Bel Jou

What a lovely hotel ! From the stunning views and friendly staff and everything in between this is a great place to stay. Altough it is on the side of a steep hill there is a shuttle bus to take you to the beach or into town. The hotel is lovely and relaxing and very spacious, the real star of this hotel is the staff who become like family ❤️ Cannot reccomend this hotel enough and would return in a heartɓeat xxx Read less

The hotel was small and personal. Staff were friendly and service very good , the shuttle service provided a trip to beach or Castries . Slightly disappointed with the beach and the sun beds . The hotel rooms were good and provided everything you required . Some issues we had with air con was quickly rectified. Lower pool with its own bar area is good but getting a bed is hit and miss with beds taken with nobody there , not addressed by the hotel even when it states it will . Food areas are great , but I was disappointed with the evening meal , put out early and not checked enough , cold and sometimes run out , it needs a staff member to manage . Breakfast while my favourite again the most popular is the egg station, just one person trying to do a variety of eggs for everyone. These comments are for improving the experience. Hotel on New Year’s Eve was terrific great job done by the staff . Certainly the hotel asset is the staff and entertainment was good . We did have a lovely time thou . Read less

We spent 10 days at Bel Jou and found it very nice balance for an AI hotel, big enough to have space and a good range of amenities, but small enough to feel personal amongst staff and guests. Staff are friendly and helpful, some very upbeat and funny people amongst them like Sam and Princess. We were in a garden bungalow rather than the newer blocks, situated in a row of about 12 behind Lulu's snack bar. They are slightly dated compared to the new rooms but still kept in good order. Good size room and bathroom with shower, large and comfortable bed and all the expected equipment. No real view from patio but did not bother us and actually quite private. Dining options of the buffet restaurant and Hummingbird a la carte, as well as Lulu's snack bar and the serve yourself coffee shop gives a decent range of options and we could always find something to suit. On Thursday nights they shut the restaurants and Verandah bar to have a BBQ and entertainment around top pool area. Good intentions and lot of people enjoyed it but we didn't appreciate having our options entirely removed and didn't feel the food was to the usual standard. The two pools spread the guests out, the lower one with its serve yourself bar seemed the most popular. The shuttle bus to Castries centre and the small Vigies beach is really convenient, as it's a steep hill to the hotel and taxis are expensive. The hotel has sunbeds reserved there. Jaffrie the lively entertainment host unfortunately went off sick during our stay and the range of activities rather dried up. Castries town does not have a lot to offer so if you want to enjoy the lovely island you really need to take some of the excursions available, we did the Soufriere catamaran trip, the hotel trip to the really lively Gros Islet Friday street party, and clubbed with some other guests to do a minibus trip to Rodney Bay. Just try to pick days when there are minimum cruise ships in, as Castries town and some excursions will be busy. Saturdays in Castries town gets lively during the day as the streets round the market are full of extra stalls selling necessities for the locals. Overall we enjoyed our stay at Bel Jou, it has a lot going for it. Read less

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. Read less

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. Read less