I am trying to find a nice hotel for our stay in St. Lucia Feb/March 2001. My wife and I, with three other couples are looking forward to this trip.We went to Aruba in Feb/March 2000 and had a great time. We have heard about a few resorts (Anse Chastenet, Jalousie Plantation, Rendezvous,Sandals Halcyon and recently about Ladera Resort) Any comments, anyone who has stayed at all or multiple of these? Which did you prefer? Ladera sounds very nice - any security problems with the "open room" - the other BBS that I just visited had a trip report regarding a very bad experience there(they were beaten and robbed at 3am in their room) I now you can't always believe what you read and people have all kind of likes and dislikes - just looking for some good, candid responses and direction. My vacations, in the <BR>past, were few and far between - so I like to make the best choice whenever possible. thanks in advance for your help. <BR>

Hi Ron. Obviously I'm taking a bit of heat on another thread for being so enthusiastic about Ladera, but I'm just being honest about our experience, which happened to be wonderful. Actually, here's how we ended up choosing it: When we were considering going to St. Lucia most of our research suggested that we would like the southern area around Soufriere more than the northern area around Castries, because of the Pitons and the lush mountainous terrain in the south and also because we heard the area around Castries gets lots of the cruise ship daytrippers and we knew we weren't interested in being around that. So once we had narrowed down the area where we wanted to stay, there were three major options: Anse Chastanet, Jalousie Plantation, and Ladera. Then, once we looked at pictures of the resorts on their websites and learned about the open-air rooms at Anse Chastanet and Ladera, we narrowed it down to those two (also we were not interested in a lot of the amenities Jalousie offers such as tennis courts, television, telephone, air conditioning, etc. -- we wanted more of a "get-away-from-it-all-and-relax" experience). We ultimately chose Ladera over Anse Chastanet because we got an air & hotel package there in the least-expensive room category that made the trip much more affordable than Anse Chastanet would have been, and because we had heard the views were wonderful and had read some trip reports praising the food, and because the rooms at Ladera had plunge pools in them, and because Ladera had a swimming pool while Anse Chastanet did not, and we knew we could take free shuttles to Anse Chastanet and Jalousie to go to the beaches and snorkeling there. To us, this seemed like the best of all possible worlds, and we were thrilled with our choice. Obviously, it is not for everyone, but it was perfect for us and we would not have done anything differently. But we were not interested in all-inclusive resorts because we like to sample local restaurants when we travel and explore more of the island rather than confining ourselves to one place. I think the main thing you need to think about is what kind of an experience are you looking for? If you must have all the modern conveniences and lots of amenities then you should stay at one of the all-inclusives or at Jalousie (and I would recommend Jalousie just based on its lovely beach and gorgeous physical location, although we didn't see any of the rooms). If you are interested in a smaller, more intimate resort, and an experience where you feel like you're not cooped up in a hotel room but are actually part of the natural environment, then the open-air rooms at Ladera or Anse Chastanet may be for you. But people who are uncomfortable with having "critter visitors" in their rooms (everything from birds to butterflies to moths to geckos and small lizards) may not want to stay at Ladera or Anse Chastanet. And if you have to be right on the beach then Ladera is not an option. If you search old threads on this forum relating to St. Lucia, you will find many trip reports, some from people who have split their trip between one resort in the north and one in the south. Also, the Caribbean Travel Roundup Newsletter has lots of trip reports about various resorts all over St. Lucia at http://caribtravelnews.com/slu.htm <BR>Also, if you haven't already done so, make sure you check out the websites www.ladera-resort.com, www.ansechastanet.com, and www.jalousie-hilton.com <BR>Good luck with your decision!

Lisa - My fiancee and I have narrowed our choices down to Ladera or AC, but we would like to do and air/hotel package...What company did you book your package through? <BR>Thanks!

We booked it through a regular travel agency in northern Virginia called Jaguar Travel. The woman was either Karen or Luann. The number is (or was) <BR>703-684-9826. Haven't booked anything through them since though and that was two summers ago so who knows but it's worth a shot (tell them they booked a Ladera St. Lucia package for Mark & Lisa two years ago -- one of them should remember, because we were the first clients they ever sent to Ladera and we called one of them when we got back to tell them how wonderful it was!). I would call several different travel agents though and get several quotes and use whoever can get you the best deal. The air part was on American I remember but I know other airlines fly into St. Lucia too, including Air Jamaica now. I have seen ads in the paper for air & hotel packages through American Airlines vacations, Air Jamaica and GoGo Travel and some others so definitely check around. Good luck.

Ron, <BR>We stayed at Halcyon for a week in May. We loved this resort. It is just the right size with 2 pools, beautiful grounds and the most spectactular staff. After the first day Estelle at the beach grill knew us by name, the host or hostess knew we wanted no smoking for breakfast and that I wanted tea! It was truly amazing, the bar staff is great also they always had our cocktails waiting! The other resort SSL is sooo big, with so many people you don't get all the special treatment you get at Halcyon. I would go back here in a minute.

My wife and I stayed at the Rendezvous near Castries. It's true that the North, and particularly Catries has many cruise ships and day trippers. There is little to see in the North. We travelled to the South for tours and snorkelling. The South is much more lush and beautiful. <BR> <BR>Rendezvous was not the best place to stay, because it's at the end of the airport runway - literally. The staff was friendly, and the resort was nice, but the location is not very scenic. We admired the Sandals Halycon resort nearby, and Le Sport looked nice. <BR> <BR>Take it from those who have been to St. Lucia before. I've found the information on these postings to be pretty accurate, and has saved me some grief recently. <BR> <BR>St. Lucia is absolutely beautiful, and I think you will love it. Have fun.

All of those hotels are great. I would rank Jalousie the best and Ladera 2nd (because they are not ON the beach). Anse Chastanet is nice if you dont mind living without electricity. Travelhop.com has virtual tours of all the properties (except Sandals Halcyon) www.travelhop.com

With 3 other couples, you might want to consider Sandals St. Lucia Golf & Spa. There is so much to do to keep everyone happy, or you can do nothing at all. There are also many restaurant choices and a tour desk to sign up for if you want to see the island. Also lots of choices for nightlife. See my trip report posted today under Trip Report - Sandals & Ladera.

Thanks Karen - I read your trip report before I viewed your comment here. Did you visit Sandals Halcylon when you were at the Golf and Spa - how did they compare - what did you think of the beach at the Sandals?

Hi Ron! <BR> <BR>To be honest, I just skimmed the replies to your initial email, but I wanted to add a few brief thoughts. We just returned from our honeymoon in St Lucia & had a fabulous time. It's a beautiful island with lots of potential site-seeing excursions & tremendous diving & snorkeling opportunities (if you haven't dove, check it out! Non-certified divers can get resort-certified through different shops & go for a 35-40 foot dive with an experienced professional.) Anyway, we stayed at the Wyndham Morgan Bay & had a wonderful time. It was considerably cheaper than the Sandals, Ladera & AC options, but still very nice. Sandals looked enormous (& is), so if you'd like a lot of options, that might be good. Personally, it looked overwhelming to us. The Wyndham's resort was an easy five minute walk to pretty much anything. It's a great deal for your money. Lots of watersports, excellent staff, good food, low-key atmosphere, etc. The beach doesn't have crystal clear waters (although it beat the Atlantic Ocean I was used to!). It allows families, but attracts mostly British ones (from what we could tell). Overall, the children weren't overwhelming & seemed quite happy in their Kids' Klub activities. They actually added a cute counterpoint to our vacation. The Windjammer also looked quite nice (although most people we spoke with said that they had to take golf carts to their rooms because the resort was so hilly). Rendezvous, however, looked like a pit when we drove into it. Admittedly, we did not see the entire resort, but it is next to the airport & the resort looked poorly maintained from what we saw. I hope that was helpful...

This is a question for [email protected]. or anyone who has stayed at Ladera. If you stay at Ladera, how do you get to Castries? Did you rent a car? Also, when do the shuttles run? Finally, I assume you had to take a taxi to dinner off site and have heard that they are expensive. True? We are trying to decide between AC and Ladera but don't want to be isolated. Thanks.

I RAVE to everyone I can about Ladera. It is truly, truly beautiful, if you are looking for an "out of the way" paradise, this is IT! It's a world unto itself. My husband and I spent our honeymoon traveling to 5 different Caribbean islands, and St. Lucia was by far our favorite - mainly because of Ladera. I would suggest definately renting a car -I just had to acclimate to driving on the left side of the road, on the right side of the car, around those hairpin curves! The rentals are much cheaper, and afford you more freedom. If you do stay at Ladera, check out the Sulfur hot springs nearby. Thick, warm, gray water that smells like hard boiled eggs, and your skin feels AMAZING afterward! We can't wait to go back... the view is breathtaking, the people are wonderful, and the experience is unforgettable, period.

Ron: We did not go to Halcyon, but another couple we were with did and said the beach was pretty small, and it didn't seem to be in a good area. We also heard some complaints about the food from some couples who went there to eat. Halcyon also does not have golf or a spa, if your group is interested in those things. At Golf, the beach was nice, warm water, no seaweed and no jellies. However, the beach is just the length of the Sandals property. St. Lucia is not a real "beachy" island, compared to Aruba, Turks, or Caymans. It didn't matter to us because we spent most of our time at the pool in close proximity to the swim up bar! Hope this helps.