Salut Guadeloupe!

Hey Everyone! So, y'all know I love a good, short trip! And a year ago, my travels took me to the French Caribbean nation of Guadeloupe (Gwada if we talking Creole) and it was absolutely amazing!

This time, my friend Cassandra came along with me. Basically, she mentioned to me months ago that she was amazed at how I go to all these places, all over the world, and manage to do so for such short periods. So she said she would love to join me on one of my travels. Fast forward to December... and we were making that become a reality!

It was pretty much #teamnosleep once we landed in Pointe-à-Pitre to begin our four-day adventure. But we got to do so many things, including hit up the beach, go dancing, and of course, eat great food. (My fav was a sandwich called, Bokit!) Here's our daily recap.

Day 1

Sleep? We don’t know her!

So, after leaving NYC early in the morning, catching a flight to Miami, (which I almost didn’t make 🤦🏽‍♀️) and then hopping on second flight to Pointe-à-Pitre, I finally made it to paradise!

It was already late afternoon by the time my friend and I got to Guadeloupe. But the key to making short trips successful is the ability to maximize your time! That being said, we pretty much hit the ground running 🏃🏾‍♀️

So, after taking a taxi to our lovely apartment in Bas du Fort that would be our home for the next few days, we ventured down the road to get some drinks and snacks. Took a small cat nap when we got back, and then headed out for a night on the town!

Our first stop was Chez Margaux. It’s a lovely French restaurant in Le Gosier that was within walking distance of our apartment. Reservations are highly recommended. My friend and I didn’t have one, but the owner, Jean-François was so kind and found us a small table to sit. (By the way, the restaurant is named after Jean-François’ daughter ❤️.)

Jean-François gave us a few recommendations and since we welcome all new experiences, we went with the flow! The plates are meant for sharing. So we chose two dishes that included a local fish, octopus, tuna, fried plantain (my fav!) and veggies. The drinks were a rum special… delish! And Jean-François gave us some of his homemade rum to taste, which was soooo good! We had a time!

So after all that food, it was time to make our way to the club for some dancing! We took a taxi to LaCaz’Art in Baie-Mahault, paid 20€ to enter, and began a set out for a night of fun.

It was early, early vibes when we got there! But we were running on almost no sleep, so it was important for us to keep going so we wouldn’t drop 😩.

So at this club, just about every song that is played is accompanied by the music video playing on the wall. No lie, I caught myself several times just staring at the videos while they played 😅 I think it was old-school night though because a good 90% of music was before 2010. (But is 2010 even considered old-school now?! 😩😩😩)

Anyway, I’m a big zouk and konpa fan. And in the French Caribbean, those are staples! So I was too excited! But I really loved how versatile the music selection was. They played EVERYTHING!!! And the people, they enjoyed it!

The crowd really began to fill up as the hours passed, but my friend and I had to finally call it quits around 2 am. (There’s only so much #teamnosleep we can do 😭.) But it was GREAT day one!

Day 2

🎵 Under a coconut tree back home, I did fall in love with you! 🎵

This is the first line from Nadia Batson’s hit song, “Jelly.” But I think she’s right. Coconut trees definitely have magical powers! So I was glad to find myself under one during my second day in Guadeloupe!

#teamnosleep was still in full effect as my friend and I had only a couple hours of rest after dancing the night away. But we had to leave early to head over to Saint-François for what would be an unforgettable day at sea… a catamaran cruise with Uhaïna Croisieres.

The day was complete with a trip to the Petite Terre islands, spending hours on the beach swimming and snorkeling. We also had a BBQ complete with fish, rice and veggies, which was delish! And the views were just amazing! Definitely worth our time!

Day 3

Girl, your melanin is POPPIN’!

Yes, I couldn’t help BUT keep telling myself that because IT WAS THE TRUTH! Guadeloupe had me absolutely glowing and I had absolutely no 👏🏾 complaints 👏🏾 at 👏🏾 all! Day three was about to be 🔥 🔥 🔥.

So, we took a little venture over to the island of Basse-Terre with our eyes set on Plage de Grande Anse in Deshaies, which I was told was one of the best beaches in all of Guadeloupe. And it did not disappoint!

We set up shop at Karacoli Beach Club and Spa, had some drinks, and just enjoyed the views! We even got to watch the sun as it was setting, which I am learning is another favorite activity of mine to do ☺️.

Another favorite… getting ice cream. Listen, there is just something special about tasting ice cream in different countries. The homemade ingredients just make some of the best flavors. I chose black vanilla… if only words could express the delight I experienced with each taste 🤤.

We also made sure to eat bokit! It’s a sandwich staple in Guadeloupe, usually served as street food. I got chicken with a creole sauce and OH MON DIEU… let’s just say I understand why you can’t leave Gwada without having one!

Shout out to our taxi drivers, Ruddy and Chris, who made our day three an experience we would not forget. When I make the trip back to Guadeloupe, they will be the first people I’m calling 💛.

Day 4

And beauty is her name!

Words truly cannot explain the beauty I saw in Guadeloupe. I am not even sure if pics or video do it justice! So on day 4, we made it our mission to soak up every last but of it before returning to reality.

Our apartment complex had private access to Plage de Bas du Fort and a pool so we decided to take advantage of it. But the views from the beach were AMAZING! We couldn’t believe all this beauty was right in our backyard!

So of course, we took a little dip in the water and our last cheers celebrating our adventure. And then we ended the day by soaking a bit in the pool. It was perfect!

Guadeloupe was good to us. For sure it’s on my list of places to return 💛.

Want to see my trip in action? Check out the videos below!