After waking up again and seeing the morning light and pink clouds above the Pitons, it’s hard not to be a little swept away by how stunning St. Lucia is, and Ladera’s location, between the Pitons especially so.
I made a cup of tea in my room since Dasheene doesn’t begin serving breakfast until 7 am. Then I took a shower in the colorfully tiled rainforest rain shower. I headed to the restaurant. In-house guests get complementary continental breakfast, with the option of an added hot item/ full breakfast for an additional $7. I appreciated the pricing since the last hotel I stayed at charged me $9 for a glass of juice. I had coffee, fresh passion fruit juice and ordered the open faced vegetarian omelette. The squirt gun on my table came in handy when a friendly local bird decided to join me for breakfast. It was a memorable way to start the day.
The staff had helped me arrange the Soufriere Hotwire Zipline tour for later that morning. A driver from the hotel picked me up at 9:30 to take me to the nearby Morne Coubaril Estate for my 10 am Zipline tour. I paid $75 for the tour where my guides helped me into a harness and let me see St. Lucia while riding a course of eight ziplines strung between banyan and mango trees. The views were gorgeous– of Soufriere Harbor, the Pitons, and over a creek. My guides were fun and it felt very safe. I’ve never done a zipline before and really enjoyed the experience.
I headed back to Ladera to enjoy the rest of the day, which I spent drinking coconut water and hitting the gym (to work off all the local rum I’ve been drinking here).
In the evening I headed back to bar at Dasheene Restaurant. The evening was very cloudy and not particulary windy and the sunset was the least spectacular of those I’ve seen here at Ladera. I wasn’t all that hungry so I chose to eat from the lite bites menu at the bar (the chicken satay was delicious).
Then I booked a massage for the next morning so when I depart from St. Lucia I can return home as relaxed as possible. I’m going to miss this place. It’s definitely one of a kind.
I’ve met quite a few honeymoon couples here at Ladera. They all mentioned wanting to come to St. Lucia because they wanted both a beach vacation and an active vacation. Ladera is a great choice– the staff here can set up everything from rainforest adventures to hikes up the Piton, or you can just chill by the pool or take the free shuttle to the beach to paddle board or take a sunset cruise.
Ladera is a great option for couples looking for a romantic glamping getaway, be it a romantic long weekend or a honeymoon.
