Fort Fleur d'Épée
Fort Fleur d'Épée
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4.0
264 reviews
Excellent
44
Very good
133
Average
71
Poor
12
Terrible
4
tmoore48
Westlake, OH583 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
We visited as part of a tour while on a cruise. There is not much signage, so without a guide, you would miss much of the significance and history. The underground tunnels display what felt like rather random exhibits, including some protest art decrying the pollution of the ocean. Excellent views from the fort of much of the island. Not all of the paths are paved, some are cobblestone, and there is no access to the tunnels other than by stairs.
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WanderingFarmer
Payson, UT454 contributions
Jan 2023
Boggles the mind for what it took to build these forts. Great history, we walked through the old fort. Unfortunately most of it is underground, it has vents you can see but gates on all the openings. Looks like it would be very interesting if they would open it up for visitors and have guided tours.
Written 29 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
70Susan70
Connecticut34 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
This critique is based on Guadeloupe. No English is spoken in Guadeloupe, none , as long as you smile and know a few phrases and the normal polite words you will get hopefully by. My husband, brother and I had rented a complex with pool, tennis and beach at the base of the fort. Our car rental was not available until the forth day but returned it to the airport when departing.
NOTES - Money - everything is paid in Euro. Bring this money with you or exchange upon arrival are the airport. ATMs or banks are hard to find.
Voltage - is 230 volts. Make sure you bring adapters and a converter.
CAR Rental - book in advance and definitely get a GPS, we could not, I downloaded maps.me. Google maps, and mapquest also helped. We were very fortunate to get an automatic, small four door sedan. Upon arrival it's dark and the roads are extremely confusing So we taxied to our complex in Le Gosier for $40 euro. There are no stop lights, all the roads have roundabouts and all signs are in French. Returning the car if you have an eight am flight, get to the airport at 6am, park your car closer to the rental agency building, drop your car key in the designated car rental box (the agencies don't open until 7).
ROADWAYS - Grande Terra, Pointe-a- Pitre to Saint-Francois and to Le Moule are two lane roads with lots of roundabouts. The islanders drive very fast, so you will probable be doing the same thing. When Arriving at a roundabout just go around and around until you find the location your looking for and don't yell at your navigator for not seeing the sign. The smaller roads are made for one car only, the opposite Car pulls onto the sidewalk or grass area. After four days of pulling over my husband started holding his ground, from then on I was white knuckled.
Basse Terre, this island cannot be explored in one day, two maybe. There are NO street lights so be off before dark. Because of the mountain there is a lot of rain, Check the weather before you go. If you are driving to specific sightseeing areas, there are no signs for these spots so drive very slow, and don't yell at your navigator.
BEACHES - unless you are at your hotel/complex, none of the beaches have chair and umbrella rentals. Bring your own beach towel and water shoes. Sea urchins all over. The beaches at Sainte-Anne are fun and have restaurants and food stands, (bathrooms are in the restaurants). Going out to the point at Saint Francois to Point des Chateaux is really impressive. Bring water, no food stands.
EXCURSIONS - MUD BATHS at Babin beach, when driving, drive towards Vieux Bourg on Grande Terre,drive slow and look for signs for Babin beach. This is a section of beach which is muddy, you stand in the water(with beach shoes) and put mud on your body. Don't Go. SULFUROUS BATHS OF SOFAIA. Basse Terra. Head towards Sainte-Rose. Then ask and ask again. There is a sign SOFAIA before entering town, we missed it twice but finally found it. Then you'll drive for a long ride on a very narrow road. Springs consist of an in ground open aired area where you stand with a bathing suit on under a shower. Don't Go. NATURAL HOT SPRINGS (Thomas Source) in Bouillante, on Bassa Terra. We had to ask many many people to find someone who could speak a little English. By this time I quit as navigator. We found someone who drove us to the springs. Down a very rocky hill there was an open area of 9 x 9 ft. Where people were sitting on rocks and dangling their feet in the water. Don't Go.
PETIT HAVRE is a small beach half way between Le Gosier and Sainte-Anne, and you can swim with the iguanas, I did not swim in that section but an interesting beach.
La MARINA, in Pointe-A-Pitre is a great place for sunsets, people watching and excellent food. Highly recommended.
FOOD. Lunches, unless you grab something from a stand, lunches take a long time, a good 2 1/2 hours . And dinner takes longer. We all liked French food, so food was delicious. Remember no one understands English and all menus are in French. We did a lot of pointing had a lot of chicken, salmon and other French dishes which we would have had in the States.
DEPARTING WITH A CAR. From Le Gosier the airport was only 15/20 minutes away. BUT when driving on N4 to the airport, the airport sign was halfway down the exit ramp, had to cross over to Basse Terra, turn around and again look for signs. We had done a dry run for this route in daylight, but missed the turn in darkness. If you flew Norwegian
go to the smaller terminal (very small) not to the main terminal second floor with your luggage.
NOTES - Money - everything is paid in Euro. Bring this money with you or exchange upon arrival are the airport. ATMs or banks are hard to find.
Voltage - is 230 volts. Make sure you bring adapters and a converter.
CAR Rental - book in advance and definitely get a GPS, we could not, I downloaded maps.me. Google maps, and mapquest also helped. We were very fortunate to get an automatic, small four door sedan. Upon arrival it's dark and the roads are extremely confusing So we taxied to our complex in Le Gosier for $40 euro. There are no stop lights, all the roads have roundabouts and all signs are in French. Returning the car if you have an eight am flight, get to the airport at 6am, park your car closer to the rental agency building, drop your car key in the designated car rental box (the agencies don't open until 7).
ROADWAYS - Grande Terra, Pointe-a- Pitre to Saint-Francois and to Le Moule are two lane roads with lots of roundabouts. The islanders drive very fast, so you will probable be doing the same thing. When Arriving at a roundabout just go around and around until you find the location your looking for and don't yell at your navigator for not seeing the sign. The smaller roads are made for one car only, the opposite Car pulls onto the sidewalk or grass area. After four days of pulling over my husband started holding his ground, from then on I was white knuckled.
Basse Terre, this island cannot be explored in one day, two maybe. There are NO street lights so be off before dark. Because of the mountain there is a lot of rain, Check the weather before you go. If you are driving to specific sightseeing areas, there are no signs for these spots so drive very slow, and don't yell at your navigator.
BEACHES - unless you are at your hotel/complex, none of the beaches have chair and umbrella rentals. Bring your own beach towel and water shoes. Sea urchins all over. The beaches at Sainte-Anne are fun and have restaurants and food stands, (bathrooms are in the restaurants). Going out to the point at Saint Francois to Point des Chateaux is really impressive. Bring water, no food stands.
EXCURSIONS - MUD BATHS at Babin beach, when driving, drive towards Vieux Bourg on Grande Terre,drive slow and look for signs for Babin beach. This is a section of beach which is muddy, you stand in the water(with beach shoes) and put mud on your body. Don't Go. SULFUROUS BATHS OF SOFAIA. Basse Terra. Head towards Sainte-Rose. Then ask and ask again. There is a sign SOFAIA before entering town, we missed it twice but finally found it. Then you'll drive for a long ride on a very narrow road. Springs consist of an in ground open aired area where you stand with a bathing suit on under a shower. Don't Go. NATURAL HOT SPRINGS (Thomas Source) in Bouillante, on Bassa Terra. We had to ask many many people to find someone who could speak a little English. By this time I quit as navigator. We found someone who drove us to the springs. Down a very rocky hill there was an open area of 9 x 9 ft. Where people were sitting on rocks and dangling their feet in the water. Don't Go.
PETIT HAVRE is a small beach half way between Le Gosier and Sainte-Anne, and you can swim with the iguanas, I did not swim in that section but an interesting beach.
La MARINA, in Pointe-A-Pitre is a great place for sunsets, people watching and excellent food. Highly recommended.
FOOD. Lunches, unless you grab something from a stand, lunches take a long time, a good 2 1/2 hours . And dinner takes longer. We all liked French food, so food was delicious. Remember no one understands English and all menus are in French. We did a lot of pointing had a lot of chicken, salmon and other French dishes which we would have had in the States.
DEPARTING WITH A CAR. From Le Gosier the airport was only 15/20 minutes away. BUT when driving on N4 to the airport, the airport sign was halfway down the exit ramp, had to cross over to Basse Terra, turn around and again look for signs. We had done a dry run for this route in daylight, but missed the turn in darkness. If you flew Norwegian
go to the smaller terminal (very small) not to the main terminal second floor with your luggage.
Written 21 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ed V
Austin, TX19 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
With a picturesque location overlooking the bay, the grounds of this fort are clean and well kept. Spaces in the cellars below and in the main structure in the courtyard are staged to accommodate art shows, but unsure if these are still held at the fort as these areas were empty. Access to the site is easy from nearby hotels via paved roadways and sidewalks, and the views alone were worth the 15-minute walk and free admission to the site.
Written 18 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald L
Denver, CO2,936 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
Park is free to enter. Right on top of a hill overlooking the bay with view of Basse-Terre and Les Saintes islands. On a clear day Dominique may be seen from here.
Written 29 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EJoe
Albany126 contributions
Feb 2018 • Family
We walked the grounds of the old fort and enjoyed seeing the coastline and views of our hotel from up high. Worth short drive to top. Easy parking and great views.
Written 7 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sleepybexhill
Bexhill-on-Sea, UK1,493 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
We planned getting a taxi from the cruise terminal to the fort, but ended up walking. About 3 miles and took an hour. The remains of the fort are at the top of a hill and entrance was free. Not a lot to see, but the walls and an underground tunnel are still there. They have toilets. We walked down the hill and to the free beach, Plage de Bas du Fort. Delightful small semicircular beach used by a mix of tourists and locals. You can get a drink from the hotel and there is no hassle using their facilities. An enjoyable relaxed day.
Written 2 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrien M
55 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
My husband and I were staying in Le Gosier and this was only a five minute drive, so we decided to check it out after a local recommended it to us. The scenery is lovely and the views are terrific. The attendants were friendly and gave us a brochure that described a series of numbered sites. Due to our very limited French, we couldn't understand the history and function of the place as well as I would have liked. Even though we didn't learn very much, I enjoyed the experience and got some beautiful photographs. I would say we stayed around a half hour and it was very pleasant.
Written 15 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike B
2 contributions
Jun 2022 • Solo
BECAREFUL !!!
The rooms of this hotel are so dirty.
I find pee on the bed sheets.
Fort fleur d’épée hotel is the shame Guadeloupe hotels !!!
I was really disappointed.
The rooms of this hotel are so dirty.
I find pee on the bed sheets.
Fort fleur d’épée hotel is the shame Guadeloupe hotels !!!
I was really disappointed.
Written 6 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robby G C
Toronto, Canada81,657 contributions
Feb 2019
When we arrived we read we could not take pictures. The lady said that this was for professionals.
So I took my pictures.
We learned a lot about the Fort Fleur d'Epee.
They built the fort against the English. When they were not finished yer, the English went to war against the French.
In 1794, there was a battle between the French and the English. The town was occupied.
Soldiers from France came and the slaves helped as well. They won.
We could see all kinds of thing in the Fort.
I liked the trees. It was unusual.
There were several canons.
There were a lot of establishments.
Prisoners were under lock in prison.
I liked the view of the ocean and Datcha Beach and even the mountains.
That was worthwhile and it was free!
So I took my pictures.
We learned a lot about the Fort Fleur d'Epee.
They built the fort against the English. When they were not finished yer, the English went to war against the French.
In 1794, there was a battle between the French and the English. The town was occupied.
Soldiers from France came and the slaves helped as well. They won.
We could see all kinds of thing in the Fort.
I liked the trees. It was unusual.
There were several canons.
There were a lot of establishments.
Prisoners were under lock in prison.
I liked the view of the ocean and Datcha Beach and even the mountains.
That was worthwhile and it was free!
Written 5 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How high is the fort above sea level?
Written 25 November 2018
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