Deshaies Basse-Terre Island Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe

Millions of television viewers know this village without knowing where it is. It is here, between fishing boats and the bell tower, that the series "Murder in Paradise" has been filmed since 2011, and the façade of the fictional gendarmerie ranks among Guadeloupe's most photographed stops. Deshaies takes no vanity from it: its bay nestled between two green hills shelters first fishermen, a few peaceful streets and, some mornings, the tenders of a ship at anchor. The opening credits last seconds; the village gives itself the whole day.

The Village, a Street Between Sea and Mountain

From the landing, everything is on foot. Painted wooden houses cluster along the main street, among restaurants with their feet in the water, craft shops and counters where coffee is sipped without hurry. Nets dry near boats drawn on the beach, series enthusiasts recognise a set piece at each turn, and the church watches over all from the village centre. Leaving the village, the river meets the sea beneath a small bridge, where herons await the remains of the auction. Half an hour suffices to see everything; you often stay far longer, time for an accras, a sugar-cane juice and conversation.

The Botanical Garden, A Comedian's Legacy

On the heights, the former property of Coluche has become one of the Caribbean's most visited gardens: more than a thousand tropical species, koi ponds, flamingos, a lorikeet aviary you feed with nectar, a waterfall and a plunging view over the bay. Allow a good ninety minutes of wandering beneath frangipani and traveller's trees. The site lies roughly two kilometres from the village, in constant climb: taxi spares the sweat of the way up, and the descent is willingly made on foot, between hibiscus hedges, with the sea in sight at each turn.

Grande Anse, Sand to the Horizon

Minutes by road to the north, Grande Anse unfolds nearly a kilometre of golden sand backed by coconut palms and sea grapes, not a single building to the horizon, only the green curve of hills behind the sand. The rollers invite play more than lengths, and thatched shelters serve coconut sorbets and grilled fish in the shade. The sand takes a coppery tint late in the day, when fishermen pull their nets at the hill's foot. Walkers will push on to Pearl Beach, a little further down the coast, shorter and often quieter. This shore counts among the archipelago's most preserved: no hotel tower, no concrete promenade, only the shore's curve.

A Bay Sailors Share Among Themselves

The Deshaies anchorage figures in every sailing log of the Lesser Antilles: protected from the trade winds, deep, facing the sunset. Late afternoon, sailboats sway by the dozens and the village lights its terraces one by one. Passengers who return aboard at that moment carry the place's truest image: a small secure marine refuge that changed nothing to please.

The television series will one day depart with its cameras. The boats, the bell tower and the bay will remain exactly in their places—and that is precisely what makes you want to return.

Practical Bearings

• Anchored port-call: tender transfer to the village landing.
• Botanical garden two kilometres uphill: taxi or shuttle advised for the way up.
• Currency: the euro; shops and restaurants concentrated on the main street.
• Swimming at Grande Anse: waves and currents possible, stay in frequented zones.