Bedroom 1
A sea-view room with a 160 cm bed and air conditioning, a safe, linens, storage, an iron, and extra pillows and blankets. The air conditioning is serviced each year.
Anse Mire · Les Saintes · Guadeloupe
Villa Jamaïne
A house facing the water, on one of the world’s most beautiful bays.
At sunset the bay is, as we like to say, a marvel.
Your hosts, Marielle & OlivierThe villa
A house facing the water
For eight guests, with four bedrooms, a generous terrace and the beach at the end of the garden.
Villa Jamaïne is a beachfront house on Anse Mire, on the island of Terre-de-Haut in the archipelago of Les Saintes. The tropical garden opens onto the sand; sunbeds and a small table can be carried down to the water; and a traditional carbet — an open shelter — waits for family meals by the sea.
The house is decorated with souvenirs of travel and arranged for easy island days. Two terraces look out towards Anse Mire. One holds an outdoor living room; the other, a dining table. Inside, a true living room with a large smart television sits beneath a ventilated mezzanine, and a well-equipped kitchen is ready for family cooking — with quality pans and handsome tableware. The whole of the garden, in front of the house and behind it, is yours, together with the beach. A small independent studio on the left-hand side is sometimes let separately, with its own entrance and private terrace.
8Guests
4Bedrooms
4Beds
1Bathroom
✦Beachfront
In the house
- Beach access
- Full kitchen
- Outdoor dining & BBQ
- Two terraces
- Living room with large smart TV
- Washer
- Air conditioning
- Outdoor shower
- Sunbeds & carbet
The four bedrooms
Bedroom 2
A studio-style sea-view room with a 140 cm bed, air conditioning and a shower corner, hangers, linens, storage and extra pillows.
Bedroom 3 — the mezzanine
A double bed under the eaves, above the living room. Naturally ventilated, with luxury 140 cm bedding, hangers and extra pillows. A very pleasant room when the trade wind is up.
Bedroom 4
The smaller garden-side room, with a 140 cm bed, air conditioning, linens, storage and extra pillows, and a furnished cabin atmosphere.
The house, the terraces, the garden
Anse Mire · Terre-de-Haut
On one of the world’s most beautiful bays
The house stands on the sand of Anse Mire, in the Baie des Saintes, a member of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World since May 2001.
Les Saintes is a small volcanic archipelago of nine islands south of Basse-Terre. Only two are inhabited: Terre-de-Haut, where the villa stands, and Terre-de-Bas, a short boat ride away. Coloured Creole houses, fishing boats at anchor and green hills compose the view that has earned the bay its place in the Club des Plus Belles Baies du Monde.
From the villa you are at once on the beach and within an easy walk of the village. The quiet is deliberate: a lane and a flight of fifty steps keep the beach free of traffic, and reward anyone who comes down at the end of the day.
The island, the bay, the open sea
Adventures from the door
Terre-de-Haut is small, yet its shores, ridges and clear water offer days of quite different kinds.
Hiking
Walks with a view of two seas. Le Chameau is the island’s high point, marked by the Tour de la Vigie. Sources differ on the walk: an ascent of about 1½–2 hours, described as difficult, or a loop of some 7.6–8.3 km in 2½–3½ hours, described as moderate. Fort Napoléon, on Morne Mire, looks out over the harbour and the village. On the ridges there is almost no shade: start early, carry water, and stay on the marked trail.
Scuba diving & snorkelling
The water is clear, and tropical fish and coral begin in the first metres at Anse du Pain de Sucre — a mask and snorkel are enough. Prefer a mineral, reef-safe sun cream; do not stand on or touch the coral, and do not feed the fish. Two centres on Terre-de-Haut, La Dive Bouteille and Pisquettes, take divers to sites such as the Sec Pâté and Pain de Sucre. Do not swim out among the boats.
Sailing & boat trips
The bay is a fine place to be on the water. Voil’ô Saintes offers intimate outings on an 8-metre sporting catamaran (seven people at most), with swimming and snorkelling, from the pontoon in front of Le Génois, 11 rue Jean Calot — a few metres to the left as you leave the ferry. Half-days and discovery trips are published from 45 € and 60 €. Tel. +33 6 84 85 05 20 · voilosaintes.com. Kayak and paddle boards can also be hired locally. Îlet à Cabrit is about fifteen minutes by boat; Terre-de-Bas, the sister island, is linked by regular boats.
Beaches
Not every beach is for bathing. Plage de Pompierre, about a fifteen-minute walk from the villa, is the island’s best-known family beach: a pale crescent of sand, shallow turquoise water and a coconut grove, sheltered by the Roches Percées. The bay is a classified natural site, and boats may not enter or moor here. Anse du Pain de Sucre, at the foot of a 52-metre basaltic rock, is the island’s signature snorkelling cove — about a 25-minute walk from the village, or a short scooter ride and a steep path. Grande Anse is a wide Atlantic beach, better for walking than for a quiet swim, and a nesting beach for sea turtles from May to July. Sargassum can arrive in season.
A shared duty
Respecting our island
A few careful habits keep this living bay as you find it.
The reef
Look, but do not touch. Do not stand on coral, collect shells or break anything from the bottom. Prefer a mineral, reef-safe sun cream. The French health agency ANSES has identified three common UV filters — oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene — as toxic to corals.
Seagrass & anchors
Seagrass meadows feed green turtles and protect the shore. A prefectoral order of 5 June 2023 (n° 329-2023) forbids anchoring on seagrass in the inland waters of Guadeloupe, including Les Saintes. Set the anchor only on sand, or take a mooring buoy.
Sea turtles
Grande Anse is a nesting beach from May to July. Observe from a distance, in silence, and never with a torch or a telephone light. Do not touch turtles or hatchlings. In the water, allow about five metres and remain at the surface.
Classified places
The Baie de Pompierre and the Pain de Sucre were classified together by a decree of 14 May 1991. Boats, motor or sail, may not enter or moor in the bay of Pompierre. Îlet à Cabrit is a Conservatoire du Littoral site: keep to the marked paths and bring every scrap of rubbish back with you.
Wildlife
Iguanas, goats, birds and the fish of the reef are wild animals. Do not feed them and do not try to touch them. At Pompierre, close your bags: the goats are curious, and they are not shy.
The paths
Stay on the marked trail. Shortcuts open the dry forest to erosion and disturb nesting or resting places. On the ridges there is almost no shade: start early and carry water.
Golf carts (voiturettes) are forbidden at Anse Crawen and on the road that leads there, as published by a local rental house. Leave nothing on the beaches or the trails; if you are out on the water, nothing goes overboard.
The crossing
Getting here from Trois-Rivières
The shortest and most frequent crossing to Terre-de-Haut leaves from the gare maritime at Trois-Rivières, on the south coast of Basse-Terre. FRS publishes a crossing of 25 minutes. Times change with the season, the weather and demand — please check with the operator before you travel. All times are Guadeloupe time (AST, UTC−4).
01
From the airport
Pointe-à-Pitre’s airport — officially Aéroport International Guadeloupe Maryse Condé, still often called Pôle Caraïbes — stands in Les Abymes. The drive to Trois-Rivières is about 45 km, around one hour in normal traffic: take the RN1 towards Basse-Terre through Petit-Bourg, Goyave and Capesterre-Belle-Eau, then the RD6 down to the waterfront, following the signs to the gare maritime. Private pay car parks lie a few minutes’ walk from the terminal.
02
The operators
The two operators with a current official timetable for this crossing are CTM Deher, a family company since 1982, and FRS Express des Îles (25 minutes, non-stop). FRS also sails, in high season only, from Pointe-à-Pitre (Gare maritime de Bergevin) to Terre-de-Haut in one hour, on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Confirm fares and whether the line is running on your dates. Book on the operators’ sites, or at the terminal.
03
Arrival on the island
The ferry lands at the Terre-de-Haut jetty, in the bourg. The villa is about an eight-minute walk. For questions about your arrival, you are welcome to write or call Maelia, who helps with the guest welcome, and to mention the company and time of your boat.
Official timetables and booking
Adult fares, as last published: CTM Deher return 25 €, single 18.50 € (fare grid still marked “applicable on 1 April 2022”); FRS Express adult “Zen” return 23 € (modifiable, not refundable). Always verify before you travel.
Welcome
We look forward to hosting you
Write or call — we shall be glad to help you plan your stay.
Your host
Marielle
+33 6 73 73 05 19Guest welcome / arrival
Maelia
+590 690 61 74 72Your hosts, Marielle & Olivier.