Lodge de La Saline

As with the most beloved of homes, the heart of La Saline is its kitchen – actually, an organic restaurant. This simple space serves up the freshest local seafood and vegetables from the garden in a sophisticated but fittingly down-to-earth fashion. The camp's oval saline swimming pool is a blessing when temps rise. The spa offers excellent treatments, ranging from massage to full-body exfoliations.

Accommodation ranges from a four-person villa to eight two-person cottages and seven bungalows, and tents for campers. The spacious villa has a generous front patio overlooking the property's central gardens. Cottages sit side-by-side in the gardens with small porches out front, and sparse but adequate interiors. Bungalows are a bit more independent, also with lovely little verandas. All the rooms have en-suite bathrooms with solar-heated showers. Tents offer two mattresses on the ground and shared bathroom facilities.

This region offers a very special take on this special island. Exploring the mangrove's waterways in a kayak leads to all sorts of encounters, especially avian. Learning about salt harvesting provides fascinating insight into geology and ecology, as well as the local communities it sustains. Take a fishing trip in the ocean, marvel at the grove of weird baobabs, and take a guided night walk to see nocturnal lemurs.