We have just got back from a sailing holiday in Guadeloupe. Before we boarded the yacht we stayed for four nights at Tainos Village Hotel which is in a beautiful location right at the end of Grande Anse beach, Deshaies, in its own tropical gardens from which you could step right onto the beach (which is gorgous, unspoilt and not busy)

Tainos Cottages give you a very different experience as they consist of 6 Thai style wooden buildings set in gardens. The cottages don't have glass windows but have wooden slatted shutters and are open between the top of the wall and the roof so that the air can circulate freely. This is all very well but it makes the rooms extremely dark and it is impossible to keep insects out. The beds had mosquito nets but were not 100% effective.

Our cottage was on one level with a separate bathroom which was very well appointed. We had to move to another cottage on the last night as we had been double booked and this one was even more interesting! The ground floor was completely open and you went up a ladder and through a trap door to the bedroom. The bathroom and bedroom were all one room which I didn't like very much.

The place is run by a very charming gentleman. Breakfast is served by the little swimming pool and is very nice. You can get salads at lunchtime and they serve good dinners (albeit very expensive) if you want to eat there.

All in all it was a positive experience but not one I would want to repeat, although I would highly recommend that part of Guadeloupe as a place to stay as it was very pretty and unspoilt with several empty beaches.