How Much Does a Trip to Guadeloupe with Kids Cost? Our Real Expenses (8 Days, Family of 4)

How much does a trip to Guadeloupe with two young kids really cost? Online you only find average prices and generic estimates, never a family’s actual numbers. So here are ours, line by line: 8 days, the four of us with Bebe and Ginni, flights, car, food and even the unexpected (yes, there was one of those too).

If you’re still planning your route around the island, start with our8-day Guadeloupe road trip itinerary with kids: this article is just about the numbers.

Flights: Nice, Paris Orly and Guadeloupe

We flew from Nice to Paris Orly and from there to Guadeloupe, booking just a few days before departure. Flights for the four of us:€3,105. At the time Ginni was under two, so her ticket was only €80.

The night in Nice before departure

Night in Nice:€159. One night at the B&B Hotel near the airport, breakfast not included.

Valet parking at Nice airport

For the car we used the valet service at Nice airport. Cost:€115. On the way home it made all the difference: our Orly-Nice flight was delayed by 12 hours, we were stuck at Orly with our jackets left in the car in Nice, and the valet waited for us in the middle of the night with the car already warmed up. The whole story is in ourreview of the valet service at Nice airport.

Accommodation

For our whole stay at Jardin Tropical we paid€650, booked through Airbnb.

Transparency: our stay at Jardin Tropical was a collaboration. The €650 is the discounted price we paid, not the full price.

Car rental and fuel

In Guadeloupe a car is essential. We rented anMG3 hybridfromJDS Rent a Car, a local company. Rental:€440. Fuel for 8 days:€50. All the details on roads and renting are in ourguide to renting a car in Guadeloupe.

If you’d rather compare several rental companies before you leave,DiscoverCarshas our QUOKKA discount code.

Quokka Tip:we couldn’t decide between a city car and an SUV, worried our luggage wouldn’t fit. The JDS manager asked us for photos of our suitcases and confirmed the city car would be enough: money saved and the perfect car for exploring the whole island.

Tolls: zero

Good news: there are no motorway tolls in Guadeloupe, the roads are free. Cost: €0.

Excursions

The ferry toIlet du Gosiercosts €6 return for adults, €5 for children aged 3 to 11, and it’s free under 3 (Ginni didn’t pay). For the four of us:€17. Other excursions: Deshaies Botanical Garden,€36.

Many of our best days were spent at the beach, and that costs nothing: you’ll find our favorites in our ranking of thebest beaches in Guadeloupe for kids.

Food

Total food spend for 8 days:€250. For lunch we had bokit or food-truck meals almost every day: it’s one of the cheapest options on the island and the most convenient when you’re at the beach with kids. We tell you all about it in our article onthe bokit, the king of Caribbean street food. For supermarket shopping, you’ll find chains and prices in our guide onwhere to buy groceries in Guadeloupe with kids.

The unexpected: a 12-hour delay (and the compensation)

The 12-hour delay on our Orly-Nice flight home came with a cost too:€50 in extras due to the delay (meals and so on). Given how long the delay was, though, we claimed the compensation provided for by the EU passenger rights regulation. And it came through:€400 per passenger, Ginni included, so €1,600 in total.

Why €400 and not €600? For long-haul flights to countries outside the European Union the maximum compensation is €600 per person, but Guadeloupe is France in every respect, so the journey counts as a flight within the EU, and for those over 1,500 km the amount is €400.

Quokka Tip:we filed the claim directly on the Air France website, without going through the claim companies that handle it for you and keep a percentage. All we had to do was fill in the form: we got the full compensation.

Total: how much we spent for 8 days in Guadeloupe as a family of 4

• Flights:€3,105
• Night in Nice:€159
• Valet in Nice:€115
• Accommodation:€650 (discounted price, collaboration)
• Car rental + fuel:€490 (440 + 50)
• Tolls:€0
• Excursions:€53 (Ilet du Gosier ferry 17 + Deshaies Botanical Garden 36)
• Food:€250
• Unexpected:€50

Total: €4,872 — about €1,218 per person.Flights are by far the biggest item, about two thirds of the total: once on the island, between a city car, bokits and free beaches, you spend relatively little.

And if we subtract the €1,600 compensation for the delay, the trip ended up costing us€3,272, about €818 per person. Obviously that’s a lucky case (so to speak, after 12 hours at the airport with two little girls): when you plan your own budget, count on the full total.

How to save on a trip to Guadeloupe with kids

• Ask the rental company which car you really need.A city car was enough for us, and it was the rental company itself that recommended it.
• No tolls to budget for:the island’s roads are free.
• Bokit for lunch:it’s one of the cheapest options on the island.
• The beaches are freeand with young kids they’re the main attraction. The Ilet du Gosier ferry costs just a few euros too, and under 3s go free.
• Plan for the unexpected.A 12-hour delay can happen: keep jackets and a change of clothes in your carry-on, not in the car.
• If your flight is badly delayed, claim compensation directly from the airline.We did it on the Air France website, with no middlemen, and received €400 per passenger.

Frequently Asked Questions about the cost of a trip to Guadeloupe

Keep planning your trip: head back to ourcomplete 8-day Guadeloupe itineraryor discoverthe best beaches for kids. Questions about costs? Drop us a comment!