Kaz Bourbon (La) - La Garçonnière

The Garçonnière, close to the main villa, was designed to accommodate the estate owner’s male guests. Because the houses were built by ship carpenters, they managed to withstand cyclones and the harsh climate of the Great South.
Up until 1930, Grands Bois was one of the largest sugar cane properties in Réunion, rivalling the property of the Count of Kerveguen, one of the most powerful and wealthy noblemen on the island.
This villa was built around 1800. The glazed veranda, the kitchen and the bathroom were added around 1900.
The name Grands Bois comes from the large forest covering these lands at the time, which one had to cross between Saint-Pierre and the D’Abord river to go towards the "Piton de la Fournaise" volcano. The Pointe des Grands Bois, seen on Flacourt’s map, has existed since 1653.

The Domaine des Grands Bois, created around 1730, originally belonged to Count Joseph CHOPPY-DESGRANGES, who arrived in Réunion in 1725. The Count owned 2,000 hectares of land, Terre Rouge, La Cafrine, Grands Bois, l'Anse and Manapany.
At the end of the sugar cane crisis of the late 19th century, the distillery of Grands Bois centralised the production of all factories in the south of the island, becoming the largest industrial centre.

The sugar cane factory stopped operating in 1991 after 161 years. Vue Belle, Stella and Matutina also ceased business. The mill of Gol in Saint Louis became the centre of sugar production not only for the south but also for the west.

A major transit and delivery centre for sugar cane still remains on the former Grands Bois property. Huge lorries called "cacholots", another word for whales in French, commute to the Gol.

The villa has been meticulously preserved for 220 years and is a gem depicting the island's traditional Creole architectural style. Let’s go back in time in a place full of history and memories of Bourbon Island, which later became Réunion Island.

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