°µÍø½ûÇø

Hi Jamie,
From what I gather surfing takes place in 3 main spots : le Moule, St Anne and Bananiers (near Trois Rivières). First things first : is being close to a surfing spot your main priority or do you have to think about getting a job somewhere ?

All 3 places mentioned have their pluses and minuses. I really like Le Moule because it's a cool, laid back town that remains very authentic as it's outside of the tourist circuit but still close to Saint François which is nice. I don't really  like Saint Anne because it's overly developed for the tourist industry. At the same time you have lots going on there and nice beaches. I live in Saint Claude closer to Bananiers, the beach where my son (16) takes surfing lessons. Can highly recommend his surfing instructor Lionel (06 90 69 85 52). He has kids of all ages. My son really appreciates both him and the way he teaches.

All places mentioned have schools private and public. You only have to look it up on the web. I'm assuming you speak French ; ).

I enjoy living in Saint Claude, because it's cooler (sits on the bottom slope of the volcano), and is very authentic. This is the quieter, more tropical side of the island. The downside is that there's a lot less going on here (courses, activities, fewer restaurants) than on Grande Terre. But very good hiking. The best beach (maybe the best on the island) is for me Deshaies, but that's on the northern side of Basse Terre (takes about an hour to get there from Saint Claude). No surfing there, otherwise I would highly recommend that area !

One final thought : if surfing for your kids really is your number one priority, you'll have to find a place not too far from one of those beaches. I get the impression people think they can transfer from one place to another pretty quickly, but the roads are limited and there are often traffic jams. Surf lessons almost always take place in the morning. You don't want to have to drive 1 hr or more every Saturday to get your kids to their surf lesson. At least I wouldn't !

Hope this helps !
JonesNimes

Amazing thank you. I don’t think we will find jobs, I’m a nurse, I don’t speak French but my husband and kids do.  My husband might do odd jobs as he is a plumber and speaks French.

What would you say monthly  cost of living is?

Thanks Jamie

Hello again,
I'm hoping others will reply because I am only one person and replies of this type are very subjective. I have the impression that there is a demand for nurses, but the French administrative system can be tricky. If you're not French, it might be difficult to find work as a nurse. Not sure, hope someone else more in the know will reply.

I'm hoping that you are financially secure so that ou can get through at least a year of living here even if neither one of you find jobs. This is not to discourage you, but finding work here is not that easy. Your children are young enough that if they do only one complete year here and have to move after that it'll be ok.

Your question about how much it costs to live here is not precise enough. (How many rooms ? Apartment ? House ? Where ?) Renting is expensive here. As a comparison I would put it at less than Paris but on the higher end of other major French cities (Nice, Lyon, Marseille). Check out leboncoin.fr for real estate prices. Food is more expensive but there are solutions (not buying certain imports like fresh strawberries and the like). If you keep your life simple, you'll be fine. But for sure, real estate prices are not cheap.

Here's hoping others will reply…
Âá´Ç²Ô±ð²õ²Ôî³¾±ð²õ