Balaclava Beach

Balaclava is named after the Crimean battle, in that contradictory colonial way, but it is more interesting than its name suggests: a deeply sheltered bay on the north-west coast, partially enclosed by a headland, with calm water of exceptional quality and the ruins of a French colonial arsenal — the Arsenal de Balaclava — that operated here in the 18th century and now crumbles photogenically into the coastal scrub.

The bay faces directly north, which means it is protected from the south-easterly trade winds that generate chop on the western and eastern beaches. The water inside the headland is accordingly calm even on days when the north coast's exposed sections are running with a small swell, and the lagoon floor — fine white sand dotted with coral formations — is visible with complete clarity from the surface. The snorkelling at Balaclava is among the finest accessible from shore on the island: the coral gardens directly off the beach, in three to five metres of water, are in particularly good condition and host a richness of reef life — large parrotfish, schools of goatfish, moray eels in their crevices, and the occasional hawksbill turtle — that surprises visitors who expect the better snorkelling sites to require a boat.

The beach is narrow and the facilities are limited — a small car park, the ruins of the arsenal walls among the trees behind the beach, and a couple of watersports operators who rent kayaks and snorkelling gear. The Maritim Hotel at the southern end of the bay has a public beach section and a bar that serves decent rum cocktails; the rest of the bay is public and uncommercialised. The ruins of the arsenal, a five-minute walk from the beach through a small wood, are officially accessible and occasionally have historical information boards; unofficially they are one of the island's more atmospheric and photogenic historical sites.