TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

If you want 5 star pristine luxury this hotel isn’t for you. If you want somewhere that has everything you need and offers the friendliest of welcomes, great hospitality and high standards of service then this is the place for you. We felt welcome as soon as we arrived and that carried on throughout our 12 night stay. A great location on the hillside above Castries with great views. The rooms are spacious and clean and the public areas are well kept, especially the gardens. The food was of a good standard, with themed nights and lots of choice. The activities and entertainment were very enjoyable, organised by the incomparable Jaffrey. There are too many other staff names to mention as they all do a fantastic job. Well done and thanks Bel Jou for a fabulous holiday. We usually never go back to a place but this is one we would happily return to.

This is the second time we have been to the Bel Jou. We had a really nice time. The food was good. Good choice each day. The roast beef was specifically excellent. I ate fish every day including the local salt fish each morning. Food is available at the main restaurant, the 'a la carte' restaurant and the Cabana in the day time. Drinks were plentiful either from the self serve bar, the Cabana - excellent cocktails - or each evening. Service throughout the whole stay was really excellent. Everyone was so friendly, wanting to help and just nice! The Thursday night Caribbean night, including the fire show, was a highlight. There was yoga and pilates 5 mornings a week and aqua at 11am 6 days a week plus a 'guided' walk along the beach on each Saturday morning and guided walk to the lighthouse on Wednesday morning. We also played table tennis and badminton - all good fun. All events and classes are excellently managed by Jahfree - he is a real bonus for his enthusiasm and instructor capabilities.

What a joy it was to stay at this hotel! From the magnificent views to the spotless room and incredible staff, we loved it! I’ve never in my 62 years stayed *anywhere* with a better staff. Every single person was smiling, friendly, attentive, kind and helpful. I got emotional saying goodbye to the lovely lady who did our massages (fantastic) and also was a hospitality manager. I would return just to see her again! Everything at Bel Jou - the rooms, dining areas, buildings and grounds, shuttle vans - is immaculate and well-tended. The pools are sparkling clean, the linens crisp and towels fluffy, pool loungers in good repair and brightly-colored, etc. The bar tenders are superb with excellent liquor selections (local Bounty rum is delicious) and we absolutely loved the self-serve bar at the lower pool! What a great idea, whoever thought of that. The food selections were reasonably varied, plentiful and ranged from good to excellent. It’s not “gourmet” level but it’s very good. One thing we appreciated was NO LINES - we never had to wait at the buffet. We especially enjoyed the custom omelets at breakfast, the lamb (chops/carved leg), roast beef/beef dishes and salads. The best part was the stunning views we enjoyed while eating outside on the veranda. We loved that so much we only did the “reservation restaurant” once. “BBQ night” was terrific and featured the best dinner we had - highly recommended to be present for that. The “coffee shop” that was open all day was a true gem. Hot beverages and both sweet and savory treats were available. If you ate a big breakfast and then went off for an activity you could grab a pre-dinner snack there. Much-appreciated! We normally stay directly on a beach but the shuttle service from Bel Jou took less than ten minutes, which was fine. The beach is beautiful, clean and both tree-shaded (essential for us) and sunny loungers are available. My favorite thing, though, was the available horseback rides! We didn’t need to book a riding excursion since I paid a reasonable amount ($40 USD) to ride a nice horse for half an hour on the beach and into the water. I am an equestrian so I was permitted to take the reins; if you are not, the horses are safe and well-tended and you can enjoy a shorter ride while someone leads you. Caveat: the horses are small and will not accommodate riders weighing over 175 lbs. At the hotel we greatly enjoyed meeting other guests. While there were a few younger people, most guests were on the mature side. Mostly couples and mostly not Americans (we met many British couples, which we loved). There is entertainment every night from about 8-10:30 PM, mostly live singing but there also was a DJ night and karaoke night. Our definite favorite was BBQ night when a local band with steel drums and guitars played; they were WONDERFUL and we enjoyed every note! So much listening and dancing. Bel Jou is not the most plush/height of luxury hotel you can find but it’s an incredible value. It’s not too big but not too small. Probably the biggest drawback is there are many, MANY stairs. We didn’t mind as all the stairs helped us work off all the food we ate but you would NOT want to stay there if you have bad knees or are at all wobbly on your feet. The hotel is situated on a hill, which means gorgeous views from many rooms (but not all, be aware) and tropical breezes but also stairs everywhere. One thing to be aware of relative to where Bel Jou is located: it’s a good hour’s cab or shuttle ride from the main airport, and it’s a highly rigorous drive. The roads on St. Lucia are narrow, steep, curvy, busy and especially with right-hand driving sometimes downright frightening to passengers. Our cab drivers said many visitors get queasy and I know they’re right! If you are prone to motion-sickness be prorated. You can also pay for a helicopter ride but it’s very expensive ($250 pp if reserved in advance, we heard). WARNING: under NO circumstances whatsoever should you rent a car!!! EVERYONE at the hotel agreed! Overall, we had an absolutely wonderful visit at Bel Jou and we highly, highly recommend it. If you go please say hello to Samantha for me when you get the best massage of your life from her! ??

Beautful location, nice pools (OK for lap swimming although not very long or deep) and the food was great! Great choices at every meal.

Best valentines day. That, me and my boyfriend had to book a next night... The meals was delicious and staff was friendly, you'll treat you'll locals excellent. The front office team was warm , friendly and informative. Keisha the server was so friendly and she made sure I had a great evening, princess was also polite- I came to order a late lunch and she made sure I got my salad although it was past hours. The lobby guy was helpful and everyone made our stay special. Thank you very much. And will be back soon.