Three hills Posted January 27, 2014 #1 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) We arrived in Guadeloupe with almost nothing planned since we did not find a lot of information about this island. We only wanted to go to the beach. As soon as we got out of the ship we went to the tourist information kiosk and got a map and asked the lady some questions. She suggested we go to St Anne beach and she spoke good English. Also next to the ship there was like a small market with stalls selling souvenirs. A taxi driver immediately approached us and told us that he'll take us to St Anne beach for Euro 40 for the 3 of us round trip. Since he spoke English we stuck with him but he said that he had a van and needed more people, so we waited around 15 minutes until he found another 3 couples. There were a lot of taxis waiting outside the gates but most of the drivers speak French. This beach was about 40 minutes away from the cruiseship and the water was very nice and clear. You can rent deck chairs but no umbrellas. There were many trees on the beach for people who would like shade. There are several restaurants and souvenir shops. To me it looked more like a beach town. The driver preferred that we all go back together to the ship but all the other on the van wanted to stay late until 5pm and we felt that was too much for us so we asked the driver to take us back to the ship at 2pm and he agreed. Edited January 27, 2014 by Three hills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73mg Posted March 10, 2014 #2 Share Posted March 10, 2014 We arrived in Guadeloupe with almost nothing planned since we did not find a lot of information about this island. We only wanted to go to the beach. As soon as we got out of the ship we went to the tourist information kiosk and got a map and asked the lady some questions. She suggested we go to St Anne beach and she spoke good English. Also next to the ship there was like a small market with stalls selling souvenirs. A taxi driver immediately approached us and told us that he'll take us to St Anne beach for Euro 40 for the 3 of us round trip. Since he spoke English we stuck with him but he said that he had a van and needed more people, so we waited around 15 minutes until he found another 3 couples. There were a lot of taxis waiting outside the gates but most of the drivers speak French. This beach was about 40 minutes away from the cruiseship and the water was very nice and clear. You can rent deck chairs but no umbrellas. There were many trees on the beach for people who would like shade. There are several restaurants and souvenir shops. To me it looked more like a beach town. The driver preferred that we all go back together to the ship but all the other on the van wanted to stay late until 5pm and we felt that was too much for us so we asked the driver to take us back to the ship at 2pm and he agreed. Thanks for posting this. It is hard to find info on this port. Sounds like you had a good day. Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted September 12, 2014 #3 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Anything new here, as I will be there with Costa Fortuna this december ? I wonder if the local tourist people are only distributing the maps or if there is an accual stand or office, where they can help us with booking a tour. Or are there local people who will be happy to take you on an accual tour or are there "only" taxi driver around? Thanks for some answer. (by the way my mother speaks some French) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted January 12, 2015 #4 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I now just returned from Gouadeloupe. I finally booked beforehand a tour with a German speaking guide, but there were several local people at the pier, were I'm sure one or the other would have spoken english... We went to see a Waterfall (Chute du Crévisse) and a rum distillery on the "Basse-Terre"-part of the Island But then we went also to the other part of the island and drove to St.Anne and the Castle Point. It took us 7 hours and the cost was 195 Euro for the three of us (to give you a price to expect). You should have Euros with you (the might except US, but they will be much happier with Euros). For more informations (or if you speak german, I could even give to the homepage and e-mail of our guide) just write me. Gouadeloupe is probably one of the safest, richest and cleanest islands in the caribbean. GO OUT AND EXPLORE this beautiful Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaBands Posted January 14, 2015 #5 Share Posted January 14, 2015 It's pretty ugly and the shops only want Euros. Take a tour or stay on the ship. It was a major disappiontment to us Makes Martinique look like St. Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted January 14, 2015 #6 Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) It's pretty ugly and the shops only want Euros. Take a tour or stay on the ship. It was a major disappiontment to us Makes Martinique look like St. Martin. Totally unfair... Firstly it's proper France and therefore part of the European Union EU, so it's clear why they want Euros or do you think we Europeans can pay for example in New York with Euros (or even in the UK) ? Just do your homework before leaving and change something at the airport, before boarding your ship! Not everywhere in the world you can pay with U$! Second, if you only stay near the ship then many ports are ugly (for example San Juan Pan American Pier or Barbados, just to point out two). You have to go out, take a tour and explore the beautiful and safe island. See the rainforest, St.Anne or Castle Point. If you stay on the ship you will certainly miss something. Edited January 14, 2015 by onyx007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptuno Posted March 14, 2015 #7 Share Posted March 14, 2015 It's pretty ugly and the shops only want Euros. Take a tour or stay on the ship. It was a major disappiontment to us Makes Martinique look like St. Martin. Well, if St. Martin is what you want, Guadeloupe is not for you. Thank goodness for those of you who wish to stay on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted March 17, 2015 #8 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Last time we were there was a Sunday morning. The shops near the ship were open and we browsed a few. We did not feel welcome and decided to walk off a bit and see if something appealed to us. When we realized we had roamed away from the other pax, we quickly backtracked our steps. I would not recommend wandering too far from the touristy areas on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted March 17, 2015 #9 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Last time we were there was a Sunday morning. The shops near the ship were open and we browsed a few. We did not feel welcome and decided to walk off a bit and see if something appealed to us. When we realized we had roamed away from the other pax, we quickly backtracked our steps. I would not recommend wandering too far from the touristy areas on your own. I would not recommend just staying in the port area. Gouadeloupe is a very beautiful and safe island. But you have to go out there and look at the many beautiful spots like St.Anne, Gosier, Castle Point and the rainforest around the "chute des crevisses". You'll miss something by just staying in Pointe-a-Pitre or worse, on the ship... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhohea Posted April 3, 2015 #10 Share Posted April 3, 2015 For more informations (or if you speak german, I could even give to the homepage and e-mail of our guide) just write me. Gouadeloupe is probably one of the safest, richest and cleanest islands in the caribbean. GO OUT AND EXPLORE this beautiful Island. Could you please email me the company/tour / guide details please. Did the guide speak any English or French or just German??? rhohea23@yahoo.com.au Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnyrambler Posted June 13, 2015 #11 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Pointe-A-Pitre (sometimes Guadeloupe in general) can be a little misunderstood. people are not falling over themselves to help you as this is France and although this island is actually rather poor, people do receive welfare, and also as France is run through a centralised political structure, there is not a very natural entrepreneurial attitude. Locals sometimes are wary of foreigners, as 90 per cent of tourists are French, their one time coloniser turned post colonial governors. Add to this the fact that English is not widely spoken and you will see how a quick pit stop off a cruise ship may not be everything you imagined it would be from the glossy brochures. However, you can meet some lovely people and if I was stopping briefly this is what I would recommend for Pointe A Pitre: La Darse - the fish market on the edge of the Place de La Victoire where you'll see amazing fish and busy chatty fishermen. You can walk through to the covered market next door, and further into La Place de La Marche for other goods like hand decorated bottle of rhum agricole, schrubb, and punch (spice, fruit, coffee etc too). PAP also has a lot to offer in terms of architecture. With the help of this book (in French but even non french speakers may find the maps, walk, pictures helpful) 'Pointe-A-Pitre: Musees, Monuments, Promenades' you can take an interesting walk around the historic centre taking in some beautiful examples of creole architecture. Many of these buildings are in a state of degradation but are still interesting to look at. I notice there is a clean up project in the Rue de Vatable part. The art deco cinema in the Place de La Victoire is of interest too. Notice the mural to the left of the Darse - it represents a famous demonstration in the 70s when locals were demonstrating for better pay and the French police shot a number of unarmed people dead. Carry on further along the road and see the gleaming brand new Acte Memorial - the slave museum. It's huge and impressive and seems to be France's way of finding some connection to the history of this island. Some locals think the money would have been better spent elsewhere and when you look around the nearby district of ramshackle houses and streets lined with prostitutes from the Dominican Republic you may see why. Around here you can catch a local bus from the bus station and take the 15 minute ride for 2 euros to Gosier where you will find a nice beach in front of the town. It's generally pretty lively and there are a few beachside restaurants. You can swim or boat over to the tiny little island opposite. Back in Pointe-A-Pitre every Saturday, you can enjoy Gwoka music in a little pedestrianised road. This music, which has its roots in the african heritage of Guadeloupe, was in 2014 placed on the UNESCO list of immaterial heritage, meaning that this is a unique and special cultural form. The singing is often very intense and earthy and can move you to tears or joy in moments. Passers by sometimes feel the rhthym and jump into the circle to dance because as well as singing, and drumming. Gwo Ka also incorporates dance. Finally, over in La Place de La Victoire, is the Comite du Tourisme, a large neo-classical style building once the Chamber of Commerce, where you can pick up some maps, and you can get some advice, probably in English. If you email in advance of your trip you can receive a programme of cultural heritage events and you may be lucky enough to arrive on a day when a guided walk is taking place. This is France, and this is the Eurozone so paying in dollars would be an odd thing to do! I can't imagine going to Paris and insisting on paying in dollars and would not do that here either. I hope you can see that there are many things to do without setting foot out of Pointe A Pitre. I recommend the Jardin Secret for lunch in a nice courtyard. PAP can be hot, smelly, busy etc so take it easy, take a walk, notice a few things and try to learn a few things on the way. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emac Posted August 5, 2015 #12 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I now just returned from Gouadeloupe.I finally booked beforehand a tour with a German speaking guide, but there were several local people at the pier, were I'm sure one or the other would have spoken english... We went to see a Waterfall (Chute du Crévisse) and a rum distillery on the "Basse-Terre"-part of the Island But then we went also to the other part of the island and drove to St.Anne and the Castle Point. It took us 7 hours and the cost was 195 Euro for the three of us (to give you a price to expect). You should have Euros with you (the might except US, but they will be much happier with Euros). For more informations (or if you speak german, I could even give to the homepage and e-mail of our guide) just write me. Gouadeloupe is probably one of the safest, richest and cleanest islands in the caribbean. GO OUT AND EXPLORE this beautiful Island. We are visiting Basse-terre later this year. Please can you send me details of your German tour guide geaztravel@gmail dot com Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limace Posted July 2, 2016 #13 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Thank you so much, Ronny. We had a wonderful trip to Martinique a couple years back-even though it isn't particularly popular on these boards-and are excited about Guadeloupe. Speaking just a little French makes navigating much easier. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dronnygirl Posted November 17, 2016 #14 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Great information ronnyrambler - we will be visiting in March and I always love to check out local culture. Can still remember a bit of school French and visit France every year so really looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverine Posted February 28, 2017 #15 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Hi, we'll be in Guadeloupe in a few weeks. Could you please send me some information about your tour guide? German is fine. Maverine@email.de Danke! Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted July 12, 2017 #16 Share Posted July 12, 2017 We were in Guadeloupe a couple of years back and walked round the town for an hour or so in the morning. After that took a taxi along to St Annes. We couldn't get one in town so had to go back to the port to get a driver who'd do a tour. We stopped off along the way and the taxi driver pointed out the main sights. However he didn't speak any English and because I speak French I sat beside him and translated for my OH and friends. My OH and his friend had a few drinks in the bar while my friend and I browsed round the markets. We had a couple of cocktails then joined the boys on the beach.I really liked Guadeloupe and thought it was definitely as interesting as most Caribbean ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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