Frommers ShortCuts - Guadalupe, Caribbean

Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Frommers is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ISBN 9781118186114 (ebk); ISBN 9781118186121 (ebk); ISBN 9781118186138 (ebk)

For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877/762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317/572-3993 or fax 317/572-4002.

About the Authors

Christina Paulette Coln has three great passions in life: nature, teaching, and travel. She has been everywhere from Borneo (where she lived for 2 years) to Bonaire. With a Ph.D. in Ecology and a Masters in Environmental Education, she is a talented educator, accomplished writer, and experienced editor (of everything from scientific articles to childrens books).

Alexis Lipsitz Flippin is a freelance writer and former Frommers senior editor. She is the author of Frommers Portable St. Maarten/St. Martin, Anguilla & St. Barts and Frommers Portable Turks & Caicos and has written and edited for consumer magazines including Self, American Health, and Rolling Stone.

John Marino, the author of Frommers Puerto Rico, lives in San Juan, where he covers local and political news for the San Juan Star as city editor. He has written about Puerto Rico for the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and other publications.

As a team of veteran travel writers, Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince have produced various titles for Frommers, including guides to Italy, France, England, and Germany. A film critic, columnist, and broadcaster, Porter is also a Hollywood biographer. His recent releases include Brando Unzipped, documenting the private life of Marlon Brando, and Jacko: His Rise and Fall, the first complete biography ever written on the tumultuous life of Michael Jackson. Prince was formerly employed by the Paris bureau of the New York Times and is today the president of Blood Moon Productions. Porter and Princes latest non-travel-related venture, jointly co-authored and published in 2008 by Blood Moon, is Hollywood BabylonIts Back!, which one critic described as the hottest compilation of intergenerational scandal in the history of Hollywood.

Frommers Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).

In addition to the star-rating system, we also use eight feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for:

special finds those places only insiders know about

fun facts details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun

kids best bets for kids, and advice for the whole family

special moments those experiences that memories are made of

overrated places or experiences not worth your time or money

insider tips great ways to save time and money

great values where to get the best deals

warning travelers advisories are usually in effect

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:
AE American Express
DISC Discover
V Visa
DC Diners Club
MC MasterCard

Travel Resources at Frommers.com

Frommers travel resources dont end with this guide. Frommers website, www.frommers.com, has travel information on more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly, giving you access to the most current trip-planning information and the best airfare, lodging, and car-rental bargains. You can also listen to podcasts, connect with other Frommers.com members through our active-reader forums, share your travel photos, read blogs from guidebook editors and fellow travelers, and much more.

Guadelupe

If you have time for only one French island, should it be Martinique or Guadeloupe? The questions a tough one. Martinique is more sophisticated, with more culture, but Guadeloupe has more diversity and calmer leeward bathing beaches. You can also visit Guadeloupes dependencies, the nearby islands of Marie Galante, Iles des Saintes, and La Dsirade.

Beaches Guadeloupe is riddled with sandy beaches. Unwind at Salako Beach , with its lush backdrop of palms. Sunbathers and snorkelers gravitate to Plage Caravelle, filled with heaps of white sand and reef-protected waters. In Basse-Terre, La Grande-Anse offers powdery sands, tranquil waters, and palm trees.

Things to Do Climb to the 18th-century ruins of Fort Fleur-dEpe to see its dungeons and battlements. Walk the ramparts of Basse-Terre, where panoramic vistas unfold in all directions. Don scuba gear and explore the colorful underwater world in the calm waters La Rserve Cousteau .

Eating & Drinking Creole cuisine on Guadeloupe is like nowhere else in the world, including land crab with hot peppers and fresh coconut, freshwater crayfish, and mashed bananas and breadfruit. The islands French heritage can be best sampled in the restaurants of Pointe--Pitre, St-Franois, and to Basse-Terre.

Nature Guadeloupes mountains are covered with tropical forests, impenetrable in many places. Hike Parc Naturel de Guadeloupe , passing waterfalls and cool mountain pools, hot springs, and rugged gorges along the way. The big attraction of Basse-Terre is the famous sulfur-puffing La Soufrire volcano, which towers to a height of some 1,444m (4,737 ft.).

Essentials

Guadeloupe

Visitor Information

For information before you go, contact the French Government Tourist Office (