Ronald

My question, is does anyone or has anyone had a problem with the open air wall at Ladera? If I could get a response from a male I would appreciate it, but I will take any response.

lisa

My boyfriend and I loved it. The other guests we met while we were there loved it as well. What are your concerns about it?

Lori

I have the same concern as Ronald. From a privacy standpoint, I've heard it's nothing to be concerned about, since the rooms are so far up the hillside and set back in the mountain. My concern is with bugs. I've heard great things about Ladera, and have seen their site and it looks fabulous. However, a friend of mine honeymooned there and, although she loved the resort and the amenities, she hated the bugs. Now, I know everything is relative, and bugs to one person may not be bugs to another. But she said at night there were huge moths around the room lamp, beetles and lots of tree frogs. She said they have cans of repellant inside the room, but I don't know if this is a good thing or not. <BR>Do you have to keep the room dark at night? Lisa, what was your experience? Thanks for the helpful pointers I've seen so far. <BR>

Sheila

Would bringing a "bug" lightbulb be feasible/a good idea? I will be at Ladera mid-May and share similar concerns. Since sunsets take place around 6pm, is it difficult to "hang-out" in your room with the lights on (given the bug attraction of the lamps)? Further, although the options are limited (and that composes part of Southern St. Lucia's charm), what kind of nightlife options are there?

Matt

I have the same concern. My fiance and I have booked a room at the Ladera for our honeymoon. I can get by the frogs and geckos. But I am not a big fan of moths. How bad are the moths actually. I figured in the end, you pretty much learn how to get past those things. If there is anyone with advice that would be great.

lisa

Interesting -- we experienced no problems with bugs. The breezes were too strong for mosquitoes and we never had any of those in our rooms. I don't remember seeing beetles in our room either, although I occasionally saw them outside. We did see some moths near lights at night, but we didn't find this a problem. First of all, moths don't bite or anything, so neither of us were bothered by them -- we think of them the same way we do butterflies. In fact, some of them are really pretty and cool-looking. Secondly, if you turn your lights off before leaving your room in the evening, and turn off any lights unless you're using them (e.g. don't leave the light on in the bathroom unless you're in there) you will largely avoid this problem. By the way, our bathroom was NOT open-air and the windows in the bathroom had screens on them. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we each brought a few tiny "tea light" candles with us to use at night (funny -- we never talked about this before we went -- we just both had the same idea), which were nicer than having the lights on anyway. It was great to sit on our sofa and sip wine and gaze at the stars by candlelight. Of course we did have the lights on sometimes (e.g. while we were getting dressed to go out to dinner in the evenings), but we just didn't leave them on that long. Also, most of the lights in our room were not that bright so maybe that's why they didn't attract too many moths -- and the main lights in the room were placed high up on a wall or post, away from where we would be walking or sitting. There were more moths around the lights outside the rooms -- inside we just never saw that many. In fact, there was bug spray in our room, but neither of us ever needed to use it (we did put on mosquito repellant one day when we went hiking in the rainforest though). We did use the mosquito netting around our bed at night, and in the morning we would find evidence of a few little gnats or dead moths on top of the netting. That was no big deal though. If you are worried about bugs getting on the bedding, just put the mosquito netting down over the bed before it gets dark out (during the daytime bugs are not a problem -- although we were cautioned not to leave food or beverages out in the room because they would attract bugs -- so e.g. if you have breakfast in your room in the morning, you should be sure to put the tray outside your room when you're done). We did see little geckos and lizards in our room, which I'm sure helped keep the bug population under control! They are very timid and run away incredibly quickly if you make a motion in their direction. We never had any frogs in our room but could hear tree frogs chirping at night and saw one big bullfrog under a step outside one night. What I'm trying to say is, no, we didn't find it was any problem to "hang out" in our room at night -- on the contrary, we loved it. <BR> <BR>Bottom line: in ANY tropical setting you will encounter some bugs and other critters. But we did not find this any worse at Ladera than in settings that are climate-controlled. Frankly, I was a lot more bothered by seeing huge cockroaches in New York, Florida and the Carolinas than I was by a few moths at Ladera. <BR> <BR>And by the way, there is definitely no privacy problem at Ladera. The only creatures that can see into your room are the birds -- there's a big dropoff and there's no way anyone or anything except for cute little hummingbirds and butterflies and things could possibly get into your room or see into it via the "open wall." <BR> <BR>Sheila: There was a manager's barbecue once a week at Ladera where they brought in a reggae/calypso band that played in the bar/restaurant area and people danced after dinner. That was fun. We heard another reggae band at the Hilton one night playing on the beach and there was limbo dancing. There was a limbo show one night at a restaurant called Bang near the Hilton. I also understand they occasionally get music at Anse Chastanet. You can ask at the front desk where you should go to hear music on what nights while you're there, and they will have some recommendations for you. But as you noted, nightlife really isn't the highlight of what the area has to offer. Most of the people we met there seemed to cherish the peace and quiet and relaxation more than anything.

Matt

Thanks Lisa for the reponse. I have read your responses from past messages. I am getting more excited about going. I had to decide between AC and Ladera, despite my travel agent, I have gone with Ladera mainly for the privacy and the uniqueness of it all. My fiance and I will definitely bring candles. Thanks again.