Our review of the Oasis Hotel in La Désirade

We had the opportunity to stay at the Oasis Hotel, as I mention in my full guide to visiting the island of La Désirade, here in Guadeloupe. As I always say when I do, we stayed four nights in partnership with the Oasis hotel and Loane, the manager, who kindly agreed to welcome us and to do the check-in to this small, island-sized and cosy hotel. My writings, opinions and positions in this article are, however, entirely my own. It’s important for me/us to make this clear. So you don’t get the wrong impression!

In this short article, I’m not going to tell you everything there is to see and do on La Désirade. We’ve already written a full article about that (link at the top of the article). Instead, I’m going to tell you about the Oasis hotel itself and give you my opinion. And if you’re also looking for something really fun to do, then I invite you to read my short story about scuba diving at La Désirade.

After a rather hectic crossing, we arrived late in the morning by boat from Saint-François. The Oasis hotel is located less than 10 minutes walk from the jetty, which I must say is very convenient. I went ‘into town’ to collect the hire car and Mélanie took the children there.

The hotel is on the road just outside Beauséjour. I found a small establishment at the end of a little green lane when I arrived. The whole place is quite well laid out, and although we’re a bit on the side of the road, noise was never a problem for us during our stay. I meet Loane, the hotel owner, in the bright main breakfast room.

For the record, she explains to me that she only took over the hotel in la Désirade in 2017, but that it has been passed down from one generation to the next. First it was her grandmother. In the 1970s she had a restaurant here and guest rooms at the back. Then her mother took over. She built the main building where the rooms of the hotel are now. It’s a fact that the Oasis hotel has been a Guide du Routard recommendation (French travel guide) since 1994!

She goes on to explain a few things about the hotel and the way it generally works. I won’t go on for pages because, unlike the establishments we have been to in Polynesia, this is a small establishment. It has a capacity of 17 people. The hotel offers 4 types of conditioned bedrooms:

• Double room: located on the first floor of the hotel, with 1 double bed (for 2 persons),
• Twin rooms: same as the double room, with two single beds,
• Triple rooms: also on the first floor, with 1 double bed + 1 single bed.
• Family rooms: located on the ground floor of the hotel, with capacity for 4 people thanks to 2 double beds.

And don’t forget that each bedroom has a mini-kitchen with all the essentials furnished, a fridge, wi-fi access and the possibility of requesting a cot.

As far as what we’ve experienced staying at the Hotel is concerned, I have to say that it’s relatively good and perfect for relaxing time! Following Melanie and the kids, I discovered our family room, which was more than spacious enough for the 4 of us, even with the baby cot for Téo, which was perfect and meant we didn’t have to bring our own on the boat. The room itself was clean and rather plainly decorated, nothing too fancy designed. We had access to a small fridge and a small kitchen with all the essentials you would need. If you want to be self-sufficient and want to eat in your room, it’s very suitable. However, in my opinion, there is a lack of cooking utensils. We also had a TV, which is great for quiet times with the kids, and WiFi. The room could certainly use a bit of redecorating, but after talking to Loane, this is slowly getting underway and to be renovated. It’s an old building and it needs improving, but things are moving slowly and in the right direction. It’s a simple bedroom with a bathroom, but it’s functional, comfortable and suits us very well!

The hotel has a small children’s pool at the entrance, which is great for the little ones to splash around in. Louis and Téo had a great time. There’s also a small terrace upstairs where you can enjoy an aperitif at the end of the day, and we even used it to wait for breakfast, which was served from 7.30am (yes, we get up early with the kids).

Speaking of breakfast (I’ll tell you about the meals later), I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. They were really full and varied. Every day we had croissants, fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, homemade jam and sometimes ham/cheese. For us, the breakfast was really good and the bedroom was perfect for it. In fact, there are two old wells in the main room that are no longer in use, but were when there was no water on the island.

We stayed at the hotel for those four days on a half board basis. The hotel has a restaurant called Lagranlag. It is run by Loane’s mother. Very conveniently located, less than 5 minutes walk from where we were staying. The place is really nice, it’s a good accommodation. It is quiet, all wood and well decorated (with Creole culture). When we went there to eat we tried several dishes and they were all good. We really enjoyed both the fish and the chicken. It was always a treat and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s in the market for a really good place to have a meal. And the prices are very reasonable too! Don’t hesitate to check out the reviews on TripAdvisor.

A few final words to sum up what we thought of the place. Among the hotel’s big advantages, I’d say :

• its proximity to the city center and the pier (less than 10 minutes)
• It’s a small facility, adapted to the size of the island.
• There’s a playground just opposite (tennis, football, basketball, etc.), ideal for playing with the kids (there is no kids club),
• The small pool at the entrance is ideal for young children,
• The Fifi beach is magnificent at sunset and sunrise (it’s just breathtaking) and is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. It’s very relaxing walking by the seaside with a beautiful ocean-view.
• The hotel provides toys and board games (to do watersports)
• The breakfast and even more so the half board at the Lagranlag Restaurant are really good and I would recommend you consider them if you are going!
• Loane will be happy to recommend various visits, tips (best overlooking sea), activities etc.

The hotel’s services also include a luggage storage service, free parking, a public car park and free Wi-Fi access.
On the downside, the hotel-rooms could do with a bit of a makeover and you get the feeling that this is a hotel that’s been around for a while. It didn’t bother us too much, but it’s something to be aware of. Mosquito nets on the beds would also be a plus, in our opinion. Although the air conditioner does help.

I hope this review presented like a short story and description has made you want to stay at this small and nice Oasis hotel during your stay in the Caribbean island la Désirade, in Guadeloupe. It’s a quiet little place with good hospitality (family friendly), without any pretensions, but it was more than enough for us and our small family with well furnished rooms. Of course, it is very attractive for travellers for its proximity to the village of Beauséjour and the breathtaking Fifi sand beach (it’s very well located). From the hotel, you have a panoramic mountain view, perfect for your vacations La Désirade. So, yes, the hotel isn’t perfect, but for the price and the service, I think it’s very good value for money, the rates are correct if you want to stay in a comfortable hotel on an affordable budget. It’s part of the good places to stay and it’s among the good deals. If you liked our review and would like to check availability and book your stay at Loane, just click here!

By the way, if you’re looking for another furnished hotel to stay in Guadeloupe (Caribbean archipelago) that we’ve had the chance to try and can recommend without hesitation, it’s the beautiful hotel the Jardin des Colibris, in Deshaies, in the north of the island of Basse Terre (close to a beautiful lagoon and reef).

We hope to see you there 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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