L'Hermitage Beach, Reunion
The verdict
- Best for: Families and gentle swimmers who want calm, safe, shallow lagoon water and easy snorkelling off the sand, and anyone after the most complete, shaded beach day on Reunion with food and parking close at hand.
- Best spot: The shadier southern end toward La Saline les Bains on a weekday morning and a higher tide, when the lagoon has more water, the pines give cover and the crowds are thin.
- Know this: L'Hermitage is genuinely the best all round beach here, but it is also the most popular, so it fills at weekends and the lagoon runs very shallow at low tide, and you swim only inside the reef, never the open sea.
Published 1 April 2026. Last reviewed 21 April 2026
L'Hermitage is the beach that makes Reunion's coast make sense. After a drive through an island of volcanoes and rainforest, you arrive at a long white strip under whispering pines, a calm turquoise lagoon laid out in front and the green peaks rising behind, and it photographs as beautifully as it lives. This is the most complete beach day on the island, the place where the swimming is safe and gentle, the snorkelling is easy off the sand, the shade is natural and generous, and lunch is a short walk into the pines. For families especially, nothing else here comes close for an easy, happy day by the water.
The honest caveats are about popularity and tide rather than quality. Because it is the best and because it is free, L'Hermitage is the busiest beach on Reunion, and at weekends and in the July and August holidays the parking fills, the shade goes early and the lagoon hums with people. It is also a true lagoon, which means it is shallow, and at low tide the water can thin to ankle depth over coral that asks for care, so the swim you imagine needs a higher tide to deliver. And the island rule travels with you here as everywhere, you swim inside the reef and the flagged zones only, never out into the open ocean beyond the lagoon.
So our verdict is to love L'Hermitage for what it is and play it smart. Come on a weekday morning, aim for a rising or high tide, and walk to the quieter southern end toward La Saline les Bains where the pines are thicker and the crowd thinner, and you get the calm, shaded, gorgeous lagoon day the beach promises. Save the weekend afternoons, when it can feel like the whole island has arrived, and you will never see why anyone calls it crowded. Treat the coral gently, swim inside the reef, and this is simply the finest all round beach on Reunion.
The beach restaurants on this lagoon
L'Hermitage is a free public beach with restaurants behind the sand rather than a daybed club. We describe them honestly and route enquiries through our directory, never inventing fees or amenities.
Les Balancoires and the L'Hermitage beach restaurants
The L'Hermitage scene is beach restaurants under the pines rather than a reserved daybed club, with well known tables such as Les Balancoires behind the reef and Go by le Cap Mechant near the Novotel, plus several more along the strip. Verdict: a relaxed lagoon side lunch and a sundowner a few steps from a safe swim, mostly pay as you order, with opening days and any minimum spend to be confirmed by the venue.
L'Hermitage sits on the sheltered west coast just south of Saint Gilles les Bains, about an hour from the airport at Saint Denis and easy to reach by the coastal road, with car parking along the beachfront and the pine shade behind. It runs into La Saline les Bains to the south along the same lagoon, so you can walk the strip to find a quieter stretch. A hire car is much the easiest way to reach it and to explore the rest of the west coast beaches.
Bring a mask and reef shoes for the lagoon, time your swim for a higher tide when there is more water over the coral, and arrive in the morning at weekends to claim shade and parking. Carry small cash for parking and the beach restaurants, treat the coral gently and keep fins clear of it, and above all swim only inside the reef and the flagged zones, never out into the open sea. Pack water, sun cover and a picnic if you fancy lunch under the pines, and check restaurant opening days, which vary.
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Common questions
Is L'Hermitage the best beach in Reunion?
For most travellers, yes. L'Hermitage is the island's signature beach, a long ribbon of white sand near Saint Gilles where a coral reef shelters a calm, shallow, warm lagoon that is safe to swim and easy to snorkel, all shaded by filao pines. It is the most complete beach day on Reunion, with families, fish and beach restaurants in one place. The honest catch is that it is the most popular beach, so it fills at weekends and the lagoon can run very shallow at low tide.
Can you swim safely at L'Hermitage?
Yes, inside the lagoon. The fringing coral reef protects the L'Hermitage lagoon, keeping the water calm, shallow and safe for swimming and snorkelling, which is exactly why the island's swimming rules leave it open while the open sea is closed. Stay inside the lagoon, follow the lifeguard flags and signs, and never cross the reef into the open ocean. The water is gentle and warm, ideal for children, and conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Is L'Hermitage good for snorkelling?
It is the easiest snorkel on the island. The lagoon holds living coral and reef fish in clear, shallow, calm water you reach straight off the sand, so it suits beginners and children with a mask. Treat the coral gently, keep your fins clear of it, and snorkel on a higher tide when there is more water over the reef. It is a gentle lagoon snorkel rather than a deep reef dive, and the marine life is the quiet highlight of a day here.
Is L'Hermitage free and does it have facilities?
Yes, it is a free public beach, backed by a shady forest of filao pines that give natural shade, with car parking, beach restaurants and snack spots nearby and lifeguarded swimming zones. It is well used and well served rather than wild, so it has the comforts of a popular beach. Bring small cash for parking and food, arrive early at weekends for a shady spot, and confirm opening days of the beach restaurants, which can vary.
When is the best time to visit L'Hermitage?
The cool dry season from May to November gives the calmest, clearest lagoon, the most comfortable days and the lowest rain, and it overlaps the whale watching window offshore. Weekday mornings are quietest and the light is best for the water, while weekends and the July and August holidays are busy. A higher tide gives more water for swimming and snorkelling over the reef. See our Reunion when to go guide for the month by month detail.
Is L'Hermitage good for families?
Very much so, on a typical day. The reef sheltered lagoon is calm, shallow and warm with an easy sandy entry, the filao pines give shade, and beach restaurants and parking sit close by, which is the mix a day with children wants. Watch the reef and coral underfoot, swim only inside the lagoon and within the flagged zones, keep children close, and remember lifeguard cover and conditions are typical and never guaranteed.