Brunch at the Habitation l'Oiseau

Here I am again with a very special article about the island of Guadeloupe. We’ve been living in this beautiful archipelago for almost two and a half years now, and recently I told you that I was going to start writing shorter articles about some of the special experiences you can have here. I told you about the massages at the Parc aux Orchidées.

Today I’m going to take you in a different direction and tell you about a brunch experience we had at Habitation l’Oiseau, in the commune of Vieux-Habitants, on the west coast of the island of Basse-Terre. Admittedly, it may seem odd to write a short article about such an experience, but more and more, and I’ve discussed this with Mélanie recently, I want to write about places where we eat. Because, let’s be honest, as French people with a sense of self-respect, food is important to us.

We’d heard about this place a few times and wanted to give it a try. I can’t guarantee we’ll become a restaurant review blog, haha, but it’s something we want to develop slowly in Guadeloupe, to try and guide readers and give our honest opinion on the different restaurants on the island.

It’s a bit like writing about different types of accommodation. In fact, we’ve already written an article about the Jardin des Colibris in Deshaies.

So I’m going to try my hand at this small article to give you our impressions of the experience.

I was under the impression that l’Habitation l’Oiseau only offers brunch on Sunday mornings. Knowing that brunch doesn’t start until 10am (a bit late, isn’t it, or is it just me?), we set off from the Vieux-Fort, where we live, at 9.30am.

We already know the place, having been there in another context, which we’ll tell you more about later, so it was a surprise. Half an hour’s drive along the leeward coast takes us from the village of Vieux-Habitants to this beautiful house. For your information, Habitation l’Oiseau is an old colonial house that has now been converted into a guesthouse that hosts a number of major events.

We drive up to the property, which is really nice to look at. The house is on the right and there’s a huge park with access to the river. We’ve walked around the park a few times now, and I’d really recommend taking a stroll around the house to get a feel for the place. It’s not a botanical garden by any means. But it’s worth wandering around between the trees and the various buildings. It’s worth noting the huge mango tree at the entrance next to the carpark, which is really impressive in size. It must have been there for several centuries…

We made our way to what appeared to be the brunch reception, where there was a small queue. After paying the entrance fee (€26 per adult and €15 per child aged 3 to 13), they explain the concept, which is obviously very simple, as it’s just a brunch. Everything is provided, both sweet and savory, and you can set up more or less anywhere in the garden as long as there are tables and chairs.

We set up with the kids on a camping table in the shade, which is perfect for us. We take advantage of this Sunday morning with the family to enjoy this little brunch experience. The children are happy and so are we.

The brunch is set up under a very large covered hangar, with separate areas for savoury and sweet dishes.

There is a sweet section with all classics: tea, coffee, chocolate, iced tea, fresh fruit juice (which is excellent), pastries (pain au chocolat, croissants), pancakes with jam and Nutella, bread for those wanting some, chocolate muffins, banana or chocolate muffins, apple cake and assorted fruit. To be honest, it’s pretty complete. Personally, as I’m more of a savoury than a sweet fan, it suits me perfectly.

The savoury menu includes pies, quiche, scrambled eggs, bacon, cucumber salads, cod chicquetaille, merguez, chicken kebabs and tabbouleh. There are also excellent chicken bokits and migan de fruit à pain. This is a Creole dish made with breadfruit and pork in a sauce.

All in all, there’s more than enough to go around, and frankly, for the price, I think it’s just about right. The dishes could use a little more emphasis, as there are big iron boxes, a bit like in the canteen, haha, but that’s just for effect. To tell the truth, the main thing is that we enjoyed ourselves!

We ended up spending 2 hours here with the kids. They can play quietly in the park, and that’s really one of the big plus points of the place. If you come as a family, you can have brunch on a Sunday morning and the kids have a swing and several acres of parkland to run around in. What better way to relax?

Here’s some practical information about brunch.

Of course, as always, it all depends on where you’re coming from. From the town of Basse-Terre, allow about 30 minutes and 10 km. Here’s the exact route. Don’t miss the junction at the Vieux-Habitants exit, just before the Grande Rivière bridge. There’s a sign and the GPS won’t go wrong anyway.

It’s possible to stay on site, as the residence has a number of rooms at different prices. I don’t know if it’s possible to take just one room, but I think it should be.

Otherwise, there’s plenty of accommodation around the residence if you don’t live there. There’s plenty to choose from!

It all depends on what you want to do, but if you’re in the area, here are a few must-do’s in my opinion:

• Climb the Soufrière volcano high above Saint-Claude.
• Enjoy the beautiful beaches on the west coast, such as Petit Anse.
• Go a little further north and dive at the Cousteau Reserve.
• And so much more!

I’ll stop here for this little article about brunch at Habitation l’Oiseau. We’ll be back in the near future to write about the small restaurants we visit on a daily basis. Since this article was published, we have tried Restaurant O Ranch in Basse-Terre, enjoyed a delicious meal, and highly recommend it!

See you soon.

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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