Where to stay on Réunion
The essentials
- West
- lagoon, beaches, restaurants, sun — and the prices
- East
- waterfalls, greenery, quiet, volcano close — and the rain
- South
- wild, volcano, Saint-Pierre — a good compromise
- The Hauts
- cirques and hiking, cool, far from the sea
- The real question
- beach every day, or nature every day?
- The advice
- two bases maximum for two weeks
This is the decision that shapes the whole stay, and it is taken before booking the flight. We rent on the east coast, which does not stop us saying when another coast would suit you better — on the contrary: a guest disappointed by the east costs us more than a guest sent elsewhere.
The west — Saint-Gilles, L’Hermitage, Saint-Leu
This is the postcard: the lagoon, white sand, supervised swimming areas, seafront restaurants, nightlife. It is dry and warm almost all year.
It is also the most built-up, busiest and most expensive part of the island, and the furthest from the volcano — reckon two to two and a half hours to the Pas de Bellecombe. <strong>Choose the west</strong> if you want to swim in the sea every day, go out in the evening, and travel with children who ask for the beach.
The east — Sainte-Suzanne to Sainte-Rose
The windward coast: the greenest, the wettest, the least built up. No lagoon, no white sand, few restaurants. In exchange: the waterfalls, the pools, the forest, and a proximity that changes everything — Grand Étang twenty minutes away, Salazie forty, the volcano under two hours.
Prices are markedly lower for the same standard — see the budget broken down. <strong>Choose the east</strong> if you are coming for nature and hiking, if you prefer quiet to service, and if you accept swimming in rivers rather than the sea. Look elsewhere if the beach is the reason for the trip: it is on the other side, and it rains more here.
The south — Saint-Pierre, Saint-Joseph, the wild south
The best compromise for many trips. Saint-Pierre offers a real town, beaches, restaurants and a dry climate; moving toward Saint-Joseph and Saint-Philippe you enter the wild south, with the lava flows and Grande-Anse.
The volcano is an hour and a half away, Cilaos likewise. <strong>Choose the south</strong> if you want a bit of everything without arbitrating.
The Hauts — Cilaos, Salazie, La Plaine-des-Palmistes
For those who come to walk. Sleeping in a cirque saves two hours of daily driving to the trailheads, and the atmosphere has nothing to do with the coast. It is cool, sometimes cold, and the sea is far away.
<strong>Choose the Hauts</strong> for two or three nights in the middle of a stay, not for the whole thing — unless your trip is entirely about hiking.
How many bases
One for a week. Two for ten days to a fortnight. Never more. Each move costs half a day between packing, driving and check-ins, and on an island this size it does not buy much.
- A week: one base, one half of the island.
- Ten days: two bases, five nights each.
- Two weeks: two bases, or three if one is in a cirque.
- Every one-night-per-stop combination is paid for in tiredness, not in discoveries.
Our ten-day itinerary sets out a two-base version.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best coast to stay on in Réunion?
The west for the lagoon, beaches and restaurants; the east for waterfalls, quiet and proximity to the volcano, at lower prices; the south as a compromise. The choice depends on what you are coming to do, not on a ranking.
Is it better to stay in the east or the west of Réunion?
The west if you want to swim in the sea every day and go out in the evening. The east if you are coming for nature and hiking: the volcano is under two hours away against two and a half from the west, and prices are lower. The east has neither a lagoon nor white sand.
How many different places should you stay in?
One for a week, two for ten days to a fortnight. Each change costs half a day, and on an island of 70 km by 50 it does not buy much.
Is it cheaper to stay in the east of Réunion?
Yes, markedly, for an equivalent standard. The east coast has far less tourist accommodation than the west, and prices reflect it.
Can you visit the whole island from a single base?
Yes, technically: nothing is more than two and a half hours away. In practice one or two outings a week to the far side are enough — beyond that you spend the holiday in the car.
Written in Saint-Benoît, where we rent the bungalow, and updated on September 13, 2026. Access and swimming rules change: we always point to the authority in charge rather than speaking for it.
