Lux* Saint Gilles Hotel

We did enjoy our stay in this peaceful, beautiful resort. The beach, sunsets, and snorkelling were lovely, with some of the island’s best weather, and the concierge was efficient and very helpful. My husband liked the coffee, and there was a cafetiere in the room so you could make it how you wanted. Breakfast starts at 6am, which was handy for grabbing a bite before a day’s hiking. There were some real drawbacks, though. The room Wi-Fi was especially poor, almost nonexistent. The bathroom needs work: the shower over the bath was tatty, didn’t drain, and had some mould around the tiles. The gym disappointed me too. There weren’t even mats for ab work, and when I asked, the staff member was unhelpful and didn’t want to give me a towel. Service fell well short of the 5-star service we’ve had elsewhere. We got no response to an email sent a couple of weeks before arrival. We were told we were “only bed and breakfast customers” and that they “prioritise half board customers.” One night we were told we couldn’t book the buffet until 9pm, without a clear reason, even though we’d booked earlier on other nights and it was never very busy. We later walked past and saw half of it had been hired out for a private function. A simple explanation would have made more sense and been better customer service. The food was okay, but we had better, cheaper meals at nearby restaurants. Drinks seemed especially overpriced, which may be why many people appeared to have their own on their balconies, the beach, or by the pool.

Rooms 19 and 21, the family rooms we had while travelling with kids, urgently need renovation. The bathrooms especially need modernizing, and the buildings could use maintenance. The hotel’s 5-star rating doesn’t match the experience in some areas. There’s plenty to do at almost any time, and the staff are friendly and helpful. The location is excellent, with a pool and beach that are great for relaxing. The food is good and the prices are just about acceptable, though €11 for a local 50cl beer and €12 for a basic glass of wine felt a bit much. The beach is okay but has a lot of coral. The lagoon swimming area isn’t very good for snorkelling: even at high tide it’s very shallow, which is awkward for taller people, and at low tide it’s no fun at all. All in all, it’s a decent hotel. Cheers 🙋🏼‍♂️

The repeated business meetings and team-building events were the main reason I gave this hotel 3 stars. It’s presented as a place to relax, but groups of 20 to 30 people, often in business clothes, regularly passed along the only route to my room. I found it disruptive and it made the place feel more like a corporate venue than a resort. This seems to happen repeatedly, perhaps because of management decisions. Other guests seemed affected too, avoiding the pool during events and only using it after the groups had left. The hotel itself is lovely, with a beach that may be one of the most beautiful on Réunion and is great for relaxing and snorkelling. The staff were consistently friendly and attentive, and the food was very good, with a generous, varied buffet that included vegan-friendly options. If you work hard and want a real escape to unwind and disconnect, this may not be the best fit.

We had a lovely stay, and when problems came up, the staff were extremely helpful and sorted everything to our satisfaction. From what I’ve seen, this is probably still the nicest hotel in Reunion, even if it might not count as 5-star in other places. Someone arriving after staying at one of the LUX hotels in Mauritius might be a little disappointed. Services in Reunion seem to cost twice as much as in Mauritius while generally being worse.