Guest User
June 5, 2024
My wife and I spent four nights at Ladera in celebration of our 20th Wedding Anniversary and overall, we had a wonderful time. We booked a Heritage Suite and were upgraded at check-in to a Paradise Ridge suite. The suite was beautiful, and as everyone says, the view of the Pitons definitely steals the show. We've stayed at 5 star resorts all around the world and I can truly say Ladera's location in a UNESCO world heritage site makes it a one of a kind experience. Amenities in the room were a lot of fun, particularly the large heated pool. They pull off a very private feeling within the three wall concept and its easy to feel like you're in total seclusion in the jungle with your beloved. We read a lot ahead of time about problems with mosquitos, but our experience was different. We did use the netting and kept the lights out at night, but I don't think I saw a single mosquito the whole time we were there. The only real issues we had in the room was that the shower was ice cold every day, no matter how long we let it run. The swimming pool was in contrast very hot, almost like a hot tub. That was nice in the evening but a bit much during the hot humid days. We did ask the butlers for help but they didn't seem to be able/willing to do anything about it. The restaurant, Dasheen, is good if not great. They rotate the menus, with fairly straightforward dishes. Nothing stood out as particularly well made, but then again nothing was bad either. The Friday evening fish fry at poolside was a highlight. We had dinner across the street at Hotel Chocolate one evening and the food was much better there. Drinks at the resort were really the only thing I would say was truly bad. Cocktails at Dasheen were universally made sickeningly sweet. The lady running the bar in The Hideaway was very friendly and fun, but had no idea what she was doing. Cocktails were also much, much better and more inventive at Hotel Chocolate. If we had it to do over again we'd definitely spend more time over there (it's walkable from Ladera). Outside the suite, the resort feels kind of run down. Particularly the tree house, game room, etc. It doesn't seem like anything gets used much or maintained. In general, events around the resort (yoga, beach shuttle, etc.) seem like they only happen if someone specifically requests them. Maybe that was a function of staying at the beginning of low season, I can't say what its like in the winter. The employees were all very friendly and accommodating of anything we asked for. It's definitely not an over-the-top service type of place; they mostly left us alone. In summary, if you're looking for a place to forget anyone other than your partner exists for a few days in an unimaginably beautiful surrounding, Ladera is the right place. Most of the other people we saw were 20-something (presumably very wealthy) honeymooners. It would be a great place for a low key style honeymoon. Just don't expect a 5-star hotel exp