Of all the trips that we were taking in 2018, I think that Stéphane and I were most excited for our long weekend on Basse-Terre of Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory. Norwegian Air had cheap (and since cancelled) flights from New York City to the island, and we booked a rental car and Airbnb on the west side, just south of Deshaies.
Basse-Terre excited me because it was the wilder of the two islands that form Guadeloupe’s distinct butterfly shape (Grande-Terre is the other island). We wanted to stay on the western side for its remoteness. This meant fewer tourists! Also, beautiful sunsets on the Caribbean Sea (which I had never seen or swam in before).
We spent our first full day driving south a bit. We swam in the cascade le Saut d’Acomat, which was a bit tricky to get to. You park on the side of the road, trek down a muddy, slippery “path” and then cross the river. But at the end is a luscious pool for swimming and rocks for sunbathing. It was brilliant. There were quite a few people there though.
After lunch in nearby Bouillante, we went into the pool back at the Airbnb. At sunset, we headed into Deshaies for dinner and a walk on the beach. The waves lapped up right to the restaurants. The rich sunlight brought the homes and other buildings to life, before the dim.
