Our review of the Oasis hotel in La Désirade

We had the opportunity to stay at the Oasis Hotel, which I also mention in my complete guide to visiting the island of La Désirade here in Guadeloupe. As I always make clear in these situations, we spent four nights at the hotel as part of a partnership with the Oasis Hotel and Loane, the manager, who kindly welcomed us to this small, cozy hotel that feels perfectly suited to the island. However, everything written in this article—including my opinions and views—is entirely my own. It is important to us to be transparent about that, so there is no misunderstanding.

In this short article, I am not going to cover everything there is to see and do on La Désirade. We have already written a complete guide to the island, linked at the top of this article. Instead, I am going to focus on the Oasis Hotel itself and share my honest opinion. And if you are looking for another fun activity, take a look at my short account of scuba diving in La Désirade.

After a rather rough crossing, we arrived by boat from Saint-François late in the morning. The Oasis Hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from the ferry terminal, which is very convenient. I headed “into town” to pick up the rental car while Mélanie walked to the hotel with the children.

The hotel sits along the road just outside Beauséjour. When I arrived, I found a small property at the end of a leafy little lane. The grounds are well laid out, and although the hotel is close to the road, noise was never an issue during our stay. I met Loane, the hotel’s owner, in the bright main breakfast room.

By way of background, she explained that she had only taken over the hotel in La Désirade in 2017, although it had already been passed down through several generations. Her grandmother started things off, running a restaurant here in the 1970s with guest rooms at the back. Her mother later took over and built the main building where the hotel rooms are now located. The Oasis Hotel has even been recommended by the Guide du Routard, a French travel guide, since 1994.

She then told me a little more about the hotel and how it generally operates. I will not spend pages describing it because, unlike some of the properties we stayed at in Polynesia, this is a small hotel with room for 17 guests. It offers four types of air-conditioned rooms:

• Double rooms: located on the first floor of the hotel, with one double bed for two guests,
• Twin rooms: similar to the double rooms, but with two single beds,
• Triple rooms: also on the first floor, with one double bed and one single bed,
• Family rooms: located on the ground floor and able to accommodate four guests in two double beds.

Each room also has a kitchenette stocked with the basics, a refrigerator, Wi-Fi access, and the option to request a crib.

As for our own experience at the hotel, it was a good one overall and the setting was ideal for a relaxing stay. After catching up with Mélanie and the children, I discovered our family room, which was more than spacious enough for all four of us, even with the crib provided for Téo. That was especially convenient because it meant we did not have to bring our own on the boat. The room was clean and simply decorated, with nothing overly elaborate. We had a small refrigerator and a kitchenette stocked with the essentials. It works well if you want to be fairly self-sufficient and eat in your room, although I felt that a few more cooking utensils would have been useful. There was also a TV, handy for quiet moments with the kids, as well as Wi-Fi. The room could certainly benefit from some updating, but Loane told us that renovations were gradually getting underway. It is an older building and still needs some improvements, but things are moving slowly in the right direction. The room and bathroom were simple, but everything was functional, comfortable, and perfectly suitable for us.

The hotel has a small children’s pool near the entrance, which is great for little ones who want to splash around. Louis and Téo had a wonderful time there. There is also a small terrace upstairs where you can enjoy a drink at the end of the day. We even used it while waiting for breakfast, which was served from 7:30 a.m.—yes, our children are early risers.

Speaking of breakfast—I will come back to the other meals later—I was pleasantly surprised. It was generous and varied. Each day, we had croissants, fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit, coffee, tea or hot chocolate, homemade jam, and sometimes ham and cheese. We really enjoyed breakfast, and the dining room was a lovely place to have it. Interestingly, the main room contains two old wells that are no longer in use but once served the property when the island did not have running water.

We stayed at the hotel for four days on a half-board basis. The hotel works with a restaurant called Lagranlag, which is run by Loane’s mother and is conveniently located less than a five-minute walk from the hotel. The setting is very pleasant: quiet, built largely from wood, and decorated with touches inspired by Creole culture. We tried several dishes there, and everything was good. We particularly enjoyed both the fish and the chicken. Every meal was a treat, and I would happily recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for a good place to eat. The prices were very reasonable too. You can also read the reviews on TripAdvisor.

A few final thoughts to sum up our experience. Among the hotel’s main advantages, I would highlight:

• Its proximity to the town center and ferry terminal, both less than a 10-minute walk away,
• Its small scale, which feels well suited to the size of the island,
• The playground just across the road, with facilities for tennis, soccer, basketball, and more—ideal for spending time with the kids, although there is no kids’ club,
• The small pool near the entrance, which is ideal for younger children,
• Fifi Beach, which is beautiful at both sunrise and sunset and only a five-minute walk from the hotel. Walking along the shore with views of the ocean is wonderfully relaxing,
• The toys and board games available at the hotel, as well as equipment for water activities,
• The breakfast and, even more so, the half-board meals at Lagranlag, both of which we really enjoyed and would recommend considering during your stay,
• Loane’s helpful recommendations for places to visit, viewpoints overlooking the sea, activities, and other local tips.

The hotel’s services also include luggage storage, free parking, access to a public parking lot, and free Wi-Fi.
On the downside, the rooms could use a bit of a refresh, and you can tell that the hotel has been around for some time. It did not bother us much, but it is worth keeping in mind. Mosquito nets over the beds would also be a welcome addition, although the air conditioning does help.

I hope this review, written as a short account of our stay, has given you a better sense of what it is like to stay at the small and welcoming Oasis Hotel during a trip to La Désirade in Guadeloupe. It is a quiet, unpretentious, family-friendly place with warm hospitality, and it suited our little family very well. Its location near the village of Beauséjour and Fifi Beach is another major advantage. The hotel also offers views of the surrounding hills, making it a pleasant base for a vacation in La Désirade. The hotel is not perfect, but considering the price and the service, I think it offers good value for money for travelers looking for comfortable, affordable accommodations. It is one of the island’s practical places to stay and can be a good deal. To check availability and book your stay with Loane, simply click here.

By the way, if you are looking for another furnished place to stay in Guadeloupe that we have personally tried and can recommend without hesitation, take a look at the lovely Jardin des Colibris in Deshaies, in the north of Basse-Terre.

We hope you get the chance to visit 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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