The fact that the Sofitel hotel is by far the best hotel on Guadeloupe doesn't mean that this Sofitel is a very good or very luxurious hotel - it's a good hotel which needs some improvements. The rooms for example are spacious and clean, but the furniture is close to the need of refurbishment. The bath room was clean but some edges need a renovation, too.

We got the farhest room at the end of the hotel's ground, this wing was built in another, more charming style than the older concrete wing in the near of the main building (see pictures).

The staff is friendly and obliging, I can't confirm that there is rude staff as mentioned in some reviews below. Far from it! Everybody tried to help us even if they didn't understand our poor French. Please remember that you are on a FRENCH (!) island and not everybody speaks English or German there. The staff at the front desk speaks French, English and German, the hotel manager is an astonishing multilingual talent, I heard him speaking English, French, Dutch, Italian and German fluently.

Some reviewers wrote that they didn't eat in the hotel's restaurant due to the high prices, in my opinion they denied themselves the pleasure of some really fantastic food. The price is 38 Euro for a two-course menu and 48 Euro for a three-course menu, this isn't really expensive. Furthermore the food was of a very high standard and absolutely worth the money! French and international cuisine with a Creole touch at it's best. Try at least once to eat there, you won't regret it.

The beach is indeed tiny, but cleaned every morning and thus a quiet and relaxing place for some hours of sunbathing. Luckily Guadeloupe offers a lot of huge and lonely beaches which await beeing explored. In my opinion Guadeloupe has some of the most beautiful beaches of the Caribbean Sea with white sands and palmtrees - just what you would expect on a postcard. Try visiting the beaches in the eastern and northern parts of Grande-Terre, they are fantastic. But be carful with your belongings when you're going for a swim in the sea.

The resume is that we had a great time at the Sofitel. We made a deal at Expedia and payed 116 Euro for a seafront double room with breakfast buffet, for what we got this was a steal even at the low season. The breakfast buffet was rich and covered a wide range of continental, british and international food.

I would rate this hotel a four star hotel, with some minor problems like the room's furniture showing traces of usage or the small beach. As we are frequent caribbean travelers we will stay at the Sofitel again if we're going to visit Guadeloupe in the next years.

OK, I admit, it IS the best hotel in Gwadloup, BUT that doesn't mean it's the best hotel I've ever stayed at...The problem with Gwadloup is that tourism isn't really well developed, thus there are no major luxury hotel chains on the island (except for maybe the ridiculously expensive Club Med)...

The Sofitel should not be a 4 star Sofitel, but rather a boutique hotel or something like that. Still, it IS a good hotel, with rather spacious rooms, good breakfast and a nice small beach. I missed a drinks service at the beach, but to be fair, Vielletour is more of a business hotel (preferred supplier for Air France and business men visiting from the Metropole) AND we were there in low season!

The restaurant of the hotel exceeds expectations! It is really a feast to dine there, as the plates are an excellent balance of taste and colour!

For holiday people: we stayed at the Vieille Tour for the first week and in Basse Terre for the second week. Vieille Tour is great for resting (really comfortable beds and great views!!!), but for a true Caribbean spirit, you really need to visit the other side of the island.

For DIVERS: stay somewhere around Plage de Malendure (Bouillante) and dive with CIP, they are the best!!!

Guadeloupe (Gwadloup) is certainly worth visiting!

Avoid this hotel.

1. Very rude personal;
2. Many stairs, you keep going up and down...;
3. Rooms with good size but need some refurnishment;
4. The beach is to avoid (the smallest hotel beach I have ever seen);
5. They charge you for sending a fax to another Sofitel hotel!!!(It happened to me);
etc. etc.

The island itself isnt very nice compared to other islands in the caribbean.

Best of all: A day catamaran sailing cruise to Les Saintes. Don t miss it

At the Pointe de Pitre airport, after making an easy money exchange, a nice cab driver was waiting to accomodate me. The hotel was not far. I was greeted at the Sofitel with a refreshing cloth and a rum punch (you may request it without alcohol). The view was awesome. The grounds were lush with enchanting iguanas during the day, and the musical cricket sounds at night. The beach was so nice, I couldn't get enough of it. Sometimes I enjoyed a lounge chair near the short cliffs, just for some privacy. The breakfast was wonderful with lots of choices. But be careful, the birds like the breakfast bar too. Other than that, and a daily brief thunderstorm, it was a terrific vacation experience. The staff was friendly, and eager to try to understand our poor French. We did not eat in the restaurant due to the expense. The restaurant atmosphere was not exciting or inviting when I peeked in. The lobby and lounge have a beautiful view day and night! I had a great photo of the cliff from the lounge chair but it was too big to send.