You can't help but watch the hit drama and think where is Death in Paradise filmed? It looks so lovely! Can I book plane tickets now?! The one person who doesn't seem to like the place is current detective DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet), who thinks it's too hot.
The only thing against the place has to be its ridiculously high murder rate. From the fabulous beach shack where the show’s chief detective lives to the idyllic-looking Catherine's Bar, Death in Paradise is packed with fabulous locations.
Death in Paradise season 14 is currently building up to a big finale.
Here's where Death in Paradise is filmed and the answer to whether Catherine's Bar is real.
Where is Death in Paradise filmed?
Death in Paradise is filmed in Guadeloupe which doubles as the fictional island of Saint Marie. Guadeloupe is an overseas region of France and its official currency is the Euro. Guadeloupe has a population of just under 400,000 and its official language is French. It's not far from Martinique, which is also an overseas part of France.
The island’s official website boasts that there are all kinds of exciting things you can do in Guadeloupe including getting married and going island hopping. Yep, Guadeloupe is actually made up of more than 12 islands, not just one. Former star Death in Paradise leading man Ben Miller spoke about how much he enjoyed being on the island. "There were so many moments stand out, some of them bizarre, some of them sort of beautiful," he recalls.
"One day I drove in a car all the way to the top of a volcano, up through the rainforest and it was just the most amazing thing looking out from the very top of the rainforest and seeing the whole island.
"I remember we were filming on one side of the island and you could see the volcano on Montserrat erupting — absolutely amazing!
"Another day we were filming at a big plantation house over on one of the other sides of the islands where there was a huge iguana in one of the trees, an enormous great thing, probably two and a half feet long!"
According to Trip Advisor, the best attractions on the island are the botanical gardens and wildlife park, St. Anne's Beach, and the zoo. You can't actually get a direct flight from the UK to Guadeloupe, as you have to change in Paris. But you can fly directly from the US.
Does Catherine’s Bar exist?
Yes, it does! Sadly, you won’t actually find Catherine herself running it, although she might pop up when the show is being filmed. But Catherine’s Bar isn’t simply a set. The scenes are shot at a beachside restaurant.
We spoke to Elizabeth Bourgine about Catherine's Bar. She told us: "Usually when we film in Catherine's Bar, it's a rainy day, so we have to wait for that to stop and then shoot the scenes very quickly. But it's beautiful, you can just sit there and watch the sea. It's actually a real bar called Le Madras, and it's a lovely place to go to and have a drink."
Le Madras has a four-star rating on Trip Advisor and one recent reviewer wrote: "It's always a great spot right by the water. I recommed calling for a reservation as it is always busy being Catherine's Bar in the series Death in Paradise. It's a gorgeous spot overlooking the beach and boats right in town. The food is delicious."
Does the Inspector’s shack exist?
Erm, no. Sadly it’s not a real place. And the actual chief detective of Guadeloupe doesn't look wistfully at the sea while talking to a pet lizard. Instead, the inspector's shack is unpacked before the start of each series and put up on a beautiful stretch of sand called La Perle Beach. The show’s producer Tim Key previously told us: "We rebuild it every year and it’s all real inside. We shoot inside there. Of course, we could have done those scenes in Pinewood but it wouldn’t feel the same."
Is Honoré police station real?
While it's not a police station, you can visit the place where the exterior shots of the police station are filmed. In reality, it's actually the Presbytery attached to the church of St Peter and St Paul in Deshaies, which is a coastal town in Guadeloupe. "We get on very well with the priest, we’ve worked with him since the beginning," producer Tim Key previously told us.
So there you go, we hope we’ve answered where Death in Paradise is filmed. And in reality, there are lots of places you can visit in Guadeloupe that are used in the show.
Ex-star Ralf Little revealed once that each of the main actors on the show gets their own villa to stay in while filming. Not a bad job if you can get it.
If you want to catch up on all the fabulous locations in the series, all the seasons are available currently on BBC iPlayer. There are all these options below to watch the show.
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