Bel Jou Hotel

The Bel Jou Hotel is a small and friendly hotel located on the La Pensee Road high above Castries. What it lacks in beachside location it more than makes up for through its warm, friendly atmosphere, great staff, spotlessly clean rooms/ grounds and really great food. Situated in beautifully maintained grounds the hotel genuinely exceeded all of our expectations when we visited 5 – 19 March 2019. We opted to save some money on our holiday by staying in one of the “garden bungalow rooms”. W were really surprised at how spacious, clean and well specified this room was for what we paid. An exceptionally comfortable large double bed, great shower, air conditioning, overhead fan, digital safe, TV and tea/ coffee making facilities were all present, free and greatly appreciated. The room was lovely, airy and bright being fronted by a large bay window with a small furnished terrace which proved to be in the direct hot sun for most of the day! The bungalows are set in a row between the entrance gate and spa and look out on to a small lawn area or, in our case (Room 2), the hotel car park! The bungalows are however within direct sight of the top pool and less than a minute’s level walk to the reception/ Veranda Restaurant and the top pool/ Lulu’s Cabana via a short ramp or small flight of steps. Currently bungalow room footprint varies as you move away from the main entrance gate rooms to Number 12 where we gather the bathroom area is significantly smaller. This may change however. In conversation the General Manager, Dean La Force, advised that the bungalow rooms were all being refurbished during a forthcoming short closure. Looking at how the rest of the hotel is being managed and sympathetically developed I have no doubt these rooms will continue to be a good choice if you are looking for VFM and a quieter option to the main building (where some fellow guests told us the sound proofing could be improved.) Many other reviewers have commented upon the views over Castries, the beautiful gardens, clean pool, the humming birds by the garden pool, the peaceful nature of the place, the friendliness of the staff, the responsiveness of management. We can genuinely say that for us all of this was indeed the case. Although individual tastes vary we thought the food options presented at the refreshingly cool buffet restaurant for breakfast/ lunch and evening meal were excellent and the service here from, chef, kitchen team and waiting staff simply exemplary. (The food also looked great at Lulu’s Cabana however we found it too sunny and hot to eat there at lunchtime!) In summary throughout their stay guests can choose from tasty locally flavoured dishes (e.g. saltfish and cow heel soup) to English roasts and bread and butter pudding! Well done chef and team - your menu shames much larger and more expensive hotels! Those who enjoy a drink throughout their holiday too are also well catered for including a self service bar by the garden pool. The Hotel is located about 1.5 hours drive from the main airport in the south. We found the drive there and back to be very interesting however and the journey passed really quickly for us. The Hotel is close to the town centre but the access roads surrounding the hotel are really very steep, narrow and busy during the day and early evening. (No doubt some North American travellers would also call them “sketchy”). The Hotel shuttle bus will however take you for free into town or to the relaxing Vigie Beach as required – just remember to book your seat the night before. Speaking of the evenings we were once again pleasantly surprised by the range of entertainment offered at the hotel which ranged from steel bands, lively dance displays, fire eating, guitarist/ singers, local bands and even really popular karaoke! If you search “Bel Jou” on YouTube I’ve posted some video clips so that you can get a flavour of the journey to and from Vigie beach, evening entertainment and the local area. We found the Hotel to be a great starting point for island excursions and went to Fort Rodney, Soufriere, Tet Paul Nature Trail, Anse Cochon snorkelling, zip lining at Chassin etc! As always, if stepping out be sensible about your own personal safety and belongings and remember to treat those you meet with respect and a bit common courtesy. You will most certainly be rewarded in return with interesting conversations! St Lucia really is visually stunning country; its people are very welcoming and the range of activities you can do is really varied. We were so pleased to visit – if returning we would most certainly stay at this hotel again which will become increasingly more popular with younger guests. In summary, as a couple we have been fortunate to stay in a number of hotels around the world that are more expensive and more highly rated than the Bel Jou. We can honestly say however that this was one of THE most enjoyable holidays/ hotel stays that we have ever had. Provided you are not looking for somewhere directly on the beach or somewhere you can step out easily at night then you can book with confidence and will most likely have a great time. A sincere thank you to all at the Bel Jou.

We stayed here for our 20th wedding anniversary,first time ever in the Caribbean. From the moment we arrived we was greeted by staff with cool towels and a refreshing cocktail. We was shown to our room by Jonathan who shown us around and answered all our questions. The hotel was beautiful and very clean. Food was the best we have ever had they even catered for my very fussy partner. From breakfast to lunch by the pool and dinner in the evening. ( lunch time try the taco salad you will not be disappointed) All hotel areas were spotlessly clean. The hotel staff were outstanding they made you feel welcome and nothing was to much trouble. Brandon, glen and Jason made the best cocktail other halfs favourite was a grasshopper mine a ameretto sour. We had a garden view room next to the spa which was lovely the only problem was the toilet was to close to the shower and it needed more lighting. We visited the local beaches,the local market and also done the street party which is a must.we can't wait to return to the bel jou .