Arriving at Ladera, we were embraced by the warm hospitality of the staff, which was the perfect introduction to our adventure. In our suite, we were met with views that defied belief - the majestic PITONS, the sea and the St. Lucian rainforest. The Heritage Suite was a blend of luxury and nature, showcasing the craftsmanship of Laders artists. The open-wall design invited the outdoors in. and the heated plunge pool and chair swings truly captured our hearts. The next morning, we walked the resorts terrain, all while Eustace regaled us with the history of Ladera Resort. Eustaces pride in the resorts legacy was evident, as he shared anecdotes from his years of service. During our stay, we experienced the Sunset Fish Fry, The Hideaway Rum Bar, stunning rainbows, the delightful staff (which may be the best part of Ladera) and, of course, the views of the PITONS. It is with a sense of deep gratitude that we reflect on our experiences here, feeling embraced as part of the Ladera family. The memories we have created will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Thank you Ladera! We will be back!! Joan O'Neill and Reed McAllister

We have found Nirvana! This was our 9th stay at Ladera in the last 20 years, and not our last. This time, we went to celebrate our 49th anniversary. We never get tired of the view of the Pitons. We lay in the sun, soak in the private pool, sit in the shade of our room, and the Pitons are never out of our view. We are drawn in to then, and it never gets old. We have spent over 60 weeks over the years vacationing all over the Caribbean, yet we are always drawn back to Ladera. The staff is excellent, and will do whatever they can to make your stay the best it can be. They greet everyone when passing with a smile and greeting. We were remembered from our last visit 2.5 years ago during Covid, and greeted by name. We were sitting in the bar near sunset, waiting for our dinner reservation time. Executive Chef Nigel, did a literal double-take as he passed though, recognizing us from previous visits. He came over to say hello and chat. That is just one example of the friendliness of the staff. There are lots of attractions on St Lucia. We have visited to island many times as we sailed by on tall ships, and done most of the excursions. Ladera is not a beach resort, but they provide a free shuttle the beach, about a 20 minute ride. Also, some people take the hiking tour to Gros Piton, and climb the peak. There is the Drive-In volcano a short distance away, and well as the mud pits to soak in. There are waterfalls, and hot pools, heated by the volcano. One of our favorite stops is the Rum Factory, and the tasting room. Imagine 30 types of rum free to taste, and the discount store next to it. The restaurant Dasheene is excellent. There are also other nearby restaurants that Ladera can arrange for you. We like to sit on the deck and bar, watch the sun go down, a great cocktail in hand. Please note that there are lots of steps and stairs on the grounds and going up to some rooms and the Dasheene. My wife sometimes uses a cane for extra support, but had little problem with the steps. We have done all of these things and more over the years, and now we prefer to cocoon in our room, enjoying the solitude and coming out for meals. We also enjoy walking through the garden grounds. Ladera is prefect for this. Will we be back? Of course we will. We are already considering a Fall trip. We have been fortunate. Even if you will only go there once, Ladera will always be on you mind and memory.

Our stay at Ladera Resort was like entering paradise itself. We stayed in a luxurious open-air suite featuring private plunge pool. Impeccable service and management. It was truly a haven for relaxation, rejuvenation, and awe-inspiring natural beauty.

So much to say, so little time! So, foremost, we loved Ladera. There is truly NO OTHER HOTEL in St. Lucia with a view anywhere near as incredible as Ladera. If you’re coming all the way to St. Lucia, you should have a showstopping view of the Pitons and this hotel delivers on that. There are beautiful hikes on property, you feel very much immersed in nature. We loved this hotel - its small and high-end while still being true to its roots and down-to-earth. It feels laidback but in a well-curated way. We loved our room - it was one of the smaller rooms on property and still felt large and special. To my surprise, sleeping “outside” didn’t bother me (I’m a high maintenance sleeper) but earplugs are always a must for me, so the noise didn’t penetrate the earplugs. The temperature always cooled down enough so we were completely comfortable (we traveled in late March). I definitely have a few bug bites, but (aside from one or two nights) the bugs never truly bothered us. Do I need to sleep outside on every trip?! No. But here, it was absolutely worth it to wake up to the beautiful view (TIP: next time I would stay for 3-4 nights vs. 7; a shorter length of stay is plenty here). The rooms are clean and unique - lots of detail and hand-carved wood. The bathrooms are HUGE, which we loved. The staff is wonderful, and the service is top-notch. Everyone knows your name. It feels very special. The Dasheene restaurant is just OK, our dinner there took way too long and the food was fine. We liked the food on the bar menu better (but not that much better). Dasheen is probably two steps above a typical hotel restaurant (Treetops was our favorite restaurant on the island). Same with breakfast, it didn’t wow us (and it took forever) even though so many reviews on here said it was amazing. They did have live music from 7-10 every night in the bar which we really enjoyed. We attended the fish fry on Thursday night and the food was delicious! That is 100% worth doing (we wish they would offer a similar menu at the restaurant!). Get the grilled shrimp, chicken, conch curry, and potato salad! Highly recommend!! Now, the beach situation. Stay with me… The beach was a priority for us (but we weren’t willing to forgo the view, hence why we stayed here instead of a beachfront resort). Here are a few thoughts: 1. Sugar Beach is the best option BUT they are often running at full capacity and want to prioritize their guests, which makes sense. The Ladera shuttle doesn’t get to Sugar Beach until 10:30 which is basically mid-morning so we didn’t wait for it. Instead we took a taxi to sugar beach at 9am and were able to secure a sunbed for the day in the back row - it was great for us but might not be worth the money for others ($200 for a sun bed - which seats 2 people). We took our cab back around 3:30pm - typically the shuttle picks you up at 1:30pm which simply isn’t enough time. It was a lovely beach - GREAT food/drinks. Lots of rafts and floaty things in the water to hang out on. Great service. Lots of kids but it didn’t bother us. Honestly, Ladera should formally partner with Sugar Beach to have their back row of sunbeds (8 in total) saved for Ladera guests every day. It would alleviate a lot of stress on the guests. We were willing to pay, of course, but I didn’t love the stress of taking the shuttle all the way down without a guarantee of a chair. When we first got there, the man said they were NOT renting any chairs to non-hotel guests until we told him we were from Ladera. So be sure to say that. We also went to Sugar Beach’s spa which was hands down the most beautiful spa I’ve ever been to. Typically you can’t eat lunch at the Sugar Beach restaurants on property because they only allow guests, so we had the spa manager call the restaurant and ask if we could eat lunch, they said yes. It was a lovely restaurant (Brontë). …just know you have to do lots of workarounds (and lots of money) to make things happen. 2. We did not go to Melgourate beach (where many Ladera guests go). I saw the reviews and saw the beach as we did a drop-off and it just didn’t look worth it to me. It’s quiet, but not picturesque. 3. We spent a day at Anse Chastenet beach. We had the hotel call and reserve us two chairs the morning of. It was all-inclusive (!!!) from 10am-5pm for $144 per person. It was OK, but we wouldn’t do it again. The view is just ok, it’s in a cove. Plenty of palm trees but no view of the Pitons. And we didn’t get great seats because we weren’t guests, BUT if you eat and drink a lot and want a nice(ish), quiet beach - this could be a good option, it just wasn’t our favorite. If we could do it again, we would go to Anse Mamin (the beach right next door) instead. Ladera is also building a new spa which looks BEAUTIFUL! If you go off property at all, taxi costs are $40+ round trip. The hotel handles booking and the cost is charged directly to your room, which is nice - but this island is EXPENSIVE and EVERYTHING is overpriced!!!!! Every dinner we had was over $200. So much so that next time we would consider an all-inclusive even though we know the quality is lesser. Sorry for the long review, this is just a complicated island/hotel and wanted to give the full picture!

I struggled with giving the resort a 4 or a 5 and ultimately decided that it was a 5 with some small things that can be improved. We stayed in paradise ridge which I highly recommend. Views are stunning and space is huge. We were very comfortable. The open air concept is great and bugs are not an issue at all. You will spend time with birds and lizards visiting but they are pretty cute in my opinion and only added to the experience. Staff are pretty amazing. Always friendly, positive and helpful. The nature trails are beautiful. The gardens are a labor of love. We got to meet the gardener who has been tending them for 20 plus years. It definitely shows. Yoga which is free daily is top notch. Loved my morning yoga at the pool. Butler service is a plus - you have rides everywhere, activities arranged and they give you a cellphone to use during your stay. It works on property and off so the butler can always be reached for pickup or to arrange activities. What could be better? Little things like housekeeping is just ok. Many things were forgotten like refilling washcloths or creamer for coffee or even toilet paper. Easily fixable but the attention was not great. The restaurant -Dasheen is not amazing. The staff is lovely but the food is just average. They try to elevate it but overall many things just not well prepared. We had to send a few things back but to their credit it was dealt with very gracefully and the chef came out to personally apologize. There is no spa yet but a beautiful one with an additional pool is being built. This will really add a lot as the current hotel pool is a bit small. There are many great excursions to choose from. I highly recommend Anse chastenet beach package which is great. All day pass with chairs with umbrella, towels and lunch included. Stunning black sand beach. We did private sailing which was lovely and views at sunset breathtaking. Arranging activities much easier once you arrive. When trying to do so by email it was not as helpful or descriptive. I recommend waiting until you arrive as they are generally easy to set up as are dinner reservations. Thank you Ladera for a lovely stay!