HM - Ladera & Ti Kaye PICS

[jcrow]

I don''t have all the pics uploaded yet, so this thread will be a work in progress

Hubby and I went to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and stayed 3 nights at Ladera and 2 nights at Ti Kaye.

Ratings: Ladera - Highly Recommend!! Ti Kaye - ok, but wouldn''t go back.

Some reasons we picked St. Lucia -

-international flights directly to island
-reviews mentioned very friendly people (and they were!)
-price
-US dollars were taken everywhere we went
-flight from US was pretty short from where we live
-beautiful scenery

here''s a pic from the taxi ride to ladera.

 

[jcrow]

these are the villa/suite buildings. everywhere there is this beautiful rich wood. lots of carved wood too. although the suites & villas are close, each are super private and quiet. at night all we heard was the sounds of nature and water (from our private plunge pool).

 

[jcrow]

private plunge pool - suite V (virtual reality)

 

[jcrow]

here is the view from our room/plunge pool. each suite/villa at ladera has only 3 walls. the 4th is open to nature. it was magnificant!! to the far left is the petite piton. on the right is the gros piton.

 

[jcrow]

this is FI at the Dasheen restaurant at Ladera. on each table was a water gun. there was also one or two in each room. they were for the birds. we never used them or saw anyone else who did. birds were not an issue at ladera. but FI decided he had to take this pic, regardless!

 

[monarch64]

Gorgeous pics! Love the James Bond one with the squirt gun--your DH should audition to be the next JB with those looks!

 

[jcrow]

we took the shuttle to the jalousie beach. BEAUTIFUL!!!! so glad we went! we almost passed it up because i thought the ti kaye beach would be closer. the Ti Kaye beach does NOT look like this! this beach was unbelievable. This is the petite piton.

 

[jcrow]

monarch64 - ha! i just had to post that pic. i crack up everytime i see it!

 

[jcrow]

and this is the beach looking to the left. it's the gros piton. all the way near it was where the snorkling was. FI said this was better snorkling than at Ti Kaye. (i didn't snorkle)

 

[SoonIHope]

WOW this looks spectacular!!!!

You sure like stunning us over & over again with your amazing pictures, don''t you??

 

[jcrow]

here is the infinity pool near the restaurant at ladera. i think there is something about superman and this pool... part was filmed here or something. the view - of course breathtaking.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 11/30/2006 11:26:43 AM
Author: albicocca
WOW this looks spectacular!!!!

You sure like stunning us over & over again with your amazing pictures, don''t you??

haha! well, we did take 700 pics!

 

[jcrow]

there was a crappy mixup between us and our travel agent. we were to be booked in a villa but got a suite. not that the suite was horrible, it's the $ issue and the principle of the matter. anyway, ladera was AWESOME. and although it wasn't their fault by any means, they moved us to a villa - A2. here is a night view from the living room/plunge pool. besides me are the stairs that lead up to our bedroom and second bathroom. the thing near my face is a cruise ship. it's the only one we saw on our trip and it never docked. it passed on by in the sunset.

 

[jcrow]

and last one for now. another sunset shot from the plunge pool in our villa. the sliver in the sky is the moon. that night was the only time we saw it, but then again we didn't look for it really. again, there's the cruise ship. the clouds on the left were raining. it was a very surreal visual.

 

[njc]

WOWZA! Looks incredible! I''m itching to go somewhere warm and gorgeous and that didnt help any!

 

[jcrow]

oh and when we got to ladera we found out that in 2005 oprah rated the view of the pitons on st. lucia the number one thing you must see before you die! and i''ve heard that she''s stayed at ladera and loves it. rather random.

 

[appletini]

Wow! Post more pics. I just sent the info DH....I want to go there for a future vacation.

 

[eks6426]

jcrow--I''ve been anxious to hear how your honeymoon trip went because St. Lucia has been on my possible list for awhile. I booked marked Ti Kaye after you mentioned it on PS. So, what didn''t you like about it that youl wouldn''t go back? How did you like St. Lucia in general? How were the locals? Ladera has always looked beautiful and is perfect for a honeymoon trip but out of budget for me for a regular trip, so that''s why Ti Kaye interested me.

Your pictures are beautiful and I''m glad you had a good time on your honeymoon. Love the watergun shot!

Congratulations!

 

[jcrow]

Date: 11/30/2006 11:46:56 AM
Author: IslandDreams
jcrow--I''ve been anxious to hear how your honeymoon trip went because St. Lucia has been on my possible list for awhile. I booked marked Ti Kaye after you mentioned it on PS. So, what didn''t you like about it that youl wouldn''t go back? How did you like St. Lucia in general? How were the locals? Ladera has always looked beautiful and is perfect for a honeymoon trip but out of budget for me for a regular trip, so that''s why Ti Kaye interested me.

Your pictures are beautiful and I''m glad you had a good time on your honeymoon. Love the watergun shot!

Congratulations!

people- were friendly overall. even at the beaches, one asked FI if we were interested in a water taxi. he said no. that was it. no pestering or anything. at ladera, they were outstandingly friendly. they had a sincerity about them.

ti kaye- it just didn''t have that wow that ladera had. the food was so-so. the drive once inside the resort/village was not too pleasent. the walk from our cottage was rather difficult. lots of stairs and a huge incline to go up. there''s no room service. the curtains/bed lines could be freshened up a bit. i duuno. after ladera, it just wasn''t that great. FI and i even talked about it. would we have liked ti kaye if we never would have gone to ladera? well it would have been ok, but we wouldn''t have gone back. all the details were missed at ti kaye.

now, FI and i both agree that we could have cut our trip short & been FINE. at first we were going to go for 7 nights. we dropped down to 5 nights. but, really, we could have gone home after 3. dunno why and i know that sounds horrible and like we didn''t enjoy ourselves, but that''s not it at all. we had took it all in and were just ready to get back to normal life. so, maybe ladera would be more affordable if you stayed a shorter trip? and if you swing the suites rather than the villas, you will WOWed all the same plus be saving money.

 

[sumbride]

Gorgeous pics!

We want to go to St. Lucia! I''ve been, and I stayed at a Sandals and had a great time. That''s where FI wants to go, but when I saw Ladera, WOW! It''s priced about the same too. But I''m wondering if FI would get bored?

He''s not the type to sit in the sun and read, he doesn''t snorkel or even swim much... and while it will be our honeymoon, we''ll have lived together for 2 years by that point so it''s not like we''re going to spend the WHOLE time snuggling. So what is there to do at Ladera? Would the hyperactive be fulfilled? I know that part of St. Lucia is more remote whereas Castries is very busy. Did you have a wealth of stuff to choose from?

 

[jcrow]

oh, and the beaches are different. ti kaye''s is smaller. darker sand. LOTS of boats with LOTS of people stop on the beach ALL day long. sometimes (most times) several boats filled with people stop at the ti kaye beach at the same time. the jalouise beach was less crowded even though it was part of the jalouise plantation which is a resort in itself. never did we see party boats of people unloading. the jalouise beach is larger, whiter sand and MUCH better view. the view was AMAZING. it looked fake it was so breathtaking.

 

[dani13]

What gorgeous shots, JCrow!!! I love hubby with the watergun!

 

[AmberWaves]

Date: 11/30/2006 11:17:08 AM
Author: jcrow
this is FI at the Dasheen restaurant at Ladera. on each table was a water gun. there was also one or two in each room. they were for the birds. we never used them or saw anyone else who did. birds were not an issue at ladera. but FI decided he had to take this pic, regardless!

Great pics, but Jcrow- you can stop calling him FI now!

I want to go to St. Lucia now!!!

 

[jcrow]

Date: 11/30/2006 12:02:55 PM
Author: sumbride
Gorgeous pics!

We want to go to St. Lucia! I''ve been, and I stayed at a Sandals and had a great time. That''s where FI wants to go, but when I saw Ladera, WOW! It''s priced about the same too. But I''m wondering if FI would get bored?

He''s not the type to sit in the sun and read, he doesn''t snorkel or even swim much... and while it will be our honeymoon, we''ll have lived together for 2 years by that point so it''s not like we''re going to spend the WHOLE time snuggling. So what is there to do at Ladera? Would the hyperactive be fulfilled? I know that part of St. Lucia is more remote whereas Castries is very busy. Did you have a wealth of stuff to choose from?

well i can''t say we did much of anything. there was stuff to do, but seriously we just took in the view. it''s that incredible. plus after the wedding, we didn''t want to do much either. but, ladera does offer snorkling at the jalouise beach. i think there''s sailing too? but i''m not sure. there''s a spa which does spa treatments and all. there are also tours. st. lucia has the world''s only drive through volcano and it''s right near ladera. and there''s a waterfall that''s popular to tourists which is near too. and the famous mineral bathes. you can also take a few excursions. we met several people at ladera that were going to rodney bay. what sort of things are you looking to do?

 

[jcrow]

amberwaves -

OMG. i can't believe i've been doing that! whoops. i totally meant HUBBY!! oh, gosh!

 

[sumbride]

Date: 11/30/2006 12:08:27 PM
Author: jcrow

Date: 11/30/2006 12:02:55 PM
Author: sumbride
Gorgeous pics!

We want to go to St. Lucia! I''ve been, and I stayed at a Sandals and had a great time. That''s where FI wants to go, but when I saw Ladera, WOW! It''s priced about the same too. But I''m wondering if FI would get bored?

He''s not the type to sit in the sun and read, he doesn''t snorkel or even swim much... and while it will be our honeymoon, we''ll have lived together for 2 years by that point so it''s not like we''re going to spend the WHOLE time snuggling. So what is there to do at Ladera? Would the hyperactive be fulfilled? I know that part of St. Lucia is more remote whereas Castries is very busy. Did you have a wealth of stuff to choose from?

well i can''t say we did much of anything. there was stuff to do, but seriously we just took in the view. it''s that incredible. plus after the wedding, we didn''t want to do much either. but, ladera does offer snorkling at the jalouise beach. i think there''s sailing too? but i''m not sure. there''s a spa which does spa treatments and all. there are also tours. st. lucia has the world''s only drive through volcano and it''s right near ladera. and there''s a waterfall that''s popular to tourists which is near too. and the famous mineral bathes. you can also take a few excursions. we met several people at ladera that were going to rodney bay. what sort of things are you looking to do?

Sandals kind of felt like a full-on party... they had dancing at night, limbo contests, a pub, lots of pools, etc... When I described it to FI, he was totally enthused. But then, we went to Barbados last year with my parents and our resort didn''t have any of that, and he was fine, though we did take some tours and go shopping. Maybe with the excursions and such he would be ok. I''ll let him decide... I''m definitely fine with doing nothing, but he just gets bored so easily! Hmm... maybe we can do a few days at Ladera then a few days at Sandals. Ladera is definitely posher!

Did you go to the Botanical gardens? I think that''s where the waterfall is. It''s so pretty!

 

[Jas12]

beautiful shots!!!

I have been to St. Lucia as well, and have to agree that the Pitons are a ''must see sight''. So lush, so striking!

Show us more

 

[jcrow]

Date: 11/30/2006 12:16:20 PM
Author: sumbride

Date: 11/30/2006 12:08:27 PM
Author: jcrow

Date: 11/30/2006 12:02:55 PM
Author: sumbride
Gorgeous pics!

We want to go to St. Lucia! I''ve been, and I stayed at a Sandals and had a great time. That''s where FI wants to go, but when I saw Ladera, WOW! It''s priced about the same too. But I''m wondering if FI would get bored?

He''s not the type to sit in the sun and read, he doesn''t snorkel or even swim much... and while it will be our honeymoon, we''ll have lived together for 2 years by that point so it''s not like we''re going to spend the WHOLE time snuggling. So what is there to do at Ladera? Would the hyperactive be fulfilled? I know that part of St. Lucia is more remote whereas Castries is very busy. Did you have a wealth of stuff to choose from?

well i can''t say we did much of anything. there was stuff to do, but seriously we just took in the view. it''s that incredible. plus after the wedding, we didn''t want to do much either. but, ladera does offer snorkling at the jalouise beach. i think there''s sailing too? but i''m not sure. there''s a spa which does spa treatments and all. there are also tours. st. lucia has the world''s only drive through volcano and it''s right near ladera. and there''s a waterfall that''s popular to tourists which is near too. and the famous mineral bathes. you can also take a few excursions. we met several people at ladera that were going to rodney bay. what sort of things are you looking to do?

Sandals kind of felt like a full-on party... they had dancing at night, limbo contests, a pub, lots of pools, etc... When I described it to FI, he was totally enthused. But then, we went to Barbados last year with my parents and our resort didn''t have any of that, and he was fine, though we did take some tours and go shopping. Maybe with the excursions and such he would be ok. I''ll let him decide... I''m definitely fine with doing nothing, but he just gets bored so easily! Hmm... maybe we can do a few days at Ladera then a few days at Sandals. Ladera is definitely posher!

Did you go to the Botanical gardens? I think that''s where the waterfall is. It''s so pretty!

i know what you mean about sandals. we decided that wasn''t what we wanted. and went the ladera/ti kaye route. ladera has a bar that is inbetween the infinity pool and restaurant. it stays open all day and i think closes at 11 pm? every night at the bar/lounge area there was live music. and pretty good music too. we didn''t go to the botanical gardens. we intended to, but went to the jalousie beach instead and called it a day.

 

[sumbride]

Date: 11/30/2006 12:20:27 PM
Author: jcrow

Date: 11/30/2006 12:16:20 PM
Author: sumbride

Date: 11/30/2006 12:08:27 PM
Author: jcrow

Date: 11/30/2006 12:02:55 PM
Author: sumbride
Gorgeous pics!

We want to go to St. Lucia! I''ve been, and I stayed at a Sandals and had a great time. That''s where FI wants to go, but when I saw Ladera, WOW! It''s priced about the same too. But I''m wondering if FI would get bored?

He''s not the type to sit in the sun and read, he doesn''t snorkel or even swim much... and while it will be our honeymoon, we''ll have lived together for 2 years by that point so it''s not like we''re going to spend the WHOLE time snuggling. So what is there to do at Ladera? Would the hyperactive be fulfilled? I know that part of St. Lucia is more remote whereas Castries is very busy. Did you have a wealth of stuff to choose from?

well i can''t say we did much of anything. there was stuff to do, but seriously we just took in the view. it''s that incredible. plus after the wedding, we didn''t want to do much either. but, ladera does offer snorkling at the jalouise beach. i think there''s sailing too? but i''m not sure. there''s a spa which does spa treatments and all. there are also tours. st. lucia has the world''s only drive through volcano and it''s right near ladera. and there''s a waterfall that''s popular to tourists which is near too. and the famous mineral bathes. you can also take a few excursions. we met several people at ladera that were going to rodney bay. what sort of things are you looking to do?

Sandals kind of felt like a full-on party... they had dancing at night, limbo contests, a pub, lots of pools, etc... When I described it to FI, he was totally enthused. But then, we went to Barbados last year with my parents and our resort didn''t have any of that, and he was fine, though we did take some tours and go shopping. Maybe with the excursions and such he would be ok. I''ll let him decide... I''m definitely fine with doing nothing, but he just gets bored so easily! Hmm... maybe we can do a few days at Ladera then a few days at Sandals. Ladera is definitely posher!

Did you go to the Botanical gardens? I think that''s where the waterfall is. It''s so pretty!

i know what you mean about sandals. we decided that wasn''t what we wanted. and went the ladera/ti kaye route. ladera has a bar that is inbetween the infinity pool and restaurant. it stays open all day and i think closes at 11 pm? every night at the bar/lounge area there was live music. and pretty good music too. we didn''t go to the botanical gardens. we intended to, but went to the jalousie beach instead and called it a day.

It just looks so lovely I hope I can talk him into at least considering it! Thanks so much!

 

[belle]

the pics are amazing jcrow, thanks for sharing them!
and for the ''reviews'' very helpful!