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!

Postcard from Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe.

Iles des Saintes was spectacular and we can't wait to visit again soon!

Photos © Leonard Hospidor. Please do not use without permission.

Beautiful St. Barth's

Day 5 aboard Windstar Cruise's Wind Surf (Barbados Northbound).

It’s about 4:00 p.m. and the Wind Surf leaves St. Barth’s in its wake in about half an hour. This was another fantastic day.

St. Barth’s is beautiful! It's also an enclave for the rich (make that super-rich) and famous. Just walk along the dock at Gustavia (where the Wind Surf tender drops off visitors) and you'll see mega-yachts from all over the world. This is a French outpost, but most locals also speak English. (Learn more about St. Barthelemy here.)

Yachts moored at Gustavia, St. Barthelemy.

Gustavia is a cute little village with lots of restaurants, duty free boutiques, and specialty shops.

We had originally planned to rent a car, but thankfully changed our minds. The roads are incredibly narrow and steep! The mountainous terrain can be intimidating to drivers, especially the areas that lack guardrails. Here's the type of car you can rent (see below).

Instead of renting a car, we opted to ride the shuttle. For $15 per person, you can hop on and hop off the small minivan and visit different parts of the island. The trip provided a great overview and we were able to get off the van whenever we saw something of interest.

Here's a photo of the airport which is affectionately called "La Torment." I'm so glad we sailed here instead of flying!

The beaches are lovely but a few are tougher to reach than others. For example, you'll need to hike a bit to get to Colombier (but we heard it was worth the effort; we'll head there next time).

Many Wind Surf passengers walked to nearby Shell Beach to enjoy some snorkeling. Others went to La Saline, Gouverneur beach, and Grand Cul de Sac lagoon.

We visited Saint Jean Beach so we could also check out Eden Rock Hotel (below).

The sails should unfurl at any minute, so we’re heading topside to watch. Tomorrow we visit Basse Terre and Ile des Saintes, Guadeloupe.

Photos © Leonard Hospidor. Please do not use without permission.

Out of This World Caribbean Buffet

Day 4 aboard Windstar Cruise's Wind Surf (Barbados Northbound).


Tonight was the Wind Surf’s signature Caribbean Buffet. The crew transformed The Lounge into a dining room and prepared a sumptuous buffet in the area where the art is usually showcased (between The Lounge and the Yacht Club). A gloriously whimsical dessert buffet was also setup in The Restaurant’s lobby.

The meal was simply out of this world and the artistry shown in the décor and desserts was impressive. When I post my full cruise review at LuxuryCruiseBible.com, I’ll include the menu. For now, I’ll just post a few photos.

The beginning of the buffet table.

Proscuitto-wrapped melon.

Shrimp cocktail and crab legs.

Shrimp-stuffed avocados.

Roast suckling pig — delicious!

Cheese course.

The salad bar.

Bread, bread, and more bread!

The dessert table featuring marzipan dolphins!

Carrot cake (check out the cute marzipan bunny!), apple strudel, and strawberry cream swan puffs.

Luscious cheesecake with chocolate mice. Adorable!

Dolphin closeup.

Look at all these desserts! Note the meringue pineapple in the background (left).

A special strawberry cake.

Mmmm!

The table setup in The Lounge for this special Caribbean Buffet.

The crew show followed the buffet and everyone went back to their cabins smiling!

Photos © Leonard Hospidor. Please do not use without permission.