Ever watched Death in Paradise and thought: “Wait, this looks suspiciously like Saint-Barthélemy”? You’re not imagining things. Though the BBC’s long-running murder mystery is technically set on the fictional island of Saint Marie, everything from the beaches to the bilingual signage feels eerily familiar—especially if you know St. Barts well.

So what’s the connection? Let’s break it down.

🌴 What Is Saint Marie?

In the world of Death in Paradise, Saint Marie is a small Caribbean island that was once a French colony and now exists in a charming hybrid of British bureaucracy and French culture. The show’s protagonists—always British, always uncomfortable in the heat—arrive to solve weekly murders, eat tropical fruit, and sweat through their suits.

Saint Marie is:

• Bilingual (French + English)
• Tropical and sunny year-round
• Accessible only via small planes or ferries
• Lined with cliffside villas, rustic bars, and charming coastal roads

All this could easily describe Saint-Barthélemy too.

🏖️ If You Love Saint Barts, Saint Marie Might Feel Familiar

For longtime visitors or residents of St. Barts, the similarities between Saint Marie and Saint-Barthélemy are hard to ignore:

• Demographics: Saint Barts is one of the only Caribbean islands where the majority of residents are white, due to its unique colonial history. In Death in Paradise, many characters are clearly meant to be British newcomers—usually pale, clearly just off the plane, and obviously not tanned like anyone who actually lives on a Caribbean island. The show sometimes feels like a parody of British expats lost in paradise.
• Bilingual Comfort: In St. Barts, almost everyone can glide between French and English. Death in Paradise presents a similar bilingual environment, though always geared toward its BBC audience.
• Visual Parallels: Saint Marie is all lush hills, beautiful beaches, brightly colored homes, and high-end villas. Swap out a few details and it’s not far off from Gouverneur or Colombier.
• Atmosphere: While St. Barts runs on elegance and understated confidence, Death in Paradise leans toward gentle chaos: fumbling detectives, locals with big personalities, and an almost cartoonish blend of tropical quirks. Think of Saint Marie as Saint Barts after a few rum punches too many.

🎬 Real-World Filming Locations in Guadeloupe

Here’s the twist: Death in Paradise is not filmed in Saint Barts—or even close to it stylistically. Instead, it’s shot on the neighboring island of Guadeloupe, specifically in Deshaies, on Basse-Terre.

But the location is strikingly beautiful in its own right—and actually shares plenty of terrain, culture, and lighting with Saint Barts.

📍 Key Filming Spots:

• Honoré Police Station: Filmed at the old presbytery next to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Deshaies. When not in use, it functions as a small fan museum with props from the series.
• The Beach Shack / Inspector’s House: This iconic bungalow with a tree growing through it sits right on Anse La Perle, one of Guadeloupe’s most beautiful beaches. The sea view is pure Caribbean luxury—and wouldn’t feel out of place on Flamands Beach.
• Catherine’s Bar:
  • Season 1: Filmed at La Kaz du Douanier, a local bar
  • From Season 2: Moved to Le Madras, an open-air restaurant with a perfect sunset view over the bay
• Town of Honoré: This is just Deshaies, playing itself in a new role. Its colorful colonial buildings, laid-back vibe, and marina scene evoke the rhythms of Gustavia—albeit with fewer mega-yachts and more sandals.

🗺️ So Is Saint Marie Supposed to Be Saint-Barthélemy?

Not officially—but the influences are clear. The aesthetic of Saint Marie is rooted in French-Caribbean imagery. It’s a picturesque tropical island where:

• Everyone knows everyone,
• Foreigners stumble through the local culture with varying success,
• And the entire place feels like a liminal space between paradise and farce.

Saint Barts, of course, is different—sleeker, richer, more restrained—but the fantasy at work in Death in Paradise is familiar. The BBC’s island doesn’t look like St. Barts, but it often acts like it, or at least like a version of it through British eyes.

So next time you watch a murder unfold under palm trees, ask yourself: is this crime scene really so far from Saline Beach?