A stunning island paradise in the Indian Ocean has been described as just as beautiful as the Maldives, but it has hardly any tourists. Reunion Island is a French overseas territory and is part of the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Just east of Madagascar, it was named by Business Insider as one of the world’s most stunning islands that flies under the radar. Holiday rental site HomeToGo called it a “fantastic alternative to the popular Maldives”, an archipelagic state off the coast of India.

The island has a population of 873,000 that speaks predominantly Reunion Creole despite French being the official language. Reunion  is formed in the West by Salazies Mountain, an extinct volcano, and in the East by Grand Brule Mountain which is home to the active volcano Piton de la Fournaise. 

Michel Karam, CEO of müvTravel, called Reunion Island “one of the most unusual island paradises on the planet.”

He said: “The island is known for its volcanic, rain-forested interior, coral reefs and beaches.”

Réunion hosts many beaches. They are often equipped with barbecues, amenities and parking spaces. It is a great place to go for an adventure holiday with opportunities to hike, cycle, swim, scuba, paraglide, raft, dive, horse ride and whale watch.

Hermitage Beach is the most extensive and best-preserved lagoon in Réunion Island and a popular snorkelling location. It is a white-sand beach lined with casuarina trees, under which the locals often organise picnics.

Le Vieux Port in Saint Philippe is a green-sand beach consisting of tiny olivine crystals, formed by the 2007 lava flow, making it one of the youngest beaches on Earth.

But the towns on the edges of the island also deserve to be explored, with restaurants, museums and sights to enjoy. Most populated areas are on the edge of the island, with only one road crossing the centre of the country, which is 100km by 60km.

Always accompanied by rice, the most common dishes are carry (sometimes spelt cari), a local version of Indian curry; rougail; and civets.

Reunion Island can be visited by indirect flights from London, Bristol, Edinburgh and Birmingham. There are a number of bed and breakfasts, hotel resorts and holiday villas across the island that visitors can stay in.