Hotel Mermoz Saint-Louis

Hotel Mermoz takes its name — and its theme — from Jean Mermoz, the pioneering aviator who flew the Saint-Louis-to-Brazil mail route in the 1920s. The hotel sits on the narrow Langue de Barbarie sand spit south of town, with a spa, pool, kids' club, horseback rides on the beach and a seafood-leaning restaurant. Quietest in the November-to-April high season; rates roughly halve in the wet months.