Hotel Grande Riviere Sud Est dengan Gim

We have just returned from a very enjoyable and relaxing 12 days at the Laguna Beach hotel. We chose this hotel as it was both small and quiet and it certainly didn't disappoint. Frequently we almost had the beach to ourselves which was amazing, and there was never an issue with the availability of sunbeds either on the beach or round the pool. The rooms are kept very clean by some lovely and friendly housekeeping ladies, but the rooms could do with some updating. I can see this would be a major undertaking as there are stone plinths in several places within the room. The balcony was very large with excellent lighting meaning we could sit out late at night and complete crossword puzzles. The hotel is very isolated on the outskirts of a small village with little facilities. We were only able to do one trip as we couldn't pay for the taxi trip by card and we had very limited cash with us, and there is no ATM either in the hotel or village, you needed a taxi to take you to a cash machine, however the trip to Port Louis and the north of the island was very good value. Food was plentiful and generally pretty good. As a pescatarian I am used to having a limited choice, however there did seem to be only 1 variety of fish served, which was disguised with slightly different sauces. Because the food is prepared in advance the fish did suffer from being overcooked and dried out, but the vegetables, rice and potatoes were fine, and the soup was especially hot and tasty each night. However, the dining experience was let down by the overall organisation and the waiting staff who run the dining room. Almost every time we went for dinner we had to wait and ask for a table to be set in the outdoor area as it was too hot to eat inside. It appeared we were invisible to the staff who just ignored us. After a week I did go to the front desk to make them aware of the issue, but there was only a marginal improvement. The waiting staff seemed to be focussed only on clearing plates and twice they took my plate off me while I was still eating. On a positive note, the lovely Habiba was wonderful, greeting us with a welcoming smile and making us feel like valued guests, she should be put in charge of training the waiting staff, teaching them that a welcoming smile and greeting goes a long way. All the other staff, chefs, people serving the food, housekeeping staff, front desk personnel were really friendly speaking to you and always asking how I was today. (I use a stick and my back is stiff and aching in a morning.) Overall, a good place to stay if you appreciate a small hotel and like having a quiet relaxing time. We would definitely consider returning as this hotel was good value for money.