Tucked between blue waters and green mountains, Vanillerie is one of the most beautiful yet undiscovered places on earth. It offers travelers the ideal combination of nature, culture, and relaxation where it is impossible to be busied. When you visit Vanillerie, you are not merely checking another tropical destination off of your bucket list or counting down the days until you go home; you will be experiencing an environment where time is meaningless and interactions are genuine.
The name “Vanillerie” originates from its rich vanilla plantings, which once supplied Europe’s aristocracy with the finest vanilla beans. The sounds and smells of vanilla still fill everyday encounters throughout the country. Vanillerie’s comfortable year-round climate, ranging from an average 75-85°F (24-29°C), invites visitors throughout all seasons. However, the months of May through October offer the clearest skies and calmest seas.
What distinguishes Vanillerie from the rest is its focus on sustainable tourism. The local government has taken steps to ensure that environmental protections are upheld via strict regimes so that the natural beauty of the island can be preserved for years to come.
With its eco-friendly approach to tourism, you can enjoy the island’s unspoiled scenery while contributing to conservation just by your presence. Get ready to experience Vanillerie, a truly unique destination that effortlessly blends adventure, relaxation, and culture all in one experience!
The Pristine Beaches of the Azure Coast
The Azure Coast of Vanillerie, with its stunning beaches, includes Crescent Moon Bay, a perfect arc of powdery white sand and crystalline turquoise water. What is particularly special about this beach is that at night, under the fullest of moons, there is an equally magical show created by bioluminescent plankton once the sun goes down, which lights up the beach while the waves lap against the shore.
Just a short boat ride away, Hidden Lagoon Beach is surrounded by a magnificent limestone wall with lush jungle greenery hanging down its cliffs. This is a beach that is only accessible by water and contains the perfect swimming cove, even for less experienced swimmers, as it is protected from any rough waves.
If you enjoy snorkeling, just out from the lagoon is some of the most incredible coral reef and underwater life you will see — fish of every color of the rainbow in every direction, as well as birds in the trees, and maybe even a turtle or two circling below. Beach aficionados who come to Vanillerie often find these to be the most unspoiled beaches and beach experiences in the world.
Exploring the Vanilla Highlands
The Vanilla Highlands tower dramatically from the centre of Vanillerie and are entirely different from the coastal areas. This elevated landscape, which is over 3,000 feet high, contains an array of hiking trails that take you through misty forests, past roaring waterfalls and allow you to discover the hidden beauty of this aspect of the island. The Celestial Trail is a moderate 4 miles in distance up to Summit Overlook.
At the summit, you will take in breathtaking views that stretch across the entire island and out to the endless ocean beyond it. Along the way through the trail, you will see endemic birds found nowhere else on Earth. The highlands are home to Vanillerie’s historical vanilla plantations, producing under the practices of traditional vanilla cultivation that have been passed down for generations.
The Vanilla Heritage Estate also includes guided tours of the process of growing and curing vanilla beans, ultimately culminating in a tasting of vanilla-infused delicacies. When you attend when in Vanillerie’s highlands, the air is significantly cooler, filled with the vapour of the intoxicating vanilla blossom and wild orchids.
The Cultural Heart: Vanillerie City
Vanillerie City, a delightful little capital of the island, is full of life but still maintains some of the charm of the colonial era. The quaint pastel-colored buildings with ornamental balconies and cobblestone streets provide the ideal urban setting for exploring. The architecture in the historic district demonstrates combinations of French, Dutch, and indigenous influences, painting a picture of this island’s cultural background.
Heritage Square is at the center of the square, which is where several local musicians will frequently entertain crowds by sharing the infectious rhythms of the traditional melengue music. Food lovers, if you are in Vanillerie, the city’s Central Market is an endless supply of inspiration with one interesting vendor after another. The market is full of exotic fruits, freshly caught fish and seafood, and a world of aromatic spices.
Some vendors demonstrate a variety of cooking techniques where you might prepare their fish curry scented with vanilla or a coconut cassava pudding. A short distance away, you will find workshops operated by artisans that demonstrate the creation of wood carvings, woven textile products, and even vanilla-scented candles that would be ideal gifts upon returning your trip.
Adventure Activities for Thrill Seekers
Vanillerie is a dream for adrenaline junkies that goes well beyond beautiful views. The island’s varying terrain provides the ideal opportunity for adventure tourism in all forms. The Crystal Canopy Zipline Course, for example, takes you flying through the jungle treetops on a series of zip lines, increasingly zipping faster, until you finally take the last line 2,000 feet as the “superman” across a deep ravine with stunning views down coast, deep breath…so high! and…. relax as your experienced guides ensure your safety with a little storyline in-between, stopping to share their knowledge of the forest during the short breaks on platforms built around ancient tree trunks.
If you prefer the underwater thrill, the Cerulean Depths Marine Reserve is home to some of the most awe-inspiring scuba diving and snorkeling experiences one will ever encounter. The protected area has a difficult underwater landscape to some, spectacular caves, tunnels, and even a magical blue hole that plunges over 300 feet.
The marine life is in abundance; nearby are manta rays, dolphins, corals, and coral gardens. All certified diving instructors offer custom experiences to all levels of diving experience, making it relatively easy for an untrained beginner who is ready to embrace the water adventure offered in Vanillerie.
Luxurious Resorts and Accommodations
Vanillerie specializes in creating magical accommodations that fit well within the beauty of the island. The famous Canopy Haven Resort is made up of luxury treehouses built at the tops of ancient banyan trees, allowing for ultimate privacy and being surrounded by the jungle at 360 degrees. Each treehouse has floor-to-ceiling windows with private plunge pools and custom furnishings made by local artisans.
The resort has an award-winning spa that uses vanilla and other indigenous botanicals in its offerings to complement treatments to rejuvenate body and spirit. For those seeking coastal luxury, Azuline Beach Residences is a set of elegant villas located right on the Crescent Moon Bay.
These stylish beaches come with private beach access, butler service, and infinity pools that seem to flow into the horizon of the ocean. The property has a farm-to-table restaurant that harvests ingredients from the organic garden on-site, creating tasting menu masterpieces of Vanillerie. Guests going to Vanillerie looking for indulgence can find it in the exclusive oceanfront retreats.
Local Cuisine and Culinary Experiences
Vanillerie’s culinary adventure is a delicious blend of influences from the mix of cultures that make up its heritage and the natural richness of the island. It is a fusion of French style cooking, African spice cooking, with local ingredients to make dishes you won’t find anywhere else. Highlights of the cuisine include vanilla fish bouillabaisse, grilled coconut-marinaded fish, and “pain vanille” – a sweet bread made from local vanilla, eaten all day long.
Food lovers visiting Vanillerie should seek to partake in the traditional feast using an earth oven, where food is cooked in underground pits lined with hot stones, then covered with banana leaves. The traditional cooking method has taken root during centuries of indigenous use, imparting unique flavors and influences of food, such as slow-roasted pork with vanilla-root vegetables, that many have never tasted before. Eateries and community centres promote traditional feasts once a month during the full moon, and will come with accompanying music and dance.
Sustainable Tourism Initiatives
Vanillerie is a leader in sustainable tourism, employing alternative and sustainable practices to protect its unspoilt environment while providing great experiences for its visitors. Vanillerie operates on a low-volume, high-value tourism model, restricting the number of visitors permitted each year to maximise visitor satisfaction and protect the natural environment from the impacts commonly associated with mass tourism, such as overtourism and overcrowding.
This model protects Vanillerie by ensuring that visitors to Vanillerie enjoy attractions that are not crowded with people, personalized service, and the experience and personal lessons from making a minimal impact on the environment. One such experience that allows visitors to participate in a hands-on conservation experience in Vanillerie is the Coral Restoration Project, which enables visitors to adopt the coral and plant coral fragments on damaged sections of the reef.
These experiences involve a marine biologist teaching about the reef ecosystem and what they are doing to help regenerate the reef and offering the participant an opportunity to participate in hands-on conservation. Similarly, the Forest Guardians experience permits visitors to reforest areas that were lost to colonial-era deforestation by planting endemic tree species that regenerate and sustain local wildlife.
Planning Your Trip to Vanillerie
If you want to get the most out of a trip to Vanillerie, planning is important to make the most of the awesome things to see and do! Visitors are welcome year-round, although generally, if you want the best weather, you should travel sometime between May – October when there are sunny skies and gentle breezes that allow visitors to enjoy both land and water activities.
It is a high time for festivals from December to February that include events like the spectacular Vanilla Harvest Celebration that incorporate a splash of colourful culture, however, the downside is on some occasions, you might experience a tiny bit extra rain, although it is usually a quick 20 minute afternoon rain shower not all day!
Booking a trip to Vanillerie is being made increasingly easier with some major international hubs now offering direct flights arriving in Vanillerie from Paris, Singapore, and Miami. Many tourists who travel to Vanillerie include visiting many of the nearby islands, resulting in a beautiful ferry ride or a short, direct flight. For visitors arriving in Vanillerie, once you’re there, visitors can travel the island utilizing the comprehensive electric bus system, hire eco-friendly vehicles, or avail yourself of the many resorts that supply free shuttle transport to many of the desired experiences.
