Sounds absolutely delightful, but how does one get there, let's say from Florida, where I live. Are there direct flights or a flight to a terminus then island-hoppers?
What's been your travel experience getting from the US to Martinique?
I enjoyed the article, but at times the locals and their culture seemed an afterthought...or serendipity.
"And while Martinique is very much a part of France — most of the tourists are French, meaning you can go days without running into any Americans — it also has its own rich history and culture."
A friend and I visited Martinique in 2016, when Norwegian Air first started offering its direct, discounted flights from Boston. (We each paid less than $200 r/t, including taxes!). We loved the island for all the reasons cited in this article: no all-inclusive resorts, few Americans, the beautiful beaches and scenery, incredibly friendly people, and genuinely French feel of the island. We stayed in Ste Anne (not mentioned in the article), in walking distance of Club Med. We loved Ste Anne - a great mix of beach, vibrant town, not touristy. I’m very sad the Norwegian flights are going away to this gem of an island!
Martinique is also the birth place of two people whom played a role in Martinique and France history.
1)Marie-Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie. Born in 1763 in Les Trois-Îlets, better known under the name Joséphine de Beauharnais which was the name of her first husband, Alexandre vicomte de Beauharnais. Her second husband was général Napoléon Bonaparte whom became First Consul and then Emperor of the French. The Hôtel L'Impératrice is named after her. Her birthplace is now a museum.
2)Aimé Césaire (1913-2008) was a poet and a politician. His anti-colonial book Discours sur le Colonialisme was the start of the négritude movement.
Also in Martinique there was a volcanic eruption, La Montagne Pelée which destroyed the capital Saint-Pierre on May 8, 1902. (See G. Thomas, M.M. Witts, The Day Their World Ended)
As you may see, Martinique is a small island but there is a rich history.
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Some readers had asked if you could get by on Martinique without speaking French. The answer is yes. While you may not not encounter many native English speakers on the island, a good share of the folks you speak at least some English. For me, being in a place that felt truly foreign was part of the appeal. Happy to take other questions.
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Martinique is a slice of itself, with French language
In my personal experience, when you fly to Martinique, XL Airways is not a good choice. I was denied boarding and the airline refused to book me on another flight.
While reading this I wondered what the place would be like now had the First Peoples not been destroyed by the Spanish and others.
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Martinique is a beautiful island with many wild landscapes no longer found on more developed Caribbean islands. And that rhum, unlike any other!
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With French minimum wage and social supports, and French roads, hospitals and schools, this is one Caribbean destination where you don't have to feel like your comfort is taken on the backs of the locals, nor worry you won't be safe outside a resort or if you get ill.
I'm surprised this article missed a couple of the most distinctive spots to visit; the Balata Gardens, on one of those island-transversing roads, and a visit to a distilllery - the Habitation Clement has a beautiful period home to walk through, as well as lots of info (and tastings) of the local rums, made from cane juice rather than molasses. And kids as well as adults will love the Banana Museum.
Ah, now I'm missing it so ....
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Such a shame that another carrier isn't picking up the routes from NYC and BOS... landing in MIA to transfer is one of the top 5 worst ports of entry...
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We visited Martinique this winter and it was wonderful! Not crowded, plenty of beautiful scenery, friendly people who would help us finding places. I recommend the Botanical garden -- Martinique feels like a bit of France with a lot of history. We stayed near Trois-Islets, and rented a car. Highly recommend this lovely unspoiled destination.
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Please double check the information about airlines and routes serving FDF. I only see Delta/Air France flights available.
@Kelly I think the Miami flights are Saturday only - that might be why you aren't seeing them.
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The one thing omitted, perhaps because of the small children on the trip, is that the very best rum in the world comes from Martinique and very few rums from anywhere else can compare. They distill it from fresh cane juice, then age it in old bourbon barrels (Bourbon, by law, must be aged in new barrels so the rum distillers by them, scrape them, re-flame then to create new charcoal on the inside). They call it Rhum Vieux Agricole and different brands even have vintages--and they have noticeably different tastes. Most brands have several qualities, 3, 5, 10, even 15 years old, plus Hors d'ages and Cuvées that are blends.
Molasses-base rum (Rhum Industriele) has a noticeable almost diesel after-taste cane juice rum lacks.
The closest thing to Rhum Vieux is fine Armagnac, more so than Cognac. Brands like St. James, JM, La Mauny, and Clément are just establishing a presence in the US. I've only tried one Rhum Vieux from Guadeloupe and it was nearly as fine, though it was a molasses rum.
I know people will take issue with this, but I've only tasted 2 or 3 that compare with the Rhum Vieux of Martinique.
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Sounds like a nice place. I can speak and read French, and, last time I tried, could surf. Comprehending a barrage of spoken French is another matter, however. Well, if I won the Powerball lottery tonight, I’ll go.
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I have many fond memories of Buccaneers' Creek, an inexpensive way for the young to travel and meet other single people. It was a very civilized branch of Club Med in those days, with all French staff and many French guests who did not speak English, so I had a great time practicing my French, and they were grateful that I was making the effort. It was a gorgeous island and, evidently, a wonderful underwater experience for divers. I am not one but was thrilled to dance the night away and still have the energy to show up for tennis classes at 8 a.m. every day, before the heat set in. I recommend Martinique and Guadeloupe.
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"But I found myself introducing a new word to our elementary-school-age daughters. “Serendipity,”"
I had to laugh and enjoy that.
I had a somewhat different version of handling such things with my kids when they were that age.
We had two rules:
Rule No. 1, Daddy is always right.
Rule No. 2, When Daddy is wrong, see Rules No. 1, and laugh.
It makes as much sense as, "This mess is a good thing. See?" And kids are not fooled by that.
Laughing at myself got a lot forgiven over time.
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Love Martinique and Guadeloupe. Very few American style hotels, the French are used to taking long vacations often in bungalow colonies. We’ve both sailed in and stayed and found the mix of creole and French culture a pleasure, the surroundings beautiful, and the hospitality completely French. Plus with the good roads and road signs and high level of services such as hospitals it’s much easier to feel comfortable here than some of the other Caribbean islands like Dominica and the Grenadines. Yes, so learn to interact in French. It’s only respectful after all.
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Spent last Christmas on Guadeloupe and suspect Martinique is somewhat similar with respect to the French and European influence and support. Gotta love a place that sells great Rose in a gas station for only €5.
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We have visited Guadeloupe twice and will return in 2020...maybe Martinique after that. It sounds delightful. FYI, both Air Transat and Air Canada offer direct flights from Montreal to Guadeloupe and Martinique. Not as cheap as Norwegian but still quite reasonable.
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I visited in the early 1980's, drove around and kept getting lost the same way, where the road ended at the rum distillery. Best aged rum for $3 bottle and you couldn't get it in the USA; all the good stuff went to France. Interesting place for sure.
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The "traditional" costumes are actually 18th slave style clothing (the Madras plaid!!) that almost all Caribbean islanders who entertain modern white visitors put on.
Sure, tourism is important to the economies of all Caribbean islands--they need your dollars! But let's not pretend that the tourists shows are part of kind of quaint local culture. French imperialism devastated Haiti, all because ex-slaves wanted their freedom.
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Yes it was slave clothing but most Antillais have reclaimed madras and wear it for family gatherings, social occasions with very elaborate head wrappings, an do the Parisian Antillais
Thank you for your very accurate comment. So much for the 'mission civilisatrice'. I enjoy traveling and nice Caribbean beaches but to ignore the reality around you is to learn nothing. Just because people are obliged to smile at tourists doesn't mean they're happy. I detest the oblivious self-serving tourists who endlessly brag about what a great they got off the locals.
Thank you.
A timely piece as I intend to go there later this summer.
Not so much for the beaches but for rums - an article about which appeared in NYT last year.
There is a great deal of fascination of rums made from molasses and from sugar cane juice.
Martinique produces some of the best sugar cane rums.
And I want to taste some of these.
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Wonderful article and it matches my experience. My spouse and I were there just 2 weeks ago, thanks to inexpensive Norwegian Air tickets. I'm not a beach person, but we really enjoyed our 4 days. We stayed at La Suite Villa, which I also recommend. We took that ferry to Fort de France and enjoyed the people watching. Everyone we met was friendly, and we had fun making an effort with our limited French. And yes- don't trust the GPS in your car. Every once in a while it tells you to take a side road for no reason. Google map on my phone was more reliable.
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My first stay at a Club Med was the one in Martinique a couple decades ago - and it was perfect! It was a long time ago before its many transformations - though it is nice to see they have kept the architecture and that cool curving dock.
With so many French and French-Canadians and other Europeans there for two or more weeks vacation - coming from the US I had the routine and pitiful 1-week vacation and daily calls to my boss, ugh! - the food was first rate and the ambiance was, well ... hands up!
Of the many activities, diving, windsurfing, and a guided trip around the Island - amazing. It was narrated in French, so it was delicious.
It was quite unspoiled back then and it looks like it is still unspoiled. I look forward to visiting again, this time with my own sailboat moored next to the departing giant cruise ships.
Norwegian Air? How unusually cool. Hopefully the 737 MAX problems won't put them out of business. There is always Air France from NYC via Paris to Fort de France.
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This all sounds great, bummer about the demise of the Norwegian Air flights. Going to through Miami is absolutely unbearable - I will do just about anything to avoid it. Getting through customs and immigration there is impossible. Utter and complete chaos and an embarrassment to this country.
No can do.
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I have made many trips to Guadeloupe and Martinique on Norwegian Air over the last 4 years. For under $200 round trip, I am really sorry to see them go. time to find a new cheap warm beach destination. Maybe I'll head back to Cuba.
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Be sure to climb Mt Pelee, if you are reasonably fit. It gets wet, though. Bring plastic bags and extra clothes. Go early in the day. It's worth it.
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My wife and I were just there this month. Wow. Definitely go. Fortunately, she's a native French speaker and I manage. We stayed at Hotel Bambou - great place - in Les Trois-Ilets, sort of luxury 2 story cabins with each floor having a porch. The adjacent little restaurant - Le Ti Taurus - was a delight. Bring Euros and an electric socket adapter. The water there is sublime for swimming! A shame about Norwegian Air.
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I went there about 14months ago. Caribbean which means nice on the touristy side of things. Caribbean all the the same meaning warts and all..
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Food is the best in the Caribbean. So are the roads, and rhum for that matter.
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Wow! "A slice of France" Gee, not a colony of exploited Black people run by a European colonial occupier? Yes, the French have gussied it up a bit with meaningless "representation." Good luck to any Black Caribbeans seeking jobs or equal treatment in France. Guadalupe and Martinique should have the right to self-determination, not being a "slice" to be served to foreign masters or tourists. I would say shame on the NYT but it's par for these kind of articles.
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Patrick Chamoiseau's Texaco is a masterpiece of modern literature and highly recommended to those interested in the history of this magnificent place.
Source: Texaco: A Novel by Patrick Chamoiseau https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679751750/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_O.TKCb88VE21R via @amazon
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We were lucky enough to visit the island of Martinique this past January. We stayed in the South in Saint-Luce. The people, and the authenticity, were the highlights. The beaches were only filled with locals. The food was delicious and you could see it being caught, sold and cooked within a few feet of each other. Our cab driver became our tour guide, his sister being a vendor at the the local market, he stopped and gave us a sample of fish dumplings. The fresh fruits and veggies were impeccable, and the local nightlife (we befriended our Jet-Ski instructor) was wild and fun. This article, though a different experience from ours, especially since we are true New Yorkers and cannot drive, explains exactly the feeling we got. I only hope that increased media awareness doesn’t turn this beautiful place into a tourist monstrosity.
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I went to Martinique in February and really enjoyed my visit. My favorite place was Grand Riviere a small
town with a beautiful quiet beach. Great hiking. We stayed at the Tante Arlette hotel and the restaurant was very accomodating to us. We are vegetarians. That was the difficult part on the Island but we found an Indian restaurant in Trois Inlet and an Asian place in Fort de France that had many options. Good rum. Rent a car (yes the rental agency require patience) and move around the country. The people were very friendly. Many places we visited had local school groups on field trips (making pottery exploring an outdoor sculpture garden, visiting the banana museum).
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Thank you for this article. I took my 7 y.o. to Paris last Fall - we speak a bit of French (I more than she, but most of it I've forgotten since night classes in my 20's) - but now I know a destination that could continue our fondness for using French on our vacations, and perhaps enjoy some beach life/nature and somewhere completely new to me. I never would have thought of this. My daughter is a great traveler and I hope to nurture it. Thank you!!
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My wife found us a lovely chateau to rent in the pre airb&b days on Martineque. one day as we walked along the beach, we came to a restaurant that was a few tables and a grill under umbrellas. we sat down next to a very french couple. The waiter came to take their order. he was a tall handsome fellow in a speedo and an apron. the woman ordered lobster. The waiter took off his apron, dove into the water, swam out to a buoy, dove down, and re surfaced with a squirming langoustier in his hand. he then hacked him in half and set him on the grill. then he came to take our order. "Madame, qu'est-ce que vous aurez." my wife: "homard s'il vous plaît" He dove again. Then he came to me. "Et pour vous monsieur? Me: "Lobster also, please." Back into the water he went.
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A timely article – we just returned two days ago from a week in Martinique.
The prior three years we visited Guadeloupe for our annual week getaway from winter.
We enjoy the French islands – lots of “mom and pop” hotels, and similar small-scale accommodations. I don’t miss the all-inclusive resorts so typical of the other islands. The scale and ambiance of the French islands is quiet and peaceful. As the author notes, you don’t see the poor living conditions you often see on other Caribbean islands – the houses and people appear reasonably prosperous. Driving around the islands is scenic and enjoyable.
As the writer says, knowing at least some basic French will prove helpful at times, but not essential. If you have access to a translate program on a phone, that can help.
Surprisingly, the food is uneven, creole or French, but the people are very friendly. Main roads are fine, but driving on back roads in the hilly areas can be challenging – narrow and twisty. In some places in the mountains you’ll experience hairpin turns inside of hairpin turns, which we’ve learned can readily confuse a GPS for a few seconds.
We’ve visited a few other Caribbean islands, and the quaint, quiet ambiance of the French islands make them our favorites. They’re perhaps not for everyone, but we like them.
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A wonderful introduction to the island, with plenty of warnings.
If we ever go there (language not being a problem), I would endeavour to sample as much of local seafood as possible, and see how does it compare to the Japanese sea cuisine that is without peers in the world.
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While I haven't yet visited Martinque, I've been fortunate enough to spend some time over the past two winters in Guadeloupe. I cannot stress this enough when visiting the Antilles - learn some French! The people are kind and generous and funny but, with over 90% of visitors coming from French-speaking countries, the French language and/or Creole are the norm. Make the most of the trip and at least learn the basics - the effort will go a long way with the beautiful people who call these islands home.
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@AC
Went to Guadeloupe a few years ago when Norwegian started flying there from NYC. We speak no French but Google translator app helped us. I don't know what I would do without that app.
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@AC, So that has not changed. I think it was about 30 years ago that I spent a couple weeks at the Hotel Bois Joli on the small island of Terre-de-Haut just south of Guadeloupe. My French is pretty decent so I was down with being the only English speaker there. The staff was monolingual. Then an American couple arrived. Very pleasant people but they had almost no French. So I became their translator. We ate meals together and went into the island's main town (a big village) together. But the highlight was that the man was a Rotary club member and hired a small plane to fly them to the Guadeloupe capital, Pointe-a-Pitre, to attend a Rotary Club lunch meeting and the translator was taken along with them.
Merci encore a mon bon professor a l'ecole secondaire.
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@AC
Ahhh, the memories of that week spent in Martinique a few years back.
The beautiful sun, sky and beach. Sunshine all day. Rain in the middle of the night kept everything fresh and green without a hint of rain in the morning.
This article encourages another trip.
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