Belo Monte Hotel and Museum

The plantation buildings have been sympathetically transformed into a comfortable hotel. A friendly team of staff with someone available at all times to assist us in any way conversing with us in English. We enjoyed three excellent excursions, it’s worth listening to advice and local knowledge to get the best from the trips out. When I was feeling unwell I was shown kindness, understanding and help. The beach is magical, the views from the hotel of sea are beautiful, good food, rooms are clean and the museum interesting. We had a wonderful time; however it is Africa and a small island so expect a lack of seatbelts, breakfast not always ready on time and an element of waiting. Go with the flow, don’t let it bother you and enjoy this special slice of paradise.

The venue is spectacular with a truly breathtaking sea view from both the main terrace and dining area, especially during the sunsets. It is such that often, you simply prefer to sit and enjoy the view to leaving the hotel area. They also arranged a dinner with Sao Tomean live music at a view point halfway to the beach one of the nights. If attentive one can actually see a whole range of birds already from the broader hotel area. I managed to see both grey parrots and the two main types of kingfishers. The pool is on the smaller side but it is fully possible to swim in it and you will anyways prefer to go to the beach (the hotel arranges an included shuttle service to Praia Banana, including towels and snorkeling equipment, on demand and there are several other nice beaches to visit on walking distance, many of them amongst the best I have seen on the Western side of Africa). Unlike many places in the region, it is generally safe to swim at the beaches. The snorkeling trails are amongst the better I have experienced in the region where I saw beyond a dozen species of fish, starfishes, morays, sea urchins, rhodolites and even small squids and a turtle. The turtle night tour to Praia Grande, I would strongly reccomend and the hotel offer a large range of activities. The museum on the premises is well worth an early visit. If you are new to the region, you can see many tropical plants and butterflies in the immediate area (bananas, cocoa trees, pineapples, mango trees, sapsap trees, cotton trees etc). The staff are service minded and really keen to make you feel at home. I stayed in the Manor House Luxury Suite and would definitely recommend one of the rooms in the Manor House for the stunning view and practical location. I had a little balcony with sea view directly from the bed room and there was also a French balcony overlooking the courtyard from the living room. The only point of improvements is that while the food was by all means fully satisfactory, not fully a five star option as the rest of the stay. This is probably partially due to the remote location practically limiting options but they could for instance have more juice options for the breakfast and more variety for the dinner (as a vegetarian, they were very helpful and flexible in providing very good options so I was indeed very happy with the food). There are actually more options than they always put forward for the breakfast such as cerals with milk, bread and tea. As is to be expected and common in this part of the world, there are ants around the venue. I had initially planned to visit Bombom resort but booked Bela Monte as Bombom is undergoing a renovation. I did not regret this and would definitely book a stay at Bela Monte again if I return to Principe. Highly recommend - you wont regret your stay!

One of the most amazing places I’ve been to! Genuine, friendly, spectacular views from the balcony in the main building. Great selection of outings and adventures. Excellent service from the Manager and Event Manager. Nice and interesting museum on the premises. Nice walk down the hill to the fantastic beach “Praia Banana”. Snorkelling easy off the beach, always something new to see. Perfect swimming and playing in the ocean but maybe not so good for small children. We loved the relaxed and laid back atmosphere. Very good Wi-Fi.

Staff was very friendly and courteous and happily answered all questions. I wanted to do a small hike on my first day and instead of trying to sell me one of their guided tours they suggested one I could do without a guide, a very nice change of pace compared to other place where profit drives everything. I did use their guide for a cultural tour around Principe and it was quite good too, the only minor complaint was that the guide struggled a bit with English so information were partly in porteguese and it was difficult to ask follow-up questions. Food was excellent and I had both lunch and dinner and was pleasantly surprised by each meal. Breakfast is sp**** with limited choices with some fruit, bread, cereal, eggs and sometimes bacon but that is to be expected when you are on a tiny, tiny island. Since I prefer walking I didn't utilize their beach transport to Banana beach, but that is also a great service and excellent choice after a long day on the beach.

Absolutely stunning view, though in our eyes the whole hotel is overrated due to the very (!) relaxed service and the normal, basic food. Staff, however, is very forthcoming, friendly and lovely. They really make you feel at home. Some of the minor drawbacks: Plates were often dirty and had to be cleaned again. Breakfast and dinner buffet were late most of the time, but then again, you are not in a rush on Príncipe. A laundry rack would be great to have in the rooms, since clothes do not have a chance to get dry in Príncipe's climate without one. What we loved: The lovely garden, the lush pool area (pool enclosure itself will need restoration soon) and the trips to the beach which are quite a treat. The museum is very informative. All in all, if they put a bit more effort into the quality of the food, the cleanliness of the dishes and work a bit on a structured hotel environment, it is the perfect place to forget the world around you for some days. We would always come back.

My stay at Belo Monte Hotel was wonderful. From the moment I arrived, I was really impressed by the grounds and location. The views from the hotel were beyond magical and perfectly positioned for watching the sunset. I was also impressed by the landscaping and how in sync it was with nature. I was able to watch and photograph endemic birds while strolling around the garden and even a few times while eating my breakfast on the patio. You can also easily access Praia Banana, which is a wonderful beach - especially for snorkelling. Even just a few steps into the water I was able to see all kinds of tropical fish. During my time there, I was working on a documentary as part of a scientific research expedition. Belo Monte Hotel is a very welcoming place for scientists - they even have a laboratory! It was great to be able to use their facilities for our project and I was really impressed by how helpful the management and staff were. Our expedition was a success but it would not have been possible without the hospitality of the Belo Monte Team. They went above and beyond to assist us and make sure we had the best stay possible.

We stayed in a plantation room which was big, well appointed and looked out on to jungle. Management were very welcoming and went out of their way to be helpful in organising activities. Our main activity during our stay was a half day trip to the national park. This started almost an hour late, was with a guide with little English and in a tatty pick up truck with little suspension, seat belts which didn't work and no air conditioning. Not what we expected from this standard of hotel. We found Banana beach disappointing. The sea was too rough to swim and knocked me off my feet. There were far too few loungers for the number of guests. Breakfasts were a bit of a bun fight. There was little to choose from and the food went quickly and was not replenished. Our first night was a barbecue by the pool. It was okay but the desserts ran out before half the guests had a chance to get to the buffet. The next night, the manageress suggested we had an early dinner as we were going turtle watching but the kitchen were not prepared for this and we were served a poor meal. The restaurant, despite being in a beautiful position lacked atmosphere and people seemed to just want to eat and go. Overall, the location is stunning, all the staff are amazing but the food and beach need improvement.