Have you tried everything in Basse-Terre?

Plastic chairs, cash only, and grilled chicken sizzling roadside - this is where locals actually eat lunch.

Skip the hotel breakfast and stand at the counter with locals grabbing pastries before work.

This rum-and-raw-egg-yolk eggnog is technically a Christmas drink, but some households never stop pouring it.

Skip the history plaques - locals come purely for the sea breeze and the light show over the water.

Locals are French citizens but Caribbean first - say Creole and Guadeloupean, watch faces relax.

Mention the other island half and get an earful about who's 'flashy' versus who's 'sleepy'.

Say 'Bonjou' (bohn-JOO) before any request - skip it and shopkeepers will visibly notice.

Watch drummers respond to whoever steps into the circle to dance - this is real practice, not a show.

Skip the tourist-photo upper falls and take the short walk locals use on weekends instead.

Small roadside rivers crossing the island have cold, unmarked pools worth the impromptu stop.

Dip bread straight into the spiced fish broth - cutlery is optional at home-style tables.