Le Saint Alexis **** Hotel & Spa

You come here for a beachfront stay with rather more going on than a bed and a view. Le Saint Alexis is a four-star hotel and spa in Saint-Gilles les Bains, built around arches, columns, walkways, terraces and a tropical garden beside the ocean. It is also Réunion’s oldest four-star establishment, so there is a little history behind the polished surfaces rather than just another anonymous resort name.

The setting suits divers who want the sea close but also appreciate a proper room, a restaurant and somewhere to stretch out between outings. English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside French and German, so you can sort out the practical details without resorting to underwater hand signals at reception.

The overall rhythm is easy to understand: breakfast, sea, pool, spa, dinner, then a bed with air conditioning and a minibar. The hotel has 58 rooms, a 24-hour reception, free Wi-Fi throughout and free private parking.

The address is 44 route de Boucan Canot, in Saint-Gilles les Bains on Réunion’s west coast. You have direct access to Boucan Canot beach, with its white sand, sun loungers, parasols, showers and beach bar. The hotel garden reaches the beach, with shaded areas beneath the coconut palms; no complicated expedition is required when you fancy a swim or a little snorkelling.

Saint-Gilles is about 2 miles away, while Saint Paul is roughly 4.3 miles away. A bus stop sits directly in front of the hotel, with services towards Saint Paul, and several restaurants are within a short walk, including Léden and Bistrot de Pépé Gentil at around 300 metres.

For a change of scenery on land, Eden Garden is about 5 miles away and the Etang Saint-Paul Nature Reserve around 6 miles away by road. Roland Garros Airport is about 26 miles away by road; Pierrefonds Airport is around 29 miles away.

You get the useful basics for a dive holiday rather than a room designed only to look good in a photograph: air conditioning, a balcony or terrace, a minibar, a flat-screen television with satellite channels and free internet access. The bathrooms have a bath, and the rooms include a spa bath, which is a respectable way to deal with legs that have spent the day finning about. Extra-long beds are also available.

For a couple, the Standard or Superior room keeps things straightforward, while the Deluxe rooms, Junior Suites and Suites add a sofa bed and more space to separate sitting from sleeping. The larger suites make more sense when you want room to spread out, or when several people are travelling together. Family rooms are available, including options with pool access.

Pool-access rooms are the obvious choice if stepping straight into the water matters more to you than having a balcony. Other views include the garden and the pools, and soundproofed rooms are available for those who regard a full night’s sleep as essential equipment rather than a luxury. Room service runs from 6am to 11pm, useful when the sensible evening plan is dinner in your room and an early night.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with cooking built around Réunionnais, classic and exotic flavours. Local produce is given priority, alongside French and international ingredients, so the menu has more range than a standard hotel buffet. Breakfast is a continental buffet, with local organic products among the choices, and it starts at 6.30am — early enough for a proper start before a morning on the water.

There is one bar, Le Bar, set open to the terrace and tropical garden beside the beach. It covers the essentials properly: cocktails, a cocktail of the day, local and imported beer, wine by the glass, champagne, local rums and a broad selection of Scotch, Irish, American and Japanese whiskies. This is the place for a drink with sea air rather than a fluorescent lobby pour.

From 1.30pm to 5.30pm, the bar also handles casual food: sandwiches, panini, créole baskets, croque-monsieur and salads. Dinner is served from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, with lunch from midday to 1.30pm. You can book the stay with breakfast, half board or accommodation only. In the evening, men need trousers and closed shoes in the restaurant; the flip-flops can have the night off.

Two large outdoor pools wind through the hotel, with areas for swimming and simply floating about. There is also a heated outdoor sensory pool with water jets for aquatic massage, plus sun loungers, beach chairs and a hot tub. Between the beach, the pools and the garden, you have several ways to spend an afternoon without putting fins back on.

The 500 m² spa, Le Spa, sits in a tropical garden beside the beach. Its treatments include massages, aquatic massage, facials, body treatments, hammam and sauna sessions, with Sothys protocols and treatments designed for two. A DUO treatment room opens towards the sea, while the spa’s heated sensory pool and water jets give you somewhere to let the shoulders recover. The spa opens from 9am to 6.45pm.

If sitting still becomes too ambitious, the fitness centre has views over the pools and includes hammam and sauna facilities. The hotel can also arrange or support walking and cycling, hiking, golf, sea trips, fishing and big-game fishing, as well as canyoning and rafting. For a gentler evening, local artists’ exhibitions, temporary galleries and Saint-Gilles entertainment provide alternatives to another round of television.

Check-in runs from 2pm to 10pm, and check-out is by 11am. You need photo identification and the card used to guarantee the booking at check-in, and the cardholder must be staying at the hotel. The front desk is open around the clock, with concierge assistance, luggage storage and private check-in and check-out.

An airport shuttle is available and can be arranged with the hotel; car hire is also available. If you are driving, private parking is free on site and does not require reservation. The bus stop outside gives you another way to reach Saint Paul without moving the car, while free Wi-Fi covers the hotel.

Children of all ages are welcome, with cots available on request and babysitting available by arrangement. The restaurant has a children’s menu, and accessible facilities include wheelchair access, adapted bathrooms and three rooms for guests with reduced mobility. Pets are not allowed.

Le Saint Alexis holds the Qualité Tourisme Île de la Réunion certification. The hotel’s setting puts the tropical garden, Boucan Canot beach and the Indian Ocean directly into your daily routine, whether you are swimming, snorkelling or simply sitting under the coconut palms.