Need GOOD information about Ladera.
Nov 3rd, 2000, 06:26 AM
#2
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Hi! I can certainly give you some info on Ladera. My boyfriend and I went two years ago and I haven’t stopped raving about it since. Ladera is expensive but we got this AMAZING deal which brought our room rate down to a steal.
You won’t need much luggage. We mostly went around sans clothes. Use your luggage space to bring booze and candles. Did I mention I went with my boyfriend? Coz it’s a great place for romance if you know what I mean. The room layout and view gave our humdrum sex life a much-needed shot in the you-know-what. (Gotta love those fake waterfalls which help camouflage). In fact, we thought we would rarely leave our room. But I got to be an expert on St. Lucia because being isolated in paradise got a bit tedious after a while. So we were mighty glad for the shuttles to the Hilton and Anse Chastanet. We were soon making good use of the land and water taxis coz there’s nothing around Ladera. (On the plus side, Ladera will charge the land taxi to your room but when we got the bill at checkout WHOA)
Ladera was great but don’t just take my word for it. I am sure others on this board will agree. But when all is said and done, the price of meals and taxis made it into an expensive trip (I am still paying for it).
I got my eyes peeled for my next vacation so if anybody has any suggestions of how to stay at a 5-star hotel for under $180 a night, let me know.
P.S. The odd bat may fly into your room at night. It kind of freaked me out but since I payed so much for the room I was determined not to let it bother me. And make sure you get a suite with a HEATED plunge pool, we nearly froze our assets off in ours.
You won’t need much luggage. We mostly went around sans clothes. Use your luggage space to bring booze and candles. Did I mention I went with my boyfriend? Coz it’s a great place for romance if you know what I mean. The room layout and view gave our humdrum sex life a much-needed shot in the you-know-what. (Gotta love those fake waterfalls which help camouflage). In fact, we thought we would rarely leave our room. But I got to be an expert on St. Lucia because being isolated in paradise got a bit tedious after a while. So we were mighty glad for the shuttles to the Hilton and Anse Chastanet. We were soon making good use of the land and water taxis coz there’s nothing around Ladera. (On the plus side, Ladera will charge the land taxi to your room but when we got the bill at checkout WHOA)
Ladera was great but don’t just take my word for it. I am sure others on this board will agree. But when all is said and done, the price of meals and taxis made it into an expensive trip (I am still paying for it).
I got my eyes peeled for my next vacation so if anybody has any suggestions of how to stay at a 5-star hotel for under $180 a night, let me know.
P.S. The odd bat may fly into your room at night. It kind of freaked me out but since I payed so much for the room I was determined not to let it bother me. And make sure you get a suite with a HEATED plunge pool, we nearly froze our assets off in ours.
Nov 3rd, 2000, 07:36 AM
#3
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Gary -- We thought it was absolutely worth the money. However, we stayed in the least expensive room category. I don't know that I would pay extra for all the frills. In fact, I would be willing to stay in a room without a plunge pool and pay less, because we just didn't really use it that much (as Beth said, the unheated plunge pool wasn't warm enough to be comfortable. When we went (Nov. '98) it was $195/night including breakfast, but we used a travel agent and got a package deal of $2400/week including airfare (on American) and hotel and some extras (a rainforest tour was included in the package). This made it affordable for us and we thought it was worth every penny. Was it inexpensive? No. But it was good value for the money in terms of what you got. The room, the view, the food, the service, the privacy, the beauty -- just exquisite.
Nov 3rd, 2000, 07:47 AM
#4
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P.S. to Beth -- I don't know about 5-stars, but if you liked Ladera/St. Lucia you might also like some of the places we stayed in Costa Rica:
* Villa Caletas (on a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean, private oceanview villas with balconies for only $85/night in the "green season" -- a gorgeous resort with fantastic service, amazing food, incredible views, the most beautiful swimming pool I've ever seen, a private secluded beach, and toucans and other wildlife in the trees just off your balcony -- go to www.hotelvillacaletas for more info).
* Vista del Valle, in Alajuela -- private cottages with huge decks, overlooking a canyon nature preserve. Lovely hosts, a beautiful swimming pool and jacuzzi, nature trails that lead to a waterfall, well within your $180/night price range. www.vistadelvalle.com
* The most mind-blowingly wonderful place we stayed in CR was Lapa Rios, on the Osa Peninsula -- too fantastic for words, but I won't even tell you about it because it's really expensive. We justified it because the other places we stayed in CR (like Villa Caletas) were absolute steals, so we didn't mind splurging for a few nights. www.laparios.com
* Villa Caletas (on a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean, private oceanview villas with balconies for only $85/night in the "green season" -- a gorgeous resort with fantastic service, amazing food, incredible views, the most beautiful swimming pool I've ever seen, a private secluded beach, and toucans and other wildlife in the trees just off your balcony -- go to www.hotelvillacaletas for more info).
* Vista del Valle, in Alajuela -- private cottages with huge decks, overlooking a canyon nature preserve. Lovely hosts, a beautiful swimming pool and jacuzzi, nature trails that lead to a waterfall, well within your $180/night price range. www.vistadelvalle.com
* The most mind-blowingly wonderful place we stayed in CR was Lapa Rios, on the Osa Peninsula -- too fantastic for words, but I won't even tell you about it because it's really expensive. We justified it because the other places we stayed in CR (like Villa Caletas) were absolute steals, so we didn't mind splurging for a few nights. www.laparios.com
Nov 6th, 2000, 05:22 AM
#5
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Gary:
My assisment of Ladera, where I spent my honeymoon this past summer, is definatly biased. It was heaven on earth to us. Just WNDERFUL and absolutely worth every single penny. We had a deluxe 1 bedroom with a heated plunge pool. I recommend you spend the extra money for the heated plunge. We used out pllunge pool quite a bit and it sa nice and warm. I would also recommend askign for sutie S if you can get it as it is the most romantic one.
My assisment of Ladera, where I spent my honeymoon this past summer, is definatly biased. It was heaven on earth to us. Just WNDERFUL and absolutely worth every single penny. We had a deluxe 1 bedroom with a heated plunge pool. I recommend you spend the extra money for the heated plunge. We used out pllunge pool quite a bit and it sa nice and warm. I would also recommend askign for sutie S if you can get it as it is the most romantic one.
Nov 6th, 2000, 08:32 AM
#6
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Check out website www.caribbeanopinion.com. Call up Ladera for several opinions, one not so good.
Nov 17th, 2000, 05:42 AM
#8
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keep your eyes out for Air Jamaica vacation specials; we found an air-included 7 day stay at ladera for right around $2000. considering that when we went to st lucia (anse chastanet) for our honeymoon two years ago the AIR ALONE cost $1600, the Air Jamaica package is a relative *steal*.
while we havent stayed at ladera (long story, but we were booked there for our honeymoon until cariba called and told us the resort was closed that week!)we did visit the grounds and get to see several of the rooms while we were in the area. the site is breathtakign and Dh and i decided on the spot that we were returning there for our next vacation.
hth!
while we havent stayed at ladera (long story, but we were booked there for our honeymoon until cariba called and told us the resort was closed that week!)we did visit the grounds and get to see several of the rooms while we were in the area. the site is breathtakign and Dh and i decided on the spot that we were returning there for our next vacation.
hth!
