If you're following La Route du Thé, then the final stop after Bois Chéri is St Aubin, an elegant plantation house that dates back to 1819; it originally sat alongside the factory but was moved in the 1970s so that its owner could get a quieter night's sleep. The estate no longer produces sugar, but in the gardens of the house there is a traditional rum distillery and a nursery growing anthurium flowers and vanilla – you'll learn all about the fascinating history of vanilla production on the guided tour.
The height of the St Aubin experience is a meal at the wonderfully charming table d'hôte in the main manor house. The dining room is one of best throwbacks to colonial times – dainty chandeliers cast ambient light over the white tablecloths and antique wooden furniture. The set menu showcases the fruits of the plantation: hearts of palm, pineapple, mango and chilli, to name a few. Reservations are recommended.
If you wish to stay the night, the on-site Auberge de St Aubin has three rooms in the plantation manse across from the estate's main building. The bedroom at the front of the house perfectly captures the charming colonial ambience with creaky wooden floors and cotton gauzing over the four-poster bed – the two rooms in the back are noticeably more modern and have a bit less character.
