Villa Sérénité (Residence Villa Zen) in Marie Galante

If you followed us on Polynesia, you know that we’re always testing new lodgings. Since our arrival in Guadeloupe, we’ve already had the opportunity to do two accommodation reviews. The first was the magnificent Jardin de Colibris in Deshaies, a beautiful wooden lodge in the heart of nature. We loved it. The second, more recently, was the Oasis Hotel on the island of Désirade.

As we often say, this allows us to test places in depth, to share them with our readers and, above all, to showcase accommodation that we like. When we lived in Polynesia, we’d already had the chance to try out some of them.

It was during a trip to the beautiful island of Marie Galante that we were able to try out this beautiful Sérénité villa, located in the Résidence Villa Zen, in the north of the island. So I’ve written this article in parallel with the one on the must-sees and must-do’s 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 take you on a tour of this beautiful villa in Sérénité, a place we loved for its tranquillity and authenticity. We spent four nights here as a family, with Mélanie’s mother joining us. That’s why we can give you a detailed idea of what we found.

It should be pointed out that we had arrived in Marie Galante a few days earlier and had stayed in a different type of accommodation in the 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 discovered a pretty chalet-style house. In fact, original or surprising, it’s made out of wood! We can’t wait to discover it… Magnificent! The front door, which comes from another part of the world, is striking and impressive. It’s made of solid wood and is completely carved. You can admire the carved motifs on the top in particular, but I won’t say more. A bench carved into the trunk of a tree allows you to take off your shoes before entering.

You enter a spacious living room. It doesn’t feel like a chalet, but more like an Asian house. The open kitchen is fully-equipped. Everything you need for cooking is there. A minimum of little touches: for example, coffee pods are waiting for us, or a minibar, but for a fee! The decor is rich in detail, with a custom-made old sewing machine stand for our photo and computer equipment. Wifi is available, but it’s temperamental. You have to be patient. Maybe it was just a problem when we visited, but it wasn’t easy to work in the evenings.

On the table in the living room there are some nice notebooks, also with wooden covers, containing all the information we needed for our stay. There’s a corner with a big-screen TV and a sofa. We weren’t even watching the World Cup, but we could have done better!

The living room leads to a bedroom on the ground floor, a bedroom on the upper floor, the terrace, the utility room (washing machine, broom etc. ….) 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. It has little doors that open to the outside, which is really very nice, and also very ingenious, because it lets in the light from the bedroom next door.

The upstairs bedroom is nothing more or less than a square tower. It has a majestic bed and a small sitting area. From here you can admire the roof structure. The light comes through small ‘square’ portholes, some of which close and some of which do not. So we wake up with the day, but we’re used to that. We’ll sleep here with Mélanie, the children in the downstairs bedroom and Pascale in the outside bedroom.

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 vanity tops with white mirrors enhance the room. 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 panelled wall. The furniture is charming. We dedicated it to our boys because it had a rocking horse. The owner was kind enough to lend us a cot for our two-year-old, which is great too!

The third master bedroom, a bit further away, is not connected to the main house as it is accessed via 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 very light and has three windows overlooking the sides of the house. In addition to the air conditioning in all the rooms, it has a ceiling fan. This allows you to adjust the ventilation/temperature to your liking. The decoration is charming: statuette, baskets, basket, etc. Towels are provided in all rooms and there is no shortage. The bed linen is in good condition and the pillows are very comfortable.

As well as the interior, which I’ve just mentioned, there’s this lovely outdoor terrace. Measuring around 30m2, it’s a lovely living area. It’s covered and overlooks the garden and, further out, the sea. From here you can see Guadeloupe, Les Saintes and the Pointe des Chateaux. It’s a great place to eat! In fact, if you’d like, we’ve written a complete guide to what to do on the famous Pointe des Chateaux.

The two bedrooms are open plan and the kitchen has a window that doubles as a pass-through. There’s a shelf underneath that doubles as a sideboard. Very handy for clearing the table without having to walk all the way round. In front of the bedrooms are deck chairs with footrests. You can relax in the shade. Beware of the many birds that peck at the table and ‘decorate’ the railings. Haha.

From the terrace we discover a small swimming pool, with an easier staircase to get down. For those who prefer peace and quiet, the pump switches off at 10pm, so don’t worry, the evening and night will not be spoilt by the noise of the motor. The water is a little chilly, especially at this time of year when the temperature has started to drop, and for me it was definitely too chilly! We enter the garden through an opening in the side. In front of us is a large, manicured lawn. There’s even a gazebo with two deck chairs. It’s a bit high up and the view of the sea invites you to daydream. The breeze makes you feel right at home and you won’t be bothered by the heat. A little extra: a big barbecue! You can pick up the equipment at the reception. The proximity of the terrace is very convenient.

On the downside, there were lots of yenyens, those little mosquitoes that love to feast on your legs. Luckily Pascale and Mélanie were there to protect me, haha.

As part of this partnership, the owner has kindly offered us breakfast, which can be brought to you as an extra. On the menu: coffee, tea or chocolate for the children. There are pastries, a savoury platter and a fresh fruit platter. Juice is also served. It is brought to you at 8am. I really think it is good.

On the whole, we were very happy to spend a couple of days in this house, as much because of its particular style and comfort as because of its location. We were able to get around both sides of the island very quickly as it’s on the northern tip. If you’re looking for a beautiful, peaceful spot, this is a very good address that we would recommend without hesitation.

What’s more, the villa is not far from the beautiful beach 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. But this villa is part of the Résidence Villa Zen. This consists of the Villa Quiétude and the Villa Tranquillité.

From the outside, they all have private pools and gardens. They are far enough apart to make you feel at home without suffering from proximity. Hedges separate them and a communal garden surrounds them throughout the park. A restaurant in the park is in the final stages of construction. There is 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. So you won’t be bothered by crowds. We’re about 10 minutes drive from Saint-Louis and the shops, so it’s 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’s a small beach with fine white coral sand, which is very pleasant. It slopes gently down to the sea. It is ideal for children who don’t want to take any risks. Opposite is a small islet. A little vegetation provides a bit of shade and a few stones for finding small shells or spying on the little fish.

As for the beach, you’re less than 5 minutes away 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 get to the mouth of the Vieux-Fort River for a pedalo or kayak trip (in the river).

The famous “Gueule Grand Gouffre”, a hole in the limestone rock that is impressive from the air, is located on the east side of the villa. It’s reached by a short path (well signposted) and there’s a car park. The spot is magnificent and the view is great for taking photos.

I’ve come to the end of my discovery of this villa in Sérénité. I hope this article and the photos have inspired you to stay there. C4 is a beautiful, peaceful place, just the way Mélanie and I like it. Frankly, we really enjoyed our 4 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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