Corossol: a fishing village on the northwest coast

Corossol occupies a small bay on the northwest coast, between Gustavia and the higher ground that runs toward Colombier. The beach is short and narrow rather than wide, and it faces west into a sheltered pocket of water. Wooden fishing boats are pulled up on the sand. That is the first thing most people notice, and it is the honest description of the place: this is not a beach laid out for visitors. There is no beach service, nothing built along the water, no loungers. The village houses come close to the shoreline and the road runs behind them. The bay is protected, so the water is usually calm and swimming is easy, but the sand is working ground as much as leisure ground. Nets, lines and boats are part of the picture. The land climbs quickly behind the village, so houses set back from the bay look down over it and toward the sunset.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Corossol works well if you want to be close to Gustavia without staying in it. You get calm, real neighbours, and a short drive to everything, which is a good combination for anyone who plans to be out during the day and wants quiet at night. It also suits people who like the idea of staying somewhere that has a life of its own rather than a life organised around visitors. It does not suit everyone. If you picture yourself walking from your door to a beach with service, food and shade, Corossol is not the neighbourhood for it — the bay here has none of that, and the beach is small. If you want to be able to walk out to dinner in the evening, you will be driving instead. And if you want long open sand and real swell, the south coast and the ocean-facing beaches of the north give you that. Corossol does not.