Route du Rhum Hotel in Pointe-à-Pitre: Fleur d'Épée in Le Gosier
Looking for a hotel for the Route du Rhum in Pointe-à-Pitre means looking for a bed within reach of the pontoons. Hôtel Fleur d'Épée, a 3 star establishment in Le Gosier, Grande-Terre, at Bas du Fort, sits on the boats' final approach: they pass right in front of the hotel before crossing the line off the Mémorial ACTe and heading for the marina where the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe fleet ties up. From the beach and the terraces, you watch them come in. With 183 air conditioned rooms and 4 suites, a pool facing the open sea, direct beach access and an all inclusive package, it makes an easy base for living the event without rushing, by day or in the middle of the night.
The 13th edition, from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe
The start of this solo transatlantic race will be given on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 1.02 pm, from Saint-Malo. Created in 1978, the race was conceived as a link between Brittany and the Caribbean, and it has lost none of its pull. The departure village opens on 20 October on the Saint-Malo quays, and around 117 skippers cross the same start line, all classes together: Ultim, IMOCA, Ocean Fifty, Class40, Vintage Multi and Vintage Mono. Charles Caudrelier, the 2022 winner, holds the course record at 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds. The first multihulls can therefore show up off Guadeloupe before the end of the first week of November, while the Class40 fleet arrives later in the month. That spread is what gives this maritime event its character: finishes come in by day and by night, for two solid weeks, and the whole country follows the tracker.
What happens in Guadeloupe
In this archipelago the race is a popular festival, one of those moments the whole island puts in its agenda four years ahead: three weeks of celebrations, 70,000 m² of village space and close to 305,000 visitors expected, spread across the Mémorial ACTe, the Bas du Fort Marina and Basse-Terre. Finishes are celebrated in the heart of the butterfly island from 4 November 2026, from the first boat to the last, each solo sailor welcomed as a hero by a crowd happy to stay up most of the night. The Mémorial ACTe itself is a centre of culture and memory, a striking piece of architecture and art devoted to the history of the Caribbean islands, which gives these finishes a setting no other event can claim. Few images from the archipelago are worth more to share than a trimaran crossing that line at dawn.
The history of those finishes runs past our door. The first winners were celebrated at the Bas-du-Fort marina in Le Gosier, before the race moved to the Darse and the Place de la Victoire in 2002, then to the Mémorial ACTe in 2018. The MACTe stands on Rue Raspail, on the Darboussier site in Pointe-à-Pitre: allow 10 to 15 minutes on foot from the Place de la Victoire or the port, and about a quarter of an hour by taxi from Le Gosier. The detailed programme is announced in the coming weeks on the official Guadeloupe village page, worth checking just before you lock in your dates.
In Brittany, the party runs for thirteen days, from 20 October to 1 November: boat parades at the lock, a chance to meet the skippers and the daily race show on the 360° stage, concerts, talks, and a twenty minute sound and light show every evening at 8.30 pm over the basins. Entry is free on both sides of the Atlantic.
A hotel between Bas du Fort Marina and Pointe-à-Pitre
Three village areas bring the island to life: the Mémorial ACTe in Pointe-à-Pitre, where the finish line is judged and the sailors are welcomed as heroes, the Bas du Fort Marina, where the boats and shore teams settle in, and a third site in Basse-Terre. Our address is a few minutes' walk from the marina, which changes everything when a skipper is due at 3 in the morning. Count a quarter of an hour by car to Pointe-à-Pitre, its spice market, the Place de la Victoire and the Saint-John Perse museum, and half an hour to Maryse Condé airport, handy on arrival and for the flight home to Paris or anywhere else in France. Facing the hotel, the white lighthouse on the Îlet du Gosier is a reminder that the sea is still the main subject, race or no race. This position between marina, town and open water makes this seafront hotel in Guadeloupe an ideal base for the period, with easy access to the city center and to the hotel district of Pointe de la Verdure next door. Our address for transport bookings is Bas du Fort, Le Gosier 97190, Guadeloupe, under three miles from la Route du Rhum finish village.
Transport during the event deserves a thought of its own. Public transport on the island thins out at night, so most guests pick one of three options: a hire car collected at the airport, a taxi for the runs into town, or the shuttle transport the organisers put on between the sites, which the race website mentions as the programme firms up. Our reception arranges private transport and transfers with local partners, and answers by phone or by email before you leave France. Practical information on access, shuttles and opening times is published week by week on the official race site.
Rooms, suites and packages during the event
The accommodation is spread across two-storey buildings opening onto a tropical park planted with palms and local flowers, with a garden between each building. Three categories, depending on your budget and your appetite for a view:
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Classic room, 25 m², with air conditioning, a fridge, a safe, a private bathroom and a terrace or balcony.
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Prestige room with sea view, the same equipment plus a wide terrace facing the blue of the Caribbean, ideal for watching the boats from your lounger.
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The four suites, 50 m² of living and sleeping space extended by a terrace with garden furniture and sun loungers, for two adults and one child: the privacy of a suite away from the entertainment, and the most comfort in the range. Book a suite early, there are only four.
As for packages, half board, with dinner at Le Jardin des Tropiques, suits guests who will spend their days on the pontoons, while the all inclusive package suits those who would rather fix the cost of the stay before leaving home. For groups, shore teams and travel agencies, contact us directly by phone or email: terms and rates are built case by case.
Creole cuisine, bar and wellness after the pontoons
Three addresses for eating, one for drinking. Le Jardin des Tropiques serves buffets morning, noon and night, from breakfast to themed dinners, with a menu that changes daily: the cuisine on offer is creole and international. On the menu, home made accras, colombo curry, grilled fish, excellent everyday cooking rather than high gastronomy, with local produce and fish landed nearby.
La Cabane du Pêcheur, almost in the water, is reserved for a quieter meal, and the Ti-Lolo snack bar, on the sand, serves sandwiches, paninis, croque-monsieur and salads through the day, outside the all inclusive package. No need, then, to hunt for a restaurant on the road between the pontoons and the hotel.
In the evening, Le Touloulou Bar takes over around a ti-punch, in a creole style that has nothing stiff about it, a simple setting where the day's racing gets replayed. The three restaurants work in the same spirit: local style, no dress code, and a table free when you come back from the pontoons.
Back from the pontoons, the Mon Bali wellness space offers massages and facials, and a hair salon for men and women plus a nail bar complete the services.
Between two finishes, discover Guadeloupe
Waiting for the next boat is no hardship, and the hotel makes an ideal camp between two finishes for anyone who wants to explore the islands. Excursions leave from the marina, and nature is never far. The Bas du Fort beach and its water sports centre are at the foot of the buildings, with paddle boarding, snorkelling, beach volleyball and boat trips run by our local partners, which is a different activity for every morning of waiting. Back from the excursion, on the pool terrace, the view of the sea is enough to fill an afternoon. Sainte-Anne and its lagoon are 22 minutes away by road, Saint-François a little further, and beyond the Rivière Salée that splits the archipelago in two lies Basse-Terre.
Basse-Terre is the green wing of the butterfly: the Soufrière volcano, the national park and its waterfalls, the Carbet falls above Capesterre, the engraved rocks of Trois-Rivières, the mangroves of Sainte-Rose and the Cousteau reserve at Bouillante. Trois-Rivières is also the harbour for the ferry to Les Saintes, and Sainte-Marie, where Columbus landed in 1493, sits on the same coast road. Count a full day for any Basse-Terre outing, two if you want to walk in the park. A day on the island of Marie-Galante or a hop over to Martinique can be booked from Pointe-à-Pitre, depending on the carriers and the dates, enough to extend the trip by one more stop. It is the chance to turn a week of sport into a real holiday, without changing hotels. The island's tourist offices publish the programme of events for the whole period.
Book early, and at the best rate
A Route du Rhum year fills the hotels of Grande-Terre long before the start, and nights in the first half of November are in high demand. Our guests often book from the previous spring, with the reviews to back it up, and the quality of the welcome counts as much as the location at that time of year. Nobody comes here for the luxury of a boutique hotel or a private villa in Guadeloupe: the real luxury, in those weeks, is how short the walk to the pontoons is.
Watching a finish at 2 in the morning stays a unique experience, and the atmosphere on the island over that fortnight is exceptional. It is the kind of event you plan a trip around, and an experience of Guadeloupe in November that nobody forgets. Book through our official site for the best available online rate, check availability by category and by date, and ask us about any offer running for the period. Your travel agency can also contact us for a tailor made trip, and reception remains your point of contact on the ground, before and during the stay.
Frequently asked questions about the Route du Rhum in Pointe-à-Pitre
When do the Route du Rhum 2026 boats arrive in Guadeloupe?
The start is given on 1 November 2026 at 1.02 pm from Saint-Malo. The first Ultim trimarans are expected off Guadeloupe roughly a week later, then the other classes come in until the end of November. The finish village is open from 4 to 20 November 2026.
Where is the Route du Rhum finish village?
The main village is at the Mémorial ACTe in Pointe-à-Pitre, where the finish line is judged. Two further areas are set up at the Bas du Fort Marina, where the boats are moored, and in Basse-Terre. Entry is free.
Which hotels are near the Route du Rhum finish and the Port of Pointe-à-Pitre?
The port and the Darse of Pointe-à-Pitre are a quarter of an hour by car from Le Gosier. Our hotel, at Bas du Fort, sits between the marina and the town, an ideal position for reaching the Mémorial ACTe. Sainte-Anne, further east, is 22 minutes away.
Is the hotel close to the pontoons?
Yes. Hôtel Fleur d'Épée is in Le Gosier, at Bas du Fort, a few minutes' walk from the marina and a quarter of an hour by car from the Mémorial ACTe. Maryse Condé airport is half an hour away, which makes both the arrival and the flight home straightforward.
What transport do I need during the event?
A hire car is the simplest option, booked at the same time as the room. Taxis run between Le Gosier, the city center and the Mémorial ACTe, and shuttle transport between the village sites is announced by the organisers. Reception arranges private transport and transfers on request.
When is the next edition after 2026?
The Route du Rhum is sailed every four years. After the 13th edition in 2026, the race is expected back in the autumn of 2030, between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe. Official information and dates are published years in advance on the race website.
What packages do you offer during the event in Guadeloupe?
The hotel offers half board and an all inclusive package, with meals at Le Jardin des Tropiques and drinks served during meals. The Ti-Lolo snack bar is charged separately. Rates vary with the season, the accommodation category and the length of stay.