Best hotels in Saint-Leu: 5 picks from the lagoon to the hills

In the hills above Saint-Leu at Les Colimaçons, a short walk from the Mascarin botanical garden. Two 23 m² bungalows and an apartment, each with a covered terrace and kitchen, look out over the ocean and the bay.

A heated pool and hot tub add to a fully homemade breakfast that guests praise as much as the hosts' welcome. The result: 9.7/10 from 181 Agoda reviews.

Reunion Island's only Relais & Châteaux property, set on the lower slopes above Saint-Leu, facing the bay. Its fourteen rooms and suites include two romantic suites with a private pool and spa and two 130 m² Creole suites in a villa.

The L'éveil des sens gourmet restaurant, a wine and cheese cellar, a pool heated to 29 °C and a spa set it apart, and it's clearly made for couples. There's a gallery of local artists' work, and valet parking when you arrive.

A three-hectare tropical garden on the slopes of Pointe des Châteaux, with around fifty bungalows for 2 to 6 people and about thirty rooms. The view drops straight down to the bay of Saint-Leu, where the paragliders land.

Two pools, the Cas'Akéa spa, Le Kotémer restaurant ( Creole buffet on Fridays ) and La Trattoria for pizza mean you can spend the evening on site. The hotel holds the EU Ecolabel and has been renovated in recent years.

A 100-apartment residence, from studios to three-bedroom flats, on boulevard Bonnier facing the Saint-Leu lagoon. Fully renovated, it reopened at the end of 2020.

Every apartment has a kitchen, which suits families and longer stays. The beach and the town's restaurants are three minutes' walk away, and snorkelling gear is lent out. Breakfast can be delivered to your apartment.

A simple, well-kept guesthouse on chemin Dubuisson, about 800 metres from the centre and a few minutes' walk from the beach. The host, Christine, is praised for her welcome.

With a shared kitchen, a lounge and a terrace, it feels like a family home. Ideal for a short stay built around the lagoon, paragliding or diving.