This laid-back, roughly spherical, 61-square-mile island southeast of Grande-Terre—and home to only around 11,000 or so people—is reached by ferry in about an hour from Pointe-à-Pitre (you can also hop over on a small plane in even less time). With three small fishing villages—Grand-Bourg (the largest), Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante (pictured here), and Saint-Louis—and flat rather than mountainous (its nickname is la grande gallette ("the big pancake"), Marie feels almost dreamily slow-paced compared with the main islands. Among other things, it´s known for sugarcane fields and old windmills such as Moulin Bézard, in operation from 1840 to 1920 (Marie used to be called "the island of a hundred mills"), and a tourist route connects the remnants of a few of the 19th-century plantations sugar factories, and rum distilleries, such as the ruins of Roussel-Trianon and the Habitation Murat, once the island´s largest sugar plantation And even today, the island is home to a quartet of Guadeloupe’s best distilleries, Bellevue, Bielle, Focus, and Poisson-Pére Labat (more about rum below). The half dozen or so beaches here, meanwhile, are often nearly empty, especially gorgeous stretches like Anse Canot, Folle Anse, and Plage de la Feuillère. And the vibe for visitors is low-key indeed—think eclectic village and beach bars, and overnighting in a handful of little boutique hotels, charming guesthouses, and a smattering of vacation homes.
Read more in my post Guadeloupe and 8 of its Top Highlights.
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