The January 2020 holidays were spent with my wife and two children in Martinique and five other Caribbean islands: Guadeloupe, Tobago, Grenada, Barbados and St. Lucia.
Martinique attracted us with its cleanliness, safety, absence of dangerous reptiles and insects, adequate prices for flights and apartments, “bounty” beaches, as well as the port, from where we went on a cruise to other Caribbean islands.
In Martinique we swam in the warm azure sea at the foot of a 17th century fort, caught crabs, drank coconuts, met iguanas, saw several hundred tropical plants in the botanical garden and watched the world’s smallest birds – hummingbirds. On the cruise we tasted local rum, visited pelicans, ground cocoa beans, visited a wildlife park, saw cotton growing, climbed ancient forts and took Instagram views from vantage points.
In the article I will tell you how much it costs to vacation in Martinique and go on a cruise in the Caribbean, how to plan a trip and what you can save on.
Why we chose Martinique
During the New Year holidays of 2020 we wanted to give ourselves the sea, sun and many new impressions. My family and I have been to all the popular countries of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Maldives, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. This time we wanted not only to relax and swim, but also to visit another part of the world. The Caribbean suited our plans perfectly.
Buying a package tour didn’t solve the problem either. We like to travel on our own.
Spending half a million for access to unlimited food and alcohol and being tied to one hotel was unreasonable: you can get a lot more for that money. Even if the purpose of the trip is a beach vacation, we do not like to stay in one place for a long time, and prefer to rent a car and swim on different beaches, passing by visiting beautiful places. In addition, Varadero in Cuba and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic are typical tourist “reservations”, where there are no attractions of interest to us.
We love exploring non-touristy areas, but on these islands you can run into trouble in such areas: in Cuba you can be a victim of fraud, in the Dominican Republic you can be mugged. When traveling with children, you definitely want to avoid that. We have small children: at the time of the trip they were 3 and 10 years old. So we try to travel with them to developed countries with a minimum level of crime.
The island of Martinique is part of France’s overseas territories, which is one of the reasons why we chose it. Martinique is the civilized Caribbean: French laws are in force on the island, the local currency is euro, right-hand traffic, and prices are low by the standards of the region. It is also clean, calm and relaxed in a French way.
Besides, we were attracted by the opportunity to dilute our beach vacation in Martinique with a cruise to other Caribbean islands. There are many small islands in this region, some of them are separate states with their own laws and currency. They are not far from each other, so a cruise is a great way to visit several islands in one trip. There are liners that call at the port of Martinique every day and sail on different itineraries – you can choose a Caribbean cruise from 5 to 21 days.
Another reason why we chose Martinique was the direct flight from Paris. We flew to Paris a few days before New Year’s Eve, walked around the historic center without crowds of tourists and celebrated New Year’s Eve in a chalet in the suburbs – and then flew to Martinique.
What kind of island
Martinique belongs to the Lesser Antilles group of islands. These islands are arranged in an arc, with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Martinique is located in the southeastern part of the Lesser Antilles. Its nearest neighbors are the islands of Dominica and Saint Lucia. Martinique has an area of 1100 km², 60 km long and 27-45 km wide.
The capital of the island is the city of Fort-de-France with a population of 140 thousand people. The official language is French.
Martinique is an island with a history. In the 16th century, it was discovered by Christopher Columbus, but later the Spanish did not develop the island because they did not find gold in Martinique.
Since 1635, the French colonized the island and completely exterminated its indigenous Carib Indians. For two centuries, slaves from Africa were brought to Martinique to work on plantations growing tobacco, sugar cane and coffee. After the French Revolution in 1848, slavery was abolished in all French colonies, and since 1946 the island officially became part of the French overseas territories.
Napoleon’s first wife Josephine Beauharnais was born in Martinique. Since 1887, the famous painter Paul Gauguin lived on the island – his house in Martinique is now a museum.
Still on the island there is an active volcano Mont-Pele, at the eruption of which in 1902 was destroyed the whole city of St. Pierre, killed 30 thousand people.
Money
In Martinique, the euro is the currency of choice. You can even pay by card in small stores.
Places where cash may be needed are small seaside restaurants and fruit, vegetable or fish markets. Cash can be withdrawn from ATMs, which are available in all major supermarkets and shopping centers.
Internet and communications
When traveling abroad, I usually buy a local SIM card with a prepaid internet package right away, but this time I had to choose a different option. I needed mobile internet to work in Paris, Martinique and Guadeloupe, where I was planning a daytime cruise. The traffic package is a minimum of 10 GB, with a validity period of at least three weeks.
I compared the offers of French mobile operators and the Spanish operator Orange, which has a low-cost connection and operates throughout the EU. I had heard of this operator before, but had never used it. On this trip, I decided on it because of the price and the amount of available traffic.
Housing
Martinique has hotels of different star ratings, but we did not consider them. It is much more convenient to live with children in apartments: they are larger in area than hotel rooms. Plus, classic hotel rooms do not have kitchens, and it can be inconvenient to feed children three times a day in restaurants and cafes: not everywhere has a children’s menu and we often have to wait a long time for food to be prepared for our whole family.
The choice of apartments in Martinique is large, prices depend on the proximity to the sea and the area: the larger the area and the closer to the sea, the more expensive.
I chose the location of the accommodation in advance, having studied the map. The apartment was by the bay, where there was a good beach, a supermarket, seaside restaurants and car rentals. There was also a pier in the bay, from where a boat sailed several times a day to Fort-de-France, the capital of the island.
Transportation
Public transportation in Martinique is not developed. Tourists mainly move around the island by cabs and rented cars.
There are buses from the capital Fort-de-France to other settlements, but rarely: a flight of one or two hours. A ticket costs 5-9 € per person. For a family of four, a one-way trip will cost 20-36 €, while a day’s car rental will cost 20-30 € depending on the length of the rental: the longer the term, the cheaper.
Cabs are metered and the prices are about the same as in mainland France: 20-30 minutes will cost 40-50 €. There is no public transportation from the airport – you can leave only by cab or rented car. After 18:00 there is a night tariff: the price of a cab from the airport increases by 30%. Our plane arrived at 20:00, and I paid 74 € for a half-hour cab ride.
There were two local car rental shops near our apartment. The conditions were the same in both: for rentals of 5 days or more, the price was 30 € per day for a Renault, Peugeot or Citroen small car. When renting for a period of 10 days or more, the price was reduced to 25 € per day. There were no larger cars or other brands available.
We took a Citroen C-3 for 5 days, paid 150 €. The tariff included theft and damage insurance with a deductible of 1500 € – this amount was blocked on my card as a deposit.
Gasoline costs 1.2 € per liter. In total we spent 68 € on gasoline.
The roads on the island are good everywhere, the traffic is calm. I saw the police only once. The distances in Martinique are short, and we encountered traffic jams only in the capital city – the car trips were short and tiring.
The lease agreement is entirely in French. I do not know this language – the full terms of the contract remained a mystery to me. I do not recommend repeating this experience of renting a car: it may lead to losing money
Martinique Attractions
People come to Martinique for a beach vacation, but there is a lot to see besides the beaches. I have highlighted interesting places where we visited and which, in my opinion, are definitely worth a visit.
Fort-de-France. The capital of the island is a pleasant low-rise town. It is located on the west coast of Martinique, by a large bay. We walked around the city center in about an hour.
Not much colonial architecture survives in Fort-de-France: the island is often hit by hurricanes, which crush buildings. The last hurricane, “Dean”, was in Martinique in 2007. It destroyed 600 houses and wiped out almost all banana plantations and 70% of sugar cane plantations.
The beautiful historic buildings we came across in the capital are the Bibliotheca Schelcher, St. Louis Cathedral and the Palace of Justice with a small square in front of it.
St. Louis Catholic Cathedral is called an iron cathedral because its frame is made up of iron beams. This structure keeps the cathedral from collapsing from natural disasters. The cathedral has a crypt that contains the tombs of previous governors of Martinique
Fort St. Louis (Fort St. Louis) is a 17th-century fortress located at the right end of the bay in Fort-de-France. The fort is still used for its intended purpose: a large part of it is occupied by a French military base.
I had read in advance that it was possible to get into the historical part of the fort: an adult ticket costs 10 €, children under 10 years old are admitted for free. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to visit the inside of the fort: on the day we were there, the ticket office was closed for unknown reasons.
On one side of the fort is La Francese, a comfortable and somewhat crowded city beach, where we enjoyed spending a few hours. It was nice to swim and admire the huge historical monument of military architecture. While we were swimming, iguanas came to the foot of the fort to bask in the sun – the largest was about 60 cm long.
The Jardin de Balata (Balata Botanical Garden), one of the most beautiful places on the island, is located 12 km from the center of Fort-de-France, on the Route de Balata.
In the garden we saw hundreds of tropical plants, flowers, lily ponds and lotus lakes. There are also suspended walkways at a three-meter height to view the garden from above.
In the Balata garden we saw hummingbirds for the first time – they are small birds no bigger than 2-3 cm. Their flight looks like that of an insect, not a bird. The children were delighted.
An adult ticket at the garden’s ticket office costs 14 €, children under 12 years old get a 50% discount. Children under 3 years of age visit the garden free of charge. If you buy tickets in advance on the website, an adult ticket will cost 13 €: a discount of 1 € is given for buying online.
Balata Cathedral. A beautiful monumental cathedral, very similar to a smaller copy of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris, is located in a picturesque place near the Balata Botanical Gardens. Its second name is Sacré-Coeur de Balata.
Like the original in Paris, Balata Cathedral is located on a hill that locals call Martinique’s Montmartre, a piece of Paris in the heart of a tropical island. Inside the cathedral is much simpler and more modest than its Parisian counterpart. Next to the cathedral there is an excellent observation deck with a view of the Caribbean Sea, the hills of Martinique and Fort-de-France.
Beaches of Martinique
During our vacation in Martinique we toured 7 popular beaches. Let me tell you about the best ones.
“Anse-à-l’Ane” (Anse-à-l’Ane) is located in a small bay with a pier. To the right and left are picturesque hills with villas. Our apartment was a 5 minute walk from this beach.
The beach is excellent, with a smooth entrance to the water. The sand is white, not many people. There are showers and toilets, a few nice restaurants. The beach is very comfortable: lots of palm trees, lots of shade.
You can get to Anse-à-Lan beach by boat, which runs every half hour or hour from Fort-de-France. The ticket costs 5 € one way, it takes 20 minutes to sail. By car from the capital, the trip will take 30-40 minutes.
“Sainte Anne” (Sainte Anne) is a long beach with light sand and azure water. It is located in the southwest of the island. In the northern part of the beach there are luxury hotels, in the southern part there is a small village with inexpensive apartments, stores and restaurants.
The beach “St. Anne” is very beautiful, with instagram palm trees leaning towards the water. The only disadvantage of the beach is that there are a lot of sea urchins in the water. Therefore, you should enter the sea carefully or wear special slippers for swimming.
The drive to the beach “Saint-Anne” from Fort-de-France will take about an hour.
“Grande Anse des Salines” (Grande Anse des Salines) is located south of St. Anne’s Beach. It has been called the best beach for motorists in the Caribbean.
In my opinion, the main beauty of the Grande Anse des Salins beach is that it is wild. It can only be reached by car – the journey from Fort-de-France takes about an hour and a half.
It is a beach without sunbeds, with a wide shoreline, clear water and magnificent sunsets. On the “Grand Anse de Saline” it is easy to find a place for a perfect beach vacation, when only white sand, palm trees, silence and the warm Caribbean Sea are nearby.
Coconuts fall from the palm trees, which you can drink, and when it gets dark, large crabs run along the shore by the dozens – if you have the right container with you, it’s easy to catch them for a good dinner.
Store prices
My feeling is that the prices of food in supermarkets in Martinique are 20-25% higher than mainland France. In total we spent 382 € on food and meals in the apartment.
Here are the prices of the staples:
- lobsters, 1 kg – 35-45 €;
- shrimp large, 1 kg – 25-35 €;
- shellfish, 1 kg – 25-30 €;
- Beef, 1 kg – 16-27 € ;
- fresh fish, 1 kg – 15-25 €;
- octopus, 1 kg – 14 €;
- cheese, 1 kg – 10-25 €;
- Rum, 1 bottle – 8-25 €;
- wine (decent), 1 bottle – 8-10 €;
- freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 liter – 8 €;
- chicken, 1 kg – 8 €;
- bacon, 250 g – 6 €;
- beer, 4-6 bottles – 4-6 €;
- fruit (pineapples, oranges, bananas, guava), 1 kg – 3-8 €;
- cider, 1 bottle – 2,5-4,5 €
- yogurts, 4 packs – 1,5-3 €;
- eggs, 10 pieces – 1,5 €;
- milk, 1 liter – 1,3 €;
- bread (baguette), 1 piece – 1,2 €;
- pasta, 0,5 kg – 1,1 €.
Cafes, restaurants, fast food
Martinique’s cuisine is based on seafood. The menu of coastal restaurants always includes fresh fish served stewed, baked or grilled. The island’s popular seafood soup with spices, bluff, is often found.
In my opinion, Martinikans do well with simple dishes: grilled shrimp or octopus, clams stewed in coals.
The cost of one dish is 15-30 €. The cooking is long and slow: the average waiting time after ordering is an hour and a half. We spent a total of 485 € on cafes and restaurants.
Most of the dishes we ordered were tasty, but didn’t look presentable enough to want to photograph them. Martinique is not about beautiful presentation, so we didn’t have any photos of the food.
A couple of times we came across kiosks serving crepes – pancakes with sweet or hearty fillings, a traditional French fast food. We were not hungry at the time, so we did not try crepes in Martinique.
There is a McDonald’s in the center of Fort-de-France, a 15 minute walk from the cruise terminal. We went in, but there was a line – we didn’t wait. I remembered that the burgers cost in the range of 5-8 €.
Language and locals
90% of the inhabitants of Martinique are Afro-French. We found them very calm, relaxed, positive and friendly.
The only problem is language. Like the French in France, Martinicans don’t like to speak English. There don’t seem to be many English-speaking tourists in Martinique: in the restaurants where we ate, the menus were only in French, the transportation schedules we came across were also in French.
Cashiers in supermarkets and passers-by on the streets did not understand when we addressed them in English. At the car rental office we had to communicate with the help of Google Translator. There was not a word of English in the contract for the rental car. I’m not used to signing documents that have terms that are incomprehensible to me, but I had no choice. Fortunately, there were no problems.
When is the best time to go
Martinique has a tropical climate and is warm all year round, with an average annual temperature of +27 °C. The island has a dry season from December to April and rains from May to November. There are strong hurricanes in July and August.
The beginning of the season is December-January and the end of the season is April-May. This is the optimal time to travel. During the peak season, in February-April, prices for accommodation and car rental increase by 30-50%.
Safety
Martinique is comfortable and safe. The beaches are relaxed with pleasant, quiet people, no intrusive vendors. No one hides personal belongings: I have often seen people leave their smartphones on the sunbeds and go swimming.
We have not encountered pickpocketing, nor have we encountered cheating in stores and markets. We have not seen drivers knowingly violating traffic rules.
In Martinique, the sun is not as searing as, for example, in the Maldives – it is enough to use a cream with medium protection to avoid getting burned. The sea is very warm, clean and calm. We did not come across any unpleasant insects, which are often found in the tropics.
In my opinion, Martinique is a great place for a relaxing family vacation, including with small children.
Caribbean cruise
After vacationing in Martinique, we went on a week long cruise in the Caribbean. I bought the cruise 4 months before the trip at cruisedirect.com. The cost was $1693 for four people. Meals and soft drinks were included.
It is noteworthy that our first cruise with my wife took place in the same region: in 2012 we sailed from Miami to the Bahamas together and were absolutely delighted. We wanted to repeat that wonderful experience, but with children, and visit a few more Caribbean islands.
Liner. We sailed on a cruise on the Costa Majica ship. It is a mid-sized cruise ship owned by the Costa Cruise Company and holds 3,500 passengers and 1,000 crew members.
The ship has 13 decks, where in addition to passenger cabins there are 4 large restaurants, 11 bars, a pizzeria, 3 outdoor pools, a water slide, 6 Jacuzzis, a spa center, a fitness center, a sports field and a 140 m long jogging track. There is also a casino, nightclub, children’s club, theater, internet center, video games hall, stores, boutiques and even a library.
Daytime anchorages. In addition to the Bahamas, my wife and I have been on a Mediterranean cruise and a Norwegian fjords cruise. Over the course of several cruises, I have developed my own approach to maximizing my time ashore while the ship is in port. I mark on the map in advance the places I want to visit, then in the port I agree with a cab driver that he will take me along my route, stop and wait for half an hour or an hour at each marked point, and then bring me back to the ship.
You can buy excursions on the liner, but I prefer to organize everything myself. Firstly, cruise company excursions are always group, and I do not like to sightsee strictly according to the schedule and in groups of 15-20 people. Secondly, these excursions are much more expensive: on average 80-200 $ or euros per person, and discounts for children are small – only 10-20%. Organize shore excursion independently can be three times, and sometimes four times cheaper than to buy a similar one on board. There is a rule: the more family members participate in the excursion, the cheaper a cab ride to the sights will cost per person.
I’ll tell you about each of the islands we visited and the places we visited.
Guadeloupe
About the island. Guadeloupe, like Martinique, is part of the overseas territories of France. Its outline on the map resembles a butterfly. Formally, it is two islands – Bas-Ter and Grand-Ter, which are separated by a narrow strait.
The capital of Guadeloupe is Pointe-à-Pitre. The official language is French, currency is euro.
What we saw. Our liner docked at the port in the center of the capital. First we went to the rum factory, where we listened to a short lecture about the stages of production and tasted several varieties. Guadeloupe rum is considered to be of high quality, but I didn’t like it: I don’t like strong alcoholic drinks in pure form. Guadeloupe rum is made from sugar cane without coconut and, to my taste, resembles moonshine.
We then stopped by a fishing port where several dozen pelicans were basking in the sun. They feed in the port on the leftovers of the catch.
After that we visited the lookout point of the Pointe de Chateau peninsula, which offers a magnificent view of the Caribbean Sea, Guadeloupe and the Atlantic Ocean, swam at the small beach “La Dacha” and returned to the ship. Along the way we encountered sugar cane plantations several times.
The trip took 6 hours, I paid 120€ to the cab driver.
General impression. The houses on Guadeloupe are poorer and more modest than in Martinique. There was a lot of trash on the beaches we passed. The roads are worse and there were traffic jams. In my opinion, Martinique is definitely more comfortable for a family vacation.
Trinidad and Tobago, island of Tobago
About the island. Trinidad and Tobago is an island nation that consists of two large islands, Trinidad being the largest and Tobago being a much smaller island. It also includes several satellite islands.
Trinidad and Tobago is very close to South America: only 10 kilometers by sea separates Trinidad from Venezuela.
The official language of the state is English, but in colloquial speech Creole based on English is used, so it is sometimes difficult to understand Trinidadians. The currency of the country is the Trinidad and Tobago dollar, denoted TTD. The capital of the island of Tobago is Scarborough.
What we saw. Our cruise ship made a stop off the island of Tobago, near the center of Scarborough.
First we walked around the botanical garden in the center of Scarborough. It was free to enter, but we were not very impressed with the garden. Then we drove to Fort King George.
It is situated on an elevated position and offers an impressive panorama of most of the island, the town of Scarborough and the bay where cruise ships dock. King George was built over two centuries ago. It is a classic fort with old walls, casemates and cannons, the height of the walls is 47 meters. Entrance to the territory is free of charge.
After Fort King George, we drove to Bacca Beach and walked along the coast. Not far from the beach we saw mango and breadfruit growing.
Then we drove to another fort, Granby. It was more modest than King George, but the views from the fort over the ocean made up for it. After that, we went back to the ship. The trip took 5 hours, I paid 80$ to the cab driver.
In Tobago, Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia, I paid cab drivers with US dollars: this currency is loved and appreciated all over the world, and I did not want to waste time in the morning looking for an ATM or money changer. I withdrew local banknotes from ATMs after my trip especially for my collection: I collect money from all the countries I have visited.
Overall Impression. Tobago gives the impression of a poor and not very well maintained place. Scarborough has a lot of old buildings and garbage in the streets. The people we met seemed unfriendly and surly. There are a lot of annoying tour sellers in the harbor.
Grenada
About the island. Grenada has an unusual form of government. Until the middle of the 20th century Grenada was a British colony, but then it gained independence within the British Commonwealth. Formally, the head of state is the British Queen Elizabeth II, but in reality the island is governed by the Governor-General appointed on behalf of the Queen.
The capital of the island is St. George’s. The currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, denoted as XCD. The official language is English.
What we saw. Our cruise ship docked at the port in the center of the capital. St. George’s is located on the shores of a small bay.
Grenada has a pleasant waterfront and narrow streets that often smell of chocolate: there are several chocolate factories on the island. The stores sell a lot of locally produced chocolate. In St. George’s coffee shops, you can grind your own cocoa beans in an old-fashioned grinder and the staff will make hot chocolate from the powder.
We drove to the jungle in the center of the island where we fed bananas to wild monkeys. Then we swam at Grand Anse beach and returned to the city.
The trip took 3 hours, I paid $50 to the cab driver.
Overall Impression. Grenada has the feel of an island with a British connection. The stores and cafes have polite service and the local people seem happy and prosperous. There are good beaches on the island. The town of St. George’s is small but cozy.
Houses in St. George’s are perched on the hills around the bay: Grenada’s capital city would be perfectly suited to the name “amphitheater city”. This small town of less than 3,000 inhabitants celebrates its 370th anniversary in 2020
Barbados
About the island. The form of government is the same as on Grenada: the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, and the island is governed by the Governor-General on her behalf.
The capital of the island is Bridgetown. The currency is the Barbados dollar, denoted as BBD. The official language is English, the local dialect is called “Beijan”.
What Seen. Barbados is one of the jewels of the Caribbean. The island has gorgeous white sand beaches, azure seas and stunning views. There are cotton plantations and a wildlife park, where animals and reptiles do not sit in cages, but walk next to people. Barbados also has 600 stores and taverns that sell local rum and one of the world’s oldest rum factories.
Barbados is where singer Rihanna was born and lived until she was 16. The house where she grew up is now a tourist attraction. The street leading to her house has been renamed Rihanna Drive. We’re not fans of the singer, but the cab driver we arranged a ride around the island with was very insistent in recommending a stop on Rihanna Drive. We didn’t take offense to him: for Barbadians, Rihanna is indeed the pride of the island.
Then we went to a cotton plantation. I had never seen cotton growing before. In Barbados it is still picked by hand, as it was 200 years ago. I walked through the field and tried to pick some, but in the heat of +35 °C it is a peculiar pleasure – I felt like a slave from Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Our next stop was the wildlife park. This is an open-air zoo where animals that are not dangerous walk quietly near people. The other animals are also kept without cages, but are separated from visitors by moats or decorative ponds. There were a lot of animals in the park: on the paths we passed funny waddling turtles, monkeys jumped and bullied each other, deer cubs trustingly approached and reached for our hands – asking for food. The animals looked happy and not tortured. We paid 30 BBD per person for the entrance.
After the reserve, we visited two lookouts, Batsheba and Cave Bay. Bathsheba is a hill that overlooks huge rocks in the ocean. Cave Bay is on the Atlantic coast of Barbados – there is a high bluff and flat rocks. It is always windy in this place. People come here to watch the Atlantic Ocean churning, foaming and crashing on the rocks.
Then we went swimming at one of the best beaches, Brownie’s. It’s a beach with white, fine powder-like sand, comfortable cushions and a great bar. Brownie beach is very similar to Bahamian beaches, which in my personal ranking of the best beaches in the world are on the first place, ahead of Maldives, Sardinia, Filipino and Canary beaches on the island of Fuerteventura.
After swimming and relaxing on the beach, we completed our trip around Barbados. I paid 80$ to the cab driver.
Overall Impression. Barbados is a wonderful place, one day was not enough. The island is great for both beach vacations and interesting active trips. If I ever return to Barbados, I will try to spend at least 3-5 days there to see everything I didn’t have time to see this time.
St. Lucia
About the island. It is a small island near Martinique. Because of its convenient bay, it has long been a territory of conflict between England and France and has changed hands more than 10 times.
The state structure is the same as in Barbados and Grenada. The currency, as in Grenada, is the Eastern Caribbean dollar. The official language is English. The capital of the island is Kastri.
What we saw. St. Lucia was our last stop on the cruise. When I was preparing for the trip, I didn’t find anything interesting on this island specifically for us. There are waterfalls, ecotrails in the jungle, and two rocks called Pitons, where tourists are taken en masse, but none of this attracted me.
On St. Lucia we decided to limit ourselves to swimming on the beach and walking around the capital. For $30 a cab driver took us to the beach “Redoubt”, waited 3 hours and brought us back. The beach was good, at the level of Martinique’s.
The capital city of Kastri was a poorly maintained town with shabby houses and piles of garbage in the streets. The bars were crowded. When I walked over to see what was going on, it turned out that a soccer game was starting.
Overall impression of the island. In my opinion, a stopover on St. Lucia can be used with a clear conscience to have a good swim.
Souvenirs
As souvenirs for ourselves and friends, we brought rum from Martinique, Guadeloupe and Barbados. It turned out that if you dilute it with freshly squeezed orange juice, you get a pretty good cocktail. So our self-isolation in April 2020 had a distinctly Caribbean flavor.
What’s the bottom line
In the Caribbean we had a great time and relaxation, we managed to turn a boring beach vacation into an exciting adventure. We swam, sunbathed and visited six islands and dozens of beautiful places.
We will definitely visit this region again, and most likely also on a cruise. But next time we will choose the Western Caribbean: we want to make sure that rum smells like twilight in Jamaica and that the country is called Honduras.
What you need to know about vacationing in Martinique
- January in Martinique has great weather, warm seas and is not yet peak season. The island is perfect for combining beach vacations with independent travel.
- There are direct flights from Paris to Martinique. If you fly to Paris in advance, you can dilute your beach vacation with an excursion.
- If you don’t plan to rent a car, it’s better to live near a good beach. If you plan to rent a car, where to live is not so important: the island has calm traffic and many excellent beaches, so you can swim in different places every day.
- You can leave the airport only by rented car or cab. The price of a cab ride after 18:00 increases by 30%.
- Martinique has a port where liners depart daily for Caribbean cruises. Cruise companies have itineraries of varying lengths, from 5 to 21 days, so you can visit several Caribbean islands in one trip if you wish.
