I’ll be honest, if it weren’t for Amex, I wouldn’t have found out about this hotel or the town of La Plaine-des-Palmistes.

Le Tuit-Tuit is a small, but formidable 10-bedroom hotel located in the middle of the Island of Reunion that makes it feel like a home away from home.

Already, the Island of Reunion already feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere, but then when you’re here in Le Tuit Tuit in La Plaine des Palmistes, you feel like Reunion might as well be a full-fledged country.

For starters, you’re in a small quaint town in the middle of the French mountain countryside and forget that you’re actually on an island in the Indian Ocean. Next, your closest neighbor to your left is Madagascar and to your right is Mauritius—instead of Switzerland or Germany. Yet, the climate and environment, due to the elevation and landscape, can feel the same. You might as well be in the Vosges Mountains in the Alsace region of France.

Continue reading below to see how the hotel got its name.

Picking a Hotel in Reunion Island (France)

While the nearby island nation of Mauritius has a litany of hotels to choose from, Reunion Island is the opposite and has a dearth of options from which to pick hotels. That made both travel destinations very difficult for choosing accommodations.

With Reunion, it just felt like an additional chore to pick the right accommodation. However, when I booked my flight on Air Mauritius from Mauritius to Reunion on the Amex portal, a pop-up appeared with several options. Le Tuit Tuit stared right at me, and after a quick glance and running the numbers, I decided I wanted to give this place a shot—and it fit within my budget.

What I now had to figure out was how to get to La Plaine des Palmistes—the town where the hotel is located.

Getting There

Hôtel Le Tuit-Tuit is almost 32 miles (a little over 50km) from Roland Garros Airport.

There are two ways to get there: the pretty simple way of route N2, which will take 50 minutes; or the way that I took, which ends up being a little over 2 hours but is way more scenic and crosses the Route du Littoral—essentially a lengthy bridge right over the Indian Ocean—through the towns of Saint-Louis and Le Tampon. This route is super super scenic.

Then there is the question of how to get there. You can rent a car or get a taxi? I add a question mark there since it would be prohibitively expensive to get a taxi when you could have more efficiency with a car. But if you have a medical condition or are maybe older in age, navigating the twists and turns could be something you’re not interested in dealing with.

The entrance to the hotel is kind of obfuscated and not clearly laid out apart from some signage. But once you enter the property, you will notice you’ve arrived. You’ll be greeted with a house-shaped hotel with a green, mountainous background.

Check-in & Exploring Le Tuit Tuit

This hotel is different than the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa and Preskil Island Resort from the island nation just over the pond in that no one will come and fetch your luggage and carry it to the hotel or to your room.

Instead, you will need to drag your own luggage down the entrance way and to your room. But before you do so, you will be greeted by friendly staff and offered a welcome drink ranging from alcoholic to non-alcoholic. There’s even an assortment of teas to choose from.

From there, you can choose to decompress after driving down the winding roads of N3—or explore the sauna, kitchen, and other areas.

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The Room

The hotel room is rather small for two people but seemingly large enough at the same time. There’s even a patio and a chair where you can sit out and reflect and pretend like you’re a philosopher like Rousseau and the like.

You will have some snacks available too that staff will have prepared.

The bathroom is not a single unit. Instead, the shower (with see-through glass) is right next to the sink. The toilet is located away from the sink and has its own room closer to the door. Maybe they should have some sort of privacy-enabled filter or shading like other hotels just in case you don’t want it to be a romantic destination.

Nevertheless, this felt very personal and quaint. And at the same time, it can also be said that it is too quaint. I’ll explain more later.

Location

La Plaine des Palmistes is a very beautiful town that’s situated roughly 3,300 ft (1,008m) or more above sea level. Which is why the surrounding air is a lot cooler, which drops even more during cloud cover, otherwise known as “brouillard” (fog).

That means in certain areas it can reach above 7,800 ft (but that’s above the central area). That puts this town on par with places like Asheville, NC (up to ~3,600 ft) and Boulder, CO (~5,430 ft) in terms of altitude, especially in its lower-lying areas.

It’s just astonishing that you can be in the very hot climate at the base of the mountain and swim at the beach in Saint-Louis and then reach sweater-climate in a matter of an hour, on an island, in East Africa, in the Indian Ocean, and near mainland Africa.

What’s even crazier is that this town is somewhere I probably wouldn’t have explored otherwise. Given the hotel’s placement, I’d honestly call it more of a “safari resort”—but on an island. I say that because the whole area is actually a forest preserve (Reunion National Park)—a UNESCO World Heritage site, complete with nearby waterfalls (Biberon), a local brewery (Brasserie de l’ilet), a distillery (Arômes), and an artisan shop (Domaine des Tourelles).

It’s essentially a one-stop-shop oasis on an oasis.

Amenities

There are not that many amenities at this hotel. This is more of a retreat. I mean, I shouldn’t say much before this turns into a Vinpaya yoga retreat with past life regression enthusiasts.

The amenity and amenities is the very nature of the island itself.

But the hotel does have an accessible swimming pool with a nearby sauna and spa area and an on-site restaurant and upstairs bar.

The Nature

Some hotels have the beach or the city. Le Tuit Tuit has nature. And that’s the purpose of this hotel—to be basked in nature.

What I found formidable was to go in the sauna at night until you are all heated up and then go outside to the outdoor swimming pool deck and sit in one of the chairs and just look up in the sky. You will see thousands and thousands of stars, one of the clearest night skies you could imagine.

It’s for this reason that I’d recommend bringing binoculars to just enjoy the night in peace without the busy noise of cars and traffic and light pollution. It’s one of the clearer places I’ve been besides America’s countryside and rural Hawaii on Big Island.

Food

The hotel has one restaurant, La Table du Tuit-Tuit, that’s situated on the bottom floor. If you arrive before the weekend, this will be a rather quaint spot that will just be either you or any other on-site hotel guests.

Once the weekend comes, this place swells with nearby inhabitants and passersby, making it a more cozy and comforting experience.

I will have to say the weekdays where it’s a little more quiet can feel kind of eerie. It definitely feels like the movie—The Menu. Because here I am on an exclusive island that has a “pricey, lavish menu” and there’s nowhere to run or hide. I mean, you’d have to exit the location and then make your way to the car and then drive out the zig-zag roads, but then you are still on a small island.

These are, of course, just the ruminations that occurred in my head as I was waiting for the food to arrive.

However, once the food arrived, all these existential fears of being alone in the woods (as a city slicker) dissipated. The food was simply delicious. A hair of haute cuisine just tucked away in the mountains and talent that’s hidden in this small restaurant in this small town. It just has to be shared.

Breakfast was also quite enjoyable. Included in the price, it goes beyond an “American continental breakfast,” where you can get fresh juices and freshly prepared omelets and eggs of your choice. Again, simply delicious.

Service

Since this property is essentially a personal hotel—at least that’s what it felt like—the service is A+.

Your needs are always being tended to. Even on the last night, arriving late from a restaurant in Le Tampon, the maître d’hôtel stayed and chatted with us. Talking about Reunion and even offering a sampling of the island’s rum and stayed well past his due time when he should have been with his wife.

This sort of hospitality is what makes a hotel more than a hotel and a marvel in the heart of La Plaine-des-Palmistes. Although this destination might not be frequented by fellow Americans (we were the 4th Americans to attend this one-year-old property), I hope others can witness the beauty of not just Reunion but this property, their service, and the cuisine which is reflected from locally sourced ingredients.

Tips, Tricks, and Logistics

• Rent a Car: While more expensive than taxi services (€40-50/day or about $43-54 USD), having your own transportation is essential for exploring the winding mountain roads and isolated attractions.
• Pack Layers: The temperature difference between the coastal areas and mountain regions like La Plaine-des-Palmistes can be dramatic. Bring both swimwear and sweaters (temperatures can range from 30°C/86°F at the coast to 15°C/59°F in the mountains).
• Book Weekend Dining in Advance: The hotel’s restaurant becomes popular with locals on weekends, so secure your table early to avoid disappointment.
• Bring Stargazing Equipment: The lack of light pollution makes this location perfect for astronomy. Pack binoculars or a small telescope if possible.
• Plan for Both Relaxation and Adventure: While the hotel is perfect for unwinding, nearby attractions like Reunion National Park (free entry), Biberon waterfalls, the local brewery (tours from €15/$16 USD), and artisan shops provide plenty of daytime activities.

Trip Soundtrack

Because every adventure needs a soundtrack, each of my trips comes with a theme song. And for this trip's anthem? Well, it's...

Danyèl Waro - Banm kalou banm

Conclusion

This nascent property located in the heart of Reunion beats its own drum. It represents what a hotel should be—efficient, calm, personalized, measured, and offers necessities from de-stressors and a cuisine that makes you not want to go anywhere else.

While there are some areas that will continue to improve over time as a newer property, this hotel delivers unparalleled service and hospitality right in the heart of Reunion, making you want to come back.

And what’s with the name Le Tuit-Tuit? Well, that’s actually a bird endemic to the Island of Reunion. Known as the Reunion cuckooshrike, it’s a critically endangered bird that whistles its namesake.