Now this is a shore excursion worth booking.....
I am always reticent to book a shore excursion when the brochure mentions long bus rides. But here’s one that was worth the nearly two hour drive.
While onboard Silversea Cruises (www.silversea.com) Silver Spirit sailing from Lisbon to Barbados, about which I’ve been reporting here, we took a tour in St. Lucia that included a visit to one of the most beautiful and highly rated hotels in the Caribbean called Ladera (www.ladera.com). It was well worth the $169 per person price that included lunch, a tour of the 9 villa, 23 villa oasis, and a catamaran cruise back to the ship (no need to get back in a bus).
A tasty, three-course lunch was served in a fabulous setting with a breathtakingly beautiful view of the ocean and the imposing Piton Mountains. The accommodations rivaled the view, gorgeous, open air arrangements with four poster beds made of polished tropical hardwood, gorgeous art work and bathrooms designed to please. It was easy to see why Ladera was voted the best hotel in the world by Conde Nast Traveler readers.
Not for all budgets, rooms run from $680 to $1,075 a la carte per night in high season December 21-January 2 and are a bit lower at other times. There are three and five day packages that come with meals and extras. All rates include use of the gym, volcanic mineral water baths, beach shuttle, snorkel gear and WiFi. It just might be worth going back for vacation, or to stay before or after a cruise. If you fly to St. Lucia they’ll pick you up at St. Lucia’s Geroge Fl Charles Airport for $100 a couple each way.
After our hotel visit we were driven to a catamaran where we sailed back to the Silver Spirit, stopping to swim and/or snorkel in the warm, blue sea on the way, sipping drinks and dancing to Bob Marley music and enjoying the good life. This Silversea tour, along with one that including riding Segways, that we took in Antigua, changed my opinion about shore excursions. Both were pleasant and worth the cost—but then one expects that from Silversea, the innovative, Fort Lauderdale-based, luxury cruise line that operates five spiffy, all-inclusive ships throughout the world.
Check out the slide show, and the other articles that appear here on our Silversea Silver Spirit journey from Lisbon to Barbados.
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