Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is a group of four very French islands located midway in the Leeward Islands chain. The two primary islands are Basse Terre and Grande Terre (together nearly 630 square miles), which are divided by a narrow channel. They differ greatly in topography as Basse Terre is wetter and more mountainous while Grande Terre is rather flat and dry. The "French-ness" of the island holds numerous significances. Firstly, as a French region, it has much better than average roads, education and social services for the Caribbean. It also has the taxes and fees which seem to go hand-in-hand with French governance. Knowledge of the French language is fairly indispensable though English is becoming more widely-spoken, particularly among the youth. Island patois is extremely common.

Typical of the Caribbean, the Northern and Eastern shores are much rougher with few nice beaches. Most of Guadeloupe's beaches are fairly narrow and quite crowded - cluttered with parked cars and bars and cafes and the like. The sand is whiter and nicer further North and gets more gray and eventually volcanic black as you trek further South. Hiking is quite good, particularly at Parc National de la Guadeloupe. The official currency is the Euro, though many places will accept US dollars.

Limited nonstop flights are available from the France, the US and Montreal via Air France into Pole Caraibes International (PTP), though more tourists tend to arrive via ferry from neighboring Dominica, St Lucia or Martinique or via Caribbean air carrier from another hub, such as San Juan or Antigua.

Unfortunately, there are very few non-French resources available for real estate in Guadeloupe. There is not a tremendous amount of demand here and what little there is generally comes from French nationals. Taxes and fees are substantially higher than much of the Caribbean, though it is easier to find more private and secluded parcels because of the limited overall demand and relatively undiscovered nature of Guadeloupe.

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