I wonder if there are any members of this forum who live, or have holiday homes, on Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyane, Reunion or Mayotte.
I have visited Martinique with my family and am planning to return. Next time I might go to Guadeloupe as well if only to see where Death in Paradise was filmed.
I havenāt lived in any of those places (though I did spend 7 years in Turks & Caicos, which is a British Overseas Territory).
I have visited St. Martin (though that was for work, filming a corporate āteam buildingā event) - an interesting place as itās an island split in two - the bottom half is Dutch (Sint Maarten) and the top half is French (St. Martin).
It has a famous airport (in the Dutch half) where the planes come in very low over the beach and tourists enjoy getting blasted by the jet-wash. 
A pleasant enough spot, though quite touristy and I would imagine quite an expensive place to retire to.
La Reunion is simply stunning. Climb the piton de neige, only 3000 metres. Go and see the volcano. Walk the stunning tropical gorges. Careful swimming in the sea as the currents come unimpeded from the Antarctic - though there are lifeguards - and there are 60 metre swells, where there arenāt any lifeguards.
Allow 4 - 6 weeks for a good visit, though that can include a week popping over to Mauritius too, for that beach bit. I think the Paris plane also picks up from Marseille.
Rather late to the party here, but Iām a long-term (British) resident of Reunion, have lived here for a total of 30 years since 1990.
I also wrote the Reunion part of the two most recent editions of the āInsight Guide to Mauritius, Reunion and Seychellesā.
So if you have any questions about Reunion feel free to ask me.
Our eldest lives on Guadeloupe, great place for a holiday but I couldnāt live there. Itās okay if youāre in the 5% of ānon nativesā who have the best jobs but for the rest of the population itās a permanent struggle with dreadful poverty and an unemployment rate approaching 20%. Basic amenities such as water and electricity are often turned off, if the ships are delayed then supermarket shelves are empty and the healthcare facilities are āthird worldā.
As for Death in Paradise, most of it is shot in and around the town of Deshaies in the NW bit of Basse Terre.
This thread has given me a thought. Are those of us long term French residents with permanent CsdS entitled to move to, and remain in, one of the DROMs as they are part of France and as such responsible for the loss of our Winter Fuel Payments? 
I believe EU citizens can, not sure about folks with WARP CdS, but you would not like the cost of living in the Caribbean.
Itās not that Iād want to it is just that, as the French insist that these arenāt colonies but actually parts of France, I wondered if, as we are entitled to live anywhere in France (I think) would that include all of France?
Yes, if itās a DOM you are just moving to another dĆ©partement. It may be slightly different for the TOM.
France is made up of 13 administrative regions
And of 5 overseas departments
I love the fact that Corsica is in reality āover seasā (if not officially) and feel Iām really being adventurous when we go thereā¦
Thank you, I thought it only fair. 
Hi
Iām actualitĆ© from Dominica, a small island between Guadeloupe and Martinique. I lived several years in Guadeloupe but doesnāt have a vacation home there. I could always assist if you have questions or need ideas but I do own a holiday home in Dominica where some parts of pirate off the Caribbean was filmed.
Iāve since living in a small village in Dordogne.
What a coincidence, I too live in a small village in the Dordogne, so you are very welcome.
Iāve been there 3 years now. Away from the hustle and bustle off big cities. Love the culinary culture.
Welcome Robin. Iām also in 24.
Bienvenue - Iām also in 24.
All the very best people seem to be. 
Thereās some similarities and differences with Reunion: unemployment here in Reunion is high, and the number of people living below the poverty line is higher than mainland France, yet (ironically) the cost of living is high too (e.g. food costs on average 37% more than in mainland France).
But the healthcare here is generally first rate, thereās rarely water and electricity cuts (unless thereās been a cyclone or thereās a drought) and the supermarket shelves are generally full.
Reunion is sometimes called āFranceās best-kept secretā, and Iāve also heard said (although I might be biased) that Reunion is the most beautiful of the overseas dĆ©partements!
For me the main attraction has always been the melting pot (ethnic and religious) and, generally speaking, the tolerance that comes with that.
