My husband and I stayed in a Heritage Suite for 7 nights in early March, and it was truly a most amazing experience. I echo the other reviewers in commending the beauty and spaciousness of the rooms...
My husband and I stayed in a Heritage Suite for 7 nights in early March, and it was truly a most amazing experience. I echo the other reviewers in commending the beauty and spaciousness of the rooms and the astonishing, ever-changing view. What is hard to capture in a photo is how the sky and the sea are always changing: the Pitons are lovely bookends to an ever-changing slide show. It never got old.
We decided to simplify things and eat most meals at Dasheene. We never regretted the decision. It allowed us to get to know the hostess and our servers by name, and the food was fresh, healthy and changed daily. I had the soup of the day and the catch of the day every night for dinner and it was wonderful. My husband had the tenderloin, and it was unusually good. Our waiter, Gibson, was excellent in every way and we were treated with authentic kindness, enthusiasm and care.
But, for me, breakfast was the standout. I avoid gluten, wheat, dairy and eggs, which rules out most breakfast foods. Cynthia and her entire team of servers went above and beyond to make me feel cared for and well-fed. She brought me mangos from her own garden and Jorma brought me guavas from hers. They showered me with fruit plates, juice, fruit smoothies and arranged to have gluten-free muffins made for me every morning. I have never, ever experienced this level of genuine warmth and caring at any hotel, resort or restaurant before. Money can't buy this loveliness. It brings tears to my eyes remembering it.
The only area in which the service seemed lacking was the concierge. We had a great deal of difficulty finding out what exactly the trips consisted on. We went on an expedition, and it went well, but we were very severely underinformed as to what to bring, what to expect, etc. I don't know if we just drew a bad week, but the service through the concierge was about three notches below the service at Dasheene.
The spa was the only facilities disappointment. We had a couples massage in our room, which was wonderful. We also took a trip with Gabina (who did my massage and has wonderful hands and a friendly demeanor) to the Sulphur Springs for a mud bath, and that was also well worth it. But later in the week, I had a massage in the small spa building, and it was a little, well, ratty. I felt a bit uncomfortable. Definitely not up to the standards of the rest of the resort. My understanding is that they're building a new spa building, so this will likely be remedied soon.
Quibbles aside, Ladera is an astonishing beautiful, caring place, and I highly recommend it.
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87% of travellers recommended this hotel
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Mar 18 2019
