Help on Ladera?
Sep 14th, 2003, 04:14 PM
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Help on Ladera?
I am hoping to get some answers about Ladera from somebody who has been there. In reading about it, it looks beautiful and wonderful. I am really considering going there, but I have a couple of questions. Considering the tropical climate, mosquito netting, and queensize bed for two, is it really hot for sleeping? Do the ocean breezes kick in?
Also, what did you do during the daytime? We are about to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary, so we are not honeymooners by any means. I'm all for peace and quiet, but after 7 days or so, I'm not sure. I understand there are shuttles to the beach and maybe to Castries or Soufriere, but do you have the same horrible roads to deal with as I understand you have getting there from the airport? Is it possible to walk to the beach? I would certainly appreciate any help anyone could give me.
Also, what did you do during the daytime? We are about to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary, so we are not honeymooners by any means. I'm all for peace and quiet, but after 7 days or so, I'm not sure. I understand there are shuttles to the beach and maybe to Castries or Soufriere, but do you have the same horrible roads to deal with as I understand you have getting there from the airport? Is it possible to walk to the beach? I would certainly appreciate any help anyone could give me.
Sep 15th, 2003, 04:17 AM
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I have not stayed at Ladera, but went there for dinner. I can say its cool as its almost mountain top. It almost reminds me of a huge tree house. A couple we met on our plane thought it was lovely, but hated the open rooms, as they had a furry animal run into their room.
We stayed at Jalousie, dierctly below
Ladera. We were there for 7 days. No you cannot walk to the beach from Ladera, and it is a hike from some rooms
at Jalousie. The ride from the airport is about an hour as you are winding up the mountain. The road to the hotel is paved, and narrow. It is looongggg.
On the way back I took anti-car sick meds, and should have taken the copter!
We never went to Castries, the best way to go is by water taxi as I have heard the trip is long and bumpy.
It is a very beautiful area by the Pitons, banana groves, lush tropical plants, and beautiful sunsets! I enjoyed Jalousie, but I felt very confined as this is the only island we went that we did not rent a car.
We stayed at Jalousie, dierctly below
Ladera. We were there for 7 days. No you cannot walk to the beach from Ladera, and it is a hike from some rooms
at Jalousie. The ride from the airport is about an hour as you are winding up the mountain. The road to the hotel is paved, and narrow. It is looongggg.
On the way back I took anti-car sick meds, and should have taken the copter!
We never went to Castries, the best way to go is by water taxi as I have heard the trip is long and bumpy.
It is a very beautiful area by the Pitons, banana groves, lush tropical plants, and beautiful sunsets! I enjoyed Jalousie, but I felt very confined as this is the only island we went that we did not rent a car.
Sep 15th, 2003, 04:33 AM
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Thanks so much for your response. It is definitely food for thought. I wouldn't want to go and get bored to death after a day or so. We don't need excitement, but we usually stay pretty active on our vacations--not much for lying or sitting around.
Sep 15th, 2003, 09:43 AM
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bobbysue,
Congratulations on your 36th anniversary!!! WOW!
We stayed at Ladera and the Jalousie Hilton for our 25th anniversary, June 2001. We cannot wait to get back again!!! I am planning to hike to the top of the Petit Piton for my 50th B-day if not before.
As Ladera is not for everyone, I think if you think you might like it you will love it!
I very highly recommend that if you do go to Ladera you book in the One bedroom Deluxe with heated plunge pool. The smaller cold plunge pools in some of the rooms are a bit cool to use.
In our experience and I feel it can, and does hold true most of the time. The elevation of Ladera and the trade winds keep the temperature next to perfect, and the bugs to a very minimum. There were definitely no mosquitoes!!! Over the last two years I have really not read any complaints about bug or heat problems from any reports of people that have stayed there. I will say though that we did see a bat flying outside the room at night probably taking care of the few bugs there are.
The shuttles are no problem at all other then there is a time schedule. But the little inconvenience is so worth the experience there. The ride down to the Jalousie Hilton beach is short and just a beautiful ride. It really doesn't take more then 5 mins. It would be quite a very long hike if you wanted to walk/hike down.
When we were there the shuttle to Soufriere was done by water taxi from the Jalousie Beach. But even if it is by land shuttle it is not a terrible ride. I don't know of a shuttle to Castries that would be included. We took a water taxi when we went to Castries. It is a nice way to see the coast from the water. We also went by land taxi to Castries and I also enjoyed seeing the land and fishing villages we drove through on the way up to the North.
Things to do during the day, would be the spending time at the gorgeous Jalousie Hilton beach. We never tired of spending time here. Snorkeling or Scuba diving from shore. The Jalousie does have water sports center that you can rent sailboards, catamarans, etc. You can take walk/hikes with guides from Ladera off property. There is a local thermal water fall mineral bath located outside the entrance to the Hilton that we enjoyed hiking to. All though we hiked there when staying at the Jalousie. There are also different tours offered through Ladera to other areas of interest.
They did also offer shuttle to Anse Chastenet Beach, which is a great place to spend the afternoon, for lunch and snorkeling. Very different exotic beach.
I did like the split between the two resorts, as staying at the Jalousie also gave us just a few added Restaurants to try, and the added evening entertainment options on different nights, without haveing to get down there with a taxi (expense) at night. And the water sports equipment was included when staying at the Jalousie.
We loved, loved, the Jalousie, but Ladera is just so incredibly different and unique, it is a must!
Donna
Congratulations on your 36th anniversary!!! WOW!
We stayed at Ladera and the Jalousie Hilton for our 25th anniversary, June 2001. We cannot wait to get back again!!! I am planning to hike to the top of the Petit Piton for my 50th B-day if not before.
As Ladera is not for everyone, I think if you think you might like it you will love it!
I very highly recommend that if you do go to Ladera you book in the One bedroom Deluxe with heated plunge pool. The smaller cold plunge pools in some of the rooms are a bit cool to use.
In our experience and I feel it can, and does hold true most of the time. The elevation of Ladera and the trade winds keep the temperature next to perfect, and the bugs to a very minimum. There were definitely no mosquitoes!!! Over the last two years I have really not read any complaints about bug or heat problems from any reports of people that have stayed there. I will say though that we did see a bat flying outside the room at night probably taking care of the few bugs there are.
The shuttles are no problem at all other then there is a time schedule. But the little inconvenience is so worth the experience there. The ride down to the Jalousie Hilton beach is short and just a beautiful ride. It really doesn't take more then 5 mins. It would be quite a very long hike if you wanted to walk/hike down.
When we were there the shuttle to Soufriere was done by water taxi from the Jalousie Beach. But even if it is by land shuttle it is not a terrible ride. I don't know of a shuttle to Castries that would be included. We took a water taxi when we went to Castries. It is a nice way to see the coast from the water. We also went by land taxi to Castries and I also enjoyed seeing the land and fishing villages we drove through on the way up to the North.
Things to do during the day, would be the spending time at the gorgeous Jalousie Hilton beach. We never tired of spending time here. Snorkeling or Scuba diving from shore. The Jalousie does have water sports center that you can rent sailboards, catamarans, etc. You can take walk/hikes with guides from Ladera off property. There is a local thermal water fall mineral bath located outside the entrance to the Hilton that we enjoyed hiking to. All though we hiked there when staying at the Jalousie. There are also different tours offered through Ladera to other areas of interest.
They did also offer shuttle to Anse Chastenet Beach, which is a great place to spend the afternoon, for lunch and snorkeling. Very different exotic beach.
I did like the split between the two resorts, as staying at the Jalousie also gave us just a few added Restaurants to try, and the added evening entertainment options on different nights, without haveing to get down there with a taxi (expense) at night. And the water sports equipment was included when staying at the Jalousie.
We loved, loved, the Jalousie, but Ladera is just so incredibly different and unique, it is a must!
Donna
Sep 16th, 2003, 06:16 AM
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As someone who has stayed at Jalousie but dined at Ladera, I agree with Sailor's comments. A split between the two could be ideal--an undeniably romantic mountain hideaway for a few nights, then head down the mountain for a few more straightforward ameneties.
I'd also like to say that as a diner at Ladera, it never once felt hot or sticky. The constant breeze was lovelyand did a great job keeping any bugs at bay, and I visited in July. Clearly it could be different if you're sleeping there, but my limited experience there was very good.
You also might want to take a day trip to the lovely botanical gardens while there--we took our digital camera and got some amazing shots of hummingbirds while there--and despite my lack of botanical interest, I thought it was beautiful and had a wonderful time.
I would also advise to take any comments about the abject poverty on St. Lucia with a grain of salt. Yes, the sight of it can be overwhelming, distressing, and guilt-inducing. After all, we probably spend on one pina colada as much as a St. Lucian family budgets for an entire day's worth of food. But unlike in America, St. Lucians get healthcare, higher education, and retirement home living paid by the government. so yes, it's a difficult issue, but there's more to it than meets the eye.
I'd also like to say that as a diner at Ladera, it never once felt hot or sticky. The constant breeze was lovelyand did a great job keeping any bugs at bay, and I visited in July. Clearly it could be different if you're sleeping there, but my limited experience there was very good.
You also might want to take a day trip to the lovely botanical gardens while there--we took our digital camera and got some amazing shots of hummingbirds while there--and despite my lack of botanical interest, I thought it was beautiful and had a wonderful time.
I would also advise to take any comments about the abject poverty on St. Lucia with a grain of salt. Yes, the sight of it can be overwhelming, distressing, and guilt-inducing. After all, we probably spend on one pina colada as much as a St. Lucian family budgets for an entire day's worth of food. But unlike in America, St. Lucians get healthcare, higher education, and retirement home living paid by the government. so yes, it's a difficult issue, but there's more to it than meets the eye.
Sep 16th, 2003, 10:35 AM
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Thank you so much for your replies. Regarding the poverty in St. Lucia, I was there this spring on a cruise ship. Although I didn't get to see much of the island in the brief time we were there, it was easy to see how much poverty there is as well as how beautiful the island is. While this fact is not pleasant, I have also seen poverty in China and various other places with a much lower standard of living than we have become accustomed to. That is just a part of traveling. If I am afraid to see that, I need to stay in the U.S.
