Plage de la Datcha, Beach in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe

Plage de la Datcha is a beach along the Caribbean Sea in Le Gosier with white sand and views of the nearby Gosier islet. The shallow lagoon area between the shore and the islet offers calm water suitable for swimming and wading.

The beach is public under France's 1986 Littoral Law, but restaurants built on the sand have regularly encroached on public space, invoking rights they claim date from 1977; the car parks are private. In 2021 residents of Le Gosier called for the public domain to be respected, and in 2025 the mayor recalled that any installation requires a temporary occupation permit, granted precariously and revocable at any time.

The name Datcha refers to a Russian-style country house, a nod to the beach's past rather than its present. Today associations sometimes stage events on the sand, and the beach stays busy until late thanks to its night lighting. Restaurants occupy part of the shore, a point of friction with residents who recall that French beaches are public under the 1986 Littoral law.

The beach stretches about 300 m facing the islet of Gosier, close to the town centre. Restaurants stand directly on the sand, and the beach is lit at night, so it stays busy until late. Parking areas are private, and the restaurants' occupation of the public domain is regularly disputed under the 1986 Littoral law.

The beach faces Îlet du Gosier, and the roughly 300-metre shoreline is lit at night, which is why people stay on the sand until late. Restaurants built directly on the beach have long occupied public ground; in 2025 the mayor of Le Gosier recalled that any installation requires a temporary occupation permit, revocable at any time.