We have been using Laravel for over 8 years. Nothing but praise. It's a framework we could rely on. No painful upgrades and clear documentation. For us it's a pleasure to work with. I also recommend Laracasts from Jeffrey Way.
There is a stronger emphasis on being able to _write_, to explain, etc.
I love really cute hacks and neat minilanguages and metaprogramming and all that when I am doing things for fun. But when I am working, I want documentation, not five-line git READMEs that presume I am up-to-date.
Sadly I just wasn't able to understand the first steps to get something out there.
I really still want to like it. But currently I have no idea how to practically start.