This is a lovely, small and characterful hotel in the crater/mountains, and an ideal base for undertaking one of the many walks around the Piton de Neige. Rooms tastefully appointed, try the thurs/fri/sat night raclette & wine nights in the revamped wine cellar below. Wonderful, if cheesey. And the wine very reasonably priced too (around €15-€18 a bottle).
The description of the hotel as a ‘spa’ is somewhat rich - there’s a hot-tub on the top floor. Breakfast is simple and wholesome. A few local restaurants in the small town to eat (since, and apart from the raclette nights, there’s no evening fare here) and all serve everything with the local ‘delicacy’ of lentils. Which can get a bit dull, and heavy on the digestive system (especially when supplemented with the melted cheese off the raclette plate ).
One watch-out. For some unknown reason, groups of ‘fell runners’ seem to use the street corner outside the hotel to gather from 6am, telling apparently hugely funny jokes and guffawing loudly as they prepare to mosey on. So you won’t need to set your alarm to be awake an hour before the hotel starts serving breakfast at least. Quieter hotels exist in Cilaos.