TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Spent a week at the Bel Jou from 07/01 - 14/01. Hotel is set in a beautiful location, up a hill from Castries, giving excellent views over the surrounding countryside and Castries and port. I felt the hotel was a bit dated but can't quite put my finger on it - maybe it was just that some of the paintwork was a bit tired. On arrival met by reception staff; one very friendly and helpful, the other {Jason I think} was a bit robotic. We stayed in a 'poolside' bungalow. However it wasn't poolside it was at the back behind Lulu's Cabana. Despite this it was still a decent location, so don't be put off. 'Bungalow' was a fair sized room with a king size bed, large TV and bedroom furniture including a hairdryer. Sufficient wardrobe space and coat hangers. Dressing gowns supplied. Free digital safe & aircon. Small tea/coffee tray provided - I didn't use this. Large bathroom and shower. Complimentary shower/hair gel, conditioner. Towels changed as and when you need to. Room cleaned daily. Overall a very good room. There is a small, well equipped gym below the Verandah restaurant. All bars, restaurants and pools are either up or down steps so probably not suitable if you have mobility issues. Also when these are wet {which can be fairly regular due to rain, depending on when you go - we had a fair bit in the mornings} they can become very slippery; one lady slipped and fractured her ankle just a couple of days into her 14 day holiday. 4 restaurants; Hummingbird {A la carte, which has to be booked and I think you can only go once during your stay}. Food was good - but not much for my vegan, gluten free wife. Verandah; where all meals are taken. Self serve. Food very good and an excellent place to eat. The views are beautiful. However my wife is vegan and gluten free - not specifically catered for, although staff did their best to help out. I would suggest you email prior to arrival to let them know, I'm sure they will sort something out. Rooftop restaurant. Never ate here so can't comment, although I think it was more of a snack menu than 'proper' menu. LuLu's Cabana; 10.00am - 6.00pm. More of a snack bar than restaurant; burgers, pizzas, alcohol etc. I found the food quality very good. There is also a 'coffee shop' and library. This is for snacks, tea, coffee throughout the day. They did excellent oat cookies. There is a small pool next to LuLu's Cabana. Pool towels are supplied from reception or Lulu's bar. These can be taken to the beach. There is a larger pool down some steps. Fairly large kidney shaped pool with sunbeds and larger, soft beds. By the lower pool is a self service bar with a fridge {contains red, white, rose and sparkling wine}, rum punch, spirits, beer and coke/water pump. This is regularly topped up by the staff. Staff will regularly go round the pool taking drink orders. There is a complimentary bus service into Castries {which we didn't visit} and also to the beach. Bel Jou has it's own part of the beach supplied with sunbeds. There is a staff member taking your details and keeping an eye on your bags etc; it felt quite safe. They also do a beach bar type of thing: crisps, beer etc. Beach is excellent and the sea nice and warm. This did get very busy when the cruise ships were in port. However this did bring the local beach bars to life. Locals will approach you and try to sell their wares - however in my experience they were all very friendly and not pushy. They accepted a friendly 'thanks but no thanks'. You can get a horse ride along the beach here. Next to this location a local runs the Beach Vibezzzz bar. Serves fresh coconuts, food, alcohol etc. Everything seems to cost US$5. You can use US$ or East Caribbean Dollar. I used US as I think was easier. Plus You can change them when you get home. Take plenty of 1 and 5 dollar bills ready to tip. All Bel Jou staff members were very polite and helpful, and always happy and willing to go above and beyond to make our holiday memorable. Didn't get to walk out and explore the area as it wasn't that sort of location. I have no doubt it was safe as the locals seemed really friendly, but we only had 7 days so wanted to relax rather than explore. Overall I think this is an excellent hotel in a beautiful location. Staff are very helpful and go above and beyond to help. Would I go again? YES.

We had a wonderful time during our stay at Bel Jou! The hotel staff were fantastic—always helpful, cheerful, and welcoming, creating an enjoyable and relaxing environment. Some reviews noting getting towels were an issue, this was not our experience, there was always towel at the cabana bar or front desk. The rooms were clean and comfortable overall. While the beds were softer than I usually prefer, that's more a matter of personal preference. We stayed in an ocean-view room that offered lovely views of the ocean, hotel grounds, and pool. The food and drinks were good , with plenty of variety across three restaurants, three bars, and even a self-serve bar at the lower pool. Shout out to Princess, one of the hotel staff who also made fantastic specialty coffees upon request. They do charge extra for them ($4usd), but that was okay for us. A free shuttle service was available daily (except Wednesdays) to the Castries market or Vigie Beach. At the beach, there were chairs, drinks, and snacks set up exclusively for Bel Jou guests. Again these did cost extra ($2usd for beer/$1usd for chips). The staff at the beach was nice as they watch over your belongings. This allowed us to enjoy the ocean without worrying about our things. Christine was the staff member at the beach and she was an absolute gem! The beach itself was beautiful, with soft sand leading into calm, blue waters sheltered by the bay. Bel Jou also made excursions easy, with a variety of options and seamless transportation to and from the hotel. These could be booked either online or directly through the hotel. The only drawback to consider is that the surrounding area doesn't encourage exploring off-resort on your own, as it’s advised against for safety reasons. If walking around outside the resort is a priority, this may be something to keep in mind. Overall, our experience at Bel Jou and St. Lucia was amazing! I would highly recommend this hotel and destination for a relaxing and memorable vacation.

Stayed at Bel Jou from 27th Dec to 3rd Jan so was there for New Years celebrations. Check+in procedure was fine with no issues., and had a welcome drink on arrival. Stayed in one of the Garden Bungalows which was clean and spacious. Towels were changed daily. The hotel has 3 main places for food - verandah, Hummingbird and Lulus cabana. Verandah is for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all self service. Food is great, with lots of variety and always fresh and hot. The omelettes for breakfast are cooked to order and were always well prepared. Lunch and dinner always had local dishes to try, as well as salads, potatos, veg as well as meat and fish dishes. Hummingbird is the “fine dining” experience and again, food is great. Menu changes every few days, so check what you prefer and book a table at reception. The service is great and the staff can’t do enough for you. Lulus cabana is for lunch and it’s typically “fast food”, however, be prepared to wait 45 minutes at least for burger and chips or pizza etc. so it’s definitely not “fast” ! That’s not a bad thing though, as sitting in the sun waiting for food while having a couple of drinks isn’t a bad thing! There is also a roof top bar which serves late-nite food, but we didn’t try it. The hotel has a couple of pools - the top pool by lulus cabana, and the Lower pool which has a self-serve bar (heaven) where you can pour yourself a beer, wine or make a rum punch. There were always sunbeds available, so no need to be one of the 5am brigade and get a towel out early! All the staff are friendly, polite and can’t do enough for you. I only wished I remembered some of their names. Ones I can are Ciprain who makes excellent cocktails all night, and Jeyvon (apologies if I’ve spelt this wrong) who makes the best omelettes. A special mention goes to Deane who is the Manager. He gets to know you and ensures everything is as it should be. We booked a day trip on New Year’s Day, and our pickup failed to arrive. He promptly took us without hesitation to the marina so we didn’t miss our boat trip. New Years celebrations were fantastic, and again, the staff looked after everyone well. Evening entertainment wasn’t bad, either. DJ in the bar area, traditional dancers as well as fire eaters provided entertainment…. All in all, this is probably one of the nicest all inclusive resort I’ve stayed in. Yes, it’s away from the beach, but they offer a bus service to take you and pick you up. Absolutely loved every second whilst we was there!

All of the staff were super friendly and it appears like a family hotel, by that I mean it appears quite a close knit hotel This is absorbed by fellow holiday makers and it produces a great vibe. A few locals were staying during our visit, I feel that it gave a more authentic feel. The food was amazing, I worried that it may have been tempered down for the holiday palate but there was hot sauce available every day. During the day, there are 2 places where you can dine and in the evening you can book the al a carte but the buffet was brilliant so we only went al a carte once. You can also use the coffee room throughout the day, where you can grab a brew and snack, just to get you through the day of lounging around the pool. Comfy bed, nice pool, great rum, what's not to like? We stayed over new year and the staff went to a lot of effort to entertain us with a live band around the pool, moving onto the rooftop terrace where the DJ set turned into a silent disco as the night went on.

Bel Jou Hotel is a smaller resort nestled in a residential area. You will hear the many families who also live in this area. This allowed one to feel more of the island vibe. Our first room, while very spacious, was on the ground floor and smelled very strongly of mould. We stayed there the first night and requested a room change which they immediately arranged. We noted that no other guests were booked into the old room and there was a maintenance crew there daily to resolve the issue. The new room was higher and while we sacrificed the king bed, we did have 2 queens which were actually more comfortable. There was still a faint mould smell but it was not overwhelming. The view from the new room was stunning, looking down onto the ocean. The housekeeping staff kept the rooms immaculate and provided anything requested immediately. We did have to request face clothes but once requested, they were supplied daily. The hotel itself has no elevator and there are lots of stairs to be navigated. They are well treaded but can get slippery when wet. You can request an umbrella at the front desk. The hotel grounds and pool were beautifully landscaped and very well maintained. Pool water is crystal clear. The upper pool has decent shade but the lower pool would benefit from a few more umbrellas. The lower bar has a self serve bar which is well stocked through out the day. If one wants a fancy drink, it can be ordered at the upper pool cafe. All public areas are immaculate and bathrooms kept super clean and comfortable. I did find it was a little slippery around the pools where it was wet. Food at the buffet is delicious and very varied. A chef is available to make eggs or other items. Each morning there is a local medicinal tea which I really enjoyed. At all servings, it is very easy to eat healthy. Lactose free, soy and oat milk are available. Lots of choices to suit all diets. If you speak to the chef, he will glady direct you to foods to best suit your dietary needs. Deserts were varied and decadent. My hubby thoroughly enjoyed the daily selection at both lunch and dinner. Service in the main buffet is very efficient. Seating is on the balcony surrounding the building with stunning views. You can look down over the port, see the cruise ships and gaze upon life in a larger city. At night, the city is lit up creating another spectacular view. There is 1 al la carte restaurant. It was a little chilly in there with the a/c so ladies a little cardigan will be appreciated. Food selections were excellent once again. There is also a little snack bar by the upper pool which has a great selection of lunch options. There is also a little coffee bar but I did not try it. Service at all the restaurants is excellent. Evening entertainment is low key and generally finished by 11. The best way to get drinks in the evening is go direct to the bar. The wait staff are still busy in the buffet so if you wait to be served, it could be a longer wait. This hotel does not offer bottled water. There is filtered water available and I beleive one can purchase bottled water at the reception desk. I was concerned about the water, however this proved to NOT be an issue. We had absolutely no issues with the filtered water offered at the hotel. There are a number of excursions available to choose from. All reasonably priced. If you do the rum tour, ask for Stormin Norman as your guide. I enjoyed a great massage at the hotel spa. A shuttle is available to take you to the local beach or markets. The shuttle does not run at lunchtime or on a sunday. The roads in St. Lucia are all very narrow, very twisty All staff at the hotel are very friendly, accomodating and provide excellent service. It's easy to actually feel like you are being welcomed back home to family. I would not hesitate to return to Bel Jou Hotel.