Where do I begin? The stay at Bel Jou was incredible. The setting is so beautiful and relaxing, with luscious gardens well tended by the groundskeepers, incredible sea views and overlooking Castries’ lights at night. Two key elements really make this hotel incredible.
We had ‘partial sea view’ rooms, these were spacious and clean, although may benefit from an update soon. Both of these had two beds, large closets and nice bathrooms but the best part was watching the sunset from the terrace.
The amenities at Bel Jou were partly what drew us to it, having the Veranda buffet restaurant overlooking the gardens, sea and Castries, the rooftop bar with even more views, the Hummingbird and la carte restaurant, two pool areas and more such as table tennis area. The amenities did not disappoint.
The hillside location means you aren’t directly beachfront which is what I would normally look for, but there are plenty of free shuttles to the local beach (Vigie beach) which has free lounge chairs for the guests, beautiful stretch of sand, amenities such as washrooms and bars but best of all, it is not full of boats in front of the beach like you get at Anse Chastanet and Sugar Beach. The fact the hotel is on the hillside means you get the glorious views and a more relaxing experience overall. To add to this experience I had a 30 minute massage at the sugar cane spa on-site which I would highly recommend.
The hotel is the smallest All-Inclusive on the island but it has to be one of the best because of its size. It is adults only but it is perfect for solo travellers, couples and adult families visiting. It does not have elevators/lifts so there are plenty of steps given the hillside location so bear that in mind if visiting.
The views are incredible, the rooms very comfortable, the amenities fantastic but what really made the experience so fantastic and forever memorable was the food/drinks and the team at the Bel Jou.
The food prepared by head Chef Alvin and his team was consistently delicious, full of variety and flavour. They even use their own-grown items from the garden. The quality of the food was reflected across the Verandah buffet and the Hummingbird a-la-carte. We had the opportunity to meet Alvin during a Creole cooking masterclass and experience first hand his passion and talent for cooking.
The best part about our stay at the Bel Jou? That has to be the team. I cannot name them all but genuinely every person at the hotel made us feel so welcome and so happy at every interaction from General Manager Dean La Force, Naila and team at the front desk, security and more. I celebrated my birthday at the a-la-carte Hummingbird restaurant and had a great time thanks to Kisha and Kasha. Vionce was so insightful and friendly at the rooftop bar. Tinika and team at Lulu’s Cabana took great care of us making drinks and desserts every day. At the Verandah buffet, all the chefs were incredibly talented, the servers Madrina, Natari, Sam, Shanel, Princess and the entire team made sure we always had a brilliant meal with a smile and island style. Jeffrey was excellent at the guest entertainment and provided us with opportunities such as listening to the best steelpan and drums on the island followed by a fire dance show on our BBQ night.
This was our first time visiting St Lucia and I would love to visit again. When I do, I will be staying at the Bel Jou because there is nowhere else I would rather stay thanks to the incredible team working there.
