Comments on: Impressions of Guadeloupe

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 20:07:08 +0000

In reply to Denise Baez. Are we talking about the same island? I spent almost three weeks there and no one was anything but friendly and welcoming and gracious to me, and I'm white. It astounds me that your sister had such a bad experience!

By: Denise Baez

Denise Baez — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 19:56:56 +0000

My sister just spent 5 days there and she called me crying every night because of how they treated her and her friend. There were restaurants that wouldn’t even serve them. Racism is real out there. Mind you, we are first generation Puerto Ricans and speak fluent Spanish and her friend is Russian and speaks French very well. They were being treated poorly purely because of their skin color (both look white). I go to Puerto Rico several times a year and have been to many islands in the Caribbean and have never experienced racism like what she described. I will never suggest this island to anyone.

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 06:28:19 +0000

In reply to Patrick. One of the pitfalls of being a travel blogger is that I'm always looking from the outside in, or else reporting what local people have told me. So thank you for adding your views! And don't apologise for your English! It's fine!

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 05:12:18 +0000

Hello,
Love this article as a « Guadeloupéen » I am very proud to hear that you loved your trip on our island. There were a lot of things that you didn’t really quite get, I mean this is totally normal I am not trying to say that in any offensive way, it’s totally normal normal Guadeloupe is a very complicated island due to it’s past, and rich history. So first when you talked about the problem of racism in Guadeloupe it is pretty much the same as in any other Caribbean island which the descendants of old slave owner which are mostly white people own all of the land, and practically runs the economy of the island. They don’t mix with other people in Guadeloupe to « preserve a pure race ». But except from that there is no big racial issues people are very opened minded in Guadeloupe and their is a lot of mixity.
Sorry for the many grammatical and spelling mistake that I did throughout this comment. I don’t speak English but French so I tried my best.
Again Great work!!

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 08:25:37 +0000

In reply to Tracy. I'm jealous! I'd love to go back there; I just loved the place! I think the car rental question depends on where you are going to stay and what you are going to do. I get restless just sitting on a beach, and I booked an Airbnb that was not in any town, so I rented a car for my whole stay. That let me spend whole days exploring all over the island, which I enjoyed tremendously. If I remember correctly my car was manual, but I'm sure that when you book a car you can choose an automatic. I think all late-model cars these days have a cigarette lighter or charging port. Did you read all the other post on this site about Guadeloupe? There's a lot to see!

By: Tracy

Tracy — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 22:14:53 +0000

Great post. I am heading to Guadeloupe in a few weeks for vacation/holiday. I am contemplating renting a car for my entire stay vs a few days. Will I need to know how to drive a manual car or are most cars automatic? Also curious if cars have a cigarette lighter or charging port is I can plug phone in the event I need to charge my phone. My French is super poor but I look forward to smiling a lot and hopeful for a great time. Oh French pastries. Im in trouble. 🙂

By: Viktoria Altman

Viktoria Altman — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 14:43:19 +0000

Just got back from Guadeloupe! Loved it!

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 16:11:29 +0000

In reply to Mariana De Albuquerque Simoes. It did not seem as poor to me as Jamaica or Haiti; since it's part of France I suspect there's more government money coming in for the poor. I would suggest, before you start collecting stuff, that you contact a Guadeloupe charity and ask what they actually want and need. Often the materials people bring miss the mark, and it would be better to give money than bring stuff to hand out. But no, I don't know any particular organizations. Sorry!

By: Mariana De Albuquerque Simoes

Mariana De Albuquerque Simoes — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 16:00:38 +0000

Hi Rachel,

I might be going to Guadeloupe for vacation in a few weeks, and I am wondering how much poverty there is there. I’m just wondering if it is like Jamaica and other developing countries, even though it is part of France.

Because if so, I’d love to bring toys and related to children at an orphanage, preschool, etc. I work with educational programs in developing countries, and I could do some fundraising of materials to bring. Do you know anything about it, or could tell me someone who could give me some information?

Thank you,
Mariana

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 21:21:54 +0000

In reply to theworldonmynecklace. I did have an advantage in speaking some French and having a rental car for the whole time I was there! Deshaies was my favorite, definitely!