Where Did ‘Death in Paradise’ Filming Take Place?

‘Death in Paradise’ proves that detective fiction can be visually appeasing too without making murder and gore stylistically (and sinisterly) spectacular. The British-French crime drama is a long-running series that has enjoyed some really high ratings and popularity.

The show follows a British detective who has been transferred to the Caribbean island and British Overseas Territory, Saint-Marie. Each episode serves to be a self-sustaining whodunit story with the classic murder mystery format: the crime followed by the suspects and then the exposition. The series has witnessed multiple changes when it comes to the lead cast since the central police detective is changed periodically after a few seasons/series.

If you are wondering where was ‘Death in Paradise’ filmed, then you have come to the right place. Read on.

Death in Paradise Filming Locations

One reason that ‘Death in Paradise’ persists in providing viewers with an escapist hour of television is its visually spectacular setting. The Caribbean beaches and sunny, tropical weather consistently stroke the wanderlust sentiment and have proven to be beautifully contrasting backdrops for the show’s murder-related plot lines.

The show is set on an island called Saint-Marie. More specifically, it takes place in the town of Honoré. It is depicted to be a British Overseas Territory. Around one-third of the town’s residents are depicted to be French. However, the island of Saint-Marie (and Honoré) is completely fictional and does not exist in reality.

Many of you might now be wondering where the show is filmed. What locations are used to paint a picture of the beautiful but fictional island of Saint-Marie? Continue reading to find out the answers.

Guadeloupe

Book your tickets! Saint-Marie might be fictional, but the actual filming location of ‘Death in Paradise’ is an equally breath-taking Caribbean island. The crime drama is filmed almost entirely in the island of Guadeloupe. The island’s shape resembles a butterfly and that would be quite an effective symbolism of Guadeloupe’s natural beauty.

The commune of Deshaies, located on the North-West coast of Guadeloupe is passed off as the town of Honoré. Many people might be wondering whether this quaint place might have active production facilities for filming. Well, it does not.

The resort, the Langley Resort Fort Royal is made use of to house the cast and crew of the show. For approximately six months each year, the Langley Resort Fort Royal acts as the filming base for ‘Death in Paradise.’ However, a few main cast members do not reside in the resort. Instead, they choose to live in local villas along with their families.

Apart from being a base for the production, several locations in the hotel have been used to film a few scenes as well. For instance, the hotel’s beach and bar have made multiple appearances throughout the show.

Moving on, the protagonist’s beach-front shack is one of the many recurring locations on the show. It is interesting to note that the shack is actually assembled before filming on the beach, Anse de la Perle. The beach sprawls over several miles and boasts of undisturbed sand and tall palm trees. This shack is disassembled after every round of shooting to avoid it being washed away when the tide rises towards the shore during winter.

‘Death in Paradise’ is about a British police detective assigned to the island of Saint-Marie to investigate various whodunit mysteries. Naturally, the police station turns out to be a repeatedly appearing location on the show. The place used to film the police incident room is a priest’s office next to the Catholic Church of Saint Peters and Paul in Deshaies. Moreover, the church hall next to the priest’s office is used to film the police station’s holding cells.

Furthermore, Catherine’s Bar appears in almost every episode of the show. It is the preferred watering hole for the team of police officers. In the first season of the show, a bar named La Kaz du Douanier on 84 boulevard des poissonniers in Deshaies is used to shoot scenes set in Catherine’s bar. However, filming at La Kaz du Douanier resulted in a lot of traffic congestion. Hence, the location was changed to a terrace near the restaurant, Le Madras on 7, Rue de la Vague Bleue, also in Deshaies.

Additionally, the Zoo de Guadeloupe au Parc des Mamelles and Villa du Jardin Botanique have also been used as a filming location for the show.

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