Mahogany Hotel Residence and Spa

Arriving at Mahogany Hotel Residence and Spa is a confusing experience. Directions will bring you to the large parking lot in front of La Creole Beach Hotel, a property that shares a lobby, restaurants, and facilities with Mahogany. In effect, Mahogany is basically a specific block of rooms within La Creole Beach Hotel. This arrangement isn’t a problem per se, but it’s odd that the hotel bills itself as a standalone property, with no indication of its close link to La Creole.

The joint lobby is a sleek space decorated with dark and medium woods, and a color palette of grays and blacks with bursts of red. The restaurants, pool, guest rooms, and other facilities branch off in all directions from this central space. You’ll see guests from both hotels, which attract a similar demographic. Families are drawn by the good discounts on rooms and food for children, along with kid-friendly amenities like babysitting services and a shallow section of pool. The hotel is also popular with working travelers thanks to its ample meeting spaces. Mahogany’s 10-acre complex checks all the boxes you would expect from a decent upper-middle-range resort, but it feels a bit soulless and doesn’t evoke any sense of place -- it’s the type of property you could find anywhere in the world. 

Mahogany Hotel is located on the Verdure Peninsula, midway between Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre. This setting puts it conveniently within about an hour’s drive of most of Guadeloupe’s main attractions. The surrounding area is dotted with other hotels and a handful of restaurants that stretch along the road leading to Gosier's town center, a five-minute drive away. The Casino du Gosier can be reached in 15 minutes on foot, and there’s a big Casino Geant grocery store about a 10-minute drive away. The town of Sainte-Anne is about a 30-minute drive away, while Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport can be reached in about 20 minutes.

Guest rooms at Mahogany Hotel are tidy and minimally decorated, with red, yellow, or burgundy throw pillows popping against white linens, walls, and armchairs. The furniture is dark wood, while slate-colored tile flooring is found throughout the bedrooms, bathrooms, and balconies. All rooms include flat-screen TVs, and Wi-Fi is available for a surcharge.

Big bathrooms have square above-counter sinks and glass-walled showers. Bathrobes and pleasantly scented bath products by Des Hotels et des Iles are provided. Bathrooms also offer cleansers by Payot, the line carried by the hotel’s spa. Terraces have kitchenettes with two-burner stovetops, mini-fridges, and a small selection of cookware and cutlery, but some guests find it too hot to prepare food outside without AC. Terraces also feature plastic dining tables and a drying rack for clothing.

Duplexes have separate bedrooms and sitting areas with leather furniture. Suites include two bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of which has a whirlpool tub. Suites also have living areas, as well as larger, indoor kitchenettes with four-burner stovetops, full-size fridges, and microwaves. 

Mahogany's features, which are shared with La Creole Beach Hotel, are its main draw. The hotel’s large outdoor pool has a shallow section for kids. It’s bordered by gray lounge chairs and beach umbrellas, as well as a glass fence with childproof gates. The fence is a thoughtful safety feature, but the deck is so narrow around most of the pool that walking around the edge requires guests to exit and re-enter the gates at various points. After dark, the pool is illuminated in a deep shade of blue. The hotel is bounded by a narrow, curved stretch of pale, soft sands. This small man-made beach is dotted with beige loungers and wooden shelters. The minimal vegetation gives it a somewhat artificial feel, however. There’s a small pier running along one side, which has a few more seats and beautiful ocean views.

The hotel’s massive restaurant, Route des Epices, offers international breakfast buffets as well as dinner buffets with four stations: Italian, Chinese, grill, and Creole. The restaurant is quite attractive, with bold floor tiles and teal accents. The huge outdoor dining area looks charming in the evening, lit up by a rainbow of colorful hanging lamps. But it’s pricey and reviews of the food are mixed. Children up to 2 years of age can dine for free, while one child up to 11 can receive a 50 percent discount on food.

La Case Beach Pizza, which is set in a cute pink shack by the beach, is the most affordable place on the property to grab lunch or snacks during the afternoon. The hotel’s a la carte restaurant, Le Zawag, attracts non-guests with its nouveau Creole menu focused on fresh seafood. Decorated entirely in dark wood, the restaurant is set on a promontory where the sounds of waves crashing against the surrounding rocks provide the soundtrack for intimate dinners. Bar La Rhumerie has a chic, lounge-like feel with its gleaming black floors and bar decorated with colorful abstract designs. The main level offers seating overlooking the pool, while a few steps lead down to a smaller lower level with a stage where live jazz performances regularly take place.

The swish La Créole Spa offers massage and beauty treatments. Decorated in dark gray and mahogany tones, the spa features a hammam, sauna, and relaxing room. The hotel’s medium-size fitness center includes a decent range of Cybex equipment and a flat-screen TV. Guests need to pick-up a special key card from the front desk in order to access it. Other amenities include a no-frills business center with two PCs and a printer. The hotel also has several meeting rooms of varying sizes. Children up to 11 years old can share rooms with their parents for free, and cots are available for free. Babysitting services are available as well. There’s a large lot in front of the hotel offering free parking, and Wi-Fi is available for a surcharge.