Soufriere, St. Lucia
Ladera Resort
Island Estate
What it is
A 37-room former cocoa plantation on a volcanic cliff overlooking the Caribbean.
What it isn't
Right on the sand. But with a comped shuttle to iconic Sugar Beach, you won’t miss it.
What we think
The Caribbean is chockablock with Instagrammable stays, but none quite as exquisite as this: set on a parcel of the Rabot Estate, the island’s most storied cocoa plantation. Hovering cliffside some thousand-feet over the twinkling turquoise Caribbean Sea, it's in perfect framable view of the twin Piton mountains, towering up to 2,619 feet over the surf. Earthy types adore that the resort has a sustainable bent; all furniture is made on the property by St. Lucian artisans, and all open air suites (starting at a whopping 1,400-square-feet) were hewn of Soufrière stone and tropical greenheart hardwoods. Oh, and did we mention butler service and full breakfast is included, and this is the only resort on a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
You're here because
The hotel treats guests like family, up to and including comped amenities—such as 15-minute foot massages and sunrise meditations by the pool replete with gratis cucumber water.
The Moment
After a locavore dinner of sweet potato and coconut soup and jerk poulet sausage at Dasheene, you follow your Wine Waiter into the 2000-bottle-deep wine cellar, and your jaw drops. You’ve never seen tipples from Argentina, Chile and Lebanon under one roof, and you’ll drink to that.
Restaurants & Bars
Dasheene at Ladera - Eclectic and Innovative, Award-winning cuisine
The Bar at Dasheene
Location
A zippy, scenic 45-minute drive from Hewanorra International Airport (and yes, airport transfers are included in your rate).