Jardin Malanga

We returned to Le Jardin Malanga for a week's holiday over Christmas, for the second year in a row. And we have already reserved for the same time next year! Perhaps that says it all. We love this place. If you want to explore the Basse Terre half of Guadeloupe, this resort offers the perfect base. But for us, it is an oasis where we can relax and read, "away from it all" as they say, We see no reason to go anywhere. Certainly, you won't find better food anywhere in Guadeloupe. The dinners every evening are always a highlight of the day. The special Christmas Eve dinner is a tour de force. Chef Riccardo and his partner Helena, the general manager, are the perfect hosts. The owners of Le Jardin Malanga must feel very fortunate to have such fine people in charge of their property. I simply cannot recommend this place too highly - it is more than worth the price. Just look at the photo taken from the front porch of our cottage!

Our overall experience was OK but honestly speaking, I would have expected a higher quality service for the price paid for our stay in terms of staff, food and all the details in between. For example, the manager wasn’t very hospitable, the pool towels were worn and dated, the dinners were so so albeit well presented, the fruits served at breakfast didn’t taste good, they served Prosecco instead of champagne at the Christmas cocktail. The quality isn’t up to the standard that it should be and therefore I wouldn’t recommend it unfortunately, at least not at those prices.

Le Jardin Malanga fails completely in delivering a serene and upscale hotel experience simply because its rooms—as experienced during my stay—lack any sound insulation. When a couple travels many hours to a hotel promising a luxury experience, they expect a basic standard of privacy, and aural privacy is paramount. Sadly, our cabin at Jardin Malanga had an adjoining suite, and the two suites had only a louvered door separating them. Within a couple hours of arriving, we were subjected to a loud argument by the family in the adjoining suite that involved the mother yelling at her children and the children back-talking the parents. We heard every word as if the family was in our own suite. Afterward, we discovered that we could even hear whispers and shushing through the walls/door. How in the world is anyone “getting away from it all” when they have less sound privacy than in a youth hostel? We actually enjoyed all other aspects of the hotel and grounds, and the employees were very kind and helpful, but going back to our room was a dread because we didn’t know what noise we’d be subjected to or what of our sounds would be broadcast as well. In other words, the terrible sound insulation at an upscale property like this overshadows and detracts from all of the good and pretty parts of Jardin Malanga. It’s like the proprietor is trying to focus on the facade, not the personal experience of, for example, guests not being disturbed while sleeping or not being a disturbance while being intimate. The owner and management of Jardin Malanga should be ashamed of failing guests in this crucial aspect of the “hospitality business,” and should at least alert guests prior to confirming reservations that sound insulation is non-existent and, therefore, paradise is not private.