Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 0692 80 07 57, 0262 24 06 37;
www.hoteldelaplage.re
; 20 Rue de la Poste; d €65, without bathroom €42-55;
)
The highlights of this long-established and well-run, hostel-like venture are its ultra-
central location and colourful communal areas. The eight rooms are nothing special but
get the job done and have good mattresses and flat-screen TVs. Some have bathrooms,
some don't, some are spacious, some are boxy, some open onto a terrace, some don't.
Rooms 114, 115 and 116 are the best. Breakfast costs €6. Prices drop after two nights.
Book ahead.
Le Saint-Michel
( 0262 33 13 33; st-michel.hotel@wanadoo.fr; 196 Chemin Summer; s/d incl breakfast €76/98; )
Under new management, this great little number amid a tropical garden on the outskirts of
town was being renovated at the time of writing and should feature 28 modernised rooms
(some with sea views) by the time you read this. The on-site restaurant offers really su-
perb French cuisine with a Creole twist (menus from €15). It's a two-minute drive to the
centre and the beach.
HOTEL
€€
Hôtel des Palmes
( 0262 24 47 12; fax 0262 24 30 62; 205 Rue du Général de Gaulle; d €90; )
This two-star offers
good-sized villas, but its location ain't so great - it's sandwiched between the highway
and the main road to L'Hermitage. The pool is a joke. An acceptable plan B.
HOTEL
€€
Senteur Vanille
LODGE, VILLA
€€€
( 0692 78 13 05, 0262 24 04 88;
www.senteurvanille.com
; Route du Théâtre; studio d €85-100, villa q €160-190,
lodge d €145, lodge q €160-185; )
A true find for peace seekers, Senteur Vanille makes
you feel like you've stepped into a Garden of Eden, with mango, lychee and papaya trees
all over the grounds (the owner is a major fruit producer in Réunion). Curl up in a well-
equipped lodge or in a cute-as-can-be Creole house. The wonderful setting makes it easy
to meet the three-night minimum stay. No swimming-pool, but the nearest beach is a
20-minute walk down a path. It's a few kilometres east of the centre, in the direction of St-
Gilles-les-Hauts, signed down a lane beside the Total petrol station. No credit cards.
Eating
