I was lucky enough to visit La Cocoteraie with my husband last month and the first thing I would say is that I would love to return there as soon as possible.

The hotel is really superb in all respects. Upon our arrival we were greeted immediately by Isabelle and the very multi-lingual General Manager, Fidel, in the reception area which feels very homely and inviting, yet thoroughly stylish and oozing authentic Guadeloupean flavour. We were offered cocktails and snacks which is a fabulous touch after a long transfer from Pointe-a-Pitre airport.

Throughout the entire stay the service was nothing less than impeccable, and I can often be over-critical. We were offered assistance in hiring a car, on which we received a discount and were given really comprehensive advice on trips to the nearby islets, Marie Galante, Les Saintes and la Desirade. Although we did have a guide book, we ended up getting most of our information from the staff at hotel, and my primary recommendation would be to visit la Pointe des Chateaux, with its breathtaking views and fine beach. We also visited the Ilet du Gosier, which was a totally inimitable experience in a small desert island with fantastic snorkelling near to St Anne.

My personal highlight was the hotel infinity pool with delicate Chinese vases and swim-up bar serving planter's punches. It was really enormous and very elegantly designed. As much of a pleasure to look at as to freshen off in. The suites were very large indeed, ultra-luxurious and beautifully appointed, with interesting octagonal Hermes bathtubs and lagoon views to die for. We stayed in a Suite with swimming pool view. I'd also like to compliment la Varangue restaurant, which served some of the best fresh seafood I have ever tasted (and you don't get much of that living in Austria).

The only thing which wasn't perfect about the holiday was that it had been raining on Guadeloupe before we arrived so we were unable to visit the Basse Terre side of Guadeloupe, which we had been looking forward to. On the whole I don't think this should be a problem going at this time of the year, but if it gets any rainier I would probably avoid Guadeloupe around October, as it is a shame if Basse Terre becomes unvisitable.

Lastly I would also like to say that we finished up organising our holiday through a UK tour operator which ended up being by FAR the easiest way to set up this holiday from continental Europe outside of France. We couldn't find anyone able to advise us on Guadeloupe from within Austria, and contacting French tour operators without a good grasp of French was a nightmare! We flew Zurich-Paris-Pointe-a-Pitre (and it was well well worth the trek)!!

We stayed at La Cocoteraie in May 2006, and I can highly recommend this hotel if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing and elegant place to spend your vacation. The hotel staff is friendly and helpful. The rooms are elegant, have got an extra spacious living room, two bathrooms and a nice little balcony/terrace. The furniture is a little bit used, but this does definitely not diminsh the quality in general. The pool is amazing, the hotel beach is a bit small though and not as beautiful as many other beaches on the island. The hotel also organized car rental for us, and got us an excellent rate/day, compared even to local car rental companies.

Le Meridien La Cocoteraie – January 2006



This was a second visit to this small-sized resort in St François, Guadeloupe, FWI.
We loved the place four years ago and were longing to go back.

We placed a call in the evening prior to our arrival to make sure that our room would be ready for check-in at noon the next day.
The operator checked her computer and said it was OK, since the previous customer was scheduled to leave around 10 AM.

So off we went the next morning to St François, getting there around 12.20 PM.
We had to wait some time at the reception desk and we noticed that the people checking-in just before were advised that their room was not ready yet and would not be until 3 PM.

Our turn came and we were greeted by the Reservations Manager we had met before.
However she also told us that our room would not be ready before 3 PM due to the late departure of the customer…
We handed over our Starwood card, but our lady still preferred the Meridien one…. She said that her team has not received any instructions or training yet.

After some minutes spent trying to calm down husband’s anger… we went to the wonderful shell-shaped swimming-pool, discovering we were the only ones using it at this time of the day. Then we went ahead for some “ti-punch” (white rum, lime and sugar) and had lunch.
Note : most of the suites are located around the pool and gardens. The Beach suites are on the lateral sides of the resort.

After all this, our room was ready. Our luggage had already been put in the room and we could start the unpacking.

Each suite at this hotel (ca 75 sq. meters) is composed of a separate lounge room with Plasma screen, a sofa bed (suitable for a child or an adult), a small entrance hall, a separate shower + WC. Then you have the master bedroom and its private bathroom (with a huge round-shaped bath).
As we asked for a ground level Beach suite, we enjoyed having two small terraces in front of each room, each of them with a table and chairs.

As welcome gift, the hotel provides some tropical flowers and a bottle of white rum

Our room was located right on the hotel’s (small) beach. There was a huge number of sun chairs on this small beach. Fortunately the hotel was not full. I wonder how crowded it may get if all suites were occupied…
There is another series of suites giving on a beach on the other side, but this is not the hotel’s beach…

Back to the suite: still nice looking but some refurbishment could be needed soon (stains on walls, scratches on furniture).

My biggest problem was that I immediately realized that there were a lot of mosquitoes in the room (at least 10 or 15…). I started the “killing action”, asked for more fly-tox, was given this, but the product did not seem to be very useful.

I wonder how the customer was able to sleep the night before…
To us, this room had not been occupied for a while…

Minor problems occurred with the daily room cleaning as they ran short of toiletries (delivery did not occur…), but the ladies always managed to find a solution.

One excellent point in this resort is service. All of the staff is smiling and helpful, which is not always the case in the French Carribean, wether you stay in a luxury resort or in a small B&B, although things are now improving.

The other asset is their restaurant: excellent quality, very refined food mixing French and Creole influences at reasonable prices.
The wine list was not that extensive, but of a good quality.

We enjoyed our drinks at the bar by the pool and the atmosphere was magic in the evening when all the frogs/toads and other critters start their night song…

Last point: obtaining a later check-out at 3 PM was not a problem at all.

Having discussed with other customers at the hotel, many of them (mostly French) come back regularly. There were a lot of Italian customers and a few British.

All in all we did not regret our coming back to this place. However the hotel has been taken in charge by a new management a few months ago, and some renovation work will soon be needed. Although it was the high season, the place was only half full, but prices are ranging high at La Cocoteraie (between 400 and 600 Euros per night on a BB basis at this time of the year). Certainly a bit over-rated…

My husband and I stayed here in March and can highly recommend this hotel. We had briefly visited Cocoteraie 6 years ago when we were in Guadeloupe staying at another (now closed) hotel. Suites are sumptuous, spacious, clean, restful, well-designed and with bathrooms and views to die for. All staff are eager to please and every recommendation we received was right on target. The pool is quite possibly the most gorgeous pool in the entire world (it is so stunning that you forget it doesn’t afford a view of the Caribbean). This is a perfect place to unwind and enjoy life in the French Caribbean. The bartenders were both a pleasure as was the charming manager and all the women at the front desk who took care of all of our needs with patience and efficiency. They even arranged for a (not expensive) private plane to meet us in Anguilla when we got stuck there due to a blizzard on the east coast of the US and a strike in Guadeloupe.

We both speak French and did not converse with the staff in English but did hear staff speaking English, Spanish, etc. We would go back here in a heartbeat.