A FRENCH CARIBBEAN ESCAPE

By Elsa, travel blogger and Instagramer elsa_koalasfamilyPlaying Indian Jones in a lush vegetation, walking on endless white sandy beaches surrounded by coconut trees, eating coconut ice cream, swimming with colorful fish and turtles, meet iguanas son the beach, discover waterfalls in the jungle, sip a cocktail at sunset while baby sleeps peacefully...Our trip to the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe with our one year old was truly paradisiac and so easy! You don't need to be super experienced traveler to visit this place. Although the island is not big, we recommend that you rent a car at the airport to spend some time on both sides of the island, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre. The first one is famous for it's volcano and multiple hikes, while the second one is covered with white sandy beaches.If you can, catch a boat to go to the nearby islands of "îles Saintes" and "Marie-Galante". They are really incredible and we thought we've landed on paradise when we discovered them.Little Voyageurs' tipsKid-friendly activities on Basse-terre:

  • The Botanical garden of Deshaie.

  • Where to swim:  "le bassin paradis", a short walk in the juge opening up to a gorgeous little natural pool, "la cascade aux écrevisse", very easy and pretty waterfall , "le saut d’acomat", a short walk and cascade with a little pond, or the impressive "chutes du Carbet" waterfalls

  • The black sandy beaches of Bouillante, Petite Anse et Malendure.

Kid-friendly activities on Grande-Terre:

  • Sainte-Anne: the "Caravelle"beach, THE paradisiac beach. Get there early or stop before the beach of the "Club Med' resort.

  • Saint-François and "la pointe des châteaux", a beautiful walk between the sea and the cliff.

  • La plage des raisins clairs à Saint-François est très jolie aussi, sable blanc et cocotiers, le bémol avec des petits est que la mer peut y être agitée mais la plage est sublime.

  • "La pointe de la grande vigie" great for a picnic. 

  • L’Anse à l’eau. A deserted beach with transparent water.

  • In Marie-Galante we loved : "la Feuillère" beach.

  • In îles Saintes : "l’Anse du Pain de Sucre" beach.

Good to know:

  • Don't worry about the food. You can find fresh products everywhere and markets are wonderful.

  • Sleeping. Airbnb is the way to go. Tones of them have a pool and crib. In Basse-Terre try Les Jardins de l’Espérance, and Victoria à Bouillante.

  • Beaches are kid-friendly with shallow cal, water.

? Follow Elsa's family travel on her Instagram 

[supsystic-gallery id=129]Photos courtesy of elsa_koalasfamily

IN SOUTH AMERICA, TRAVEL EXPERIENCESFrench Caribbean, itinerary