LUX Saint Gilles — Hotel in Saint-Paul

Lux St Gilles is a beautiful colonial hotel situated in the upmarket St Gilles area of Reunion Island. Set on extensive grounds with an adjoining beach and lagoon protected by coral reef, Lux is probably one of the few beachfront hotels in Reunion where swimming is possible with no fear of shark attacks. As it's right on the west coast, sunsets are probably the best time to enjoy the beach. ||Sadly, as other reviewers have noted, there ends the superlatives. ||The property is dated and in dire need of refurbishment. Rooms are small and tired, not quite what you might expect of 5 stars in 2024. We were unfortunate to have extremely noisy neighbours who were audible from indoors as sliding doors were not soundproof, but guest relations officer Nathalie kindly and swiftly moved us to a quieter part of the hotel.||Dining options varied – from the very average though adequate buffets at La Cuisine to beach-front La Plage which offered very good grill and pasta selections, which we found enjoyable. L’ Orangine, the high-end restaurant was over-rated in my view and had limited options for diners with allergies or intolerances, particularly dairy intolerance. Nearly all the dishes at L’Orangine require supplements even if you are on half/full board or all-inclusive, be warned. The Bar also serves food but we did not try it. All four restaurants have to be pre-booked for dinner and this should be done at the start of your trip because as many as two of the four restaurants can be closed each day. ||With the lack of – and difficulty in recruiting – hotel staff as an understandable constraint, the standard of service and hospitality suffer. The staff on duty frequently appeared to be rushed off their feet. Of the handful who do try their best and stay cheerful while at it, Ludovic at breakfast service was exemplary. He is a true professional who delivers exceptional “Lux” service. He made English speakers feel at ease and kindly remembered my breakfast order and how I liked my coffee each morning. Henry at L’Cuisine dinner noticed I had lost my napkin and without my asking for it, brought wipes. These small gestures go a long way to help guests relax and feel cared for. ||There is a small gym on premise but it is unmanned and you are meant to wipe the equipment before and after use (perhaps switch the A/C on yourself too). Quite a difference from other Lux hotels in Mauritius where you have one-to-one attention from on-premise trainers. Again, not quite what you might expect in “first-world” France and a 5-star hotel. There is no spa but treatments can be booked and are offered at beach-front cabanas. There are no water sport facilities that I could see – perhaps the sea is too rough for sailing or other sports. ||There are lots to see on Reunion Island itself – such varied landscape, amazing views and deep history – so much so that we found our 5 days not quite enough. Thankfully, Melvyn at concierge helped us plan our time. However, we did have to identify our own drivers or tour guides for more competitive prices, as it is France and transport/tour services are expensive. A 7-minute taxi ride to nearby St Gilles town and back might cost EU30-40 for example. Though relatively well-connected by buses, most of the tourist sites are a distance away and hiring your own car is probably the best way to get around. ||All in, a comfortable stay lifted by small gestures of kindness from some of the staff but one has to manage one’s...

Okay for a 3 star, sadly not the 5 star rating that the property supposedly has

We stayed at the LUX* St Gilles for 3 nights as part of our honeymoon tour of Mauritius and Réunion. We stayed on a half board basis, which included breakfast and dinner.

The pros: the staff were lovely throughout our stay, even though Réunion is primarily francophone, they made every effort to communicate with us even if they weren't fluent in English themselves the private beachfront onto the lagoon on the warm West of the island was definitely the best part of the hotel, plenty of loungers and beach service as we were travelling as part of our honeymoon trip, the staff made sure to recognise that in many ways with some lovely extras awaiting us in our room and a private candlelit dinner, which made the stay feel much more special

The cons: for a 5 star resort hotel, the quality and finish of the facilities and accommodation were severely lacking, much more along the lines of what you'd expect in a 3 star hotel in Lanzarote. Sadly, the price we paid for this was very much a 5 star price. food was average but overpriced, the buffet is the best place for dinner there were several dangerous and unsightly aspects both in the room and outside of it; *loose towel rails, hooks and handles *non functional safe (which was repaired) *the door didn't close unless slammed (and even then could fit your finger through the gap around it) *the sliding patio door was barely contained within its frame and locks were very flimsy, we were on the ground floor so that was a concern for us *no safety fixings inside the very deep bathtub or shower *in room fridge was almost warming whatever was in it rather than cooling *cigarette burns in the curtains *dirt and mould inside the wardrobe and under sink grout in bathroom was cracked, poorly done and dirty *missing and broken tiles with shards in the main pool and the kids pool *missing pavers along already uneven walkways and steps *peeling and cracking paint all over the property *no iron or ironing board in the room *housekeeping times were very unpredictable and varied, made it very hard to plan around

Overall the property is extremely outdated, not at a standard anywhere near what a 5 star rated resort should be and it requires a serious overhaul, the staff seem to be doing the best they can with the resources they have, however for the fact we paid just over €1000 to stay here for 3 nights on a half board basis, I would only stay here again if they underwent a major refurbishment and I can't say I would recommend this property to anyone in its...

We stayed for 3 nights, we're not beach resort people but wanted a stopover break and we like to stay in 4/5 star if possible so chose this resort. Supposedly 5 star but I would say in comparison to other places we've stayed around the world, it's 4 star at most. ||No kids during time we stayed so nice and peaceful! We went mid week so not packed, good food (we loved the fish dishes and salads) although catering more for French tastes obviously (if you want a cup of tea it requires a spot of negotiation the French don't drink it really). We really enjoyed La Plage restaurant and ate there every night, also the restaurant by the bar was good for snacks and to just sit and relax, breakfast was buffet which was fine. ||French feel as expected, staff speak English (some better than others) so we got by also using some of our faltering French but it really wasn't a problem, all the staff we encountered were polite, friendly and helpful. We didn't find there was any issues being English in what is a French resort with predominantly French or French speaking Europeans. ||Rooms were okay, we had an upstairs suite away from the hotel looking across to the beach, which I liked better than being downstairs but there were a few issues. We didn't like the separate toilet with no washbasin and the bathroom had no shower, the bath was so deep that you need to be rather flexible to get into it to get under the shower attachment. Anyone elderly or with mobility problems would have had great difficulty getting in and out easily. Also the sink wasn't practical for doing anything more than washing your hands it was so shallow and water splashed everywhere. ||No usb ports anywhere in the room which I would expect (the one behind the TV didn't work) luckily I bought an adaptor which I could put into the shaver port to charge my phone and ipad but I would expect a 5 star hotel to have these fitted as standard these days. TV was limited, almost all French programmes, there was one English speaking news channel but that was it. ||There's a nice beach very close by with the lagoon protected by the reef so safe for swimming and if your idea of bliss is sitting by the pool or on the beach on a lounger all day then this place is for you, but it's looking a bit tired in some places and could do with a bit of a face lift (bathrooms should be refitted...