Spa Hotels in Sainte-Anne

First the great points - beautiful hotel with stunning views out across the bays, bar staff fabulous, friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and professional- thanks to Christopher and his great team. Rooms (we had junior garden suite) lovely with good facilities as expected in a 5 star hotel. A reasonable stroll to the beach a bit of a climb back but very short and transport could be arranged if needed. Now the gripes which prevented a 5 rating these are the things that irked us may be they wouldn’t others. The food offering at the bar is poor we were there for 2 weeks and it didn’t change we of course went out and about and didn’t eat at the hotel daily but when we did with an ala carte restaurant or pool bar to chose from if you didn’t want a full on dining experience then the bar only offered a limited snack menu which stayed the same irrespective of time of day or eve - dips with toast, pizza or fried balls. At the beach the menu was more varied with salads why not offer this at the bar or fruit kebabs, grilled fish kebabs, grilled chicken etc. Getting about is difficult - car hire very expensive although we knew this before we left so was prepared. However what we weren’t prepared for was taking a taxi arranged by the hotel to Sainte Anne that cost 45 euro more than one we picked up from the local rank…. Needless to say we only arranged it through them once and made our own arrangements for a taxi other times - wasn’t the easiest as French very limited but with google translate we managed it.

Located in Sainte-Anne, Pierre & Vacances Residence Premium Les Tamarins is by the sea, within a 15-minute drive of Raisins Clairs Beach and Port of St. Francois. This beach aparthotel is 4 mi (6.4 km) from Plage de Bois Jolan and 4.4 mi (7 km) from Plage du Manganao.Pamper yourself with a visit to the spa, which offers massages, body treatments, and facials. You're sure to appreciate the recreational amenities, which include 2 outdoor swimming pools and a fitness center.Satisfy your appetite at L'Instant Creole, one of the aparthotel's 3 restaurants. Relax with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge or the poolside bar. Buffet breakfasts are available daily from 7 AM to 10 AM for a fee.Featured amenities include a 24-hour front desk, multilingual staff, and luggage storage. Free self parking is available onsite.Make yourself at home in one of the 100 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchenettes with full-sized refrigerators/freezers and stovetops. Rooms have private furnished balconies or patios. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Conveniences include microwaves and coffee/tea makers, and housekeeping is provided weekly.

At first glance everything is in great order - nice common areas like the restaurant, bar and pool. The staff (especially at the bar) is also helpful and friendly. The rooms themselves are a bit of a problem. They look like from the 80's and also they are very small; I can't imagine having two or three suitcases open there and moving around without restrictions. The ugliest thing is the bathroom, it's so small and also doesn't have a shower, but only a tiny bathtub, which you can't even fill with hot water at once - the boiler probably can't handle it and you have to turn off the water halfway through, wait 10 minutes and then continue again. It's a shame, the location is also not ideal and it's already far to the east - it's not particularly far, but considering that Guadeloupe often has traffic jams, it takes more than an hour to get to the capital or Basse-Terre. Also beware that check-in is only at 4pm, and since pilots are also sleeping there, who always have priority and give them late-checkout, you have to wait until late afternoon to check-in. However, you probably won't get a late checkout yourself. But again, the common areas are very nice and the whole hotel is quiet and has a good atmosphere, the staff is also very good, but for the reasons mentioned above I will try a different accommodation next time.