Profile page of reviews from Mike

5 Star Resort - 3 Star Service

Having just returned from the Belle Mar Plage I agree with most of the previous authors assessment with one or two glaring differences. Make no bones about it this is a superbly designed hotel in a fantastic location. From entry in to the lobby your fears about whether you made the right decision evaporate as a stunning view of the indian ocean emerges beyond a beautiful infinity pool. Palm trees are set into their own wells within the infinity pool amid conical shapes that add a contemporary feel to the design. You can also swim in this pool which is clear as crystal with lovely blue/green tiles and sloping contours. In the main restaurant the food selection is impressive with cooking zones representing different continental tastes and the quality is excellent. We didn't look at a Standard room as we had booked one of the lovely junior deluxe suites with a sea view. This where our trouble started. We had booked around 8 months in advance of our trip which was the culmination of a 6* cruise from Cape Town and for our short 4 night stay we wanted to treat ourselves so we paid extra for a sea view which my wife particularly wanted. On arrival with a group of friends of different age groups we were told we had been upgraded to a villa and would be sharing with another couple (who turned out to be the parents of two friends). Whilst the villa was superb and spacious with it's own butler and internal swimming pools it was at the back of the resort and from our perspective could have been anywhere in the world. Whilst our proposed co-habitants were lovely and quite obviously loved the villa we were put in a hugely embarrasing situation where firstly we wanted to move to the sea view we had eagerly anticipated only to find that as a result of this we had to manage our friends' parents expectations as they had to be moved also. My wife was inconsolable at the upset this caused the start of our holiday. Basically, there is such a demand for a sea or beachside view the hotel use the villa's to try and keep these for people staying for longer periods as the villa's are relatively unused as they are very expensive. We also found that the waiters in the bar areas were not particularly attentive and milled around the front of the bar in groups chatting instead of patrolling the tables to offer refills. On many occasions you had to go and get a waiter to take your drinks order or go to the bar yourself making you question what they were there for. Once you ordered your drinks or food they also took some time to arrive whereas the room receipt for your drinks arrived in double quick time for your signature ! In the restaurant the service was better but not by a lot. The golf courses are superb but quite challenging. The legends course is overcrowded and as a result slow so on one very hot day one of our group came back having taken 5 hours to get round and looked like a beetroot. The other course is around 10 minutes away by courtesy bus which I played and is much less congested. The beachfront is superb with free watersports and you can walk the beach all the way to its cresent shaped end and helo pad at the neighbouring 7* hotel called the Le Saint Geran (top hotel on the island). We went in to this hotel one evening as some of our friends were staying there and I wouldn't trade it for the Belle Mar Plage (not a chance). It was tres expensive for room and breakfast only and when our friends came to see us at the Belle Mar they felt they had been conned. It is not a patch on the beauty of the Belle Mar Plage. Have a good time.