Ever heard of the Guadeloupe Islands? If you haven\u2019t \u2013 you are not alone as these fascinating islands are pretty much undiscovered and one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean! And you know how I love my off the beaten path destinations \u2013 making this relatively unknown slice of heaven a perfect place to visit in the age of social distancing.<\/p>\n
Michel Kozminski<\/strong>\u00a0– the\u00a0Trade Production Assistant for the Tourism Board of the Guadeloupe Islands<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 recently joined my video chat series and presented us with a marvelous overview of this archipelago of five islands in the French Caribbean \u2013 giving us a glimpse at the beauty that awaits for any traveler who chooses this destination for their vacation spot. And believe me \u2013 you will want to choose it after you read this!<\/p>\n Pull up a lounge chair, apply your sunscreen and sit back and relax while I tell you all about it!<\/p>\n **************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting There:<\/strong>\u00a0Guadeloupe is a French territory located in the southern Caribbean between Antigua and Dominica which means for my East Coast folks its quite easy to get to. There are a host of direct flights available including JetBlue – three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday) – from New York\u2019s JFK which is a three and a half to four-hour flight time. And it\u2019s an 8:00 AM flight making it easy to connect to if you are coming from Boston, Burlington or LAX. One note \u2013 this schedule is seasonal and only runs in the winter from November through to the end of April. There are also two weekly direct Air France flights from Miami on Tuesday and Saturday and American Airlines has one out of Miami as well a direct flight on Saturday \u2013 with both airlines running this schedule year-round. The flight times from MIA come in at a little over three hours. And another plus? As of this writing JetBlue\u2019s tickets started at $159 one way \u2013 so very affordable flights!<\/p>\n Language and Currency and More:<\/strong>\u00a0As I noted in the intro – the Guadeloupe Islands are actually an archipelago of five islands. There are two main islands \u2013\u00a0Grande-Terre<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Basse-Terre<\/strong>\u00a0– connected by a bridge and they just so happen to be shaped like a butterfly – which is why Guadeloupe is nicknamed the\u00a0Butterfly Archipelago<\/strong>!\u00a0Marie Galante, Les Saintes and La Desirade<\/strong>\u00a0make up the remaining three islands. Oh – and of course they have an international airport where you will arrive \u2013 and it is located in middle of the two main islands.<\/p>\n Guadeloupe is on Eastern Standard Time and as I mentioned it is a\u00a0French Territory<\/strong>\u00a0so it is part of France and the European Union \u2013 so you will need your passport to travel here. The official language is French, but English is widely spoken as well. And Euro is the currency used on the island \u2013 with banks and ATM\u2019s widely available throughout. Transportation:<\/strong>\u00a0Guadeloupe is considered a premiere island-hopping destination with an excellent inter-island connection system via ferry. The three islands surround Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre are located within a mere 20 to 45-minute boat ride and ferries run every day, several times a day. You can take an early morning ferry over to the island of your choice, spend the day and return on a late afternoon ferry. As for the two main islands \u2013 it is very easy to rent a car there and you can actually drive across them both in about two hours \u00a0– so you can do a one day rental if you like.<\/p>\n The Islands of Guadeloupe:\u00a0<\/strong>As Marco relayed \u2013 the islands are a slice of France in the Caribbean and the Guadalupe archipelago is like a box of chocolates where there is always something new to discover. And – as you will see – each island certainly has a different flavor. And since they are so close together it is quite easy to experience each and every one while you are visiting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sightseeing and Activities:<\/strong>\u00a0As Michel exclaimed \u2013 this is the ultimate French Caribbean experience with countless activities for everyone – a cool mix of French art de vivre and Caribbean simplicity where you are guaranteed to have a good time!<\/p>\n The destination screams wellness and soft adventure. There are a lot of green activity thanks to the rainforest! And there are activities for the more adventurous too \u2013 such as zip lining, mountain biking, canyoning and a few adventure parks.<\/p>\n This archipelago is preserved – with an impressive 77% of its territories classified as natural reserves. And here you can find over 250 unspoiled beaches, over 50 waterfalls and 256 miles of way marked hiking trails. These breathtaking untouched beaches mean there are a lot of blue activities \u2013 as Michel said \u2013 it\u2019s an aquatic dream!<\/p>\n They have a very strong cultural heritage with over 80 historical monuments across the five islands including the\u00a0Memorial ACTe Museum<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 which is the largest memorial in the world dedicated to the slave trade.<\/p>\n You can also find the\u00a0UNESCO Biosphere Reserve<\/strong>\u00a0here \u2013 which is their rain forest and home to the\u00a0Jacques Cousteau Underwater Reserve<\/strong>\u00a0for diving (they do offer certification classes fyi) and snorkeling. Here you can also go sailing, surfing, kite surfing, deep-sea fishing and more all-in crystal-clear water.<\/p>\n Michel also let us in on a little secret by the rainforest in Basse-Terre in a little town called\u00a0Gourbeyre<\/strong>. It is called\u00a0Les Bassins Bleus<\/strong>\u00a0and is a 30-minute hike through the lush tropical flora of the rainforest with picnic areas along the way. The reward? At the end you will come across a series of heaven like blue natural pools to cool off in. What a perfect adventure!<\/p>\n There is always something going on too \u2013 as they play host to great music festivals all year round. There\u2019s the\u00a0Saint George\u2019s International Music Festival<\/strong>\u00a0featuring classical music and opera and takes place in March. (Side Note: Saint George is considered the\u00a0black Mozart<\/em>\u00a0and he hails from Guadeloupe.) In June you can find blues and reggae music at the\u00a0Terre de blues Festival<\/strong>\u00a0and if you like electronic music there is the\u00a0All Day In Festival<\/strong>\u00a0every July. The\u00a0Karukera One Love<\/strong>\u00a0Festival<\/strong>\u00a0has plenty of Caribbean music and is held in August and come November there\u2019s the\u00a0Hot Jazz Festival<\/strong>\u00a0for you jazz fans. And of course, the entire month of February you can celebrate Carnival!<\/p>\n Accommodations:<\/strong>\u00a0Guadeloupe offers many different types of accommodations and features everything from 3 to 5-star to eco-properties.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gastronomy:<\/strong>\u00a0This premiere Caribbean dining destination offers many different flavors. You will find that many chefs move to Guadeloupe from Paris to open their own restaurants with the food being mix of classic French cuisine with the creole spices and fresh seafood intertwined added in. A refined super awesome combination of French savoir faire and Caribbean flavors if you will. PS – They are also home to some great wines and rums!<\/p>\n In the News:\u00a0<\/strong>So, Guadeloupe is becoming popular \u2013 better get there before everyone finds out about it! For instance\u2026it was on the\u00a0New York Times<\/strong>\u00a052 Places To Go List<\/em>\u00a0in 2016, on the\u00a0Best of the World<\/em>\u00a0list in\u00a0National Geographic<\/strong>\u00a0in 2017 and has been featured on several travel shows. More recently it became the filming location of the comedy crime show\u00a0Death in Paradise<\/em>\u00a0a popular show you can watch on\u00a0Netflix<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Safety:<\/strong>\u00a0The Guadalupe islands are very safe. They are a French department and they benefit from the French regulations in terms of infrastructure\u2019s health etc.<\/p>\n Types of Travelers:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s for everyone \u2013 families, friends, couples, seniors, athletes, foodies, eco tourists, cultural tourists and Francophiles!<\/p>\n Updated COVID-19 Information:<\/strong>\u00a0As of this writing the CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential international travel to Guadeloupe.<\/p>\n Note: Guadeloupe has enacted post COVID-19 sanitary measures that all hotels and excursion companies will enforce. These are strict rules and regulations of the French health agency which include employees wearing masks and gloves, reinforcing cleaning at each contact point, as well as applying social distancing. In addition to these sanitary measures hotels will add more flexibility with their cancellation policy in order to facilitate business.<\/em><\/p>\n For the CDC\u2019s most up to date information on COVID-19\u00a0click here<\/strong><\/a>. And for the most up to date entry requirements for the Guadeloupe Islands\u00a0click here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nThey have an E.U. Standards infrastructure which in a nutshell means that medical services and equipment are extensive throughout the archipelago, tap water is safe to drink everywhere and no vaccinations required. \u00a0They also boast an excellent and well-maintained road network.<\/p>\n\n
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