The essentials
Papers: ID card or valid passport for Europeans, valid passport for the rest of the world. The entry conditions (tourist visa) are the same as in France.
Currency: euro (EUR)
Time zone: GMT +4
Best time to visit:
The climate is tropical, with two main seasons: the austral winter and the summer (rainy season). The best months to visit are the following:
- May-September (austral winter, dry season): the weather is cooler than between December and March (very hot!), which is ideal for hiking and the sun;
- October-November (spring): flowering period. The rainy season starts in November but tropical storms usually happen later (mostly in January).
Don’t forget it’s always cooler in the mountains so bring a jacket along with your swimsuits!
Budget: I found out Reunion Island is quite expensive in terms of groceries (a bit more expensive than France). Regarding the accommodation, you should find a house to rent between 60-150€ per night for 2 people. If you spend a night in a lodge when hiking in the mountains, it costs around 40€ per person (meal and breakfast included). I’m not sure about the hotel rates but it’s definitely more expensive. Finally, car rentals cost between 15-20€ per day. As a conclusion, I would say one week on the island – flight not included – costs around 500€ per person.
Airports
There are two airports on the island: Rolland-Garros (Saint-Denis, North), which is the international airport, and Pierrefonds (Saint-Pierre, South), which only flies directly to Mauritius.
From the airport of Rolland-Garros, you can take the bus or a taxi to reach your accommodation, but I highly recommend you rent a car. Indeed, there are so many places on the island where public transportation is not available and it’s way easier to have your own car. You can find more information about the bus services here.
The airport of Pierrefonds is located near most of the island’s major tourist sites, therefore it’s better if you can land there directly (after a stop in Mauritius). It’s also possible to rent a car, take a bus or a taxi from this airport; get more info here.
To book your flight, I advise you to use Skyscanner, which compares travel fares (flights, hotels, car rentals) around the world. I always use this site to find the cheapest flights!
Accommodation
If you’re planning to go to Reunion island for your holidays, I recommend you look for an accommodation between Saint-Gilles and Saint-Pierre, where most of the tourist sites and beaches are situated.
My favorite places are situated near Saint-Gilles because of its beautiful beaches, bars and restaurants. As long as you find something between Saint-Gilles and Saint-Pierre you will be well located, it can be either on the coast for the proximity of the beach or a bit higher (for instance Piton Saint-Leu) for the view over the mountains and the ocean. Don’t underestimate the time to go up if you choose to rent a house in the mountains because of the many twists on the road!
I don’t think you have to change your accommodation during your stay; I mean you could if you’d like to be closer to the tourist sites (for example spend the first week on the West coast and then a couple days in the South) but it’s not necessary. Anyway, if you go hiking or if you go to the volcano, it takes between an hour and two to get at the starting point by car.
Now the question is… hotel, house, lodge, B&B? Actually, it depends on you! I’m not a hotel person – I prefer to rent a house and organize everything by myself. But there are several hotels on the island (which I don’t know except the Palm Hotel situated near the beach of Grande Anse, I love their cocktails and the view!), as well as many villas, lodges and B&Bs. I mostly use AirBnb to find a house or an apartment to rent, and Booking for the hotels, along with Trip Advisor in order to read the advice before booking.