Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

[lisa and david]

We noticed there are no shore excursions posted for this stop. Any comments or suggestions on what to do?

[greygypsy]

We are also scheduled to visit this small island on the December 11 Shadow cruise. Some research on the web indicates the island is so small they don't have any four-wheeled vehicles - if you want you can rent a motor scooter!! Apparently there is a very pretty beach that is about a 20-30 minute walk from the "town" and based on the photos we have seen it is very picturesque. Looks to us like a sleepy little place that will make Bequia seem like a metropolis!! Anyway, on these types of cruise we're mostly in it for some sun, sand and ....

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It is part of the French West Indies so they are on the Euro, so unless you get one of those places that exchanges dollars for euros if you pay cash it will be pricey - even to rent a scooter.

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Have fun, Jeff

[lord of the seas]

We noticed there are no shore excursions posted for this stop. Any comments or suggestions on what to do?

 

Just chill out on the beach.

[whylion]

It's a fun port. There's a 20 minute walk over the spine of the island to a tree shaded beach. There are scooters to rent but it's not too far to easily walk.

[Zimmy]

We've visited Iles de Saintes twice - it is actually one of our favourite ports in the Carribbean. Our first visit was on the Silver Whisper. We basically wandered around and shopped. This was perhaps eight years ago, and the island was less developed than it is now. We really felt like we were wandering through a village in France. Speaking to some of the shopkeepers and hearing their stories was delightful. There is a soap store in which the proprietor makes bars of soap with the name of the visiting ship on it (there are not too many ships calling there!). The soap for the Silver Whisper was black and the fragrance was Opium - it is still my favorite soap. We were on Iles de Sainte again a year or so ago, this time on Seadream Yacht Club. The cruise director led a group of us to the beach, which was unspoiled and lovely. We found the town to be a bit more built up than on our first visit - we had more of the feeling that we were walking around a Caribbean island rather than a French village - oh well, you can't go back in time. But we did find the same soap store and I stocked up on that black Opium soap. There are several stores which have wonderful French imports - lovely to look at but with the dollar the way it is not too practical, at least for us. I hope that you will enjoy the island.

[DebbieH103]

We rented a scooter (driver's license required) and jetted up and down the hills and took our photo on all the beaches as we went from one to the next just for pics. It was one of the best times of our lives.

[BMT]

We are also scheduled to visit this small island on the December 11 Shadow cruise. Some research on the web indicates the island is so small they don't have any four-wheeled vehicles - if you want you can rent a motor scooter!! Apparently there is a very pretty beach that is about a 20-30 minute walk from the "town" and based on the photos we have seen it is very picturesque. Looks to us like a sleepy little place that will make Bequia seem like a metropolis!! Anyway, on these types of cruise we're mostly in it for some sun, sand and ....

-

It is part of the French West Indies so they are on the Euro, so unless you get one of those places that exchanges dollars for euros if you pay cash it will be pricey - even to rent a scooter.

-

Have fun, Jeff

 

Hi - my bro and sister-in-law will be on this cruise. His e-mail address is

 

rld@richardlionel.co.uk - says why not drop him a line?

[greygypsy]

BMT _ Thanks - just did. Jeff

[kristysu]

Hi- I was just there on the Seabourn Odyssey. I like to get some exercise when I am in port so I climbed the hill to the fort. It is a "walkers only" road so you are thankfully away from the scooters and noise. It is well-marked with signs. Basically keep climbing until you are at the highest part of the island. It is very steep but worth it. The views from the top are amazing. The fort has some old ladders you can climb to get inside of it. It was a little scary as some of the rungs are rusted but worth it once you are on top.

Bring lots of water!

[Roxburgh]

I was also there very recently on Seabourn Odyssey. It was my second visit and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

There is a tourist office in the main street which has free maps of the island. Scooter rental is 15 Euros for the day.

 

We also walked up to the fort which is quite hard work if the weather is hot so take plenty of water ( I went to the small supermarket in the main street and bought a big bottle). The fort is well worth visiting but, beware, when we were there it closed at 12.30pm so double check that. Admission to the fort is 4 Euros. The fort houses a mini-botanical garden and a museum. The views from the fort are spectacular.

 

We did not go to the beach but were told by those who did that it was really nice.

 

Plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants in the main street. It feels like you are in the south of France and we found the people to be very pleasant (but I speak French which may have helped). Prices seemed to be okay compared to shops on other islands we visited.

[HotRoot]

Our Odyssey cruise is showing Deshaies as the port. Is this the same place as Iles des Saintes?

[Roxburgh]

Our Odyssey cruise is showing Deshaies as the port. Is this the same place as Iles des Saintes?

 

No, Deshaies is in the Grenadines to the south of Saintes. It is probably where they will have the beach party.

[HotRoot]

Beach party is in Mayreau. Deshaies is listed as Guadeloupe. The best I can tell it appears to be on the North side of the left wing of Basse Terre. We were at Iles des Saintes with Sea Dream and I thought it was on the South side of the left wing of Basse Terre. I don't remember a fort. But, then, we did spend the day on the beach - which was walkable from where the tendors dropped us. Just wondering if we are going back to that spot, or a different spot.

[Roxburgh]

Beach party is in Mayreau. Deshaies is listed as Guadeloupe. The best I can tell it appears to be on the North side of the left wing of Basse Terre. We were at Iles des Saintes with Sea Dream and I thought it was on the South side of the left wing of Basse Terre. I don't remember a fort. But, then, we did spend the day on the beach - which was walkable from where the tendors dropped us. Just wondering if we are going back to that spot, or a different spot.

 

Sorry ... you are absolutely right and it is my mistake.

 

Mea Culpa

 

Les Saintes is a small group of islands, technically part of Guadeloupe but just to the south of the main islands. Deshaies is a small port on the north of Basse Terre. We did not visit the port but did the rain forest tour.