By Alexander Britell

The French Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe is about to get a series lift from JetBlue.

The New York City-based carrier has announced plans to launch its first-ever nonstop flights to Guadeloupe, with a tentative start date of February 2020.

The route will run from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Guadeloupe, with the seasonal service operating three times each week.

It’s a huge boost for a destination that has long been one of the more region’s more fascinating but undiscovered places to visit.

Deshaies, best known as the filming location for the BBC show “Death in Paradise” is the hottest culinary destination in Guadeloupe.

“With its combination of French flair and Caribbean coolness, Guadeloupe will offer our customers an all-new and exciting destination to escape to this winter,” said Andrea Lusso, director route planning, JetBlue. “We continue to build our New York focus city strategy and by adding another unique destination we reinforce our position in the Caribbean, where JetBlue continues to serve more nonstop destinations from JFK than any other carrier.”

JetBlue will be the only airline operating flights from the northeastern United States and Guadeloupe.

“These are exciting times for our destination,” said Ary Chalus, President of the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board. “JetBlue is the perfect match for the Guadeloupe Islands and we could not be more thrilled about the new service. New York-JFK is our most successful gateway and it is a privilege to have been picked by an airline so close to New Yorkers’ hearts.”

JetBlue will be operating the service on Airbus A320 aircraft.

Marie Galante is one of the Caribbean’s capitals of rummaking.

An archipelago of two large, almost contiguous islands and three other smaller islands, Guadeloupe is a lush, raw, naturally beautiful getaway with a mix of high-level gastronomy, ecotourism and beautiful beaches with a hotel product dominated by smaller, boutique hotels.

La Toubana is the best hotel in all of Guadeloupe.

It’s also home to one of the best rum industries in the Caribbean, with distilleries scattered across the islands of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, along with three distilleries on Marie-Galante.

Les Saintes.

A short ferry ride from the “mainland” is the tiny chain of islands called Les Saintes, highlighted by Terre-de-Haut, a charming destination that some call a “mini-St Barth.”

Looking for a place to stay? Check out the best hotels in Guadeloupe.

— CJ