Surrounded by such gorgeous scenery, it makes you wonder how so many people on the island of Saint Marie can be drawn to murder.
Death in Paradise is set on the island of Saint Marie, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean. Boasting stunning beaches, sunshine all year round, and the idyllic Catherine’s bar, it seems like the perfect holiday spot. So, is the island real and where must you go to see the hit drama’s set?
Where is Death in Paradise filmed?
The island and the town where Death in Paradise takes place are both fictional, but the gorgeous locations you see on screen do exist. In reality, Death in Paradise is filmed across the islands of Guadeloupe, an overseas territory of France located in the eastern Caribbean Sea.
Guadeloupe is made up of a butterfly-shaped collection of five islands. The island’s official website (opens in new tab) shares all kinds of exciting things you can do while visiting Guadeloupe. including getting married and going island hopping.
Executive producer Tim Key told Express.com, “Not only is the island one of the characters in the show and not only is the town of Deshaies one of the main characters of the show, but about 50 per cent of our crew are from France or Guadeloupe. A lot of them are sort of family to us because we’ve known them for so long.”
Does Catherine’s bar exist?
While you won’t actually find Catherine herself running it, Catherine’s Bar isn’t simply a set. The scenes of the beloved detectives sipping cocktails and discussing cases are shot at a beachside restaurant called ‘Le Madras’ in Deshaies, Guadeloupe.
Just like Catherine’s Bar, ‘La Madras’ serves beer, cocktails and sensational seafood. It currently has a four-star rating on Tripadvisor and the many reviews left on the site reference the restaurant’s part in the hit drama.
Is Honoré police station a real police station?
In the real world, Honoré police station is not a police station but a plain building next to a church. You can visit the place where the exterior shots of the police station are filmed though, and the building’s neighbours are more than welcoming to fans of the show.
“We get on very well with the priest, we’ve worked with him since the beginning,” producer Tim Key previously told What to watch.
Can you visit the Inspector’s shack?
Unfortunately, the inspectors prime, beach real-estate spot can only be found during filming months, and even then it is fenced off from the public beach.
The wooden shack which all four detectives have now inhabited, is simply a set constructed on a public beach. It is put up for the six months of filming and is taken down for the rest of the year.
Executive Producer Tim Key told Radio Times, “We’ve had years where we’ve kind of left it to the elements, and then people were having parties in it at weekends, like tourists having parties. We were like, ‘We have to secure this a little bit more now!”
If you are content to simply take in the same sea-view as the inspector, the picture-perfect spot were the set shack is placed, can be found at Anse de la Perle beach, three miles north of Deshaies.
