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- - Ladera (https://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/ladera-92321/)

Will be staying at Ladera mid November...few questions 1. We're in room R...if anyone has stayed in this room please let me know your impressions 2. Weather mid November...what should we expect 3. How much should we pack...and what types of clothing is necessary 4. Is it wize to rent a car...or will we find ample transportaion 5. What are the best sights to see...the "don't miss list" 6. If we were to have dinner and/or lunch off campus...where might you recommned 7. Which are the best beaches to visit...for both quite (walks and relaxing) and for snorkeling Thanks Ken

If you do a search using the word Ladera I think you'll come up with a couple of trip reports that mention room R. We were there in mid-November and had great weather. Highs in the mid-upper 80s during the daytime, lows in the low-mid 70s at night, and breezy the whole time which kept it pretty comfortable. We only had 2-3 brief showers all week, and those only lasted a few minutes (and they were sunshowers, so we saw rainbows). We packed very light and each brought one small rolling carry-on bag and one backpack. We wore jeans and long-sleeved shirts on the plane and only brought one other pair of pants that we could wear to dinner (he brought khakis, I brought black capri pants). I also brought one lightweight silk knit sweater and was glad I did because a couple of nights at dinner it was chilly to me, but my boyfriend never wore the other long-sleeved shirt he brought and said next time he would only bring the one he wore on the plane. I also brought one black casual skirt. We each brought about 4 pairs of shorts and about 5 T-shirts, a couple of slightly nicer short-sleeved knit shirts that could be worn to dinner, one pair of athletic shoes (which we wore hiking in the rainforest), one pair of beach sandals like Tevas, and one slightly nicer pair of shoes that could be worn to dinner (I brought black sandals, he brought brown lace-up shoes like Rockports). Each brought a couple of bathing suits. Honestly, that was about it. It is very casual. They provide robes in the room. Next time I would try to squeeze in a couple more T-shirts but that's about it. We did not rent a car and were glad we didn't. Ladera provides free transportation to & from the airport as long as you're staying at least a few nights. The roads are bad and rental cars are expensive. Taxis are pretty cheap and readily available (Ladera will call them for you and will also bill them to your room if you ask). My don't miss list would be snorkeling at Anse Chastanet, the beach at Jalousie Hilton, the botanical gardens in Soufriere, and a daytrip to hike in the rainforest. The volcano is OK but not a "don't miss." We enjoyed dinner at Bang between the Pitons, at the Hummingbird in Soufriere, and also a buffet dinner by torchlight on the beach at the Hilton one night. However, while it was nice to have a change from Dasheene, to be honest I liked Dasheene better than any of the other places. For lunch we ate at the beachside bar/restaurant at Anse Chastanet, Jalousie Hilton, and at Dasheene -- all were great.

Hi Ken: I spent my honeymoon at Ladera in June and stayed in suite "R" It was a wonderfull room. You walk in on the lower lever where the bathroom and bed is. You go up to your right about 4 steps to the huge giant patio with teh couch, table, chair, patio funtiture and plunge pool on it. The views from this room are out of this worlk as just as they are from all the rooms there. Teh bathroom is quite large with a hsower big enough for 4 people to get in it :-) The hangings and pictures on the wall are beautiful as is the mosquito neetting over the bed. The plunge pool is heated too. Otherwise ai agree with everything Lisa said. I was not impressed with the beach at Anse though. If you go there pay for a water taxi to take you and pick you up at a certain time. Otherwise the if you go on the free shuttel you are stuck there all day and can't leave. Two hours there was plenty for us. Go to the Bang restaurant on Wed. when they have their floor show. You will LOVE St. Luica and ladera!!! Kay

Ken, my wife and I are going to Ladera over Thanksgiving week. How did you find out which room you have? Call Ladera?

Check out the website www.caribbeanopinion.com There's a not so nice review perhaps you should check into

Ken, Can't comment on Suite R, but I believe all the rooms at Ladera are beautiful! Lisa's comments on everything were right on. The snorkeling at the Chastanet was the best we've done! We enjoyed our time there. We only took a two carry-ons. We were glad we didn't rent a car, the roads are not in great shape and driving was a bit tricky. We loved the rain forest, Simon Marshall is the best guide you could have! Ladera has a large breakfast and we found we really didn't need to eat lunch, though Ladera has a nice luncheon menu. Do a search on Ladera, St. Lucia, and you'll get alot more information!

Gilda, I saw that review. Thanks for the heads up. If it is true (and I only say that because there weren't very many details about the incident), I have to believe it isn't a pervasive problem and was likely a one time incident. If you have any more information, please share it with us. Otherwise, it sounds like a ghost story.

Jeff: You're probably right. I happened onto that review strictly by accident and haven't been to Ladera myself but have considered it several times. Still a scary story, tho. Have a great time and please fill us in when you return.

It is scary. Let's hope I return :) I'll let you all know how it went. Nine days and counting.