Belle Vue Snack Bar — Restaurant in La Digue

Warning:
We booked the Belle Vue buffet with shuttle service for our final night on La Digue, hoping it would be the highlight and perfect ending of our honeymoon. Instead, it turned out to be the worst and most disappointing evening of our entire trip: Long waits, no vegetarian menu prepared despite the reservation, inedible and overpriced food, and an atmosphere that was anything but romantic. Absolutely not recommended – a complete rip-off and the low point of our honeymoon.

Full Review:
The recommendation to go to Belle Vue came from our host. He made the reservation by phone – we were present and heard him explicitly request a vegetarian menu for me. On the next day, he even reminded them again that a vegetarian meal was required. Unfortunately, we had no written proof.

The shuttle was late, and upon arrival, we were handed a careless “welcome drink.” Then we had to wait 1.5 hours before dinner was even announced. After this long wait, I had a bad feeling and reminded the staff about my vegetarian menu. Shockingly, they had no idea about it. I made it clear that I do not like the taste of fish or meat. My first dish was a salad – which was actually a fish salad, from which the cook had simply tried to pick out the fish. Pieces remained, and it tasted strongly of fish – so disgusting that I felt like throwing up. When I sent the dish back, the cook seemed annoyed that his “easy move” – just removing the fish – didn’t work. He turned off the relaxing (but repeating) background music and switched on a loud political radio show. Any romantic mood was completely destroyed. Later, I got served some vegetables swimming in butter – with flies in it. I tried eating a bit of rice with vegetables, but it was utterly unenjoyable.

My husband’s fish was dry, the sides oversalted. Tables weren’t even set, and geckos kept jumping on the table to grab the fish.

The view was nice, but we already knew it from hiking. Take-away on the beach would have been much nicer and ten times cheaper – definitely not worth paying for such a terrible dinner at Belle Vue.

In summary: A horrible evening that ruined the end of our honeymoon. Absolutely not recommended – this place is all about...

During our stay on La Digue, we set off by bike one day in the late morning to go to the restaurant.

We soon gave up cycling because the road was very steep and too strenuous, especially for children. However, as we had a few things (snorkel masks, camera, etc.) in the bike baskets, we didn't leave the bikes behind as recommended by a friendly passer-by – as some others had done – but pushed them along.

The uphill climb was quite strenuous and sweaty, even though it wasn't that long, but I can already say that it was more than worth it in the end.

We were briefly disappointed when we realised that the restaurant is usually closed on Sundays. It is written on all the signs along the way, but we hadn't checked before setting off – so it was our own fault.

Because of that we were all the more delighted to see that the restaurant was open after all, as several other people had obviously found their way there.

We were greeted very warmly by the owner and his family, and the drinks and snacks we had were really very good. The restaurant's open terrace with its wooden furnishings offers a very pleasant atmosphere that suits the island.

We didn't find the prices to be excessively high compared to the rest of the island... the Seychelles are generally a more expensive destination in many places, which is something you simply have to be aware of in advance.

The view from the restaurant across the island to the coast at La Passe and the neighbouring island of Praslin is simply breathtaking and, as I said, more than makes up for the slight effort of wandering up to the restaurant.

For those who still have energy, the final path to Nid d'Aigle also starts at the restaurant, for which you should definitely have sturdy shoes, as it is otherwise rather adventurous. It doesn't take long and you get an even more amazing panoramic view of the island.

So, to sum up – we really love the restaurant, it was a nice walk and we would definitely come back again in a...

In short, the worst experience I have ever had! In details, as suggested as the best place, we decided to celebrate a unique birthday event, we waited for the driver who was completely late and arrived after 30 minutes. After a crowded and unpleasant ride, we arrived at the site point, and then an unspecified foot climb was required. Arriving at the restaurant was accompanied by uncertainty regarding anything, not the idea that the guest does not get a menu, no one talks to us, bring about a feeling that you are not welcome and not wanted.

Finally, after a few minutes, they come to explain about buffet food without asking for preferences of tastes or desires, or more importantly, for allergies.

The meal arrived only after 90 minutes of waiting for sunset, which completely wasted our precious time !!! No problem eating at sunset and no point in waiting for it! All the time the "wasted" time seems like a method of making money as we order more and more drinks.

Finally, the food arrived, and of course, depending on our tastes, it was Ok and doesn’t more than this, but definitely not worth the price for it! 40 Euros for a medium and not varied meal is not what we want while we are at the top of the world (which does not even include water). The food was not enough for everyone and after trying to ask for extra, apparently the waitress was not happy with our desire.

By the way, our meal came with a lizard falling directly to the plate! And a lot of insects on the table that would not fit in a place that serves food.

In conclusion, the service of the restaurant is not courteous at all, and give bad personal treatment. We came out with a horrible experience that was unexpected. I really recommend the owner to...