We had a wonderful time in Guadeloupe. The house was big, with plenty of room to sleep, comfortable beds, air conditioning in the downstairs bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms. The pool was perfect. Although it is meant to be shared with the smaller cottage next door, we pretty much had it to ourselves as there was only one man staying there one night. The walk back from the beach is a bit of a hike, but we loved it. The snorkeling was great and sunsets beautiful. There is a bakery close by, but we preferred the one in Deshaies. The lighting in the house is a bit dark (bring a reading light), but other than that it was perfect. Duval is an excellent host. We would definitely recommend it!

We rented this house for one week with another couple. There was certainly room for another couple and children. The kitchen was well equipped and both couples had good privacy. The best features were access to a private beach - just a five minute walk down to the beach, through a trail in the woods and the big covered deck with ocean views. Duval Olivier (the owner) was very easy to work with and addressed our concerns quickly. We also got to visit with him on two occasions and he was fun and pleasant. There is a small house right next door, which was rented to a delightful couple. It was easy to have our privacy, even with the other house rented. The house is about 5 minutes south of Deshaies. A very nice, central location on Basse Terre. We would definitely stay here again. The house is very spacious. There are chickens and a rooster that roams the yard during the day and sometimes we did not have really hot water in the showers, but overall the experience was excellent. The beds were very comfortable (firm).

Of the four fabulous villas we’ve rented on Guadeloupe, Villa BelAir is our favorite – best views, best pool, best location, most spacious. We will return! The only thing missing was the much-lauded villa owner, who was off-island during our stay. As long-time villa owners and Caribbean visitors, our expectations are realistic, but also a bit exacting. Those considering this villa need to know about Fifi, the resident cat who spends most of her day on the villa couch and expects to be fed. Not a problem for “cat people,” but could be a disaster to visitors allergic to cats. (There’s no mention of Fifi in the VRBO listing.) Fifi is adept at finding an open window and, letting herself in for an overnight visit. Another concern: the lack during our stay of a “house book” (even if not in English) with WIFI code and directions for use of the remote control for the gate, for trash/recycling collections, and use of the awning, etc. Duval sent very precise directions to the villa, including a photo of the gate (very helpful, especially when you arrive after dark) and contact information for his niece and son, who substituted for him. The renters in the adjacent house were extremely helpful, too. The villa is spacious – lots of room to spread out, inside and out – and the pool is perfect. We loved our “private” beach, a 15-min hike down the hill, and would love to know the history of its namesake – Paul Thomas – and the seemingly abandoned property on the beach. The villa’s location is perfect to enjoying the beautiful beaches in the Deshaies/Ferry area and convenient to our favorite bakery. We had a wonderful two-week stay with friends and family and still haven’t had enough of Guadeloupe. Duval, we hope you’re in town the next time we visit! Eight family and friends from New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and New Jersey, USA

We rented the villa and its accompanying gite for the first week of January. This is a superb location, just 5k south of Deshaises (pronounced Dey-Hey), and easy to find even when arriving after dark. Duval is an excellent host, and provided our group of 7 adults with an arrival dinner (since everything is closed Sunday night). On Monday he showed us the "passage" to the Paul Thomas beach. This is the real bonus of staying here. It's about a 500 meter hike down, and a bit tricky in places, but the end result is an almost deserted beach with great swimming and excellent snorkeling. We saw turtles every day. Worth the effort. The villa has very cool construction with open beams and open veranda, living/dining and kitchen. There are three bedrooms in the villa, each with its own bathroom. We spent most of our time on the porch that faces the ocean (north), where a view of Montserrat appears when the skies clear. There is also a view south to Feri. There is a raised walkway to the pool, which is refreshing, and has a nice deck for lounging and evening cocktails. The gite is adjacent, and it provides the 4th bedroom which we needed. More people can fit in the villa, as there are two double beds on the veranda upstairs (no doors or AC, but fans available), and two of the bedrooms have mattresses in loft space. So plenty of sleeping if you want to pile in. The villa is more functional than luxurious. Two of party are professional cooks, and they were happy with the cooking supplies available. The furniture and beds are basic and functional. There is a TV with cable, but we never turned it on - we played games in the evenings, enjoying the local rum - which Duval introduced us to the Guadeloupe boxed rum (another of our party is a bartender, and the blender had a real workout while we were there). The "Grill" is about 50 meters into the yard, and away from the house. I was glad I brought a headlamp. Two bags of the local charcoal was plenty for each night's cooking. Location-wise, it's hard to beat. There is a bakery about a kilometer towards Deshaises, where we would walk each morning to buy croissants and pain du chocolat for our breakfast. About a kilometer the other direction is Feri, where there is a great store (doesn't look like much) that carries absolutely everything, and has decent prices. We did our major shopping in St. Rose, but ended buying lots of fill-in items in Feri (including charcoal for the grill).

3 generations of our family stayed here for 3 weeks in total. We all agreed this was the best holiday we have ever had & we have travelled to many places all over the world but never to the Caribbean before. The villa is fantastic, everything we expected plus so much more... the view of the sunset from the garden is spectacular! We have fallen in love with Guadeloupe, it is a very special place indeed and we are making plans to return soon & certainly we will stay in this villa again. Many thanks to Duval for his genuine kindness during our stay, and we look forward to staying again soon

I stayed with a group of my friends and we had an amazing week. The house is beautiful and is fit with all the perks you would need (i.e. coolers, boogy boards, a great pool, cooking supplies ect.). Oliver was extremely friendly and helpful with all of our inquiries. The home is also located in the best spot on the island, minutes away from the town of Deshaies and the beach of Grand Anse, but still driving distance to Basse-Terre and the National Park.

My wife and I with our two daughters and our son-in-law spent two really wonderful weeks at this excellent villa. It was a comfortable and well-equipped property with a large living and kitchen area, a fine outdoor veranda where we had most of our meals while enjoying great views of the Caribbean (and occasionally of Montserrat) and a nice pool. The house also has two external balconies on the upper level offering additional views. The charming town of Deshaies (where "Death in Paradise" is filmed) is a short drive away. We also were able with reasonably short drives to visit many other towns, attractions, and beaches. The owner, was very pleasant and accommodating. He went out of his way to assist us in remedying a problem that we ourselves had created.