Best Beach Hotels in Guadeloupe

With around 300 rooms and 47 acres of a beach-lined peninsula to itself, this mid-range, all-inclusive resort tries to ensure that guests never have any reason to leave, filling their hours with multiple food options, more non-beach activities than one person could accomplish in a 10-day vacation, and, thanks to the kids' club, no excuse to use the kids as an excuse for not having fun. All this comes with a price, of course, including the fact that the large crowds at the beach and hotel mean less privacy all around.

This 44-room, 121-acre hotel is the top upscale option on Guadeloupe. It dominates the side of a mountain and descends gradually down to the ocean, leading to its own tiny but essentially private beach cove, complete with long pier and platform-topped boulder. Meanwhile, up on top, an infinity pool offers a stunning view of waves crashing against a handsome cliffside. It's a dream Caribbean setting, and the rustic-luxe bungalows have enormous terraces (if smallish bedrooms), many with terrific ocean views.

The modern, 211-room, mid-range La Creole Beach straddles the line between business hotel and family-friendly vacation hotel, though plenty of locals have started coming for its beachside nouveau-Creole seafood restaurant as well. It's a sprawling, 10-acre property centrally located in Gosier, within an hour of most of Guadeloupe's tourist destinations. Clean, basic rooms are a bit disappointing for the price (and not up to advertised four-star standards), and most have French balconies with nowhere to sit. The pool and man-made beach are the main draws here, as are the large conference rooms.

This 215-room former Club Med is on Bas Vent beach on the less visited side of Guadeloupe and guests essentially have this beach to themselves. The property offers tons of activities for all ages, from a wooden child-sized fort to Hobie Cat rentals to tennis courts to a petanque court. The clean but small and rather flavorless rooms pale in comparison to the beach scene, with most situated in a hulking building overlooking the ocean.

Like a Europop version of a Disney hotel, this 514-room, 35-acre, mid-range property with sun-baked plazas and grassy rolling hills is a sprawling complex of pools, beaches, faux-plantation guest-room buildings, and three restaurant options. Kids take precedence, and there's an active kids' club with supervised activities as well as a separate club for teens. Quiet it is not, though the sunlit, citrus-accented rooms come with outdoor kitchenettes give families the option to self-cater (meal plans are also available).

The mid-range, 241-room Le Manganao Hotel & Residences is one of the most affordable beachfront hotels on Guadeloupe's tourist-friendly southern shore. It's extremely family-friendly, and the seasonal kids' club and ample activities are geared toward children under 13. Most guests will spend their time on the small but essentially private beach rather than in the small and somewhat basic rooms, which lack privacy. The Creole-style buffet serves all three meals, and all-inclusive rates are on offer.

This 191-room, mid-range hotel has a central location near Gosier, a 15-minute drive from the airport and within a half-hour drive of most tourist sights. The sight of the waves crashing against the volcanic outcroppings out back is a highlight, but the hotel itself has seen better days, and shows signs of wear throughout room and common areas. The lobby is dark and looks slightly institutional, and the beach is small and mediocre by Guadeloupe standards.