Photo: Warren S via Google
The verdict
- Best forTravellers who want a long lagoon side lunch, a sundowner on the esplanade and a swim in calm water, rather than a reserved daybed and bottle service
- Single best spotThe beach restaurants under the filao pines at L'Hermitage for a lagoon lunch, or the esplanade at Boucan Canot for the liveliest beachfront scene
- One thing to knowReunion does not run a glossy beach club scene, so the real pleasure is beach restaurants and rondavelles, mostly pay as you order, with swimming in the lagoon or netted zone only
Club listings checked against our editorial standards by Morten Andersen
Published 3 April 2026. Last reviewed 27 April 2026
Read Reunion honestly and the phrase beach club needs softening. This is a French island with a relaxed, local seaside culture, so the beach life is restaurants, rondavelles and bars under the casuarina pines rather than the cabana and DJ circuit of the bigger Indian Ocean names. We think that suits the place, and the venues below are the genuine ones that make a day or an evening on the sand here, described by where they sit and the mood they keep. We never invent a polished club that does not exist, and we never disguise a paid relationship as a ranking.
The geography is simple, because nearly all of it sits on the sheltered west coast. Saint Gilles les Bains and its lagoon beaches at L'Hermitage and Roches Noires hold the densest cluster, Boucan Canot just north adds a smart pedestrian esplanade of cafes and bars behind a netted beach, La Saline les Bains keeps a quieter lagoon strip, and the southern town of Saint Pierre rounds it out with a lively waterfront. Most places simply take you as you arrive and you pay as you order, so where a venue sets a minimum spend or its opening days are uncertain, we mark it to be confirmed rather than guess. One rule travels with you everywhere here, you swim only in the lagoon or the netted bathing zone, never the open sea.
How much a day bed costs in Reunion
A day bed and umbrella are priced per day and rise in peak summer and for front row spots, so we list each figure as to be confirmed and suggest you ask when you book.
| Club | Day bed price | Minimum spend |
|---|---|---|
| Les Balancoires | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Go by le Cap Mechant | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Copacabana | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Cap Sunset | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Boucan Beach rondavelle | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Beach Club | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
Every venue, by the setting it owns
Real, established beach restaurants and bars on the west coast. Most are pay as you order, so any minimum or status is to be confirmed.
| Venue | Setting | Vibe | Minimum spend | Booking note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Les Balancoires | L'Hermitage, Saint Gilles | Lagoon side, healthy, all day | Pay as you order, to be confirmed | A well loved table tucked under the filao pines behind the L'Hermitage reef, with a calm lagoon view and a menu that runs from breakfast and brunch to lunch and evening tapas and cocktails. The setting is the draw, shade, sand and turquoise a few steps away, and it suits a long, easy day by the water. Booking is wise for a weekend lunch or sunset in season, and opening days can vary, so confirm ahead. |
| Go by le Cap Mechant | L'Hermitage, Saint Gilles | Creole buffet, generous, local | Pay as you order | The L'Hermitage outpost of a well known Reunion Creole name, set near the beach behind the lagoon, serving a generous buffet of starters, mains and desserts in a relaxed family friendly setting. Not a club but a proper island lunch institution, the kind of place you roll out of and straight onto the sand for a swim. Busiest at midday and weekends, with the lagoon a short walk away, and worth a reservation in peak weeks. |
| Copacabana | La Saline les Bains | Lagoon facing, fresh, refined | Pay as you order, to be confirmed | On the quieter La Saline les Bains lagoon, Copacabana faces the turquoise water and serves brunch, refined lunches and evening tapas using fresh, largely organic produce, a calmer alternative to the busier Saint Gilles strip. The setting is the postcard west coast lagoon, ideal for a slow day with a safe swim off the sand. Open select days through the week, so check before you drive, and book a table for the weekend. |
| Cap Sunset | Boucan Canot, Saint Gilles | Beachfront, lively, sundowners | Pay as you order, to be confirmed | A beach restaurant on the Boucan Canot rondavelle, right on the esplanade above the netted bathing beach, the spot for a lunch or a drink as the name suggests timed to the light. The scene here is the liveliest on the coast, cafes and bars stacked along the pedestrian front and a smart, sociable crowd. Come for the buzz and the beach, swim only inside the netted zone, and expect it busy at weekends and on fine evenings. |
| Boucan Beach rondavelle | Boucan Canot, Saint Gilles | Snack bar, daytime, feet in sand | Pay as you order | The casual rondavelle snack bar and restaurant right on the Boucan Canot sand, open through the day and the easy choice for a relaxed beach lunch or a cold drink between dips in the netted zone. It is unfussy and convenient rather than refined, which is exactly what a beach day wants, and it sits steps from the esplanade if you fancy something smarter. Daytime hours mostly, with concerts the occasional exception, so check for evening openings. |
| Beach Club | Saint Gilles les Bains | Bar and nightlife, near the sand | To be confirmed | Near the L'Hermitage beach and the Saint Gilles nightlife district, Beach Club is the coast's best known bar and late venue, a fashion conscious room that blends a beach feel with a night out, the closest the island comes to a beach party address. It is a nightlife spot rather than a daytime club, busiest on Friday and Saturday, so treat it as the evening end of a beach day. Entry, hours and any cover are to be confirmed. |
When the beach restaurants are best in Reunion
The cooler, drier season from roughly May to November is the prime stretch for a beach day, with warm comfortable afternoons, calmer seas on the west coast and the lowest rain, and it carries the bonus of the humpback whale season offshore. The hot, wet summer from December to April brings warmer lagoon water but heavier downpours and the cyclone risk, so the dry west coast is always the smart base. The beach restaurants stay busiest on weekends and through the local school holidays, and some close early in the week in the quiet months, so a quick check on opening days saves a wasted drive on the coast road.
Choosing your setting, the honest way
You rarely need a reservation for a casual drink or a beach snack in Reunion, because the scene is relaxed and a table is usually there for the asking. The things worth arranging ahead are a weekend or sunset lunch at the popular L'Hermitage and Boucan Canot tables in high season, a dinner over the busy December to April holidays, and any big Friday or Saturday night in Saint Gilles. Opening days vary, with some restaurants closed early in the week, so a quick check before you set out on the coast road is the local habit.
Match the venue to the day you want. L'Hermitage for a lagoon side lunch under the pines with the calmest swim, Boucan Canot for the liveliest esplanade scene and a netted dip, La Saline for a quieter refined table on the lagoon, and Saint Gilles for the night out. Send your date and party size through the form below and we will help you plan the right setting, book a table and confirm any cost, at no cost to you, and we will always point you to the lagoon or netted zone for the swim.
Book a beach club in Reunion
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Before you go
Does Reunion have beach clubs?
Not in the minimum spend daybed and DJ sense of the bigger Indian Ocean resorts, and that fits the island's relaxed French character. The Reunion beach scene is the rondavelles and beach restaurants under the filao pines at L'Hermitage, the esplanade cafes and bars at Boucan Canot, and the lagoon side tables at La Saline and Saint Pierre. Think a long lunch, a sundowner and a swim in the lagoon rather than a reserved cabana, with most places simply taking you as you arrive.
Where are the best beach restaurants in Reunion?
The west coast holds them. At L'Hermitage, Les Balancoires under the pines behind the reef and Go by le Cap Mechant are well known lagoon side tables, and the strip near the beach has several more. At Boucan Canot the pedestrian esplanade is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants such as Cap Sunset and the beach rondavelle, and at La Saline les Bains the lagoon facing Copacabana is a local favourite. We name the established venues and mark anything uncertain as to be confirmed.
Can you swim at the Reunion beach clubs?
You swim in the lagoon or netted zone beside them, never in the open sea. The beach restaurants at L'Hermitage and La Saline sit behind the reef sheltered lagoon, which is calm and safe for swimming and snorkelling, while those at Boucan Canot front a beach with an anti shark net enclosing a bathing area. Always swim inside the marked lagoon or netted zone, follow the lifeguard flags, and treat the open water beyond as closed, as the island's rules require.
Do you need to book a beach club in Reunion?
Rarely for a drink or a casual lunch, since the scene is relaxed and most beach restaurants take you as you arrive. Booking is worth it for a weekend lunch in high season at the popular L'Hermitage and Boucan Canot tables, for a sunset dinner, and over the December to April holidays when locals fill the coast. Opening days vary, with some places closed early in the week, so a quick check ahead saves a wasted trip. We are happy to help arrange a table through the form on this page.
Where is the nightlife in Reunion?
The west coast resort of Saint Gilles les Bains is the main night out, with bars and the well known Beach Club near the L'Hermitage sand, and the southern town of Saint Pierre is the island's other lively hub on weekends. It is a friendly, local scene of bars, live music and a club or two rather than a beach party circuit, and it winds down earlier midweek. Plan a big night around Friday and Saturday, and pair it with a lagoon day to recover.