3 Best Restaurants in Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

This colorful waterfront café offers free Wi-Fi, books and newspapers to read, teas and coffees, wine, and icy rum cocktails, all of which encourage lounging. After sunset, there are aperitifs; and although reservations are requested for dinner, the friendly, accommodating staff also takes walk-ins. Finish off with the house-made punch du monde. To get here from the main dock, take a left to the main street and walk two blocks. It's across from the kayak-rental company.

Chef Xavier Simon is remarkably inventive with fresh local produce and seafood, with grilled lobster the signature dish of his restaurant in Terre-de-Haut. But the menu isn't limited to fish; meat, vegan, and gluten-free offerings are also on the small but ever-changing menu. Much effort has gone into the well-chosen wine list, along with a full range of aged rums from Guadeloupe. Desserts dazzle. Contemporary dinnerware brought from France complements the menu and presentation. Service is on the verandah, where the night sounds of the tropics vie with jazz and French music.

This small, convivial waterfront restaurant is artsy and fun, with contemporary, original works on the wall, hanging plants, and hip music. But you will also like the excellent French cuisine: fresh grilled fish—plus authentic pomme frites—makes an ideal meal out on the beach terrace. Le choucroute de la mer, a Caribbean-accented version of the Alsatian specialty, is also a great choice: fish, scallops, and mussels in a white wine sauce. Desserts are also divine, but note that soufflés must be ordered in advance. There are two well-priced, three-course, prix-fixe menus (one with lobster) to help keep prices in check.