Iles des Saintes - General Info
Description:
Located 10kms (6.2 miles) south of Guadeloupe, this picturesque group consists of two main islands, Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas, and seven smaller ones.
There are about 3,000 inhabitants, split between the two main islands. There is just one doctor, and his home, on Terre-de-Haut, resembles a ship’s prow and is something of a local landmark.
Position:
15° 52.11’N, 61° 35.10’W (mooring field)
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Related to following destinations: Guadeloupe, Iles des Saintes
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We visisted for several days immediately before Christmas 2019. There were always a choice of mooring buoys available. It is not compulsory to use the mooring buoys, you are free to anchor if you wish , as long as you are outside of the clear yellow markers (confirmed with the port office) – however, you are likely to be in deeper water further from the shore. There are 3 (sometimes 4) mooring buoys for larger boats (we are 65 tons), just call on the VHF or telephone when you arrive and ask for guidance.
Nobody offered to come to take our rubbish away, but there is a recycling station not far from the excellent dinghy dock.
I arrived Nov 09, 2019 and many mooring balls were available in all mooring fields. I was charged 70 EUR for one full week for my 12m boat at Bourg; was told during this week I can freely move to another mooring field as I wish. Paid mooring fees at the LMS place where I also cleared in. Great dinghy dock, very touristy town, especially during the day when the ferries from Guadeloupe keep coming in or when a cruise ship anchors in the bay, quieter in the evenings. Clear water, good protection.
The mooring field was quite rolly even when no ferries were going by.
Still, it’s a beautiful (if touristy) village with very clear water. Try snorkelling/ free diving the shipwreck marked by the yellow X buoy. It’s in the mooring field just north of the dinghy dock.
LMS can also receive packages for cruisers.
You can bring your garbage and recycling to shore. There is a map at the dinghy dock that shows where you can find bins. If the bins seem full, go around the back; there are openings on that side too.
There is rubbish recycling here, so separate your bottles/plastics, cans/others, although most of the bins were full. Pick up buoys are easy as they have a huge metal loop on the top. The owners will collect your fee (42ft yacht – 13 Euros a night). Le Genois restaurant on the front had nice home-made quiche.
There is a small Carrefour, but it wasn’t well stocked when we went, no cheese! There’s another small supermarket which was well stocked and less expensive. There are public toilets in the middle of town, but they close for lunch! Lots of mopeds/ scooters or “green buggies” for rental. The ferries do make it a little uncomfortable here, but we didn’t find it too bad.
Following Hurricane Maria, some beaches here are still being cleaned up.
5/2/2016
The custom is very fast and easy at the LMS, but the price is 2€. In the same office, they also have laundry, 10€ wash and dry, you can leave your laundry there and pick it up later. The buoys are more expensive, for our boat (15mt/50feet) we paid 15€.
When I asked why on their website they have the same price table that noonsite reports, the dinghy man told me that the price on the web is for low season (January ???).
The answer did not convince me but I didn’t want to make any fuss.
The town is quaint but the mooring field is very uncomfortable. Starting at 5:00 am the ferries cut through the field as do the constant parade of fisherman and tourist boats. As a result, it is so rolly with wakes that you might as well be on the East side of the island. We would have stayed longer but it was just too uncomfortable. I got the feeling they did not want us here