My fiancee and I are considering St. Lucia for our honeymoon in late July. We are intrigued by the prospect of Ladera but are concerned by its apparent remoteness. Can we walk to beach/snorkeling? Is the shuttle service inconvenient? Would we be better advised to split our time between Ladera and another beachfront resort? We'd appreciate any input from any of you who have enjoyed the island previously. Thank you.

hi Ash: <BR> <BR>My fiance and I are spending the first five nights of our honeymoon in June at ladera in a deluxe 1 bedroom for the sheer romance and tranquility of it all. We will then go to the north part of the island and spend 3 nights at the new Hyatt St. Lucia so the luxury and to see the north part of the island. <BR> <BR>I understand that Ladera has free shuttles that take about 10 min. down to the beach. The southern part of the island is by far the most beautiful with lots of things to do that are nature oriented.

Ash -- My boyfriend and I were at Ladera for a week in November '98. Before we went we were a little worried about the remoteness too, but it's not too remote at all. At least for us, we liked the fact that it was a little removed from the larger resorts and from town, but still close enough that access was easy. You can walk to the volcano from Ladera if you're interested in touring that. The free shuttles to the beach are very convenient -- there are three per day to and from Jalousie (morning, noon & late afternoon) and two per day to and from Anse Chastanet. If you want to come or go to the beach at a different time, you just take a cab and they are not that much (seems like it was $6-8 per person or something). A couple of times we would take the free shuttle to the beach and then stay late into the evening, eating dinner at Anse Chastanet or Jalousie and then taking a cab back to Ladera at night. It worked out fine. People at any of the resorts are happy to call a cab for you. It is best to ask the hotel staff how much the taxi will be and then verify the price with the driver before you set out so that there will be no issue at the end (we never had any driver try to overcharge us but this is always good policy anywhere you take taxis). It is about 10 minutes to Jalousie (very pretty drive) and about 15 or so to Anse Chastanet (you drive to the dock in Soufriere and then take a water taxi to the beach, which is fun -- ask the water taxi driver to point out the bat cave on the way to the beach). The shuttles were very convenient. The shuttle drivers will help transport your snorkeling gear (provided free by Ladera) and give you vouchers for the complimentary beach chaise chairs at Jalousie and will provide you with free chairs to use at Anse Chastanet beach. You could probably walk into Soufriere and/or to Jalousie Hilton if you wanted but we didn't do that because it seemed like it would have taken too long and the shuttles and taxis were more convenient. The desk staff at Ladera is very helpful and good about recommending restaurants in the area and making reservations for you if you want. All you have to do is tell them what you want and they will arrange it. Also, if you want to explore Soufriere at all or eat a meal there, you can take the free shuttle into town when it goes to Anse Chastanet and just get off in town. It works out well. As to whether you would be better advised to split your time at Ladera with another resort, all I can say is that we were very glad we stayed the whole week at Ladera. I think we would have been sad to leave those views. To us it was like having the best of both worlds -- the beaches during the day and the incredible views (and food!) from Ladera in the morning and evening. But if you want to try more than one place, go for it! I'm sure Anse Chastanet and Jalousie Hilton are very nice as well (although they seemed a little pricier than Ladera).

After a lot of research, my husband and I just booked a trip at the end of May with 5 nights at Sandals St. Lucia and 5 nights at Ladera. This seems like a good way to go so that you can have the beach activities and nightlife part of the time. We figured we would spend a few days taking tours to the southern end of the island to see the Pitons and snorkel anyway, but by staying at Ladera we can do that the second part of our vacation. The first 5 days at Sandals will give us a chance to waterski, windsurf, golf, or just sit at the swim-up bar! They also have 5 restaurants and a spa. <BR> <BR>It may be a good combination to consider. Congratulations and good luck!

Hi, <BR>I would definitely recommend splitting your trip between Ladera and a bigger resort up north. That way you get the best of both worlds and see very different parts of the island. I was just in st. lucia in December for my honeymoon. We spent 6 nites at Sandals St. Lucia and 3 nites at Ladera. Both were wonderful. I don't think I would want to stay at Ladera for a whole week, but it was wonderful for a few days....great views and food. <BR>Hope this helps!