New India Travel: Two Ports in Guadeloupe

Day 6 aboard Windstar Cruise's Wind Surf (Barbados Northbound).

Today the Wind Surf visited two islands of Guadeloupe: Basse Terre and Iles des Saintes. We really enjoyed both ports, but we fell in love with Iles des Saintes!

Guadeloupe is actually two islands – Basse Terre and Grand Terre. They're connected by the strait Riviere Salee and together they form the subtle shape of a butterfly.

For more information on Guadeloupe, click here. For additional details on Les Saintes, visit this website.

At Basse Terre, the Wind Surf was able to dock — a nice change of pace from the use of tenders to shore. We booked a Windstar glass-bottom boat shore excursion to visit Pigeon Island (no relation to Pigeon Island, St. Lucia) and the Cousteau Marine Reserve.

A modern air-conditioned bus picked us up (about 40 Wind Surf guests) from the dock in the morning. Our guide told us about Guadeloupe during the approximately 30-minute drive to Malendure Beach. The ride was well worth it! This is a lovely black sand beach with a scuba rental kiosk for trips to nearby Pigeon Island. There is also a small outdoor market with stalls selling straw hats and bags, clothes, postcards, recipe books, and more.

The glass-bottom boat that tours around Pigeon Island, off Malendure Beach.

Pigeon Island.

This was the perfect tour for me since I'm not the strongest swimmer. While others were able to snorkle off the back of the boat, I stayed on board and watched the fish through the glass floor. Everyone who did snorkled loved the location! Lots of beautiful sea creatures and the opportunity to see locals fishing nearby.

We returned to the Wind Surf that afternoon. A small outdoor market was set up on the dock and the local tourism department was on hand to showcase native costumes and traditional dances.

Traditional Guadeloupe dress.

As we sailed from Basse Terre, we enjoyed a terrific Mexican buffet lunch at Veranda. We then visited the charming island of Iles des Saintes, off the southern coast of Guadeloupe. This is a gorgeous, albeit tiny, enclave – just five square miles housing 1,500 residents.

Postcard from Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe.

You'll tender to the small coastal town of Bourg. Here you'll enjoy shopping the main drag for T-shirts, jewelry, rum, paintings from a local art gallery, etc.. There are several restaurants here, an ice cream parlor, and a few outdoor cafe/bars.

Postcard from Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe.

Our Basse Terre tour guide had raved about Pompierre (Pont Pierre Beach) on Iles des Saintes so we decided to head there first. To that end, we left our cameras on the Wind Surf. Big mistake! To get to Pompierre, you must walk for about 20 minutes along a paved road (some parts are a bit steep). After about five minutes, there's a switchback in the road and you'll have an amazing view of the bay and the Wind Surf. Wow! I wish we had our cameras!

As we walked further, we were greeted by sheep, goats, cows, and roosters. The trek was a bit much in the heat, but it was so worth it when we arrived at Pompierre. This is a spectacular beach with lots of shade trees and several gazebos that are so useful when you want to enjoy a picnic lunch. Be forewarned though...the goats are a bit feisty and will try to nab your snackables!