Ferry details: 2 1/2 hours
Departure by: Air (to Guadeloupe)
Status: Overseas department of France, EU
Capital: Fort-de-France
Currency: Euro
Language: French, Creole
Native drink: Ti Punch (neat rum, sugar and a squeeze of fresh lime)
Island Tip: New Year's Eve is celebrated with a BIG PARTY - but it happens on 30 December!
31 December is a day for family get-togethers and all shops and most restaurants
are closed!
Accommodation: Hotel L'Imperatrice, Fort-de-France
Hotel Le Mangier, Tartane
Hotel La Pagerie, Pointe du Bout
Notes on island travel:
Martinique (Martinique) is named after the Carib Indian expression 'Madinina', meaning the island of flowers. It's worth spending a few days here to discover these beauties:
Presqu'ile du Caravelle - This 12 km long peninsula pierces the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side of Martinique. It's fairly flat, but the small villages along its northern shores are worth exploring. Tartane was our choice for an overnight stay, with our hotel affording a magnificent view from the hill across the bay and town. We took lunch in a roadside cafe/restaurant 'chez Susy', with starters of local delicacies such as acras, crab, and boudin, followed by fresh fish from the grill and an excellent bottle of chilled white wine :)
Les Salines - This southern location has a beautiful beach, with palms draping themselves over the white sand and with gentle waves, so great for enjoying the ocean. But the real treat here is the absence of any large tourist developments, allowing for an unusually relaxed experience. Some small trade stalls hide in the shade of the palms, where refreshments and snacks can keep you going all day. A must-do, not far from the beach is a salt pond, the Etang des Salines, which has an elevated walkway built across the pond to allow a stroll so as to admire the dry landscape, waders standing around in the low waters and thousands of crabs of all shapes and sizes dashing about as soon as they notice any movement.
Ste-Anne - Near Les Saline, this is a lovely small fishing village, where an hour or two can be lazed away strolling along the water and taking a coffee by the beach. Walking south from the pier, a patisserie offers sandwiches, cakes and coffees - but the surprise is that you can walk out through the back, past where the fresh bread is being baked, onto a terrace which is right on the beach and by the water ... a real treat if you can find it.
Anse Caffard Memorial - On the southern foothills of Morne Larcher, just by the ocean, this memorial stands to remember the lives lost when a ship carrying African slaves ran aground in raging seas in April 1830. There are 15 statues in all and they make quite an impact when spotted from the road. Stop here and reflect on this incident while looking across the waters that caused it to happen.
St-Pierre - Travelling north-west from Fort-de-France the road takes you to St-Pierre, the former capital of Martinique. It is famous mostly for being destroyed by an eruption of volcano Pelee, which looms just beyond the town, often shrouded in heavy clouds. Visit the many ruins of places which have never been rebuilt ...
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