Guadeloupe is shaped like a butterfly, two wings with a small body in between, and the two wings of the island are as different as chalk from cheese. One suffers from mass tourism, and the other is very mountainous.

The mountainous side is called rather strangely Basse-Terre, and at the southern end is a volcano La Soufriere.

Quite high up on the mountain you will find Le Jardin Malanga, a very nice very small Inn type retreat with breathtaking views of the sea.

The building is a beautifully restored Creole plantation house dating from the 1920’s owned and run Joel & Anicette who are quite delightful.

The rooms are several chalets in the grounds, split into two units, all very attractive in dark wood with air conditioning and fans.

The Islands of Les Saintes is part of what I would call the affordable Caribbean with a wonderful small hotel called Hotel Auberge Les Petit Saints.

It is a small group of islands off the south coast of Guadeloupe and is easily reached by ferryboat from Trois-Rivieres, or Pointe-a-Pitre, or alternatively you can fly in if you are feeling flush!!

This  main islands in this archipelago consist of  Terre-de-Haut, and Terre-de-Bas, which are amongst the most beautiful Caribbean islands. They are very much French, despite being the scene of a dramatic naval battle in the 18^th century won by the English. In fact it would be fair to say that the islands are not so much French but Breton, probably because many French sailors came from Brittany two hundred years ago.