Guadeloupe is the southernmost of the Leeward Islands, just north of the Windward Islands, where Martinique is found. While Dominica separates Guadeloupe from Martinique, the two islands are often thought of as neighbors.

Guadeloupe was originally inhabited by the Arawaks. However, like the inhabitants of so many other Caribbean islands, they were eventually eliminated by the invading Carib tribe in the ninth century. The Caribs encountered Christopher Columbus on November 3, 1493. Columbus and the other Spanish settlers found the island fairly inhospitable, especially given the welcome of the hostile Caribs, and it was the French who eventually settled here in the 17th Century.

The Îles des Saintes were named by Columbus on November 4, 1493. He saw a collection of small islands, and dubbed them the saints. Technically, there are eight islands that make up Îles des Saintes: Terre-de-Haut, Terre-de-Bas, Îlet-a-Cabrit, La Coche, Les Augustins, Grand Îlet, Le Redonde, and Le Pate. Upon closer examination however, only the first two (Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas) can really be classified as islands, as the other six are basically huge rocks.

Îles des Saintes remains largely undeveloped, which is a real treat when compared to the mega-resorts that have come to typify other Caribbean locales. These islands are the perfect place to relax.