First time trip. Two 66 year olds and 27 year old. Enjoy snorkeling. Daughter will want to scuba dive. Light hiking and exploring. Will rent car. Best location to stay for a week?

It's been a few years since we were in Guadeloupe, we stayed in Deshaies and it suited us very well. It is a village on the coast in Basse Terre which is the best area for hiking and scuba diving (I did my advanced open water course at Jacques Cousteau underwater reserve).

I wouldn't stay as far north as Deshaies. The best diving (the Cousteau reserve) is Pigeon Island off of Malandure Bay, so consider staying close to there or farther south down the coast - much easier to get to the volcano and the waterfalls for hiking, and easier to get a ferry to the Saints for a day trip. For your interests I would definitely stay on the Basse Terre side. Grand Terre has beautiful beaches, but it is flat.

Thanks for your help! we decided to stay stateside this winter. Maybe another time soon.