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able to look
directly outside
at the spectacular
view.With the exception of
the gym, spa, kitchen and offices, ev-
ery building has an open wall – the restaurant,
the rooms, the reception are all open walled.
Additionally, our guests can also have their spa
services in their suites. Ladera was the first to
pioneer the three-wall concept in St. Lucia and
in this part of the Caribbean. The genius way in
which the rooms were constructed, allows them
to co-exist with the wind, rain and sunlight
patterns without affecting our guests. Architec-
turally, it fits in with the natural environment as
it was done purposefully and beautifully. ”
Ladera was once part of the Rabot Estate,
one of Soufrière’s oldest and most famous
cocoa plantations. The resort was originally
founded by John DiPol, an American architect
The Ladera Resort
who visited St. Lucia, and, according to
Mariatte, “fell in love with the country
and this location and could not pass
up on the opportunity to own a piece
of paradise. He built a restaurant and
named it Dasheene after the tropical
root crop, dasheen, which was prev-
alent on the estate. He then built a
little villa with an open wall and that’s
how the concept came about in 1982,”
she continues. “One of the friends who
visited him in St. Lucia was Mr. Ralph
Hooper who, in 1988, became the sole
owner of this property up until today.
It’s grown from having one restaurant
and a villa to now having a fine dining
restaurant and 36 villas, along with a
main house and a cottage where the
owner stays.”
Ladera, most of whose guests come
from the U.S. and Canada, markets
itself as a “romantic, paradise getaway.”
“We have no television on the resort,
so it’s a perfect way to disconnect,”
says Mariatte. “We do offer free WiFi
throughout the resort so people can
stay connected if they wish to, but the
idea is to disconnect from the real
world. It’s ideal for honeymooners; it’s
ideal for people who want to elope
as we do offer one-of-a-kind wedding
packages. It’s ideal for people who want
to reconnect,maybe celebrate an anni-
versary or delayed honeymoon.Many of
We are a luxury, boutique resort, the first
Forbes 4-star rated in St. Lucia, and so our
clients are mostly professionals and business
people who want anonymity or to disconnect
from the pressures of the real world.
daly mariatte
general manager