| Before I became involved with the travel business, I | | | | accommodations. Nevertheless, the destination does |
| had a long career in advertising, known for its intense | | | | contain some large first-class beachfront resorts. You |
| pressure. Of course, I always dreamed about my next | | | | might have an even better experience in Guadeloupe's |
| vacation. But, whenever that vacation rolled around, I | | | | small inns, which offer a tranquil ambiance and serve |
| could not help but think about my advertising work and | | | | locally-prepared food. The island's Creole-cooking |
| that something might be going wrong at the office. | | | | creations are incredibly delicious. |
| That changed when I took my first Caribbean vacation | | | | Guadeloupe could be described as France in the |
| in 1982. I spent that vacation at Club Med in | | | | Caribbean. It is in fact a "department" of France, and |
| Guadeloupe. After a day or so, work and virtually | | | | the French influence is palpable. Guadeloupe exports |
| everything else was washed out of my | | | | much of what it produces--sugar, bananas, rum and |
| consciousness. The white sandy beach, palm trees | | | | pineapple--to its mother country. In return, France |
| and blue-green sea swept my worries away. A big | | | | provides healthcare and education. |
| weight had been lifted, and I was loving it. | | | | Guadeloupe lies 200 miles north of Martinique, another |
| This is the time of year for escapes to the warm | | | | French island, and is part of the Lesser Antilles. Its land |
| environs of the Caribbean. So I thought it only | | | | mass consists of Grand-Terre, the eastern portion, |
| appropriate that my first Caribbean article be about my | | | | filled with rolling hills and sugar plantations; and |
| first Caribbean destination. | | | | Basse-Terre in the west, with rugged mountainous |
| Guadeloupe is not an island that many would associate | | | | terrain dominated by a volcano, La Soufriere, which is |
| with the word sophistication or cosmopolitan. And while | | | | still alive and home to a swath of banana plantations. |
| virtually any Caribbean island has the ability to disarm | | | | The mountains are covered with tropical vegetation |
| you, transforming you into dreamland, Guadeloupe is | | | | and are impenetrable in many places. |
| among the region's most beautiful. It is highlighted by | | | | Vacation packages sometimes include Guadeloupe's |
| sprawling white sandy beaches and a mountainous, | | | | dependencies, the islands of Marie Galante, Iles des |
| lush interior full of gorgeous scenery. | | | | Saints, and La Desirade. The cluster is marketed as |
| Guadeloupe is not known for its deluxe | | | | Les Isles de Guadeloupe. |