Pointe-a-Pitre (part three), Guadeloupe
On our last excursion on Guadeloupe, we decided to try another beach on Grande-Terre after having previously visited the Club Med beach in Sainte-Anne. We forgot the camera on the trip to the Plage de la Caravelle, but it is basically that manicured beach you see in post cards, so you get the idea. It is a great beach with limited snorkeling, and if you are heading south from Pointe-a-Pitre, you take the first right after the Club Med and park on the road. Walk down to the water line and there is a rotary gate. The beach is free access, but the other facilities are private.
Get on the road from Pointe-a-Pitre and go south. Nom, nom, nom.
On this trip we initially decided to check out the beach near Saint Francois, but having done a drive by it looked like it was covered in thick layers of sea weed and had quite a crowd of people. Instead, we turned around and headed back towards Pointe-a-Pitre and took our chances stopping at a roadside restaurant, the Poncho Grill. Boy was that a good idea.
Why do all of those people take pictures before they eat the food? Eat the food now! It is still hot.
It is possible that my taste buds have been refactored since leaving Texas, but the ribs and chicken we were served were mighty pleasing to the senses. I took a moment to inspect the wood pile near the smoker and was surprised to find a huge variety of timber there. I suspect that in the tropics, you just burn whatever you’ve got since it is all fricking fantastic.
Captain Daddy’s arm is doing a remarkable job of hiding Captain Daddy’s tummy in this well timed photo.
Having sated ourselves quite thoroughly at Poncho’s, we got back in the car and headed north for a stop at our backup beach, Plage Petit Havre. This is really two beaches. As you walk down to the water, you can take a right and crawl over some rocks to end up on a secluded beach surrounded by cliffs, rocks, and stoners. The sand here is quite a bit finer than the other beaches we have visited; it reminded me a bit of Texas sand. This beach also features the most ridiculous assortment of coral skipping stones I’ve ever encountered. The regularity of flat, round, medium weight skipping stones was primo.
My eyes can fold back into my head. Can yours?
Off to the left as you arrive is the main beach, with a secluded little nook farther along to the south for lovers that would like to do some smooching while watching the surfers. The sand on this part of the beach was thicker and coral based. The snorkeling was not great, but the kids still had a good time rolling around in the tide pool and playing with hermit crabs.