susie4964
Google
We spent 2 weeks at Laluna, and it was amazing, a wonderful experience. The location is beautiful, a little bay with only two small hotels, and when we were there it was almost like a private beach. We loved our cabin (more about those stairs later!), it was a fantastic place to sit and watch the sunset. Great bed too, which you don't get in every hotel. The open-air bathroom was an interesting touch. The plunge pool honestly wasn't much use. It's very small and built of concrete, including the surround, so rather utilitarian. Useful for a quick cool-off, but some tiles would make all the difference.|We came for a relaxing holiday and we certainly had that - we were happy to lounge on the beach, catching up on our reading, having refreshing cocktails and enjoying the excellent food. We had a couple of excursions, one trip to some sights nearby, a sunset cruise (which was almost private, and a lovely experience), and the obligatory shopping trip - thanks to Elvis, our chauffeur. All the staff are lovely, very pleasant and always willing to help.|Best points were the beach (obviously!), the cabin in the middle of the rainforest, the relaxed atmosphere and an excellent Balinese massage. The chef in the restaurant is excellent and the food is of very high quality. However, after 2 weeks when the menu didn't change except for the chef's specials, we were struggling a bit to find something new.|There were no actual bad points, so I'll just give some suggestions.|1. The roads are pretty rough and ready, lots of potholes and roadworks, and the hills are very steep. Lots of people (mostly younger than us) did hire a car, but if you don't want the hassle of dodging the potholes and the locals, you might prefer to let someone else do the driving.|2. Access to most of the cabins requires a climb of at least 40 steps, and they're not easy steps. If you have mobility issues, there's one beach cabin that doesn't require a climb, and you might prefer that. We're in our 70s and managed the climb OK (it was certainly good exercise), although it was always a relief to get back to the cabin for the night! There are golf carts that will take you to the top of the site, where you can walk down the hill to your cabin instead. A proper handrail on the stairs would be helpful, as the steps can be slippery when it's wet.|3. There is a shop on site but it sells very little, only a few local souvenirs and some basic essentials. It would have been nice to have had a few snacks for the beach, perhaps. There are no other shops within walking distance, so be prepared for that.|4. The cabins are provided with mosquito coils and nets - we would burn a coil before going to bed, and used the nets each night. That definitely helped, but we still got some mosquito bites, so bring insect repellant and antihistamine cream. This is obviously expected for the Caribbean, it's not a criticism.|All in all, we had a wonderful holiday, it was everything that we'd hoped for. Laluna is a unique experience. If you prefer a Radisson, you probably won't like it, but if you like an informal holiday in a beautiful setting, you can't do better.