Sandals or Ladera
 

My husband and I are trying to decide which place is the best to stay at. I know Ladera is not on the beach and Sandals is. Ladera seems to have wonderful views and the open air concept. I like that. However Sandals is right on the beach and is all- inclusive. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is all- inclusive worth the extra expense? Does anyone know if either of these places have nudes or topless? We are trying to avoid places like that. Thanks!

Brandi - <BR> <BR>I really don't think there is any comparison between Sandals and Ladera - they're like apples and oranges. I would much prefer Ladera, but I have never stayed at a Sandals resort as they're not really my style. I'll just tell you a little of what I know about Ladera - I was in St. Lucia in February for ten days, and stayed at the Hilton, which is on the water just below Ladera. We had dinner twice at Ladera, and the place is unbelievable. Sooooo beautiful and peaceful. The views are just breathtaking, and the food at the restaurant is amazing. We didn't get to see a room, but from what you can see in their brochures, and from how people have raved on this forum, I think they must be exceptional. <BR> <BR>The fact that you mention Sandals, though, makes me think that you might be more interested in the kinds of activities and nightlife that resort offers. Ladera is secluded and even isolated. Leaving the resort at night requires a taxi, and the place is tiny - I think something like twenty-fve rooms. There's a shuttle bus to the beach during the day, which, in my opinion, might have been a pain during our stay, which is why we chose the Hilton. <BR> <BR>You might also keep in mind the differences between the North and South sides of the island - Sandals is in the North, and Ladera in the South. The North is much more built-up and like the Caribbean is nowadays, while the South is very old-skool Caribbean - not too many tourists, really no hotels - certainly no high rise hotels. <BR> <BR>I hope this helps. If you do a search for Sandals St. Lucia in the search box, I'm sure you'll find more information - the same goes for Ladera. <BR> <BR>L <BR> <BR>ps - I think Sandals would be more likey to have topless sunbathers although I don't know for sure. None of that at the Hilton's beach, which is where guests at Ladera are shuttled.

ok, now for the other view! We just returned from Sandals and it was wonderful. The resort itself is very large but not over powering plenty of space to walk and find a nice romantic spot to enjoy each others company. <BR>The view is beautiful you see cruise ships every morning and evening, the gardens are beautiful flowers everwhere. The Bluff suites have a magnificant sunset. The beach is also very nice. The staff helpful, the food great and plenty of places to eat. We rented a Taxi with 2 other couples and spent the day exploring the island it was very fun got lots of great pictures. It was $30per couple well worth that, we left at 10:00am and returned at 6:00pm. stopped at several villages and shopped and just took in the breathtaking views. No topless or nudes at Sandals. The pools are very large lots of room to float and not be bothered. We have been to several Sandals and this one is one of the best. We will return there soon. Any ?'s just email me.

Brandi--I just got back from St. Lucia last night and let me first just say how jealous I am that you have your vacation still ahead of you. I will definitely go back to St. Lucia. Amazing! <BR> <BR>I agree with the other message about Sandals and Ladera being apples and oranges. Ladera was the most beautiful thing I saw on St. Lucia. And everyone on the island who had ever been there absolutely RAVED about it. It is a truly heavenly and romantic getaway. Ladera is just a really classy place. <BR> <BR>Ladera is defintely more remote than Sandals, but nothing about Sandals is appealing to me. If you are looking for highly organized activities with lots of alcohol (and probably lots of nnude sunning), loud music and a cruise ship atmosphere, Sandals is the place for you. <BR> <BR>I am 25 and was on vacation with my mother. We decided that if we come back with our boyfriend/husband, we'll most likely pick Ladera. We, however, stayed at the Hyatt St. Lucia which is the newest resort in St. Lucia and is in the North. We loved every minute of our stay there and 7 days was not enough. Every detail of the resort was immaculate, every staff person was overflowing with kindness and eagerness to help. The beach was gorgeous with beautiful water and great facilities. No one was ever in your face and it was very laid back and classy. For us it was the best of both worlds. Not exactly the remote romantic getaway but also not the loud, highly coordinated, "booze cruise" mentality of most of the all-inclusive places. <BR> <BR>One last note about the all inclusive--I don't think it is worth the money. A lot of the food is buffet style (which is hadly ever all that good) and it sits out for hours at a time. The non-buffet style food is OK but gets redundant after a while. <BR> <BR>So it really all depends on what you're after. Big parties and loud music you'll find at Sandals. Romance, relaxation and beauty you'll get at Ladera. Have a great vacation!

Topless and nude sunbathing are prohibited on St. Lucia. We did see one woman go topless one day on the beach at Anse Chastanet (they get many European tourists so it does happen occasionally) and noone bothered her, but that was it. <BR>We stayed at Ladera and highly recommend it! It is true that it's not right on the beach, but they have free shuttles to the beaches at Jalousie Hilton and Anse Chastanet, and the great views & open air rooms more than make up for the short trip to the beach in my opinion (you don't get views like that from the beach!). I think it depends on what you want. If you want intimate & romantic, I vote for Ladera (the scenery around Ladera is much prettier than up in the north around Sandals too).

want to agree with the other posters that Sandals and Ladera are completely different. both are luxury class but htat is where the similarities end. I disagree with the posters who bashed Sandals as a wild party atmosphere, having been to 3 Sandals resorts, this is not the case. Also there is no topless or nude sunbathing allowed. My advice to you is don't base where you stay on whether there is a beach or not. Ladera is extraordinary even if its not on the beach! You need to look at what KIND of vacation you want. If you want romantic seclusion with nothing going on but beautiful peaceful scenery go Ladera, if you want activities and watersports (snorkeling, scuba, waterskiing, kayaking, golf, tennis volleyball, entertainment and nightlife) at your doorstep then choose sandals. Personally, I love relaxing and taking it easy but can only do that for about 3 days before I get bored and want to get out and do something. For me, the perfect vacation would be 3 nights at Ladera to get some R&R then 4 nights Sandals to enjoy some sports and activities in st. Lucia.

We stayed at Sandals Halcyon last May and loved. You have the option of going to both Sandals resorts, lots of choices as far as restaurants, water sports, spa treatments etc. We took a taxi around the island, for 6 hours. I told the driver we wanted to go to a romantic place for lunch, his choice was Dashnees at Ladera. I must tell you the view was breathtaking of the Pitons. The meal was delicious and I would recommend this place to all. We walked around Ladera, small pool , talked to people staying there, most liked it but I personally like places on the beach. To have the best of both worlds why not split up your vacation and stay at both places. The staff at both places were excellant.

Ladera has NO AIR CONDITIONING - need I say more!!!

You'll find that air conditioning isn't really necessary high up on the hill where Ladera is.

Have to respond to marys comment about Sandals! there are no nudes at Sandals to set things right yes, there are organized activites, but you do not have to join and for the alcohol every resort has it, that does not mean we are drunks. We very rarely drink at all and still have a very good time. As for the loud music I never heard any at any of the Sandals resort I have ever been to, and that been many. Ladera is a very beautiful resort but so is Sandals. If you have never been there then you really dont know! Im not sure where your opinion came from about all inclusives but you know what they say about opinions! The resturants are all very good at the Sandals St. Lucia their are 7 of them to choose from. You are very young and maybe with time you will mature. Sandals alway has been a very romantic place for us and will continue to be there guests yr after yr. I also have to tell you the staff is also wonderful and very helpful. If you have to travel with your mother then Sandals is the place for you it's a couples only resort! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Kim I must respond to your response to Mary ... we have traveled quite extensively, not only to the Caribbean but also to Europe, Asia, and all over North America. We have visited four Sandals resorts, in addition to a number of other all-inclusive resorts. I can't speak for the Sandals in St. Lucia since I haven't been there, but at two Sandals resorts (Dunn's River and MoBay) there was loud music. But what I really wanted to respond to was your rather patronizing comment that "you are young and maybe with time you will mature" ... I thought that was interesting since I am fairly young but over time have come to view the Sandals resorts as generally more suited to younger vacationers or those who have not traveled very much elsewhere. As our tastes have matured, we have come to realize that there are numerous resorts that are much more appealing to us. We personally do prefer all-inclusives (the upscale ones), but although Sandals resorts appealed to us in our first few years of traveling, they generally do so no longer.

Kim wrote: <BR>"If you have to travel with your mother then Sandals is the place for you it's a couples only resort!" <BR>HUH???? <BR>Kim, in addition to being insulting, you don't make any sense...so much for your opinion. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I think Kim's response was right on target, we have been all over theworld and seem to always come back to Sandals.