A little bit of France in the West ­Indies, boasting the same boulangeries and Francophones, all steeped in Caribbean Creole culture. Sometimes called the “butterfly island”, Guadeloupe is actually made up of a handful of smaller islands rather than one large landmass. The two main islands in the archipelago are beachy Grand­Terre ­­ ideal for long, lazy days spent in sun, sand, and sea ­­ and to the West, Basse­Terre ­­dense with jungles, mountains, and waterfalls, if adventure is more your style, meaning that Guadeloupe offers the best of both worlds as far as exotic tropical vacations go in a way that many other islands don’t.