Practical information

Banks:
they are usually open Monday to Friday of 8 a.m. at midday and of 2 p.m. or 14. 30 to 16 h. the principal branches are to it also saturdays morning. In summer, the majority adopt a fixed hour, of 8 a.m. to 15 h.
Credit cards:
they are accepted a little everywhere, although certain hotel establishments and restaurants always refuse them. It is very easy to withdraw money with its Visa or its Mastercard in the slot-machines.
Climate:
the weather is nice and heat all the year. The rain season, with risk of cyclone, lasts roughly from August to October. The air is then saturated with moisture.
Time shift:
GMT (or YOU) - 4: when it is midday with Pointe-à-Pitre, it is 5 p.m. in Paris in winter and 18 H in summer.
Customs:
only the people residing out of the European Union can carry out purchases net of tax. If you bought material hi-fi or video with Saint Martin's day, you will have to discharge the customs duties on your arrival to the Guadeloupe or in your home country if you return directly.
Language:
everyone or almost speaks French. The Creole is employed in family and between friends.
Stores:
they generally open of 9 H with 13 H and 15 H with 6 p.m. in week. Supermarkets and department stores are also often open saturdays.
Currency:
the monetary unit is the Euro, as in metropolis. The parts and the tickets are the same ones.
Tips:
the use wants that one leaves approximately 10% to the waiter.
Health:
no the particular problem. Think however of protecting you from the sun, much stronger in the Tropics than in Europe. A product anti-mosquito can prove to be useful for the moment of the rains. Attention with the trees carrying a large red cross: it acts mancenilliers, with the very toxic sap. Prevent touching trunk and sheets and you do not shelter below if it rains. You would risk serious burns.

Pleasures of the table

It is in the Guadeloupe and Martinique that one finds the best kitchen of the Caribbean. Prepared well, the creole dishes mix all the influences with the islands, Frenchwoman, Indian, African, with ingredients of an exceptional freshness. The fish and the shellfish are distinguished in all logic. Here some of the specialities most frequently met:
Achards: vegetables navy. Creole Boudin: can be very spiced. Chadrons: white sea urchins, sometimes been useful out of omelet. Wild: very spiced dish of fried cod, manioc, lawyer and pepper. Lambi: the black flesh this large shell can be pulp in a ragout or roasted with green garlic and lemon-yellow. Crab Matété: the flesh is jumped to garlic and onions and is adapted to pepper and thyme, lemon juice. Ouassous: large crayfish fished in the torrents. Delicious, they are however increasingly rare. Calalou: in the beginning a dish prepared by the slaves, it acts of a kind of soup very rich, near to the ragout, the composition in general of which ham, bacon or crab use, as well as sheets of taro or gombos, a sticky vegetable of African origin - without forgetting spices. Colombo: it acts neither more nor less of the Indian curry, prepared with meat, poultry or fish.
Desserts

The fruits, mangos, papaws, guavas, pineapples but also, less known, carambolas in the star shape, corossol to the taste of cutter, quenettes pointing out the litchis and other custard apples are on all the markets. The tarts are delicious, in particular that with coconut. You will find moreover a whole range of delicious sorbets.
Drinks
Agricultural rum is the king of the islands. With a measurement of syrup of cane and a green piece of lemon peel, it becomes Ti-punch, hot favorite Inhabitants of Guadeloupe. It also enters the composition of a myriad of scented cocktails: grower, daïquiri or fucked colada. The fresh juices, sodas, the beer and the wines French are present on all the charts.

Purchases

The West-Indians are large amateurs of shopping and you will note that the shops of clothing or accessories are very well supplied. If you wish to bring back local memories, think of the splendid creole jewels, traditional fabrics (Madras), the embroideries of Old man-Extremely or of the pottery. Better is worth to avoid the carapaces and the objects in scale of tortoise, animal threatened of disappearance. In the culinary range, do not hesitate to make vanilla provisions, fresh or dries, and of spices in small sachets. Rum, young person or out-of-date were, are impossible to circumvent. Ultimate option, why not bring back a bouquet of more
beautiful flowers inhabitants of Guadeloupe? Some, like anthuriums, resist without problem the voyage by plane and will still last from two to three weeks after your return.