Fleurs de canne à Saint-Leu
©

Fleurs de canne à Saint-Leu

|

Yabalex

Farm holidays on Reunion Island

3 reasons to indulge yourself

Feel like a truly out-of-the-ordinary experience? On Reunion Island, farm holidays are dream opportunities to discover the territory’s most generous aspects and accustom your taste buds to a thousand and one new flavours. There’s no lack of farm accommodation on the ultimate island and our passionate farmers will be happy to share their knowhow with you. Whether you opt for a guestroom or a gite, a farm holiday is an atypical family experience cadenced by the islanders’ generosity !

1. Combining conviviality and discovery of the terroir

Farm holidays are dream opportunities to engage in activities that will pique your curiosity and make your mouth water. A stroll through a vanilla plantation, a visit to a rum distillery or a guided tour of France’s top organic tea producer: there’s no lack of experiences for the whole family to enjoy !

Have you ever tasted freshly pressed sugarcane juice ? In Sainte-Suzanne, at the Payet & Rivière sugar refinery/distillery in Domaine de Bel Air, you can explore the sugarcane fields before pressing your own sugarcane juice in a traditional mill. And of course, sample their delicious products made from Pei galabé (unrefined whole cane sugar).

 

Notice to rum lovers! During your farm holiday, don’t miss out on the Distillerie Rivière du Mât, Reunion Island’s biggest rum distillery. Set between sugarcane fields and river, the company lends itself perfectly to a visit that combines expertise with gustatory pleasure.

2. Sleeping in a gite or an authentic guestroom

If you’re looking for authenticity, farm holidays are an excellent idea! And Reunion Island has plenty of labelled accommodation choices where you can spend a night or two (or more) on a farm. Whether you opt for a gite rental or a guestroom, the Bienvenue à la Ferme  and Accueil Paysan labels guarantee you an outstanding stay combining nature and tradition. One thing’s for sure: your hosts will be happy to show you round their farming estate !

You’re coming with your children ? To ensure your farm holiday is a truly unforgettable experience, the best thing to do is opt for a spacious and very comfortable gite in the ultimate island’s Highlands. From bungalow to XXL villa, a range of accommodation choices, labelled or otherwise, hold promise of a memorable family holiday in the midst of the estate’s animals and plantations. The promise of unbeatable family memories !

For a truly traditional stay, treat yourself and your family to a night in a guestroom on a farm. A stone’s throw from the Indian Ocean or in the open countryside, take full advantage of the revitalising atmosphere that Reunionese farms and agricultural estates have to offer. And spending a night on a farm also means enjoying the estate’s products ! What with freshly harvested fruit and the farm’s homemade jams, your stay will take a gourmet turn from breakfast onwards.

3. Tantalising your taste buds with farm products

A farm holiday on Reunion Island is the promise of an unparalleled culinary experience and more besides ! Whether you want to put yourself in a farmer’s boots for a while, learn the secrets of Creole cuisine alongside the islanders or try your hand at vacoa weaving, farm holidays on Reunion Island are opportunities to discover new passions and draw lessons from an age-old and extraordinarily diverse terroir.

Make the utmost of your farmstay by filling up on authentic flavours! With your family or among friends, let Julie and Varadan be your guide on the Lé Yabar farm and help harvest its produce. With slow-cooked chicken curry, spicy rougail sausages and Pei cakes as a bonus: all the way from picking to plate and great for spicing up your farm holiday!

 

Want to sample truly traditional Reunionese flavours ? In the Heights of Sainte-Anne, Philippe Morel will open wide the gates of his farm and invite you to spend the morning enjoying a family breakfast and a tour of the estate’s fields and plantations, picking up some of the farm’s produce along the way. Then, before savouring a delicious meal redolent with the ultimate island’s flavours, he’ll lead you into his wood-fire kitchen to give him a hand. Smoked jackfruit, masala and rougail sausages: there’s certainly no lack of tastes !

And for a 5-in-1 farmstay, what could be better than pedalling down the 5 Senses Trail on an e-bike? This unique itinerary in Bras-Panon will immerse you in Reunionese culture, including music, gastronomy, the art of weaving and a vanilla plantation. As a family or among friends, it’s an opportunity to acquaint yourself with age-old knowhow and enjoy unparalleled flavours. On the menu: heated rice, breadfruit and sweet potatoes, accompanied by a selection of Maloya tunes!

→ View all our farm holiday gourmet activities!