Most often found amidst sugar cane fields and away from prying eyes at the end of an imposing path, the traditional creole houses are today a landmark of the early settlement of the French and English during the 17th and 18th century.

To a certain extent, the architecture of our traditional creole houses were replicas of their original birthplaces. And so, the colonisers brought with them the know-how and l'art-de-vivre and, adapted to the climatic conditions of the island.

The houses are built with valuable, fragrant and warm woods like camphor, teak, mahogany and the local 'bois de natte', and the ceiling deliberately made high for greater comfort during summer.

The roofs are slanted to evacuate rainwater and are made with wooden shingle boards and embellished with scalloped lambrequins of sheet metal or wood on the sides.

Typically, the creole house contains an impressive number of doors and windows, to give more light and ensure a good ventilation.

Another distinctive feature is the verandah. Considered as an extension of the house into the garden, it is often used to entertain outsiders, while the lounge is kept for more distinguished guests.

For greater comfort, the creole house later accommodated kitchen, bathroom and go-down, which until then had been kept as separate entities. Decorative attic windows, balconies with intricately designed balustrades in wood or cast iron were added to embellish the traditional creole house.

Over the years however, torrential rains and cyclones, lack of skilled carpenters and maintenance problems hundreds of magnificent and imposing estates have fallen. Many families have then switched to use concrete.

Today, there seems to be a renewed interest in the architecture of the traditional creole houses and many hotels are now recreating this very exotic feel.