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Welcome to Martinique from Caribbean-On-Line. Martinique is a French island with about 400,000 inhabitants. Being a French Overseas Territory, its currency is the Euro, and the official language is French, although almost all of its residents also speak Antillean Creole. Martinique's cuisine is a blend of French and Creole cooking that is well worth trying. The northern part of island attracts more eco-tourists looking to hike the mountains around Mt. Pelee and explore the rain forests, while the southern portions offer more shopping, beaches, and nightlife for those looking for some French Caribbean styled relaxation.
» Martinique
 Pierre & Vacances Village de Sainte-Luce
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Set in tropical gardens, this residence is located by the pretty fishing village of Sainte-Luce on the Martinique coast.
Apartments are grouped around a central alley adorned with bougainvillea, all providing equipped kitchens and balconies.
Set on the edge of a sandy beach, the residence boasts its own watersports and diving centre, as well as kids? clubs.
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M Vacances - Les Sommets
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Overlooking the Fort-de-France bay, these residences are 500 meters from the island?s beach, shops and restaurants.
Apartments are air conditioned and have kitchenettes with electrical ovens and balconies with garden furniture.
The hotel can organize excursions to Fort-de-France or the nearby 18 hole golf course.
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 La Pagerie Trois Ilets, Martinique
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Creole style hotel set within a tropical garden on the Pointe du Bout in Les Trois Ilets, 500 metres from the beach.
Guestrooms are decorated in white and green with simple furnishings and come with balconies and kitchenettes.
Guests can swim in the freshwater pool, sample the hotel?s Creole cooking and enjoy a Caribbean cocktail at the bar.
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Karibea Residence Corail
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Modern hotel overlooking the white sandy beaches of Anse Mabouya, five kilometres from fishing village of Saint Luce.
Studio-style guestrooms are decorated in light colours; all include kitchenettes and terraced balconies with ocean views.
Guests can take a cooling dip in the pool or relax at the terrace bar with a cocktail and admire views across the Caribbean.
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Karibea La Plantation Leyritz
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This former 17th century agricultural estate is set in a tropical park to the north of Martinique, surrounded by pineapple and banana plantations.
Rooms are located in bungalows and small units around the main buildings, and furnished with traditional cane and antique furniture.
Guests can relax around the swimming pool, or explore the tropical gardens; there is also a children?s playground.
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Karibea Domaine de Ste Marie
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Creole villas set in tropical gardens at the top of a cove surrounded by white, sandy beaches, three kilometres from town.
Air-conditioned villas feature white interiors with rattan furniture; all have kitchens and terraces with garden views.
Guests can lounge by the pool, picnic in the lush gardens or bathe on the beach below while kids enjoy their own play area.
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From "10 FINE LIQUOR JOURNEYS" at Forbes Traveler:
To investigate boutique rum production, Curtis recommends Martinique, home to a half-dozen distilleries. On the sandy, picturesque island, distilleries don't mess with molasses. Instead, Martinique's grassy, nuanced rhum agricole is crafted from locally harvested, fresh-pressed sugarcane juice--often processed within an hour after leaving fields. "This means the distilleries are granted an Appellation d'Origine Controlee by the French government, which means they can claim wine-like terroir," Curtis says.
Karibea Camelia Residence
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Set in the tourist village of Trois Ilets village, this modern hotel is just 300 meters from sandy Caribbean beaches.
Guestrooms are simply decorated and feature balconies with views of Fort de France bay; all have refrigerators.
Guests can have a dip in the hotel?s open indoor pool, or relax with a drink in the onsite bar.
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Karibea Amandiers Resort-Amyris
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Low-rise modern hotel, bordered by two white sand beaches and situated en route to the market town of Sainte Luce.
Rooms are light and airy and feature cane furniture, balconies and complimentary toiletries.
Babysitting can be arranged on request, or for older children the Ti-Manmay club provides plenty of activities.
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 Le Belem was ranked among the 70 best new restaurants worldwide by Conde Nast Traveler
Appetizers: €12 to €40
Main Courses: €25 to €55 (fish) and €30 to €45 (meat)
Chef: Hervé Rameau
Open: 7 days from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Address: Relais et Chateaux Cap Est Lagoon Resort and Spa Le Cap Est - 97240 François
Tel & Fax: (596) 596 54 80 80 - (596) 596 596 54 88 41
Website: www.capest.com
Setting: Innovative and warm decoration for this fancy terrace restaurant
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The New York Times has a great series of articles and slide shows called "The Affordable Caribbean". One of things on the Time's list for Martinique are the beaches:
All the beaches on Martinque are free and public. For a rustic escape, go to Les Salines Beach, a mile-long golden crescent of sand on the island's southeast tip.
Check out the slideshow for Martinique here.
Photo courtesy of the NY Times
 If you need to swing the wrenches while in Martinique, the island has a Robert Trent Jones designed course, "The Empress Josephine Golf Course of Martinique". Golf carts, carriers and clubs can be rented at the well-stocked proshop where you'll also find many golf articles and souvenirs.
It looks like a pretty serious layout. If anyone has played this course, please leave a comment below.
Air Caraibes is the regional airline of the French Caribbean which comprises the Caribbean overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe, St. Barths, St. Marting and Martinique. The airline is based in Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe. It operates scheduled and charter services serving 13 islands in the West Indies. It also operates transatlantic flights to Paris using Airbus A330 aircraft under the Air Caraibes Atlantique brand. The airline code shares with Air France and LIAT. You will most likely be on a Air Caraibes or Air France flight if you are coming from Europe.
If you are flying from the US you can check our main Caribbean Airlines page for other carriers.
Public transport in Martinique is very limited, which could explain the reason why there are more cars registered in Martinique per person than anywhere else in France.
Despite the traffic, to make the most of your stay it is recommended that you rent a car. Without a car you will miss some of the islands best landscapes and scenery.
Due to the Taxi Union demands, there is no public transport from the airport, which means that you can either hire a car or take a taxi.
Taxis in Martinique are not cheap. The taxi fare from the airport to Fort-de-France is around 20 euros, 38 euros to Pointe du Bout and Le Francois and 55 euros to Sainte-Anne. Be warned that taxis tack on a 40% surcharge between 8 PM and 6 AM as well as on Sundays and public holidays. To call a taxi 24 hrs dial 0596 63 10 10 or 0596 63 63 62.
Buses There are very few buses in Martinique. Most bus services are mini buses marked "TC", which stands for "Taxi Collectifs". The destinations of the buses are marked on a board either on the front window or on the side door. Bus stops (arret autobus) are normally a square blue sign with a picture of a bus in white. Most Taxi Collectifs depart and arrive at the Taxi Collectif Terminal at Pointe Sinon in Fort-de-France. They cost approximately 5 euros to Saint-Pierre, Pointe du Bout and Diamant, 7 euros to Sainte-Anne and 9 euros to Grand-Rivière. There are no timetables and the service can be unreliable. Most services are finished by 6pm weekdays and 1pm on Saturday. There are no services on Sundays.
Shuttle Boats There are shuttle boats every 30mins from Pointe du Bout and Trois Ilet to Fort-de-France. It is a very pleasant way of getting to Fort-de-France and also avoids the traffic. Services finish between 5:45 and 8pm depending upon the day.
Hitchhiking Hitchhiking is very common in Martinique, although like anywhere in the world not recommended. If you are going to hitchhike, take lots of water and try to stay out of the sun. There are very few footpaths in Martinique, so be careful and take the usual precautions that you have to take when hitchhiking anywhere. If you are unsure about getting into a car, just keep walking or wait for another car.
Meals: €60 to €100
Chef: Frederic Apiou. Renowned French Chef, issued from several Michelin rated top French restaurants such as Taillevent or Georges V
Open: Daily for lunch from 12 noon to 3:00 pm (except on Saturdays and Sundays). Daily fro Dinner from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm (except on Sundays)
Specialty: "Foie gras, terrine"
Address: Quartier Pays Mêlé - 97232 Le Lamentin Tel & Fax: (596) 596 50 16 08 - Fax: (596) 596 50 26 83
Website: www.laplantationmartinique.com (in French only)
Setting: This modern restaurant is located on the terrace of a charming traditional colonial style house
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Pretty hard to find individual Martinique restaurant websites on the web, and the usual suspects (Fodor's, Frommer's) list all the... usual suspects. Still, not a bad place to start I guess:
One restaurant consistently mentioned as being worth a visit is La Belle Epoque in Fort-de-France. We found a good article about this restaurant here.
Hotel Kalenda Trois Ilets
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Modern property surrounded with lush tropical gardens set in the Caribbean archipelago, 100 metres from the sandy beach.
Bright guestrooms are decorated with yellow fabrics and Creole-style furnishings; all open onto balconies with sea views.
Guests can participate in the diving programme, relax in the outdoor pool and enjoy an evening in the casino or cocktail bar.
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 HOTEL CARIBIA
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Resort hotel set in tropical gardens and bordering on two white sandy beaches, three kilometres from the Sainte Luce.
Air-conditioned guestrooms are light and airy with sunny, garden-facing balconies; all include televisions and telephones.
Guests can refresh themselves in the hotel?s three pools or bathe on the beach while kids enjoy their own paddling pool.
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Hotel Carayou
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Creole style hotel complex on the south-western tip of Martinique at Pointe du Bout, 100 meters from sandy beach area.
Guestrooms are decorated in blue and white with modern furnishings and come with balconies with sea or garden views.
Guests can work up a sweat on the tennis and volleyball courts then relax with a swim in the hotel?s freshwater pool.
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