I am leaving for the Jalousie and Ladera next week. Does anybody know of any bars? What about great restaurants? Fishing trips? Last minute advice? Room # recommendations at both? Thanks<BR> <BR>

Patti:<BR>Did you see my reply to your earlier posting?

...but why are you going to two resorts within a couple miles of each other? Just curious.

yes - I saw your response. thank you so much. I tried to email you but it bounced back. We are staying at both resorts because they both offer something different and we thought that 9 days at one would be too much...

Couple miles of eachother? They're close neighbors. One's on the hill and the other is right below it. Good question Just Offense. Pati: Inquiring minds want to know.

the reason we are staying at both is because we wanted to be right on the beach and we wanted the "romance" that ladera offered. Since we had enough time, we decided we would hit both. Our main draw was the pitons, so we didn't think the north offered us much. i am also not a big fan of all -inclusives. we like things that are off the beaten track, hence ladera! no offense taken! We are leaving on saturday and are extremely excited about both places. i'll let you know if we made the right decision!

Pati, some restaurants in your area that we enjoyed: Anse Chastanet (both the beachfront lunch restaurant for after-snorkeling and the up-on-the-hill dinner location), the Hummingbird (aaah...go for long leisurely lunch then back to your room for a nap!). Also, Camilla's in Soufriere (sit outside on the teeny second floor balcony and watch the street life below) and for snacks, go and get some bread and cheese and Piton beer at Eroline's grocery. It's been a couple of years, but these places are still stuck in my memory! Have a wonderful time!

Hi pati:<BR><BR>My husband and I spent our honeymoon on St. Lucia last year. WE stayed at ladera and they Hyatt. I have a full trip report and lots of pictures at www.seashelltravel.com if you want to take a look.<BR><BR>We had suite "R" at Ladera which was wonderful as all the room there are. I also would recommend you ask for suite "S" too. Have your travel agent fax the resort to request a complementary room upgrade if it is possible. We went to the hilton severl times and it was wonderful too. You can read about the restaurants we recommend and why in my trip report.

Trust me Kay (just saw your pictures of Orlando), Dixie is not grinning. While I'm happy you had a good experience (I'm sure it's wonderful), I hope you may want to educate yourself on how dolphins in captivity are affected.

Pati-- I'd recommend the 700s or 800s for villas at Jalousie. They will already have your villa selected when you get there and you may get an upgrade. The 700/800s are higher up the mountain with a better view of the ocean in my opinion; I think 900s are okay too.