Day 1
La Pointe Des Chateaux + L’anse Des Chateaux + Plage De Bois Jolan + Plage De Sainte-Anne
Our very first taste of paradise ! We dipped our feet in the sea and it was a lot warmer than we thought it would be! We saw a cross at the top of a hill, a rainbow that ended in the sea and even whales at the horizon! It was beautiful! This was also our first beach but it wasn’t quite what we expected – it was a mix of rocky shoreline (meaning a costal area where rocks and boulders make a land-sea boundary) and muddy sand.
Our very first white-sanded beach! My sister and I went snorkeling together just off the coast while my parents sun-bathed on the beach. We saw our very first tropical fish – they were so pretty! I think we spent an hour just under water trying (and failing) to count the fish.
Once again we went under water to count more fishes (bigger this time). There was this sort of barrier made of big boulders and underwater lots of coral and algae were growing and therefore lots of fish and other creatures were feeding. Later when we got out of the water dad had gone to play beach volleyball so we decided to sunbathe a bit on our towels.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Pointe des Chateaux
- Plage de Bois Jolan
- Plage de Sainte-Anne
- Le Lucullus (food)
Day 2
Anse Bertrand + Trou A Madame Coco + Plage du souffleur
When we first arrived we were on a beautiful coastline with a very nice little cove (apart from the fact that it was full of sargassum and didn’t smell very nice). However the aim today was to go and see the cliffs and coves a little further along.
After a few minutes of walking we started to see (and smell) the sea and salt. As we got closer to the cliffs it got windier so we had to hold onto our hats. And then we saw it – a natural and impressive chasm located in the commune of Anse-Bertrand – The Trou A Madame Coco. It was a very beautiful sight! Basically the ocean had eroded the cliff and formed a mini cave.
Last thing we did today is we went to this little beach nearby and we went around 4:00 so we got a snack (churros) and ate them on the beach. They were very yummy and and a good energy boost after a long day.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Le trou a Madame Coco
- Plage du Souffleur
- Chez Coco (food)
Day 3
Le Gosier + L’Îlet Du Gosier
Today we set off early to catch a boat to L’Îlet du gosier (also known as gosier island). When we arrived the boat had just left so we had to wait for the next one. While we waited we admired the view from the pontoon.
As soon as we arrived on the island we loved it. Turquoise waters, sandy beaches and many more things made it extremely attracting. First we set up our stuff in a quiet corner where no one else had sat down yet. Then, we went snorkelling a bit in the shallow waters but didn’t see any fishes. Once we had walked around a bit and seen the island we went back to our spot and had lunch there. After lunch we went snorkelling again and this time we saw lots and lots of fishes in every shape and size.
After visiting the island we were all a little hungry so we had an ice-cream in a restaurant on the beach in Le Gosier. It was very yummy.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Le Gosier (village)
- L’Îlet du Gosier
- Ti Robinson (food on island)
- Restaurant Point Vert (food in village)
Day 4
Zoo De Guadeloupe Au Parc Des Mamelles
Today was our longest car journey so we decided that instead of doing the whole drive in one go we would break it down into two parts. Plus we found a zoo that was just about half way along the journey so we visited it. It was amazing – and the thing I liked the most is that all the species and plants were local so that all of them were in their natural habitats and not in fake or artificial ones. Here are some of the animals that we saw : turtles, toucans, red pandas, lemurs, panthers, jaguars, ocelots, alligators, snakes and many many more!
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Zoo de Guadeloupe (au parc des Mamelles)
- Le Mambo (food)
- Restaurant Le Pik (food)
Day 5
La Souffrière + Les Bains Jaunes
Today we woke up extremely early (in my perspective anyways) as we were meeting the guide at 7:30. When we got there we saw that he wasn’t even wearing shoes and when we asked he said that he hadn’t been wearing shoes for so long that he had developed a natural sole on the underside of his foot! Then we started hiking and every so often he would stop the group and explain certain things, like for example Tarzan swings from roots and not vines (which is a common misconception). Another fun fact he taught us is that in 1976 the volcano had a major disaster and more than 700,000 people were evacuated. This lead to Basse-Terre having a smaller population to this day. When we finally reached the top, we had to wear gas masks as there were dangerous fumes that could kill you on the spot.
After the walk we returned the masks to the guide, put on our swimsuits and literally jumped straight into the water. It was so warm because the source ran underground in the volcano meaning it was heated by the lava inside. It was extremely nice and we really enjoyed it after the long walk.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- La Soufrière
- Les Bains Jaunes
Day 6
Musée De La Banane + Plage De Roseau + Distillerie Longuteau
This morning we visited the banana museum. It was basically a small tour inside a building explaining the history of the fruit, how to harvest it and many fun facts about them. To finish of the tour we visited this huge garden with many, many banana trees (even though bananas actually grow on herbs and NOT trees). Along the way the guide gave us the opportunity to taste five different types of bananas including tiny ones called ‘frécinette’.
After visiting the banana museum we went to a small beach nearby where we rested (and tanned) in the sun.
We had actually reserved a tour at the distillerie in the afternoon so after some good food we went there. It was quite boring for me and my sister but our parents enjoyed it. Basically the guy explained how rum was made and all the bits in between.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Musée de la banane
- Plage de Roseau
- La Maniocerie De Germaine (food)
- Distillerie De Longuteau
Day 7
Plage De L’étang + Centre De Plongée des Îlets (sur la reserve cousteau) + La Plage De Malendure
This morning we didn’t move around too much as we had a big activity in the afternoon so we went down to this little beach the housekeeper had recommended as it was very close by.
We did scuba diving in two trips (my sister and mum dived first while dad and I waited on the boat and then vice versa). While I waited for my sister and mum to come back up I went snorkelling close-by the boat and saw loads of fish. Obviously I was very excited considering what I could see from the top – I couldn’t wait to dive down! When it was finally my turn I was very excited and ready to go explore the seabed! Before we went under the surface the woman asked me if I had dived down before and I said that I had but a long time ago. She could tell that I felt at ease as she didn’t hold onto me as much as I remembered so I was happy with the improvement. OMG! You will NOT believe what we saw down there!!! So we were hardly at 5m and then the woman who was diving with me started pointing excitedly and doing a gesture with her hands. When I looked towards where she was pointing I saw a …… TURTLE!!!!!!!!! I was very excited. And the best part was that we approached the turtle so much and it didn’t even seem bothered that we were and continued eating. It was so freaking CUTE!!!!
After coming back with the boat we sat on the beach and ate a yummy nutela-covered waffle. It was very very YUMMY! And a good energy refuel because you don’t realise while you are diving but it is absolutely exhausting!
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- O l etang (food)
- Centre de plongée des Îlets
- Reserve cousteau
- Plage de malendure
- The Sattisfood (food)
Day 8
Plage De Malendure + Maison Du Cacao
Once again this morning we went to La plage de Malendure as a man on the boat told us it was the best spot to go and see turtles. So we went back but sadly with my sister we had no luck at the start. However, when we came back mum had gone swimming alone and all of a sudden she started shouting to come quick and that she had something very cool to see. So we swam as fast as we could and there was a beautiful green sea turtle. My sister and mum were very excited as they hadn’t seen any turtles yesterday.
This afternoon after driving a bit we went to La maison du cacao. It was a very nice experience as the first part was just wandering around this huge cacao garden with many signs explaining how to take cacao and make chocolate out of it and near the end there were quiz boards and a window viewing the lab/place where they made the home-made chocolate. After touring the garden we were let into this room where we tasted all the different steps of making chocolate and the guy explained all the steps in detail as well. At the very end he explained how hot chocolate making had evolved over the years (for example ancient Aztecs added spice in theirs to make it more flavoursome). After all of this we visited the boutique and bought chocolate (obviously) to take home.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Plage de Malendure
- Gina Delices (food)
- La Maison du Cacao
Day 9
Plage De Petite Anse + Plage De Grande Anse + Plage De La Perle
Today is beach all day! As we were in our new house for the first full day today, we decided to discover the local area and beaches nearby. The first one we went to today was called Plage de Petite Anse – this means Beach of the Small Cove for those of you who don’t speak french. This beach was very beautiful and quite empty which was nice. We started by the usual – just playing on the edge of the sea in the small waves. Then we ventured out a bit further just swimming a bit. We went out quite far but since me and my sister didn’t have our snorkels or masks we couldn’t see all the fish underwater so we quickly swam back to the beach to grab those and also the bodyboards to flout with when the water got deeper. This time we went out a lot further and saw loads of fish but especially huge sea urchins that we had to be very careful we didn’t stand or trod on. Eventually, Giulia got tired and went back to the beach with mum while me and dad ventured even further out. Th further we went the less rocks there were and the more coral and sea grass there was. This led us to think we might soon see a turtle as this is where they are usually found. And then we saw something move along the sea floor – It was a TURTLE !! As dad had kept the camera we took some pictures of it. Then we swam across the cove as we were starting to feel the current pull us out to sea and we swam back along the other side where we saw lots more fish hiding in the rocks.
This beach was as pretty as the last one – especially after a lunch refuel. It was a lot bigger than Petite Anse so there were more large waves coming to the shore. We walked along the beach a bit until we found the perfect spot to put down our towels and then dad and I decided to walk all the way to the end of the beach and take some nice photos. Then we walked all the way back to the towel where we played with the beach ball for a bit and then took the bodyboard down to the waves. It was extremely fun as it took us really close to the beach. We also discovered another fun game that I named Boardless-Bodyboarding. The waves were huge and we all took some nice gulps of sea water along with doing multiple forward rolls but the key part is that we all had fun!
This was the last beach of the day and really did live up to it’s reputation. It was a beautiful beach with pearly white sand (hence the name of the beach) and clear blue waters. Although the waves were quite big here we didn’t stay very long as it was getting a little late and we had a bit of a drive to get back home. We still played in the water for a bit though and we sat on the sand and watched the skim boarders playing in the waves. Plus we had a pool at the house we were staying at and we enjoyed ourselves in the water there.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Plage de Petite Anse
- Le Madras (food)
- Plage de Grande Anse
- Restaurant L’amer (food)
- Plage de la Perle
- Chill restaurant bar (food)
Day 10
Nico Excursion
We were very excited this morning because we were going on an excursion that looked really great. We arrived at the harbour where the boat was docked and got on board. The captain’s name was Adrien, and he was very friendly. Our first stop was over the “Barge” wreck—a ship that used to transport bananas and sugar. It had sunk during a cyclone over 60 years ago. The second place we stopped to explore was a cluster of mangrove islets out at sea. There was a seahorse to see, but it was tiny, so I missed it. On the other hand, we saw baby barracudas—even though they can be dangerous, they were so cute!! The last two stops were along the coral reef—a barrier that keeps out animals (like sharks) while also sheltering a 15,000-hectare lagoon and the west coast of Basse-Terre from the huge waves coming from the Caribbean sea. These stops served as a comparison: the first showed coral that had died due to mass bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) outbreaks, and localised human impacts such as water pollution and tourism. The positive contrast was evident at the final stop, where we were shown enormous—and truly magnificent colourful coral of all shapes and sizes – this featured : star coral, elkhorn coral, sea plumes, blade fire coral and many, many more !! And to wrap up the outing, Adrien made a special stop at a sort of picnic spot where we ate sandwiches and drank fresh fruit juice (or a glass of *planteur* punch for the adults).
This was our very last beach in Guadeloupe – it’s crazy how at the start it feels like i-time passes really slowly and over the course of the trip time speeds up and all of a sudden it’s all over and you just wish you could go back to the start and do everything again. To put it simply, this very last beach is magnificent. The waves were smaller, so we could have fun without having to do water acrobatics. We also played beach volleyball.
Top spots (and places to eat) :
- Nico Excurcions (captain Adrian is recomended)
- A KA SISI (food)
- Restaurant LE CDC (food)
- Plage des Amandiers
- Kreolisches Restaurant (food)
Overall we all very much enjoyed this journey (especially the sun, the sea and the cultural food). I hope that if you ever go to Guadeloupe one day this will help you find the best spots to discover there.
Thank you for reading
Cara xx
