Guadeloupe

[phaeton]

Has anyone recently visited Guadeloupe? My family and I will be visiting in December. We never book shore excursions with the ship. However we do not speak French so I am not sure what to do. I would like a tour of the town and then would like some beach time at St Anne's beach. Should we rent a car on our own? Has anyone experienced any problems renting a car there?

 

 

Hope there is an easy way to take a family of five to the beach. Being there Christmas Day you have to wonder if anything will be open.

[wassup4565]

Go and have a look at the Trip Advisor site. On the menu bar at the top is "More". Choose this and then choose Travel Forum. From there, you can find your way to Guadaloupe.

 

It seems the tourist industry is in its infancy here. But there are some useful hints and suggestions in the posts, which are quite recent. There is even a young woman working in the tourist industry who offers her email address to give you more help. I'll be there for a day in Jan 2013, so I'm motivated to figure this out!

[VEIK]

Tourism is developed there, but cruise ships are not the main source of income there, unlike other islands.

 

I spent two weeks vacationing there few years ago, and circled entire island by car in a day or so. I would say its one of the safest places I have traveled to in the Caribbean. I have used public transportation, I have walked there at night, and never had any issues.

 

Some of the beaches there are awesome.

 

Downtown itself is your typical Caribbean town...

[skiiergirl]

I did not get off of the ship but some of our group did. One group was able to get a taxi to their destination and the taxi returned at the correct time and brought them back. Another group went to a popular area but their taxi did not return and they were told no taxis available and it would be 2 hours to get a taxi. They had to go to police station to get help with a taxi. I'm sure they will come here and post a better review of their day....but just wanted to go ahead and get the word out....if you go somewhere by taxi....plan extra time for your return!

Edited December 8, 2012 by skiiergirl

[Lazirus65]

I was collected from the port front gates and returned. the rental office is about a 15 minute walk from the port entrance. it is situated near the bus station and ferry terminal. Make sure you have the telephone number of the local office as the very kind information welcome people at the port will help you and they do speak english for those of you who do not speak french.

 

Guadelope is a beautiful Island although we had some very heavy rain showers for good parts of the day still found several nice beaches to spend time on, the roads are well maintained and easy to navigate.

[greenscooter]

Others on this board may be more familiar with this than us. We were surprised to have a "EUR exchange rate" charge show up on our visa card. We bought an item for $35US and was charged an additional $15.71US. exchange rate charge. We have used this card in European countries (Portugal, Spain, Germany) before and this is the first time we have ever seen this charge.

It may be just certain Visa card companies that opt to charge this fee; but I thought it would be helpful information to share.

Other observations about Guadeloupe:

The restrooms at the port facilities are very modern and "clean"; some of the duty free shops in the port facilities do not have small bills/coins so, it is a good idea to take some with you for small purchases; take an umbrella or raincoat with you even if it is sunny in port; gas was $7.60/Liter US; and don't let Pointe-de-Pitre color your perception about Guadeloupe: once you leave the capital city, the island is very nice.

[familycruising4ever]

Others on this board may be more familiar with this than us. We were surprised to have a "EUR exchange rate" charge show up on our visa card. We bought an item for $35US and was charged an additional $15.71US. exchange rate charge. We have used this card in European countries (Portugal, Spain, Germany) before and this is the first time we have ever seen this charge.

It may be just certain Visa card companies that opt to charge this fee; but I thought it would be helpful information to share.

Other observations about Guadeloupe:

The restrooms at the port facilities are very modern and "clean"; some of the duty free shops in the port facilities do not have small bills/coins so, it is a good idea to take some with you for small purchases; take an umbrella or raincoat with you even if it is sunny in port; gas was $7.60/Liter US; and don't let Pointe-de-Pitre color your perception about Guadeloupe: once you leave the capital city, the island is very nice.

 

So what did you or your group do while in port? Did you take a cruise ship sponsored excursion, rent a car, or perhaps hit a beach? Any information on your time there would be greatly appreciated! Sounds like you left the port area. Hope you enjoyed yourself!

 

Teri

[FoxyBride14]

So what did you or your group do while in port? Did you take a cruise ship sponsored excursion, rent a car, or perhaps hit a beach? Any information on your time there would be greatly appreciated! Sounds like you left the port area. Hope you enjoyed yourself!

 

Teri

I'm wondering what you did as well. We are totally at a loss of what to do in Guadeloupe and there does not look like there are that many cruise sponsored excursions.

 

Maybe we'll just stay on the ship and get a cheap rate at the spa lol.

[skiiergirl]

I did not get off of the ship but some of our group did. One group was able to get a taxi to their destination and the taxi returned at the correct time and brought them back. Another group went to a popular area but their taxi did not return and they were told no taxis available and it would be 2 hours to get a taxi. They had to go to police station to get help with a taxi. I'm sure they will come here and post a better review of their day....but just wanted to go ahead and get the word out....if you go somewhere by taxi....plan extra time for your return!

 

Week 2 we took the ship's St Anne on your own excursion to be sure we had transportation back. The only problem with that is you don't get to stay but about 2.5 hours. The beach is beautiful.....but no chairs for rent so definitely take towells to sit on, etc. There are some trees for shade though so that was nice. there is a vendors market in a building and probably another 10 or so vendors in tents on the beach. All very friendly and not pushy....but definitely a struggle communicating with my limited French and their limited English....but I didn't manage to buy a few things....lol. Had amazing homemade sorbet/sherbert for 2 euros. We met folks that had done other ship's excursions which they enjoyed. The consensus we got from everyone we spoke with was that they enjoyed the island as long as they got out of pointe-a-Pitre. However, make sure you have Euros as very few taxis/vendors/shops accept US dollars. We had taken our own euros however guest services on the ship did have euros for sale.

[Lazirus65]

Some pictures from our day, although it rained quite a lot we still managed to tour a good bit in our rental car and find some lovely beaches to spend time on.

 

Hertz Rental

[Lazirus65]

Some of the beaches we found

 

 

 

 

 

[Lazirus65]

More from our time on the island

 

 

 

 

 

[Lazirus65]

At the port

 

 

 

 

 

[OC PAT]

The photos put a face on the unknown. Did you shop? Those blankets or towels really look neat. Did you catch a price on them? Thanks again.

[Lazirus65]

The photos put a face on the unknown. Did you shop? Those blankets or towels really look neat. Did you catch a price on them? Thanks again.

 

I'm not a big shopper but the little trinkets I did buy were not at all expensive. the stalls seem very competitive so I am sure you can bag a good deal.

[cruisefool143]

Dave, thanks so much for taking the time to post the pictures. We are sailing in March and I have had concerns about this port. The beach pictures are beautiful. Do you remember what beach that was?

 

Laura

[wefamily3]

We were just there on a Dec 27, 2012 port stop. We opted to walk around a few of the different markets that were within walking distance to the port (the ship had provided a simple map, but you can just start walking - we came upon several different markets and just went up and down whatever streets looked interesting.) We were 2 adults and a 9 year old and felt safe wandering around.

 

The shopping set up right at the terminal had prices listed in USD and Euros and were a bit more than what we found elsewhere. Those big wraps you see hanging are lovely, and are around $25 USD - some more some less. They all have "made in Indonesia" tags, but are all with Caribbean design. We found many more on the streets at stalls and stores - some with more elaborate designs and even cut outs (like geckos) and gold and silver trim and fancy stitching and they varied between about $18 for the simple - $45 US equivalent for the nicer (prices all seemed set). However, you will likely need Euros. All the pricing I saw was in Euros, outside of the terminal.

 

Something we bought at the terminal shops were small plastic wrapped packs of a brown candied coconut treat - I think it's fresh coconut toasted with brown sugar and butter or something and forms sweet little clumps - it's delicious and addictive! I think they were 3 Euros (and had a USD price I don't recall). The lady was very nice and has small samples to try first. We had some Euros left from an earlier vacation that I had brought.

 

One of the markets we visited was a very large spice market and I bought a huge bunch of fresh, soft vanilla beans for 8 Euros (which is about $11 US or so - I have to pay about $8 for 2 or 3 vanilla beans in a tube where I live, so if you are a foodie or know someone who likes to use them, this is a good buy!). The lady I bought from knew no English at all, but she was not pushy and I liked her, so that is where I bought. Most of the sellers only spoke French, some a very little English, but it's easy enough to point and they would raise fingers for how many Euros. Most things had signs with the price anyway. Many of the lady spice sellers can be a bit aggressive (especially if they know some English), as they want you to buy from their stall, as there are so many options, but it's okay to deal with. We also walked through fruit and vegetable markets, and watched the fresh fish coming in and being gutted (good pics and good for our son to see the day to day lives of other people).

 

We talked to some people on our ship that went on the ship's excursion to the Jacques Cousteau marine reserve and snorkeling and they thought it was great. I had debated doing that - if there again I would likely do that as well (the trip is 4 1/2 hours, so you would have time to do that and still do some wandering around).

 

Hope some may find this helpful!

[volunteer cruiser]

thanks wefamily3 for the port info, I am wanting to go to that market for vanilla beans also in Feb., I have my Euros and know enough french to get me by (I hope)

[OC PAT]

Your info. was very helpful. I think I'm going to get vanilla beans as well. My Ed loves cream burle. (uck, sp. not my thing} I also really like the sheets/blankets but disappointed that they are not local. So should I get some Euro's from my local bank or the cruise ship?

[LitaArn]

Hi All,

 

Thank You to Dave (Lazirus65), Floridiana, skiiergirl, wassup4565, greenscooter, wefamily3, RJHNorthyorks (I hope I didn't miss anyone) for all your very helpful posts :)

 

I find this thread very useful so I've posted the link on our M&M.

 

Edited January 16, 2013 by LitaArn

[LitaArn]

My husband and I, and our group of friends will be on the Brilliance visiting Guadaloupe on March 13th.

 

Because of limited info on tour guides/companies on this island, we have signed up for Royal’s excursion “Panoramic Tour of Grand Terre”. It is a bit expensive but the tour covers visiting several of the island’s highlights and a West Indian lunch. Tour starts at 8:30 am and lasts for 7 hours and 15 mins.

 

The following is a list of the places included on this tour, and the results of my research on the island:

 

 

~~~ St. Anne - a fishing/tourist village with a typical Creole atmosphere. There’s a fish market in the morning, a handicraft village with many boutiques for local souvenirs. Five minutes walking and you will reach the fruits and vegetable market and the sea front.

 

Trip advisor link for photos and reviews:

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g147303-d546895-Reviews-St_Anne_Beach-Sainte_Anne_Grande_Terre_Island_Guadeloupe.html

 

 

~~~ Morne-à-l'Eau cemetery (15 minute stop) - very distinct, an amphitheater-shape cemetery, with black-and-white-checkerboard tombs, elaborate epitaphs. Should be interesting to see!

 

Photos:

 

 

~~~ Hell Door - a clear water lane dug by waves between two black high cliffs, serves as a place for a clear-water lagoon. Swimming is widely authorised. After a 15-min walk by the cliff located east of the Door, you will reach the Hole of Madame Coco, a cave where this dam would have once disappeared

 

http://www.easyvoyage.co.uk/guadelupe/the-door-of-hell-1330

 

 

~~~ Grande Vigie - one of the most spectacular places on the island. You’ll find cliffs here that reach up to a height of 80 metres.

 

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/51381602

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1531345

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/1d8c3a/

 

 

~~~ Souffleur Beach - one of the island’s best beaches with white sand and quiet location.

 

Trip Advisor photos and reviews (click on “Google Translation” for English interpretation of the reviews):

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g147300-d2104063-r136977054-Plage_du_Souffleur-Guadeloupe.html

 

~~~ West Indian lunch

 

~~~ Castles Point - rocks carved by the furious atlantic ocean waves. Very majestic and grandiose though

 

http://www.fond-ecran-image.com/galerie-membre/guadeloupe/la-pointe-des-chateaux-001.jpg

 

 

I’ll try to remember to come back here and post a mini review of this excursion.

 

Happy Sailing :)

 

Edited January 16, 2013 by LitaArn

[RJHNorthyorks]

For readers in the uk the current tv drama "death in paradise" showing on bbc 1 was filmed in Guadeloupe.

[Lazirus65]

Dave, thanks so much for taking the time to post the pictures. We are sailing in March and I have had concerns about this port. The beach pictures are beautiful. Do you remember what beach that was?

 

Laura

 

One was Grande Anse near Deshaies and we visted a few more between Deshaies and Pointe Noire but can not remember the names. most were pretty deserted just sea and sand

[Kevin's girl]

Thanks so much for the posts and thanks Dave for the photos. It really helps to see what we have in store for us. It really looks like a beautiful island. We will be doing an all day tour through the cruise line and I will be sure to post when we get back.

[BabySis]

We're just off the Brilliance and took the “Panoramic Tour of Grand Terre" ...... it was amazing and a huge bang for the buck!! There were only 12 of us on a huge bus and lunch was a full 5 course meal that included wine!! We haven't taken a ship tour since 1999 and were absolutely thrilled with this one. Don't miss it!! And unlike "LitaAnn", I don't really consider $120 per person for a full day plus lunch "a bit expensive".... not compared with the private catamaran tours we take on most islands. It's right in line.

 

Happy sailing!!