Distillerie S\u00e9verin: Island heritage<\/p>\n
Ti-lagoute, ti-pape, p\u00e9t\u00e9-pied... rum has as many nicknames as there are occasions to toast its happy existence. It's made into coconut punch at any time of day, and cut with maracuja, guava and just about every other fruit the island has to offer. It is aged in oak barrels for aficionados, and has become part of the island's heritage by opening the doors of the distilleries to visitors. Situated on the heights of the commune of Sainte-Rose, in a delightfully undulating abundance of ultra-green vegetation, the S\u00e9verin estate is one of the oldest rum distilleries on the island, the only one still using its old paddle wheel, powered since 1802 by water from the great Guava River. Every year, 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes of sugar cane from farms in the north of Basse-Terre are crushed using a variety of processes. But this old \"sucrote\" offers more than just an introduction to rum-making. It's a real immersion in the richness of Guadeloupe's ecosystem, in the heart of a splendid property with a fascinating landscaped garden.<\/p>\n
Immortalised by Laurent Voulzy, Marie-Galante is as languorous as the melody it inspired and which lulled a whole generation to sleep. Criss-crossed by picturesque country roads and rolling hills, it evokes the Guadeloupe of yesteryear, with its white sandy beaches and emerald green waters. Marie-Galante, with a population of just ten thousand, is as much a land of authenticity as it is of limestone and clay, much of it devoted to growing sugar cane. The Bellevue estate is one of the most vivid examples of this, with its distillery producing up to 6,500 litres of rum a day, including its famous 59\u00b0 white. At harvest time, it is not uncommon for farmers to take their small production to the distillery on board cabrouets, the ox carts that a few die-hards make available to visitors for unusual rides. Sometimes French, sometimes Dutch, even English, the island of a hundred mills is as intriguing as it is surprising. If you're looking for a sense of solitude and isolation.<\/p>\n
A crystal-clear sea at between 26 and 28\u00b0, inhabited by a multicoloured fauna that struts its stuff in a turquoise Eden. Guadeloupe has not stolen its nickname as the island of beautiful waters. So it's hard not to grab a mask and snorkel and immerse yourself in an underwater carnival. Puffer fish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, sergeant majors, hawksbill turtles - the archipelago is teeming with species with colourful names. And there are plenty of places to share in the existence of this aquatic bestiary. In Marie-Galante, ideal for snorkelling, you can fly over the Tache \u00e0 Cat natural aquarium or the Petit C\u00e2ble drop-off. In Basse-Terre, you can marvel at the beauty of the seabed of the C\u00f4te Sous-le-Vent, the coral reef of the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin nature reserve or the \u00eelets Pigeon aboard the Nautilus. A world of silence that you can also observe at the aquarium in the Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre marina... without getting wet.<\/p>\n
Rarely has an island been so poorly named. For Basse-Terre is a volcanic, mountainous island, a natural barrier trapping the clouds on its summit (1,467 m). Basse-Terre is an island where the smallest road or path winds its way up disconcertingly steep gradients. Basse-Terre appealed to Christopher Columbus, lost in the West Indies, which he thought were still the Indies at the dawn of his discovery. In his logbook, the Genoese navigator enthusiastically describes his expedition to the Carbet Falls. Three gashes in the volcanic rock, the most accessible of which is 110 metres high and cuts through the tropical forest. Basse-Terre is also the symbol of an exuberant natural environment, which oozes out of its canopy all the time - almost ten metres of rain fall there every year. This ecosystem, protected since 1989 by its status as a national park, now benefits from UNESCO's inclusion in the world network of biosphere reserves. The 300 species of trees and 38 species of birds, including the famous wood toto, that live there can flourish peacefully.<\/p>\n
The fall in sugar cane prices in the 19th century led many landowners to diversify their activities. Coffee, which had been imported to the West Indies a century earlier, took root in Guadeloupe on the very sites of the former sugar factories. The dwelling Esp\u00e9rance, now Bonifierie, is one of the most successful examples of this conversion. On the edge of the plantation, its venerable mill turns gently and distils its beans, which are then tasted in the old foreman's house. The production of this 100 % Arabica coffee, harvested, ground and roasted on site, hardly exceeds a few dozen kilos a year. However, the Bonifierie also grows cocoa, which is transformed into delicious chocolate. There's also a table d'h\u00f4te for groups, where you can try some excellent Creole cuisine, and a nature adventure trail.<\/p>\n
La Bonifierie - Route de Petit-Paris, Morin, 97120 Saint-Claude Tel: 05 90 80 06 05 (Open every day except Monday, 10am-4pm)<\/p>\n
Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre is neither Havana nor Salvador de Bahia. There are no colonial quarters here, no heroic privateers or remains of forts built to counter pirate attacks. Just a few pastel-coloured middle-class villas scattered here and there. Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre is the island's economic capital. It does not cling to the past. Perhaps it doesn't deserve to be. After all, the city has suffered too often from cyclones, earthquakes and fires. Is this human folly, built on the sweat of tens of thousands of slaves, heaven's punishment? Even the church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul could not withstand the earthquake of 1843. To soak up the atmosphere, you need to wander from the Place de la Victoire, lined with beautiful colonnaded houses, to the Darse covered market, via the Souqes-Pag\u00e8s house, now a museum in memory of Saint John Perse. You should also discover the city during its carnival or jazz festival, and stroll down to its marina, a chic microcosm where the most beautiful riggings waddle.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"