Lauren

We are considering Ladera Resort for our honeymoon in 2001, but I have recently heard reports that it has gone downhill. Has anyone been there in the last couple of months? Any truth to these rumours? Also, we'd like to get a handle on what we can expect to pay for food. All comments welcome!

lisa

If you do a search using the word "Ladera" you will bring up a trip report from September -- a couple named Mike & Annette (I think?) just returned and said it was fantastic. I was there exactly one year ago this week, and it was gorgeous. Honestly the best travel experience I've ever had, largely due to the unbeatable physical setting. I haven't heard anything about it going downhill at all. You're in for a real treat. <BR> <BR>Breakfast is included (at least it was for us when we were there, anyway -- but maybe it depends on your package or room rate), and we thought the breakfasts were very good. We only ate lunch there once and it was good too (we were usually at the beach or daytripping during lunch). We ate a few dinners there -- they are a little on the pricey side but it depends on what you order, and we enjoyed all our dinners there a lot. The view is unbelievable. The manager hosts a barbecue dinner once a week, which is good -- you pay a set price per person for a complimentary happy hour poolside, where you get to meet the other guests, followed by a dinner buffet of all kinds of barbecued steak, fish, chicken, etc. and sidedishes and desserts -- during which a reggae/calypso band entertains, and there's dancing after dinner. It was a lot of fun. The rest of the dinners are just regular a la carte dinner menus, but they were all special (the dinner menu changes daily). If you plan on eating dinner there you may want to reserve in the morning for a table near the edge with the best views. Prices were in Eastern Caribbean dollars so it's hard to remember how much they were. I'd guess lunch was around $10 per person and dinner was generally around $25 per person, but that's just an estimate. Actually, our first night there we arrived really late, around 11:30pm after the kitchen had technically closed, but the bartender (who was really nice) said he'd go into the kitchen and see what he could find for us, and he came out with some wonderful exotic chicken dish and rice and steamed veggies, and made us some "special" frozen drinks (he refused to tell us what was in them, but they were delicious), and then wouldn't let us pay him anything for it -- he said it was on the house! (We must have looked like something the cat dragged in after travelling all day -- I think he just took pity on us.) We also ate at Anse Chastanet, Jalousie Hilton, and several other places in the area (the Hummingbird, Bang...) for changes of pace. We never had a bad meal. The local beer (Piton) is cheap and good. Make sure you order a roti at least once while you're there -- they are delicious. Also I thought all the grilled fish I had while I was there was excellent. Whatever the fresh catch is is always a good bet. They marinate it in something wonderful. <BR> <BR>Also, FYI, we found the service at Ladera to be very fine. They bring gorgeous freshly-cut flowers into your room every day from their gardens on-site. They made dinner reservations for us, got us taxis (with reliable drivers who charged us fair rates), offered suggestions about fun places to go and things to do, etc. <BR> <BR>If you are really curious about the food prices, you can call the number for their US representatives, Cariba, which you can get from the website at www.ladera-resort.com -- that's what we did, and we had their representative fax us a sample dinner menu before we left so we would know what to expect. <BR> <BR>Have a great time!

Randy Sweetman

Hello Lauren, <BR>I just got back from the Ladera this past September. I went there for my honeymoon. It was such a wonderful place to stay. The resort was in fine condition. I requested a tour of at least five other suites just to see what they looked like. They looked just as nice as our place. We stayed in a villa which was more than two people needed but it was nice to be totally spoiled for a week. We had a wonderful pool in our room which I understood every room has. Although, some are alot smaller than others. The price for food was very reasonable to me. The Dasheen is one of the top rated restaurant on the island but to me its' price didn't reflect that. <BR> <BR>Any comments I have depends on the type of honeymoon you want to have. My wife and I loved it because it was hailed as the best place on the island. It lived up to that. The service was exceptional, the staff was so friendly, the food was delicious, all of the major sightseeing excursions were right there. The rainforest, volcano, botanical gardens, horseback riding, and beach are right in front of you. The staff even plans all of this for you. The only thing I thought wouldn't work out was the fact that we were sort of secluded from all the other hotels and resorts. I thought we might not enjoy not having that party style atmosphere. But this was actually the best thing. My wife and I are very young and enjoyed so much the peaceful, quiet property that the Ladera has to offer. It's views are the most spectacular that I've ever seen. Overall, I think it's the best place someone could stay, especially for their honeymoon. If you want any specific advice or opinions you can email me. I hope I was helpful. <BR> <BR> Randy <BR> <BR> <BR>

Laura

My husband and I went to Ladera for our honeymoon in October, 1999. We really enjoyed our stay there, even though it rained quite a lot (while we were there, a hurricane passed about 200 miles away). Our room, a deluxe one bedroom w/plunge pool, was quite beautiful and we did not have any problems with mosquitoes. We did have lizards in our shower and they would crawl up the wall, but I found them charming. Others, I guess, could be frightened of them. The staff was friendly, a little stand-offish I thought originally, but then I realized that this was probably attributable to shyness. We did eat a lot of meals there and compared to what I saw at other restaurants on the island, it was not expensive. I believe our breakfasts were free. I would not give the food at Dasheene high marks - we ate at Jalousie one night and I thought their food was superior. Dasheene's food was a little bland to me. We also went horseback r

Tammy

We just got back from our honeymoon and stayed at Sandals for 6 nites and Ladera for 3. It was absolutely beautiful there. The views were great and so was the room. We had a deluxe one bedroom suite w/ private pool. The downstairs had a sitting area and a few steps down to our own pool with an incredible view. Our bathroom was nice and large with an open air shower that I loved. Upstairs was the bedroom with a large bed w/ mosquito netting and spectacular views also. Bugs weren't really a problem, but do expect to see lizards on the walls in your room! Didn't need AC because of the breezes. The grounds were very pretty, staff helpful. It's very private and relaxing there, a nice change from Sandals. <BR>Big free breakfast buffet every morning, and then usually a buffet for lunch. We ate dinner there most nights as the food was very good with some unique options. About $100 usd per couple. We spent the days at the Jalousie Hilton beach and Anse Chastanet. We preferred the Hilton over the other beach, prettier beach, nicer calmer water, and waiter service right to your chaise lounge! I would recommend breaking your honeymoon up into 2 resorts. I think having the open air rooms for a whole week would have been too much for me. At nite the lighting is not very good in the rooms, except for the bathroom. And then you have to contend with a bunch of moths and gnats while using the mirror! <BR>We were very happy with our whole stay there. Any more questions, let me know.