Day 6, 5th July

We were greeted early in the morning by our driver (and new friend) Mohammad from Solis, and after an uneventful drive to the airport and flight, we arrived in Isle de la Réunion. Again, Nick from Above and Boyond Travel had organised our trip seamlessly, with a gentleman waiting for us outside of the gate to give us our vouchers for the hire car and hotel, and of course directions (although at first we missed him and the poor bloke was waiting for about half an hour while we went on a wild goose chase all around the airport trying to find how to get our car).
We picked up our little car (a Fiat Punto which Carl said is much easier to drive than the monstrosity we drove in Europe), and set off on our little adventure to find our hotel, the Blue Margouillat. As the island is relatively small (about 80km from north to south), I had an easy job of navigating, we drove straight down the N1 and were there in an hour. And again, we were not disappointed. It is a quaint little hotel with a distinctly homely feel, the gorgeous terrace overlooks a tourquoise pool and has sweeping 180 degree views of the Indian Ocean. Our room, "Les Vanilles", is crisp and white with dark wood furniture and a balcony with breathtaking views. It does need to be noted that on many placed on the island, including our balcony, there is a faint septic smell wafting through every now and then. However, as a seasoned traveller who has visited Thailand, Fiji and Vanuatu, this smell did not bother me too much or impact on our stay in any way.

We decided to explore and drove downhill towards the shops and beach. There are a few little bakeries, small "self-restaurants", bottle shops and a supermarket. We were soon made aware that this island has a siesta of sorts, and many stores were shut. We were quite hungry so were determined to find an open restaurant, and were pleased to find "Le Lagon", a beach front cafe with a similar vibe to Byron Bay's "Beachy" in Australia. We were told that few people in Reunion Island spoke English, and it was true, but with my broken French we negotiated our way to a beachside table and delicious lunch. The entire meal including drinks cost approximately 50€.

We drove back to the hotel to meet Yves, the local tour guide in order to decide what we were going to see during our stay in Reunion. He said that 3 days was not enough time to see everything, as most sites including the cirques and volcano were a 2 hour drive. He gave us the option of a 45minute helicopter tour that enables you to view all the sites for 240€ each. We politely declined as we were more keen to get out and walk around when visiting the island's offerings. After saying "au revoir" to Yves, we went back to our room to grab our cossies, and walked down to the beach. Surprisingly, the sand was black. By this time the temperature had dropped a little and we were happy to lie and soak up the mild afternoon sun and watch the sun set.

Back at our room in the Blue Margouillat, we researched dinner options using the free wifi available, and decided on Sarah Beach which was rated the 2nd best restaurant after the Blue Margouillat (Le Lagon was rated 3rd). Sarah Beach was quite easy to find by car, not far after the small bridge in St Leu. It looks a little ordinary from the outside, but we were directed through a bar to a large terrace with Balinese-inspired decor. It was a shame that we didn't arrive before sunset, as we could hear the crashing waves and although it was dark, we were certain that Sarah Beach would have a spectacular ocean view. After stumbling through some French orders, the waiter happily spoke English. When I needed help with a French word on the menu, "canard", I asked the waiter for a translation and he replied "duck, mraag mraag mraag mraag", giving us a complete impersonation of a duck, hand beak and all! Carl and I politely waited until he had left before we stifled our erupting giggles. We shared a delicious meal of seafood risotto, dyed with squid ink, and I ordered the chicken. The meal was accompanied by a cocktail for me and a Dodo for Carl. We were almost out of cash so stuck to our budget of 45€.

Walking back to our car we were concerned to see small puddle of fresh blood on the curb leading to a trail of droplets down a driveway of a restaurant. We didn't follow the trail (naturally) but do hope the person is ok.

St Leu is relatively quiet, at least this time of year, so there was very little option but to return to our room, crack open a bottle of wine (purchased earlier at the SuperU) and have a relaxing night in. I don't think either of us could complain about that!

Day 7, 6th July

Our day started with a jog down to the beach and back, and let me tell you it was more involved than our regular jog from our house in Bondi to the beach and back! The winding descent made for a lovely take off, and we were greeted by the sweet scent of the flowers, some territorial (although harmless) dogs and some disgruntled hens. We crossed the busy Rue du Genéral Lambert onto the dark earthy land before the beach. It was a comfortable run, with the thick trees shading us from the morning sun and their needles softening our step. Here, some savvy travellers had set up tents and hammocks to enjoy the most prime (and cheap) accommodation on the island. Unfortunately we aren't able to run on the black sand of the beach as the beach is regularly separated by rocks, blocking our way. The ascent back to the Blue Margouillat was tough to say the least! The hill is steep and seemingly endless and the smoky air and diesel fumes did not help my hunger for oxygen. On my arrival to the hotel I was gasping for air and we were getting some "vous êtes fou!" looks from the staff, but it was well worth it when we saw the breakfast. It was a small buffet consisting of a selection of pastries, cereals, yoghurts, cured meats and cheeses, and scrambled eggs and bacon. There was also an option to boil your own eggs! A friendly staff member named Jeremy came and informed us (in English) that he will be bringing us our fruit, bread, butter, jams, fresh juice, tea and coffee to our table. The food exceeded expectations in both quality and quantity and needless to say, we were satisfied.

We packed our bags with sunscreen and other necessities and left to find the Cirque de Salazie, which we are told is the favourite cirque amongst locals as it is lush and green, has beautiful waterfalls (particularly the Mare à Vielle, which is said to look like a bride's viel) and a picturesque town named Hell-Bourg. On the way north up the N1 and west on the N2, we giggled about the town named "Le Tampon" and wondered what on earth it means in French. We flipped the radio to "RTL2" (102.8FM) which played endless 80's power ballads and we were right at home. Unfortunately, no radio station lasted long without static so we were forced to flick constantly. The sign for the Salazie (D48) exit was so faded that we nearly missed it!

Carl expertly followed the gently winding road through Salazie (we did stop for a short while, but there was not much to report, the town itself is tiny and consists of only a few shops and a beautiful cathedral) on to Hell-Bourg. The trip was exquisite, with walls of green exploding periodically into stunning waterfalls. The town of Hell-Bourg, like many in Reunion, is a bit of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it, and we found a park when we realised we were already at the far end of the town. The scenery is spectacular- we were surrounded by lush green mountains misted theatrically with fog. I marvelled when I saw the sign for the Maison Folio, which was the main attraction I wanted to see. We started up the stairs just as the gates were closed firmly by a gentleman stating with no apology "C'est fermé!" I was devastated- we had forgotten about the Reunion siesta! The mansion would not open again for another hour and a half, and we were not keen to wait around in case we were forced to drive back in the dark. Slightly disenheartened, we searched for the second and final attraction that lured us the Hell-Bourg, the spa ruins. We could not see any signs, and asked for directions from a staff member in one of the few shops that were open at the time. She must have misunderstood us as she directed us to a nearby hotel with spa facilities. Meandering aimlessly around the small town centre, we did stumble upon a tiny sign next to an abandoned, overgrown building, that we think said (in French) it was a thermal treatment centre for the military. Was this the spa ruins? We still don't know, as the surroundings were so unkempt that we could not get close enough to see.

Feeling as though we had experienced what little Hell-Bourg had to offer, we hopped in the car and began the scenic descent back to the N2. My stomach was rumbling but I was determined to wait until we arrived at Saline-les-Bains, between St-Gilles and St Leu. Yves had recommended we eat at a little beachfront cafe named "La Petite Vague". After a two hour drive we swung into the vast car park and we're delighted to plonk ourselves into a chair overlooking the beach, our toes sinking into the sand. Just in time, too, as i had "une faime du loup" and could have eaten a horse. The waiter approached and I said "La carte, s'il vous plaît". "Pour....?" he replied. I clearly looked confused, because he went on "pour boîte, pour manger?" "Ah! Pour manger, s'il vous plaît" I replied. "Je suis desolée, (a whole bunch of French words that mean the kitchen closed 15 minutes ago and they are now only serving drinks)". I nearly cried! We did have some fruit and trail mix in the car so we munched on them while Carl enjoyed a Dodo (beer) and we walked the 30m to check out the beach. It was gorgeous! The sand white (although plenty of coral, so it was necessary to step with caution). The water was a warm 24 degrees so we stripped off and took a dip. Back at the Vague, I asked when the food is available and they said that lunch was between 12-2:30, so Carl and I promised to be back the following day. Seeing as it is Friday, we thought we should end the week with a few drinks down at St Leu, so we watched the sun set from our balcony with some beer and wine, then walked down to St Leu in the dark, trying to stay in the safer parts of the road as there is no continuous footpath, or lighting, and the winding streets do not give drivers adequate opportunity to see us pedestrians. St Leu was eerily quiet, only a pizza van and the service station open on the Rue du Genéral Lambert. We were glad to turn toward the beach where one or two restaurants were open, and we opted again for Le Lagon as it was directly on the beach. After our usual dance of half French Créole, half English and charade-like hand gestures, we ordered several fruity cocktails, a salad and pizza. We ate with the sound of the waves breaking and as always, the waitress was shocked when we declined coffee and dessert. The portions are so big that we couldn't possibly fit them all in! The bill again was around the 50€ mark, and we headed out (without much hope) to find a bar/club to finish the night. We walked through the ghost town and noted that at this hour it was definitely somewhat busier. There was a little bar that looked like a backpacker bar, with a pool table and some chairs on a small deck, but as we walked past the locals were staring, they must be surprised at tourists this time of year, so we just kept walking. Haha! It got quiet again and we chatted as we walked, we were all alone and heard a low whistle coming from directly behind us, but when we turned to look we couldn't see anyone there! Beside the footpath is the darkness of the trees, I won't lie, it was extremely creepy. After that we were anxious to get back and relaxed when we reached the turn off towards the Blue Margouillat. We finished the night on our lovely balcony, sipping beer and wine, one of our favourite holiday pastimes.

Day 8, 7th July

Carl and I agreed to forgo the Volcano and have a casual day rather than trying to fit in another road trip. After a sleep in and a divine breakfast (again served by the friendly Jeremy), we headed to St Gilles, a tiny town north of St Leu. We checked out the water, which was tantalizing (you can't swim there as there is no lagoon and it is unsafe) and window shopped before heading back to Saline-les-Bains, our favourite spot on the island. Being a Saturday, the car park was packed and we snagged a sneaky spot (this is nothing compared to Bondi!). Yesterday we had seen many stand-up-paddle boards for hire, and we set off to find some, though we could only find some clear kayaks. Deciding they would do, I asked if we could hire them for a half hour (12€), and unfortunately we could not as the tide was too low and we would risk ruining the bottom of the kayaks. He directed us a 5 minute walk down the beach to L'Ermitage where we could hire some boards. This was a much busier stretch of sand and we hired the paddle boards for 5€ each (1/2 hour). What a way to see the lagoon! The water was so clear that we might as well have been snorkelling. We glided over coral, tropical fish such as colourful angel fish and oh, millions of sea slugs. When we were done we went for a short dip (I was, of course, deterred by the sea slugs) and plonked on the sand to rest. Not wanting to miss lunch AGAIN, we headed back to La Petite Vague for a deliciously huge salad each (about 35€ including drinks). What a gem this place was! Thank you Yves! After lunch, back to the beach we went, for some relaxation and frisbee. Carl made a friend in a local dog, who was adamant he was part of our frisbee game and reluctant to take no for an answer.

Back at the hotel, sunset and aperitifs on the balcony were a must, and dinner was pre-booked downstairs at the famous Blue Margouillat restaurant. The menu is expensive for the island, but so worth it! Although we didn't understand much of the menu (they do have an English menu but it might as well have been foreign for all the sense it made!), the waiters were happy to help us with our orders and we guessed our way through. Given that I am a somewhat fussy eater, particularly with seafood, I was delighted to find that the entrees and mains were both so delicious that our plates were cleaned. The dinner and cocktails came to 133€. Money well spent!
The best part was, there was no long uphill walk home, only upstairs to our room. A memorable way to celebrate or final night in Reunion!

Points to remember:

- In general, you will be waiting for service of any kind. Be patient! These people work on island time.

- St Leu was not a fun place to walk around at night at this time of year. It is eerily quiet!

- Average temperature was low to mid 20's

- Blue Margouillat is a great hotel but quite far from all amenities - which is ok if you have a car but a hefty uphill walk. It also had a faint septic smell noticable from many areas of the hotel. The staff however are so friendly, especially Jeremy!