Holidays in Guadeloupe

Understanding Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635 except for the years 1813-1814 when it came into Swedish possession as a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes 2, Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin French part of the island of Saint Martin

Climate 

subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity

Terrain 

Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin

Talking in Guadeloupe

French is the official language of Guadeloupe, although Creole is widely spoken Everyone understands French but few people understand English

See also: French phrasebook

What to do in Guadeloupe

Scuba diving and snorkeling There is an amazing assortment of tropical fish, even in water less than one metre deep For those who can't swim, glass bottomed boat trips are on offer

There are many festivals to attend to in Guadeloupe In Guadeloupe they call them "parties on the street" They use colourful ribbons and tie them round their wrists to resemble the colours of all the nations Their parties last all through the night until the early morning They sometimes call them "swatson"

Buying stuff in Guadeloupe

• Characteristic of the Antilles is the colourful tiled Madras fabric
• The local made rum is also distinctive and very cheap to buy Certainly worth sampling during an evening at one of the beautiful beaches or at home when showing vacation pictures to friends and family to warm everyone up to caribbean temperature

Food and eating in Guadeloupe

Not to be missed, the plate Colombo chicken, rice, curry, imported from India, has become the typical regional plate the expected cost for food is anywhere from 499 to 3899

Drinking in Guadeloupe

The local drink is white rum Do try the "'Ti Punch" Petit Punch/small Punch rum, lime, and sugar cane/brown sugar Packs a wallop, so be prepared to melt into the island way of life

Accommodation in Guadeloupe

• PV-Holidays Sainte Anne Holiday Village +33 1 58 21 55 84 http://wwwpv-holidayscom/scripts/fiche_produitphp?id_ofr=214&id_sai_passe=1

The self-catering village is made up of exotic 2-floor houses, each of which contains several hotel apartments It is located “on the water’s edge” and is embellished by tropical gardens Surrounded by two beaches, sports and water areas and has many on-site shops

• Chalets Sous-le-Vent - Réserve Cousteau Route de Poirier, Pigeon Basse-Terre Region, 40km from Airport +590590989161 http://wwwsousleventbiz Véronique & Alex welcome you in their 7 fully equipped cottages located in a 2'300sqm tropical garden with a swimming pool and sea view, facing the "Réserve Cousteau" marine park in Guadeloupe Diving spots and beach 5 min away by car

One chalet is fully equipped for disabled persons Swiss owners and alumni of the Lausanne Hotel Management School Special offers for scuba-divers

Cottages 2-3p Bungalow with aircon 2-4p Twin cottages 4-6p

• Sunset Surf Camp 97118 Saint François, Grande-Terre http://wwwsunsetsurfcampcom/index-enhtml From €29 per night for a dorm room high season 2010 One of the few perhaps the only? backpackers accommodations in Guadeloupe, with both private rooms and dorm-style rooms of three beds The surf camp is located within a 2500m² tropical garden located a few hundreds meters from Raisins Clairs beach and it takes less than 10mn to walk to the center of Saint François
• Grand Baie Vacation Rental Terre-de-Haut, Iles des Saintes http://wwwgrandbaiecom/homepage_227htm From €48 for a studio You can choose to stay in one of our two houses :

"Anse Caraïbe" located in the center of town close to beaches and shops, or "Grand Baie" located on the edge of town on a hill overlooking the bay, only two minutes walk from the first beach Rental possibilities range from studio apartments suitable for one to three people, to the whole villa up to 22 people

• Hotel Amaudo Saint-François, Grande-Terre http://wwwamaudofr/gb_indexhtm From €130 a night High season 2010 Has the best online reviews by a mile on the whole island, and looks beautiful in photos!
• Hotel Karaibes Le Gosier, Grande-Terre http://pagesperso-orangefr/karaibeshotel/english/indexBhtm From €70 per night High season 2010 Two star hotel, basic but clean and fine
• Hotel le Petit Havre Route de la Plage - Petit-Havre - 97190 Gosier - Grande-Terre http://wwwhotelpetithavrecom/index-gbphtml From €85 per night high season 2010 Simple two star hotel
• Aloes Vacances route de la pointe des châteaux la coulée 97118 St François, Grande-Terre http://monsiteorangefr/aloes-vacances/indexjhtml From €85 per night for a studio high season 2010 Gites holiday apartments in St François, less than 10 minutes walk from the beach and the town
• Les Gîtes de la Grande Source Rue du Souffleur - 97127 La Désirade http://wwwantilles-info-tourismecom/guadeloupe/sourcegbhtm From €46 per night for a double high season 2010 On one of the most genuine islands of the Guadeloupe archipelago, vacation bungalows in quiet tropical gardens only some 200m from the sea are awaiting you
• Oualiri Beach Hotel Beauséjour - 97127 La Désirade http://wwwim-caraibescom/oualiri/index-gbhtm From €60 for a single low season 2009 Of a reasonably small size allowing personal contacts, the Oualiri Beach Hôtel offers all the charm and authentic atmosphere proper to the island of Desirade

Working in Guadeloupe

For European people coming from an EU country, working in Guadeloupe is allowed without problem If you're from outside the EU, you will probably need a work permit - check with the French Embassy in your country Do not forget though that the unemployment rate is around 28% But if you work in the heath sector doctor, nurse, it will be much easier Else you could find a job in bars, restaurants, and/or nightclubs The better is to have a precise idea of what you want to do, inform yourself and prospect before going there

Voluntary service: Volontariat Civil à l'Aide Technique VCAT Conditions: you must be French or from another EU-member state or a country belonging to the European Economic Area You must be over 18 and under 28 years old inclusive You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences VCAT 11, Préfecture Guadeloupe 12

Cities in Guadeloupe