Even though distances in Guadeloupe aren't very great, we divided our stay into two parts. For the first three days, we settled into a beachfront apartment in Saint-François on Grande-Terre.

The two parts of the island are quite different. Grande-Terre is very agricultural, and the northeastern coast is made up of cliffs where the waves crash. Basse-Terre is much more tropical, with jungle and volcanoes. Two different atmospheres, but always the same warm welcome.

Our itinerary

Day 1 : Quebec - St-François

Day 2 : Pointe à Pitre

Day 3 : Road trip in Grande-Terre

Day 4 : Going to Bouillante (Basse-Terre)

Day 5 : La Soufrière volcano

Day 6 : Les Saintes

Day 7 : Cousteau Reserve

Day 8 : Bouillante - Quebec

Day 1

The alarm went off during the night, at 3:45 a.m. to be precise. Our flight departs at 7:00 a.m., a direct flight from Quebec City to Pointe-à-Pitre with Air Transat.

Arriving in Pointe-à-Pitre without any problems around 11:30 a.m., we picked up our rental car from Sixt at the airport. A shuttle took us to the car rental offices.

Then we headed to Saint-François where we were welcomed to our accommodation, le nid du sucrier in Anse des Rocher by Carole. It's located in a former hotel complex, right on the beach, with tennis courts, a beach restaurant, and a superb swimming pool.

After relaxing by the pool, we set off to explore Pointe des Châteaux, just a short drive from our accommodation.

The view is magnificent, and if you're lucky, you might even spot whales. We weren't so fortunate.

Pointe des Châteaux

For our first dinner in Guadeloupe, we went to the Ti Christine restaurant. We were delighted. It was a great start to our vacation...

Day 2

We left for Pointe-à-Pitre in the morning. It took us about an hour to get there. We went to visit the city center and the marché aux épices. It's undeniably a tourist trap, but it's part of the local culture. The city itself isn't very pretty. There's a sense of neglect in the upkeep of the buildings and the street cleaning. It doesn't present the best image of Guadeloupe.

However, the ACT Museum, dedicated to the memory of slavery, is very interesting. It's a part of history—with a capital H—that's a little difficult to revisit, but it's what made Guadeloupe what it is today. We mustn't forget.

After a rather moving visit to the museum, we left Pointe-à-Pitre for Saint-Anne beach. It's a popular beach and there's no sargassum seaweed. It was our first swim in the sea of ​​the holiday. A real pleasure!

In the evening we met up with friends from Quebec, who were also in Saint-François for a few days. Sometimes things work out by chance. We had dinner at les Salines restaurant in the center of Saint-François.

Day 3

For this third day in Guadeloupe, we embark on a road trip in the north of the island.

1 - La porte d'enfer, le Moule

Plage de l'Anse (le Moule)

High cliffs surround the cove's beach. The coast is wild and magnificent.

2 - Damoiseau Distillery, Le Moule

The Damoiseau Distillery is located in the middle of sugarcane fields. Dating back to the late 19th century, it produces one of the most popular agricultural rums in Guadeloupe. Visitors are free to explore and can sample the different types of rum produced on site. Given the early hour of our visit, we skipped the tasting. However, we did leave with a bottle of infused rum.

3 - The Gate of Hell

Yes, another "gate of hell" beach! But this time, it's 25km north of Le Moule. Actually, the beach at "Gate of Hell" is more of a little slice of paradise, which unfortunately was infested with sargassum seaweed during our visit.

It's also the starting point for several hikes along the rugged coastline.

4 - Pointe de la grande Vigie

We then continue our journey to reach the northernmost point of the island, Pointe de la Grande Vigie. From there, we have a panoramic view of steep cliffs. Be careful with your hats and/or caps, because it's quite windy!

5 - Anse Bertrand

Next stop, Anse Bertrand for lunch. There aren't many options. Two restaurants face each other on the seafront. We choose Restaurant La Case à Fernand. The menu features traditional cuisine and fresh fish (the owner is also a fisherman, which is perfect). Excellent!

6 - Port-Louis

After this lunch break, we resume our journey towards Port-Louis to go swimming at Souffleur Beach.

7 - Petit-Canal

After our swim, we set off again towards Petit-Canal, a small fishing town in Guadeloupe known for its Slave Staircase.

This is a memorial to the slaves who arrived from Africa.

The origin of this staircase is unclear. It is difficult to establish with certainty the date of construction of these steps, somewhere between before and after the final abolition of slavery in 1848. It is a symbolic representation of the long and steep climb undertaken by the slaves to obtain their final freedom.

8 - Morne-à-l'eau

The final stop on our road trip before returning to Saint-François is the Morne-à-l'eau Cemetery. Nestled on a hillside, the cemetery is fascinating because of its unique black and white checkerboard architecture.

Back in Saint-François, we had dinner at the marina at Seaside restaurant, which was delicious and had a beautiful waterfront location.

Leaving the restaurant, we stumbled upon a small bar where a band was playing reggae. It was the perfect way to end a wonderful, full day.

Day 4

We're leaving Saint-François and Grande-Terre, heading towards Bouillante in Basse-Terre.

To be continued...