Above: the view from a hillside room at Le Bois Joli (All photos by CJ)

It’s one of the jewels of the whole Caribbean: the tiny island of Terre de Haut in the Guadeloupe archipelago.

Often described as a mini-St Barth, Terre de Haut is far more than that: it’s naturally beautiful, it’s got amazing cuisine and a handful of simply superb beaches, among other things. It’s a place that not really like anywhere else.

And while it’s home to just a few tiny boutique hotels, if Terre de Haut has something close to a resort, it’s Le Bois Joli: a well-appointed, modern hotel with the charm you expect from a French Caribbean hotel.

And while there’s a nice little beach and pool, the star here is the rooms up on the hillside, which look out on the spectacular harbour of Terre de Haut.

It’s the kind of captivating view, of the Harbour, of the shadow of “mainland” Guadeloupe nearby, that makes time stand still.

— CJ