If you are reading this commentary in English, appreciate that you are going to a very French island, where you will be surrounded by the French language and population -- Fantastic!
This villa is ideally situated on the island of Basse-Terre. You can get here from the airport in 45 minutes or, if you make the trip on a busy Monday morning, perhaps 90 minutes. It is about 10 minutes south of the town of Deshaies, where there is a concentration of waterfront restaurants, a patisserie, a wine shop and grocery shops, a Botanical Garden with a shockingly good restaurant, and two great beaches. The local village, Ferry, has a patisserie that is a 2-minute drive -- and its own gem of a beach (our favorite) that is a 1-minute drive or a 5-minute walk. So, one could exist for a week and never drive more than 15 minutes, or take advantage of the location for easy explorations of the entire island.
The villa is at the end of a quiet (except for the roosters) cul de sac up the hill from the coast. When its green gate closes behind you, you are transported to a tropical garden on the edge of what appears to be impenetrable jungle vegetation. We felt safe, secure and at peace for our entire visit.
The villa is not extra fancy but it has everything that one needs, including conveying an immediate feeling of comfort. Small but nice pool, three generously-sized bedrooms, nice bathrooms, hot tub -- surprisingly enjoyable even in the heat, air conditioning - which we only used twice, complete kitchen and, for those who can't live without it, very good wifi.
The local manager, Marie-Jo, greeted us and pointed out a few useful things, and then she left us alone for our week -- although we knew we could call her if we had any questions. Marie-Jo was there to say good-bye at the end, making sure we had our airport drive timing correct.
Our communications with the owner of the villa were always answered cordially and in a timely manner. Thanks to these interchanges, we had a good feeling about our destination before we went -- and we were correct!
