Sometimes you just want to splash out and have a lovely weekend and, while you won’t find many fancy resorts in Guadeloupe, there is a beautiful hotel called La Toubana. I have a habit of taking in stray dogs and I rescued a puppy I called Suzy – she was basically living in a bin, all skin and bones, and 10 days later, there she was sunbathing in a five-star resort.
Guadeloupe really isn’t about those places, though. The cast and crew, which includes a lot of Guadeloupeans, drink at Buddy’s Beach Bar, a local legend who knows everything and everyone and helps us with locations for Death in Paradise. You have to pace yourself when it comes to the rum there, and everywhere else. The local drink is ti’ punch, named after the creole word for “small” – because it isn’t mixed with anything. You’re given lime juice, sugar and a big bottle of rum and you make it yourself. It’s supposed to be a sipper, but you get in trouble with it and learn your lesson very quickly.
Death in Paradise fans really do make a beeline for the locations on the show and I always wonder what they make of it. It’s unspoilt, authentic Caribbean, not five-star luxury, and you have to understand that before you go there. Commit to the culture and, if you do that, travelling in Guadeloupe is the most rewarding experience.
As told to Lara Kilner
Death in Paradise series 11 is currently airing on BBC One, Fridays at 9pm
How to do it
Arrivals in Guadeloupe over the age of 11 must undertake a Covid test 72 hours or less before departure and declare themselves symptom-free. For details, see gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Air France (airfrance.com) flies from London to Guadeloupe via Paris from £438 return. Langley Resort Fort Royal (00 590 5906 87670; langleyhotels.eu) offers doubles from £161 per night. For more travel inspiration, read Telegraph Travel’s guide to the best hotels in the Caribbean.
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