Guadeloupe Holidays Guide

The Caribbean

caribbean accommodation guide

Guadeloupe, an archipelago in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, is a French territory that covers1,705 sq. kmand has a population of about 400,000.Guadeloupe is located in the eastern Caribbean Sea southeast of Puerto Rico, and is the centre of Caribbean Creole culture. This island group offers a unique experience to travelers, with French, African and Caribbean cultures influencing its food, dance, music, and lilting patois. French imports make dining on Guadeloupe a pleasure, and you'll find more than 200 restaurants throughout the islands, some on the front porches of local homes. Many of Guadeloupe's visitors are from France, drawn to thecharming culture, arresting waterfalls, and mystical forests.

Guadeloupe Highlights

Guadeloupe Holidays Planner

Guadeloupe is the ideal destination for nature-lovers who enjoy soaking in the sheer, pure beauty of unspoiled locales.The more sophisticated Grande-Terre boasts white-sand beaches and low hillsides, as well as most of the islands' resorts and hotels. The biggest town, Pointe-à-Pitre, is a European-style shopping mecca, offering itemsimported from France at savings of about 20 to 30 percent.

Places to Visit

Be sure to take in the spectacular waterfalls found in the jungle of Basse-Terre. The falls requiring a 3-4 hour hike aretypically far less popular with tourists, so you might just find yourselvesall alone in the middle of nowhere with one of nature's wonders—an experience that is almost spiritual.

Guadeloupe Accommodation Guide

The two largest islands in the archipelago are shaped like the wings of a butterfly—Basse-Terre to the west, crowned by La Soufrièrevolcano (dormant), Eastern Caribbean's highest point at 1467 km, and Grande-Terre to the east. Surrounded by crystal clear waters and coral reefs that attract avid divers, the coast of Grande-Terre is a limestone ridge with rolling hills, tall cliffs, and sandy beaches that run in colour from powdery white to golden brown to volcanic black.While the two main islands are an eclectic mix of old and new, theoutlying islandshave changed very little over the centuries. On Terre-de-Haut, part of the Iles des Saintes, you will find pristine beaches and families that have lived there since it was first settled by the Bretons. Marie-Galante in the southeast produces some of the best rum in the Caribbean so be sure to join the residents for a drink.

Guadeloupe Holiday Tips
Guadeloupe Travel Info
As one of the more developed islands in the Caribbean,it comes as no surprise that the airport, Guadeloupe Pole Caraibes located near Pointe-a-Pitre, is thoroughly modern and sleek. The best way to get around the island is by car, asthe bus system is both infrequent and unreliable.Although … do try it once, as a ride on a Guadeloupe bus can be a real experience—cheap, full of locals, conducted by fearless drivers, you'll see the gorgeous vistas to the sounds of Guadeloupeanzouk music. Or, you can hire a car at the airport with no problem. The main roads in Guadeloupe are modeled after those in metropolitan France and are easy to navigate, but be very careful when driving on the smaller roads. Like most of the region, these are often uneven, pot-holed and potentially dangerous, both because of the conditions and also because of the exuberance of many local drivers.
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