There are few nice hotels in Grand Terre - and, despite its 4 stars, this isn't one of them.
It could be. The pool is beautiful, the architecture pretty and the location quiet. But the rest .... We had a 15 minute wait to check in. Our 'suite' was a heart sinker - holes in the plaster, chipped second hand furniture, blue lino floor, a 12 inch fridge sitting forlornly in the corner of the living room, a tv with only 3 of 12 channels working, industrial soap, orange red see through drapes on the windows, moisture on the walls.
At night, the restaurant is lit by searchlight quality chandeliers - the food's good, but the service cheerless .
Breakfast is literally a bun fight, a buffet with pastries continually running out. Coffee is excellent and you can have crepes. The dining area is very pleasant with the lights off and the breezes make it a lovely spot to sit.
You get one towel each when you want to lie out - not enough to cover the beds, so some part of you always sticks to the vinyl cover. Nice. The beach is handkerchief size, with plastic loungers, most of them broken, lying around haphazardly. The water is cloudy and grassy. Workmen trying to refurb rooms made a constant racket. Thank God for the I pod. Other guests were mostly older French couples - the men's style icon being Johnny Halladay.
Consolation came in the form of a great dinner at Iguana Cafe, but that wasn't enough to stop us checking out 2 days early and hot footing it to Basse Terre and the faultless Jardin de Malanga.
La Cocoteraie needs buckets of money spent on it. At the moment it also needs downgrading to a 2 star hotel.

We spent one week of our honney moon at La Cocoteraie. Despite a poor website, as the hotel has left the Méridien group, we got impressive private shots on [--].

At the arrival, we got an upgrade and discovered our swimming pool suite (instead of marina or garden suite), at the first floor. There is also a honney moon suite. People are very helpful. The size of the room is very big (75m²). Not every room has a plasma screen, but almost. There are two bathrooms. The view on the biggest swimming pool in the Caraibean islands and on the sea is wonderful, as it can be seen from the lounge, from the room, but also from the bathroom. For mosquitoes, the air con helps much and there are special products in the rooms. I had free wireless internet access during my stay.

The Chinese vases give a very elegant touch to the pool. You can drink your cocktail in the pool. The private beach is small, but pleasant. So is the fitness room with 4 complete and new machines. There also 2 tennis courts and the golf starts next door.
Breakfast is fine: viennoiseries, local fruits (ananas, maracuja), bacon & eggs; the restaurant La Varangue is also tasty, especially the seafood, but a bit expensive (average 20-25€).
The hotel is close to the marina, where you can leave for other islands and rent a car to discover the island (diving, waterfalls, shores).

We spent one wonderful week, very confortable, in the pleasant town of saint François, close to nice beaches around La Pointe des Châteaux, and not so far from Pointe-à-Pitre.

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.