The beaches of Marie-Galante

Two coasts, two seas

Capesterre lies on the windward coast: its name comes from an old sailors’ term for the shore that faces east. The Atlantic and the trade winds hit it head-on; the swell breaks offshore on the reefs, the “cayes”, which enclose calm lagoons in front of the beaches. To the west, from Grand-Bourg to Vieux-Fort, the leeward coast looks out on the Caribbean Sea: long sandy beaches, calm and very clear water.

Near the villa: Capesterre

La Feuillère is the island’s big beach: more than a kilometer of white sand under the coconut palms, a lagoon, restaurants, free parking. It is also the kitesurfing spot recommended by the tourist office. Next along, La Ferrière is quieter and wilder. Toward Grand-Bourg, Petite Anse offers 330 meters of sand, showers, toilets and a restaurant right on the water.

North of the villa, the coast turns wild. Les Galets, the closest beach, has no facilities at all, and the tourist office lists it as a surf spot (in French): it is a place for walking rather than swimming. Farther on, Anse Feuillard has to be earned: a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk along a wooded trail.

With children

Petite Anse first: the water is shallow and the beach has facilities. On the leeward coast, Anse Canot, a white-sand cove sheltered by cliffs, has the same calm water but no services at all: bring water and a picnic. At La Feuillère, stay inside the lagoon, close to shore. None of these beaches has a lifeguard.

For snorkeling

The tourist office recommends two lagoons on the east coast, La Feuillère and Anse Feuillard, with one rule: do not go beyond the coral reef, where the currents are dangerous. On the leeward side, Anse Canot is the easiest spot: swim to the right, along the rocks and seagrass beds, where you will meet fish, starfish and sometimes turtles. At Vieux-Fort, wear water shoes: there are sea urchins.

For peace and quiet

Anse Feuillard, which can only be reached on foot, remains the most secluded. On the west coast, Moustique beach, lined with coconut palms, sees few visitors, as does Folle-Anse: two kilometers of sand in front of the island’s largest wetland, where hawksbill turtles come to nest from June to September. Anse Canot, by contrast, fills up in high season: get there early.

Before you go

• Sargassum: as everywhere in the Caribbean, wherever you go, this seaweed can wash up on some beaches, mostly from April to August. The villa, up on the hills, is entirely sheltered from any nuisance. Météo-France publishes a forecast (in French).
• Manchineel trees: the sap of these seaside trees, marked with red paint, is toxic. Do not shelter under them.
• Turtles: if one comes ashore to nest, stay ten meters behind her, with no lights.

In the mood for something steeper? The northern cliffs are half an hour away.