Tag Archives: Guadeloupe

Gosier Island Guadeloupe
Caribbean, Guadeloupe, Plan, Trip Ideas

Caribbean Snapshots: Gosier Island, Guadeloupe

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On the calm southern coast of Guadeloupe, the seaside town of Le Gosier lures vacationers with a collection of charming small hotels and cafes. The shoreline is laced with sheltered coves and sun-spangled beaches, but the area’s favorite aquatic destination lies just offshore.

Islet du Gosier is a half-mile long strip of sand and greenery surrounded by shallow reefs. A historic lighthouse rises above the island’s palm grove to warn mariners away from the shoals, but these same coral reefs now attract day-trippers. Cruising yachtsmen anchor nearby and dingy ashore, while taxi boats provide easy access via a five-minute boat ride from town. More ambitious types can rent a kayak and paddle out from Datcha Beach, and some locals even make it a practice to swim to the island for their morning constitutional.

Once there, visitors can spread a towel and relax, or don mask and snorkel to explore the surrounding coral gardens. There are public restrooms on the island, and local vendors often set up shop on the beach, offering a range of savory refreshments. Though popular, this offshore haven rarely draws a crowd, and is about as close as one can get to experiencing a deserted island without actually being shipwrecked.

 

Carnival in the Caribbean
Bahamas, Bahamas-Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas-New Providence, Bahamas-Out Islands, Barbados, Caribbean, Curacao, Eat, Guadeloupe, Plan, Trinidad & Tobago, Trip Ideas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Authentic Caribbean: Carnival Celebrations

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It’s a party for the people, where everyone is welcome. Locals and visitors of every ethnicity and class join together in Carnival, a riotous island-style celebration that takes to the streets. While Trinidad is home to the mother of all Caribbean Carnivals, every island has its own unique and equally lively version, focusing on local traditions and heritages. French planters first introduced this pre-Lenten ritual to the Caribbean in the 18th century as a masquerade party for the elite; it caught on with the masses and is now an annual explosion of creativity with undertones of renewal and liberation.

On islands such as Trinidad, Guadeloupe and Curacao, the festivities typically begin on Boxing Day, and end on Ash Wednesday. Others like the US Virgin Islands celebrate in April and May. During July and August, Barbados keeps the action going through the season known as Cropover. In the Bahamas, the week between Christmas and New Years is Junkanoo time. With dozens of islands and hundreds of parties, parades and shows, revelers can follow the circuit throughout the islands for a year- long party. The delirious crowds, the deafening sounds, non-stop dancing and marching in the streets keep revelers up all night. Participants and followers marvel at the flamboyant costumes of feathers and sequins, body paint, giant headdresses and steel-pan bands which are all part of the festivities leading up to the competition when groups go before judges to define the most outrageous show.

Guadeloupe-La-Cascade-Aux
Caribbean, Guadeloupe, Play, Trip Ideas

Caribbean Cascades: La Cascade aux Ecrevisses, Guadeloupe

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You won’t have to lace up the hiking boots to discover Guadeloupe’s favorite waterfall. There is about ten minutes of walking required from a parking area along Route D23, but you’ll follow a well-maintained walkway that’s flip-flop friendly, and once there you’ll find viewing platforms and park-like facilities at the base of the falls. Pull out your French-to-English dictionary and you’ll soon figure out that the lilting title of La Cascade aux Ecrevisses sounds more enticing that the Anglo equivalent: Crawfish Falls. Regardless of the name, the clear pool at the base of the falls provides an opportunity for a cooling dip, or you can simply wade into the steam below and perhaps encounter a few of the waterway’s namesake freshwater crustaceans. The falls are a popular stop on the scenic drive known as Route de la Traversée, which crosses the mountains of Basse-Terre and enters Guadeloupe National Park. The picnic area and pool often fill with local families on the weekends, and on days when mid-day bus tours from the cruise ships pause to disgorge their passengers. Visit at other times, however, and you might just have the basin to yourself.

Caribbean clothes
Antigua & Barbuda, Caribbean, Jamaica, Plan, St. Barts, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Trip Ideas

The Caribbean’s Best Nude Beaches

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We come to the Caribbean for sun and uninhibited fun. But on most islands, there are cultural limits that should be respected -not to mention legal statues against getting totally naked in public. But for those who enjoy sunbathing in the buff, there are a few select locations throughout the region where it’s perfectly acceptable to work on that all-over tan.

Orient Beach, St. Martin

On an island that’s half Dutch and half French, you’d expect a somewhat relaxed attitude towards beach attire. Skimpy suits and topless tolerance are prevalent, but the only place where full nudity is standard practice is at Orient Beach. Located on the northeast corner of the island—the French side—the stretch of sand where one can bear is clearly marked by a large billboard-style sign, and occupies the waterfront south of Club Orient, which is the island’s only clothing optional resort. This is a popular beach, so don’t expect privacy or solitude if you plan to shed your inhibitions.

Grand Saline Beach, St. Barts

Topless sunbathing is universally accepted on the beaches of St. Barts, but full nudity is not officially sanctioned. That said, it’s quite common for the beautiful people who frequent this gem of an island to bare all at two of the island’s more remote beaches. On the south coast, Anse de Grand Saline sits at the end of the road, tucked between two headlands, with nary a hotel or beach bar in sight. Just to the west, also cloistered between bookend cliffs, is Gouverneur Beach, which offers a greater chance of privacy and a similarly lax attitude towards nudity.

Point Tarare, Guadeloupe

You can disrobe legally on the island of Guadeloupe, but only if you can get directions to the somewhat obscure beach at Point Tarare. From a car park on the roadway leading to the island’s easternmost tip at Pointe des Chateaux, a path follows a deserted headland to a relatively small beach that, despite its remote location, can draw a respectable crowd of sun worshipers. There are no facilities, but local vendors sometimes hawk drinks and snacks, and there is a restaurant near the car park. A second option for buff sunbathing is along the beach in front of the Club Med near Sainte Anne.

Sapphire Island, Jamaica

While it’s both inappropriate and illegal to bare all on the public beaches of Jamaica, there are a number of private resorts that cater to the clothing optional crowd. One of the most comfortable places to work on your all- over tan is at the Couples Tower Isle resort in Ocho Rios. Here, a ferry shuttles guests to Sapphire Island, a modest outcropping of rock just offshore of the resort that is just large enough to hold the property’s signature watchtower and a collection of sun decks and cabanas. There’s no beach to speak of, but sunbathers are treated to a range of amenities that include bathrooms, lounges, a plunge pool and a swim-up bar.

Hawksbill Bay, Antigua

Unless you can talk a local with a four-wheel drive vehicle into ferrying you down a remote dirt road, you’ll need to do a bit of walking to reach Antiqua’s officially sanctioned nude beach. Fortunately, the hike is easy and scenic. You’ll start at the parking lot of the Hawksbill resort, and simply follow the beach south. After traversing Landing Bay Beach and crossing on to Hawksbill Beach, a path leads across a scrub-covered headland to arrive at a third stretch of sand that extends toward the southern point of an uninhabited peninsula. This is Pinching Beach. It’s remote, quiet and an ideal place to get some all-over sun time in a near private setting.