Guadeloupe had been on our travel bucket list for a long time. In 2026, we decided it was time to make one of our dreams come true and spent a week in this little Caribbean paradise. We fell in love with the island and its people.

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

Our favorites

Les Saintes

Terre-de Haut

Les Saintes is an archipelago made up of nine islands, only two of which are inhabited: Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas. They can be reached by boat from Bouillante, Trois-Rivières, Pointe-à-Pitre, and Saint-François. We chose to depart from Trois-Rivières and spend just one day on Terre-de-Haut. A week's vacation goes by too quickly, and unfortunately, we didn't have any more time.

Terre-de-Haut isn't very big, about 6 square kilometers. There are hardly any cars on the island. To get around, we rented a golf cart for the day.

The bay of Les Saintes is stunning, and the beaches are idyllic (even with the presence of sargassum seaweed in some places). We were lucky enough to swim with two giant turtles—an unforgettable experience.

Gastronomy

When we go on vacation, we love discovering local flavors. In Guadeloupe, we weren't disappointed. The cuisine is varied, a fusion of cultures, and rich in spices. There are the must-try dishes such as accras (fritters), chicken colombo or smoked chicken, Creole blood sausage, bokits (fried sandwiches), grilled fish (such as marlin or snapper) or fish poached in court-bouillon, lobster, etc., all accompanied by local vegetables: yams, sweet potatoes, cassava, plantains...

As for desserts (if you're still hungry!), coconut blancmange and local sorbets are a must.

In short, there's something for everyone. We had a wonderful time!

Rum

As one of our friends would say, all roads lead to rum.

Indeed, Guadeloupe is one of the world's largest producers of rhum agricole (made from pure sugarcane juice).

There are about ten distilleries in Guadeloupe. During our stay, we visited the Damoiseau distillery in Moule, Grande-Terre.

There are several types of rum:

• White Rum: The heart of the Ti' Punch, often bottled at 50% or 55% ABV.

• Amber Rum (or Straw Rum): Aged for about 12 to 18 months in wooden casks, acquiring a golden color and woody notes.

• Aged Rum (VO, VSOP, XO): Aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak barrels, it is best enjoyed neat for its complex aromas.

• Infused Rums: Tropical fruits and spices macerated in white rum

At a restaurant, when you order a Ti' Punch, you're usually brought a glass with sugar, a lemon, and the entire bottle of rum. You adjust the proportions to your liking!

For those who don't enjoy strong spirits, the planter's punch is a great alternative. It's a fruity, spicy blend with a lower alcohol content than the Ti' Punch.

Our travels

Plane

We took a direct flight from Quebec City to Pointe-à-Pitre with Air Transat. The outbound flight took 4 hours and 30 minutes and the return flight 5 hours.

Car

During our stay, we rented a car directly at Pointe-à-Pitre airport for the duration of our trip.

Upon arrival in Pointe-à-Pitre, you need to take a shuttle to the car rental offices.

We booked with Sixt. Everything went all right.

Boat

To get to Les Saintes, we took the ferry from Trois-Rivières because the crossing only takes 25 minutes from there.

We booked our passage with the CTM Deher company a few weeks before our departure because there aren't many ferries: two in the morning to Les Saintes and two in the afternoon back to Trois-Rivières.

Our accomodations

For this trip we had booked two accommodations before our departure: the first in Grande-Terre in Saint-François and the second in Basse-Terre in Bouillante.

Saint-François:  Le Nid du sucrier, Anse des Rochers, Saint-François

The accommodation is located in a seaside holiday residence, with a magnificent swimming pool and a restaurant on the beach.

Bouillante :  Bungalow Bouillante, Route de mirloton, Bouillante

This is a little corner of paradise in the hills above the city. The sunset is simply magical.

See you soon !