No beach at Ladera -- do the positives outweigh that negative?
Feb 27th, 1999, 03:15 PM
#1
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No beach at Ladera -- do the positives outweigh that negative?
My honey and I are thinking about going to St. Lucia for a week with another couple. We like the way Ladera looks, but are concerned about the fact that it's not on the beach. I'd appreciate any input on this topic. My other two questions are: (1)which rooms provide the best "bang for the buck", and (2) is there anything to do at night? I have no e-mail, but I'll check back. Thanks so much for your help
Mar 1st, 1999, 12:38 PM
#2
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Jackie: My boyfriend and I stayed a week at Ladera last November and had an incredible time. The fact that it was not on the beach did not bother us one bit because: (1) they provide 3 free shuttles a day to and from the beach at the Jalousie Hilton (around 9, 12, and 3), and 2 free shuttles a day to and from the beach at Anse Chastanet (around 9 and 3) -- both of which are fantastic -- and they provide free beach chairs, beach towels, and snorkeling equipment; (2) if you want to go to or from the beach at a time when the shuttle is not running, I think a taxi is only about $6 U.S. (sometimes we would take the shuttle to the beach and then stay late into the evening and take a taxi back to Ladera at night); (3) the pool at Ladera is gorgeous; (4) what you are gaining from staying at a place that is NOT on the beach is the most incredible view in the world, which you cannot get from a hotel on the beach -- all the rooms at Ladera have an amazing view of the Caribbean and the Pitons; (5) Ladera is smaller, more intimate and more special than the larger resorts on the beach -- we loved snorkeling at Anse Chastanet and Jalousie Hilton, but we were happy to go back to our fabulous room at Ladera every night; (6) some days you may not want to go to the beach anyway -- we spent one day on a guided hike in the rainforest down to a gorgeous waterfall, and another day we hired a taxi driver to take us to some local sights -- the volcano, the botanical gardens, local waterfalls, into town, and to some scenic overlooks. The beaches are great and we spent a lot of time on them, but they are not all St. Lucia has to offer. In terms of which rooms are best, we stayed in a suite with unheated plunge pool. If I had to do it over again, I would either save the money by getting a plain room without a plunge pool, or splurge and get a room with a heated plunge pool. The water in our plunge pool was too cold to enjoy it -- we stuck our toes in once but that was all we could manage because it was freezing. We loved the room otherwise though (and the plunge pool did look good!). All the rooms have incredible views so I don't think you can go wrong. We loved having birds fly into our room! We were a little worried about the open-air concept before we went and whether it would be too warm without AC, but because it is NOT on the beach, you are elevated and get wonderful breezes and it was the perfect temperature all the time. In terms of what to do at night, we ate at various places just to try them out. We loved the food at Ladera and they had a "manager's barbeque" once a week which was a lot of fun, with a free cocktail hour and a band and wonderful grilled fish, steak, chicken, etc. We had a good time at another local place called "Bang" (between the Pitons) where they had dinner and a show of limbo dancers, fire eaters, etc.
We also went to a beach buffet at the Hilton one night which was very good and had a reggae band and dancing. Another night we ate at a good local restaurant in Soufriere called The Hummingbird which was delicious. I don't think you can go wrong. Our favorite beach was at the Jalousie Hilton but the best snorkeling was at Anse Chastanet. Both of them had good food, drinks, and service. Good luck and have a great time.
We also went to a beach buffet at the Hilton one night which was very good and had a reggae band and dancing. Another night we ate at a good local restaurant in Soufriere called The Hummingbird which was delicious. I don't think you can go wrong. Our favorite beach was at the Jalousie Hilton but the best snorkeling was at Anse Chastanet. Both of them had good food, drinks, and service. Good luck and have a great time.
Mar 3rd, 1999, 02:44 AM
#3
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This is just my opinion,but to travel all the way to the Caribbean and not be able to walk barefoot out of your room/villa to the warm sand and blue water seems funny to me! You can do a resort anywhere, but to have to take a shuttle to the water? Not me!
