Pointe-à-Pitre Vacations from $1,354

Room and bathroom was beautiful and spacious. Very nice deck area attached to the room with gorgeous views. More breeze than downtown since it's up the hill a little. Walk to rooms is uphilk plus a flight of stairs. Beach is small but has great snorkeling. Large pool and 2 outdoor showers as well as changing rooms. Unfortunately the restaurant is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays which was when we visited. They did however provide the shuttle for free those evenings to access other restaurants. Breakfast was included and excellent: scrambled eggs, a variety of fruits, cheese, ham, a variety of pastries and fruit juices. Lots of ants, which they eventually sprayed but didn't clean up so that was a little gross.

I'll say this property was a little piece of heaven because of its proximity to the beach. Moreover, the beach is not saturated with tourists. The apartment itself was well kept. My only complaint is that there was a stain on one of the sheets in the smaller room; next time I'll bring my own sheets. I was also a bit disappointed with the breakfast because there was no protein; you have to pay extra for eggs. Still, the lady responsible for the breakfast was a breath of fresh air, and the croissants and chocolate bread were the best I've ever tasted. I did not meet the owner because I had arrived so late, but his representative, Denis, was courteous and so helpful. You call, and he responds right away. I've fallen in love with Guadeloupe and plan on vacation there every year. And yes, I really love this place; I had a wonderful time. Even my elderly mother enjoys the place because the beach is accessible by car. Touba Manga delivered, and next year I plan on staying there as well. Thank you, Denis, and the Breakfast lady (whom I'm embarrassed to say that I forgot her name) for making my stay so pleasant.

Pros: * super friendly staff * good location Cons: * no restaurant - the hotel emailed us 6 times before our stay. Not a single time did they let us know their cook had quit so they closed the restaurant. This was one of the reasons we had picked this hotel. * no AC - the air conditioner wasn't working in our room with 90F weather. As it blew hot air, I turned it off and asked them to fix it. So insulting, they told me it worked, I just had to find the remote and turn it on! So I called them again, day 2 of no AC. Then they realized it wasn't working. They said it'd take a week for someone to come fix it, so I was lucky there was a small AC in the entrance of the room, I just had to blast it super cool so some cold air could come to the bedroom. After 5 days I was offered to switch room, a little late as we were about to leave. * no basic toiletry - no big deal, but beware you need to being your own shampoo and hair conditioner. Can't remember last time I stayed at a hotel that did not provide these basic toiletries. * clean your own dishes - with the restaurant shut down, at least there was a small kitchenette. But... not only don't they do the dishes, if you don't wash your own dishes, they charge you 50 euros for it! At a 4 star hotel with no restaurant?!? * from day 1 I tried to book a pedicure. Took 3 days to get an answer, which was not possible. This place is ridiculous and not worth its 4 stars. The kindness of the staff saves it from a 1 star review!

Check in and out was excellent and well organised and the apartment was clean and tidy. However, there was a lot that could have been improved in the apartment and within the complex. The washing machine didn't work, and there were no basic commodities for us to use. We got 1 spare toilet roll for a 10 day stay, no dishwasher tablets,(or detergent for the washing machine) no dishcloth or plug in the kitchen sink, no basics like salt and pepper and oil for cooking. The fridge was very old and had no door on the freezer compartment. The lounge seating was really uncomfortable and if there were more than 2 people staying there wouldn't be enough for everyone. There were no comfy chairs on the balcony, just hard dining chairs. The complex is very run down (I winced every time we walked up the rickety stairs to the apartment!) but the pool and beach were nice.