Pierre & Vacances Village Sainte-Anne

As soon as visitors step through the colonial-style lobby and onto the sun-baked plaza beyond, it will be immediately clear that this hotel is geared toward active families. At this massive, French-Caribbean property, we saw squealing children run past or splash their parents in the pool, while the ripped, bald DJ (who also seems to lead fitness classes) blasted Europop dance music. Just past him, tweens challenged each other to ping-pong under a pavilion, and to the right, middle-aged couples slowly filed into the buffet restaurant, L'instance Creole. There are two small beaches on the hotel property, one down a grassy slope from the pool and lobby. The other, smaller but quieter beach is accessed by a path that winds over a wooded hill to the other wing of the property, past the large guest-room buildings with their vaguely plantation house style exteriors and gingerbread-house eaves, and down another grassy hill. Here, the beachside restaurant Le Balaou has candy-colored furniture and swinging hammock chairs that appeal to kids; the adults we saw seemed impressed by the fresh fish dishes (and a little taken aback by the prices).

About seven kilometers from the popular tourist towns of Sainte-Anne and Saint-Francois, this hotel is well-situated at about the midpoint of Grande-Terre, meaning that most of the most-visited sights of Guadeloupe are within an hour's drive, traffic permitting. (Though nothing is within walking distance.) The airport is about 40 to 50 minutes away, and once guests get off the main road, they take a short, winding trip through a small residential neighborhood before arriving at a circle that's dominated by the hotel (there's another hotel nearby, but all three of the gates belong to the Pierre & Vacances). The hotel is split into two wings, divided by a large grassy hill: On one side are the main building, the main pool and beach, and half the guest rooms, and on the other are the rest of the rooms (including the Premium rooms), Le Balaou, the tennis court, and the smaller pool. The second beach, which lies under the Le Balaou patio, is smaller but less crowded, as is the second pool.  

Rooms sit in large three-story buildings with open hallways; they are meant to evoke plantation-style mansions but are otherwise fairly generic. They get plenty of light and air -- and sometimes almost too much wind. Despite the large size of the hotel, which hosts over 2,000 people at a time during peak season, the only sounds we heard from the rooms was the surf through the open balcony doors. Every room has a fully equipped kitchenette on the patio (with two-burner stoves and microwaves), and the hotel shop carries some groceries as well as the usual trinkets and topless-Doudou postcards. Rooms are mostly clean, get plenty of natural light (for the most part; the Two-Bedroom Suite's bedrooms did not), and have bright citrus accents throughout. Bathrooms aren't too small and have stand-up showers (some of these could have used a bit more scrubbing). Views seem to vary widely, and even some ocean-facing suites only have a sliver of the blue visible. Note that the Six-Person Suite is made up of two Three-Person Suites with the connecting door unlocked. When the suites are used by separate families, they share a single balcony with two kitchenettes on opposite ends.

The hotel pays special attention to kids of all ages, with a separate kids' club and teens' club. The former, right off the center of the two wings of the hotel, has a large, nook-filled playground in the shape of a pirate ship, and fenced-in outdoor areas with kid-sized foosball tables. Inside, children shimmy along to computer dance-rhythm games, or snack on fresh fruit provided by the adult staff. The teens' club, in the same building as the lobby, houses cafe-style lounge chairs, a TV screen, and supplies for older-kid fun. Teens can also check out board games and the like at the activities desk in the lobby, or play table tennis under the same pavilion in the main plaza where the DJ spins and leads small exercise classes. The a la carte restaurant Le Balaou is located at the second beach and serves fresh fish and rice dishes for lunch and dinner. There are also a buffet restaurant, a second beachfront restaurant, and a snack shack serving pizza; half-board rates are available (worth it for some as a la carte prices are quite high).  Water sports equipment is available for rent at the surf shop on the main beach, though expect some rocks in the sand. Plastic loungers and palapas are provided. Note that some amenities close seasonally.