This isn't an easy place to get to, as an earlier reviewer stated, and we had particular difficulties due to mis-information given us by Express des Iles ferries. They told us we could disembark at Iles des Saintes en route from Dominica to Pointe a Pitre.....the captain of the ferry boat got involved and would NOT permit us to get off, citing 'no customs in Iles des Saintes'.

Nonetheless, when we finally arrived we were pleased with the place. The owners, Laurence and Jean, were very helpful. Again, as another reviewer stated, Laurence more than Jean but Laurence has a better command of English. She was very helpful concerning our departure from the little island and made significant effort to assist us as we had to find a car rental once on Basse Terre.

The rooms are small, the place has an awful lot of antiques (I think too many in places), lots of hot water and our bed was very comfortable. The private balcony is large and lovely with excellent views. Another reviewer stated they thought the rooms in the main building would be noisy but we did not find this to be the case.

The breakfast was disappointing. Yes, it's France but it's also the Caribbean....breakfast was bad coffee, packaged juice, a baquette cut in three pieces, and 2 small croissants each. It needs a bit more...yogourt?? fruit?? You can get additional things for breakfast such as a plate with 5 pieces of fruit for 5 euros (a bit steep).

Dinners were very good and the service excellent.

You can walk most places on the island; it's very hot so wear a good hat. There is a small, isolated, safe beach 10 minutes walk from the hotel which was great.

The village is an easy walk from the hotel. People often come for the day from the main island and fill the place up. The village is a bit precious/cutsey/touristy; I think 3 days is more than enough time here.

You do have to pay attention to opening and closing hours. When things are closed, you cannot find lunch, coffee or anything, neither can you shop! Then the streets are just full of bewildered pale people!

We stayed at the Auberge just after Christmas including New Years Eve for 5 nights. We are from USA and frankly it is just not easy to get to Ile des Saintes if you want to stay for longer than one day. We overnighted in Gosier after our flight from ATL and then the driver recommended by Laurent picked us up and took us to Trois Rivieres for the trip over. Two companies make this journey of about 15-20 minutes. We took Brudley Freres and the other was something like D...(three initials). The Brudley Freres boats were very very old and really did not look seaworthy. That is where the driver took us...I would take the other larger more modern boat. I had booked with Laurent and email communication was okay but sometimes not really fast. We stayed in Bungalow 11 which is the green one in all the pictures. I liked it better than in the house part as I can imagine you hear people walking etc. with the wooden structure. Room okay...small but functional...only thing I did not like is the terrace right almost in the pool and zero privacy. When people and especially kids are in the pool it is like they are right in your bed! We were there over Christmas and really expected the place to be mostly quiet couples...wrong...mostly larger families with kids just doing what kids do...running and being noisy. It is probably very quiet at other non kid vacation times. Laurent was extremely nice and helpful...had little interaction with Jean...she spoke more english. Breakfast was just okay...really bad coffee in these airpots that even the big strong men were having a tough time with...I know my coffee and elsewhere it was really good...the bread was very mini croissants and the bagette. I did not find it an interesting continental and again I do realize that this is the typical french breakfast...it was not up to par...need some regular size hot croissants, more jams etc. and maybe some yogurt? Dinners were nice and served in a very beautiful dining room. New Year's Eve was a very long dinner with preset menu...again this is normal...it was not my favorite but I'm sure the french guests enjoyed it. We found enough to do for the 5 nights...easy walk to town with maybe a couple of noteworthy restaurants and shopping fun...got to catch things open and you get with the program after a day or so. The pool at the hotel very nice and when you could catch an "adult only moment" great for cooling off and doing some exercise. Rooms were clean..not everything exactly worked but it was rustic and we just let stuff go. We ended up leaving a night early (and had to pay which was fair) because you just cannot rely on the Trois Rivieres boats and the schedule was bad for us. We ended up going to Jardin Malanga (read review) and wishing we were back at the Auberge. We really did like it there and would recommend it to those seeking an escape but willing to go through a bit of hassle to get there. The island is just breathtaking and the atmosphere just like being somewhere off the coast of France...which you are! Do know that it is not really a hotel but much more of a B and B.

L'Auberge les Petit Saints is a wonderful property on a fabulous island. Like many Americans who have had the opportunity to visit Les Saintes and Terre-de-Haut, intrinsically I do not want this secret to get out, but I use "Tripadvisor" constantly, and I feel I owe the site my reviews.

Jean and Laurent have taken the inn over from the island's unofficial doyenne, Didier Spindler, and they have created a different atmosphere and ambiance. While the "Soiree" generated by the flamboyant and talented Didier is not present, Jean and Laurent have provided their own brand of professionalism and service.

We stayed in a single cottage below the pool at The Auberge. The rooms of the cottage are stone and the decor charming. While the space is not large, the antique furniture provided storage. There is a television that carried cable networks and the air-conditioning felt great after a hot day at the beach. The bathroom is quite unique as the shower is not contained in a separate space. Thus, water does accumulate and towels come in handy to soak up the wet floor. In was inconvenient, but not a big deal. The bed was a bit uncomfortable, but that could be a result of our pampered American backs and our advancing age. The "cottage" had a terrace with a nice view.

The pool was quite lovely and looked over the hill to the sea. The Auberge is up a steep hill, about 10 minutes from the town center. On arrival at the ferry dock, we were met at the church by the Auberge's driver which alleviated the need to haul our heavy luggage up to the inn. On departure, we were driven to the ferry dock. The rest of our stay, we enjoyed walking to the quaint town. It gave us a chance to peer into the lives of the local population. There are no rental cars on the island, and that either leaves walking or a scooter as a means to get around. We opted not to rent a scooter as the price per day was over twenty Euros each and the steep hills of Terre-de-Haut would be difficult to navigate. Thus, we hired a taxi when we were visiting a beach far from the Auberge. The taxi cost was fifteen Euros round trip.

The inclusive continental breakfast at the inn was lovely and the French bread and croissants were very special. The French know how to bake bread! We ate dinner at the Auberge one evening, and it was simply wonderful. The service was professional, the food scrumptious, and the ambiance oh so romantic. The portions are enormous, and actually an appetizer would be a meal in itself.

A knowledge of the French language would be extremely important to fulfill a complete holiday on Terre-de-Haut. While Jean and Laurent gabbed pleasantly with the French speaking guests, we were somewhat at a loss because of our poor French skills. This might be interpreted as their being cold, but I do believe it was simply caused by our language barrier.

The Auberge les Petit Saints is truly the only place to stay on this marvelous island. However, keep it to yourself!

The inn is on a hillside overlooking the bay and town with the dining room and rooms surrounding a good-sized pool. The view of the bay with all the boats and the small island and Guadeloupe beyond is stunning. While the rooms are small, they are well-appointed, ours had a small terrace looking out on the amazing view. The best part of L'Auberge is the food. The owners, a couple named Jean and Laurent, really know how to put meals together and the plates are beautifully presented, the sauces fabulous, many choices of apps and entrees and the prices are reasonable. We think the food is some of the best we have ever had in the Caribbean.