The reference budget in Réunion is €100 per day per person for an upper-mid-range stay. This covers a double room in a 3-star hotel or charming gîte (€60-100/night for 2), lunch at a table d'hôtes or Creole snack (€12-18/person), dinner at a restaurant (€25-40/person), car rental (€35/day, shared), petrol, site entries and activities (€15-25/day).
A budget traveller can manage with €60-80/day: stage gîte (€15-25/night), self-catering, transport by Car Jaune bus complemented by walking, free hikes. The stage gîtes in the cirques (Mafate, Cilaos, Salazie) cost €15-30 a night in dormitory or €35-50 half-board. A guesthouse room in the Highlands (Plaine-des-Cafres, Hell-Bourg) costs €60-90/night for 2 with breakfast.
The comfort or luxury traveller finds magnificent charming accommodations in Réunion: Diana Dea Lodge (Sainte-Anne), the renovated Creole villas of Hell-Bourg, the west coast resorts (Lux Saint-Gilles, Iloha Seaview Hotel, Le Saint-Alexis). Count €150-300/night for 4-star hotels, €350-600/night for the island's best establishments.
A few practical tips. The French health card (Carte Vitale) works normally (French health system). EU roaming applies for French subscribers: no need for a local SIM. Local time is UTC+4 (3h ahead of France in winter, 2h in summer). The time difference is felt but short (eastbound flight, fatigue more marked on return). Driving is on the right as in France, signs and rules identical. Petrol and imported products are more expensive than mainland (10-30% surcharge); local products (fruits, fish, samosas) are competitive. Avoid excessive tipping: service is included, as in mainland France.
Read also
- The Cirques of Réunion — Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie: the UNESCO heart of the island, its vertiginous ramparts and remote îlets.
- The Wild South — Lava flows, Piton de la Fournaise, Saint-Philippe vanilla and volcanic beaches.
- The West Coast — Saint-Gilles, L'Hermitage and the turquoise lagoon: Réunion's beach resort coast.
- Saint-Denis and the East — The Creole capital, the vanilla plantations of the East and the tropical humid coast.