Sainte-Suzanne

In 1841, in this town in northern France, a young 12-year-old slave named Edmond Albius discovered a technique that no one had discovered before him: manually pollinating the orchid flower that produces vanilla, using a bamboo stick and a flick of the thumb.

The technique has remained unchanged ever since, and without it there would be neither Bourbon vanilla nor a vanilla industry in the Indian Ocean. A 1-hour-and-20-minute drive from the residence, La Vanilleraie carries on this tradition at the heart of the Domaine du Grand Hazier, an 18th-century Creole plantation house designated a historic monument: a one-hour guided tour tracing the vanilla bean’s journey from the vine to drying, and a shop where you can buy award-winning vanilla directly from the producer.

One kilometer from downtown, you park, walk a hundred meters through sugarcane fields, and the Niagara Falls comes into view: twenty-five meters of water plunging into a large pool where you can swim; the contrast between the unassuming approach and the beauty of the site takes everyone by surprise. A little further upstream on the same river, Bassin Bœuf is the valley’s hidden gem: a short walk leads to a turquoise pool.

Be sure to wear sturdy shoes with good traction, and avoid swimming after heavy rains. As a bonus on the way back: the Bel-Air Lighthouse, Réunion’s only lighthouse, which has stood since 1846 overlooking the windward coast.