In Guadeloupe, Every Beach Is Better Than the Last

I had less than two hours before my flight home but could not resist one last detour to Trou à Man Louis, a snug, rocky cove with cobalt water and a mat of white sand. After bumping along a dirt road and threading through knee-high grass, I stood at the edge of a dense forest unsure how to proceed until a young couple guided me in Spanish to a hidden trail.

On the other side waited a glistening pool ringed by rocks that made the ocean sound louder; suddenly, catching that flight felt less urgent. Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, is a cluster of islands shaped like a butterfly, dominated by two main islands: Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, separated by a narrow saltwater river.

Basse-Terre draws visitors for its volcano, hot springs and rainforest, while flatter Grande-Terre offers wide stretches of white sand. With limited public transportation, I rented a car; the roads were in good repair but mountainous and often driven aggressively, so I kept to a cautious pace.

France, Guadeloupe

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