Villa Sérénité at Résidence Villa Zen in Marie-Galante

If you followed us during our time in Polynesia, you know that we’re always keen to try new places to stay. Since our arrival in Guadeloupe, we’ve already had the chance to review two accommodations. The first was the wonderful Jardin de Colibris in Deshaies, a beautiful wooden lodge surrounded by nature. We loved it. The second, more recently, was the Oasis Hotel on the island of Désirade.

As we often say, these stays give us the chance to experience a place in depth, share it with our readers, and above all highlight accommodations we genuinely enjoy. We had already done the same with several properties while living in Polynesia.

During a trip to the beautiful island of Marie-Galante, we had the opportunity to stay at Villa Sérénité, part of Résidence Villa Zen in the north of the island. I wrote this article alongside our guide to the best things to see and do on Marie-Galante. As I always make clear, this is a partnership with the owners of the property. However, we retain complete control over what we write and our opinions remain honest.

Let me show you around Villa Sérénité, a place we loved for its peace, charm, and authenticity. We spent four nights here as a family, with Mélanie’s mother joining us. That gave us plenty of time to form a detailed impression.

We had arrived on Marie-Galante a few days earlier and first stayed in a very different type of accommodation in Grand-Bourg.

When it comes to accommodation, be sure to check out our selection of the best ecolodges in Guadeloupe! Among these ecolodges, I invite you to discover our experience at TropicAngel!

At the end of the driveway, we found a pretty chalet-style house. Its all-wood construction immediately gives it an original, slightly unexpected look, and we couldn’t wait to step inside. The front door, which comes from another part of the world, is striking and impressive. It is made of solid wood and intricately carved. The carved details near the top are especially striking, but I’ll let you discover the rest for yourself. A bench carved into the trunk of a tree allows you to take off your shoes before entering.

Inside, you step into a spacious living room. It feels less like a chalet and more like an Asian-inspired home. The open kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need to cook. There are also a few thoughtful touches, including coffee pods and a minibar, although the latter comes at an extra cost. The decor is full of carefully chosen details, including an old sewing-machine base repurposed as a stand for our camera and computer gear. Wi-Fi is available, although it was rather temperamental during our stay. It required a little patience. The issue may have been temporary, but working in the evenings was not easy during our stay.

On the living-room table, wooden-covered notebooks contain all the information you need for the stay. There is also a seating area with a sofa and a large-screen TV. We did not even watch the World Cup, although we certainly could have!

From the living room, you can access a ground-floor bedroom, the upstairs bedroom, the terrace, the utility room with a washing machine and cleaning equipment, and a separate toilet. For me, the highlight of this room is the wall that separates the living room from one of the bedrooms. It’s a long wooden panel, carved all the way up. Small shutters open onto the adjoining bedroom, an attractive and clever feature that lets light pass through.

The upstairs bedroom is set inside a square tower. It has a majestic bed and a small sitting area. From here you can admire the roof structure. Light comes through small square openings, some of which can be closed and some of which cannot. That means waking with the daylight, but we are used to it. Mélanie and I slept here, while the children took the downstairs bedroom and Pascale stayed in the separate outside room.

The second bedroom is accessed from the bathroom. It has a walk-in shower, large wardrobes and windows to let in plenty of light. Two separate vanities with white-framed mirrors complete the space. Opening onto the bedroom, it could almost be called the master suite. It has a double bed with a canopy and mosquito net, and opens directly onto the terrace overlooking the garden. As it is adjacent to the living room, it benefits from the charm of the living room’s wood-paneled wall. The furniture is charming. We gave this room to the boys, partly because it had a rocking horse. The owner was also kind enough to provide a crib for our two-year-old.

The third bedroom sits slightly apart from the main house and is accessed from the terrace. It also has a four-poster bed with a mosquito net, surrounded by carved wooden posts that resemble church woodwork. At the far end of the room is the bathroom. It has a stone wash basin with a soap dish carved into the stone, a large walk-in shower and a separate toilet. The floor is tiled with small round pebbles. It is bright and has three windows looking out along the sides of the house. In addition to the air conditioning in all the rooms, it has a ceiling fan. This makes it easy to adjust the airflow and temperature to your liking. The decor is charming, with statuettes, woven baskets, and other decorative details. Plenty of towels are provided in every room. The bed linens are in good condition and the pillows are very comfortable.

Beyond the interior, one of the villa’s highlights is its lovely outdoor terrace. At around 30 square meters, it feels like an additional living space. It is covered and overlooks the garden, with the sea beyond. From here, you can see Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, and Pointe des Châteaux. It is a great place for meals! In fact, if you’d like, we’ve written a complete guide to what to do on the famous Pointe des Châteaux.

The two bedrooms open onto the terrace, and the kitchen has a window that doubles as a serving hatch. There’s a shelf underneath that doubles as a sideboard. It is very practical when clearing the table, since you do not have to walk all the way around. In front of the bedrooms are deck chairs with footrests. You can relax in the shade. Just watch out for the many birds that peck at the table and “decorate” the railings. Haha.

A short staircase leads from the terrace down to a small swimming pool. For anyone who values peace and quiet, the pump switches off at 10 p.m., so the motor does not disturb the evening or night. The water was a little cool, especially at that time of year as temperatures had started to drop, and it was definitely too chilly for me! A side opening leads into the garden, where a large, well-kept lawn stretches out in front of the villa. There’s even a gazebo with two deck chairs. Set slightly higher up, it has a lovely sea view that invites you to slow down and daydream. The breeze keeps the area comfortable and makes it easy to settle in. Another nice touch is the large barbecue. You can collect the equipment at reception. The proximity of the terrace is very convenient.

The main downside was the number of yenyens, those tiny biting insects that love to feast on your legs. Luckily Pascale and Mélanie were there to protect me, haha.

As part of this partnership, the owner kindly treated us to breakfast, which is available as an optional extra. The breakfast includes coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for the children, along with pastries, a savory platter, fresh fruit, and juice. It was delivered at 8 a.m., and we thought it was very good.

Overall, we were very happy with our stay, thanks to the villa’s distinctive style, comfort, and location. We were able to get around both sides of the island very quickly as it’s on the northern tip. If you are looking for a beautiful, peaceful place to stay, this is an address we would happily recommend.

The villa is also close to several beautiful beaches and Gueule Grand Gouffre. I’ll tell you more about this below.

As I said at the beginning of the article, we only stayed and tested the Villa Sérénité. Villa Sérénité is part of Résidence Villa Zen, alongside Villa Quiétude and Villa Tranquillité.

From the outside, they all have private pools and gardens. They are spaced far enough apart to provide a real sense of privacy. Hedges separate the villas, while shared landscaped grounds extend throughout the property. At the time of our stay, a restaurant on the property was nearing completion. There was also a private swimming pool. All three villas have convenient parking nearby!

To get more information about the three villas, take a look here.

As mentioned above, the villa is located in a secluded spot between the villages of Saint-Louis to the west and Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante to the east. As a result, crowds are unlikely to be an issue. The villa is about a 10-minute drive from Saint-Louis and its shops, which is very convenient. There’s also a small supermarket where you can buy everything you need.

Around the villa you can access the beautiful Bambou Beach. It forms a small bay. It is a small, pleasant beach with fine white coral sand. It slopes gently down to the sea. Its gentle slope makes it well suited to families with children. A small islet lies just offshore. A little vegetation provides a bit of shade and a few stones for finding small shells or spying on the little fish.

You are also less than five minutes from the beaches of Vieux-Fort, Anse Canot, and Moustique. It’s also worth noting – and I’ll talk about this again in the article on Marie-Galante – that you can easily reach the mouth of the Vieux-Fort River for a paddleboat or kayak outing.

The famous Gueule Grand Gouffre, an impressive opening in the limestone cliffs, lies east of the villa. A short, well-marked path leads there from a parking area. The setting is beautiful and offers excellent photo opportunities.

That brings me to the end of this tour of Villa Sérénité. I hope this article and the photos have inspired you to stay there. It is a beautiful, peaceful place, exactly the kind of setting Mélanie and I enjoy. We genuinely enjoyed our four nights there! During your stay in Guadeloupe, I would like to invite you to read our article about the best places to stay on Basse-Terre island.

See you soon!

In the meantime, if you feel like it, I invite you to discover the island of Désirade, a beautiful wild island that we loved to discover as a family.

Written by Sylvain PONS

Since 2021, I've been living in the Guadeloupe archipelago with Mélanie and our two children. We are exploring these beautiful islands and discovering the treasures that we are happy to share with you!

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