Verified
8/10 Good
Sam K.
9 Jan, 2019
Wonderful Stay at Villa Charles
We were an extended family of 13 adults and a 15-month old child who spent a week at Villa Charles. We rented all three apartments, which easily accommodated our family, while allowing separate spaces for separation, when needed. The apartment is as advertised - clean, contemporary and well-appointed and a short walk to the private beach. The internal staircases made it easy to go from one apartment to another. The large kitchen and living space on the main floor served as our gathering point and we enjoyed several meals together using the long tables on the front porch. And there was plenty of outdoor parking for our four cars.
Marie was easy to communicate with before and during our stay, especially given our limited French language proficiency. She was both helpful and responsive to our concerns. And prior to our arrival she installed removable screen fencing so that our toddler was safe around both swimming pools.
Upon our arrival two of the air-conditioning units were not working. One had to be replaced; the other needed service. Since this occurred over the Christmas holiday, it took a couple of days to correct. The villa has two washer / dryer machines and one separate washer and dryer. None of them actually worked to dry our clothes. We had to use the drying racks and the outdoor clothes line, which was problematic with so many people, towels and the occasional rain storm. Most of the bedrooms are small, some with closets; others without.
The morning of our departure there was NO water. We’re still not clear why, although Marie indicated we used up the “reserve”, which we knew nothing about. It was a frustrating end to a wonderful stay, as many of us had long return trips. A previous review also mentioned this happening.
We found the Saint Francois public beach much better than the private beach. We enjoyed restaurants in both Saint Anne and Saint Francois, especially Kote Sud and the grilled lobsters at Columbo! And the many wonderful patisseries and rotisseries kept us fed in between. We shopped in the local street markets, Carrefour supermarket and at La Cave a Vieux in Pointe-à-Pitre, with its fabulous selection of wine and spirits.
We visited the Zoo de Guadeloupe au Parc des Mamelles, the Jardin botanique de Deshaies and La Pointe des Châteaux.
Sam K.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2018
