 AM
#15
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Eileen, <BR> <BR>I have not made the drive myself but I believe it is about an hour and 45 minutes to Vigie airport. We flew into Hewanorra. The pools are supposed to be heated but ours wasn't and I know that another couple complained that their's was cold as well. It is refreshing though. Bugs weren't too bad. We always made sure to keep our lights off while se were gone at night and then pulled down our mosquito netting before we turned them on in the evening. We really weren't bothered much though. The restaurant closes around 10:30 I believe and the bar around 11:00. That is where it is nice to have your own private stock when you feel like a late night beer. <BR> <BR>Juli
