Martinique — "The Island of Flowers"

By land, good-quality roads make driving easy, in a « taxi collectif » or by car. If you wish to visit Martinique, discover its beaches, eat on the beach and return after 6:00 p.m., a rental car is a necessity.





Taxis
Martinique Taxis : 24/7 – 0596 63 63 62
A.T.H.S. : Antilles Transport Handicapés Spécialisés – 0596 75 01 97

Car Rental
An « Europcar » office is located in our hotel entrance hall.
In Fort-de-France, rental agencies are open from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
At the airport, rental agencies are open all day until the arrival of the day’s last flight.

Bus Service
Martinique has an intra-city and inter-city bus service. The mini-busses, called collective taxis, run early in the morning until about 6 p.m.
Most bus stops are on the Général de Gaulle Boulevard and at Pointe Simon.

500 meters from the Batelière shopping center and less than 5 minutes from Fort-de-France, our hotel is conveniently located, with rapid access to main roads and leisure activities.

• Casino, Le plazza Batelière     200 m
• Batelière Shopping Center     500 m
• Madiana, Palais des Congrès     1 km
• Madiana, Cinéma (10 theaters)     1 km
• University of Antilles Guyane     2 km
• Private Medical Clinic     2 km
• Spice Market, Fort-de-France     3 km
• St Louis Cathedral     3 km
• Schoelcher Library     4 km
• Archeological Museum     4 km
• Compagnie Maritime, Port     5 km
• Fort Saint-Louis     5 km
• Dillon Rum Distillery     10 km
• Shopping Center La Galléria     15 km
• International Airport Martinique Aimé Césaire     15 km
• Balata  Botanical Garden     15 km
• Les Trois-îlets, Sugar Cane Museum     30 to 40 mn by boat, from the port

Spices such as vanilla or cinnamon, flowers, colorful madras … and rum.
In the Creole tradition, local craftsmen create various goods sold throughout the island. Most of these souvenirs are clothes made from madras, printed beach towels, t-shirts, placemats, jewelry made from seashells and the famous hats called « bakoua ». There are also water-color paintings, bamboo dishes and calabash purses.

La Galléria
Shopping center with 45 fashion boutiques, 8 restaurants, cultural and sporting shops as well as the following services : banks, pharmacies, opticians, etc.

Local Crafts
Martiniquan savoir-faire is essentially a legacy of the Caribbean Indians, the first inhabitants of the island.
You will find basketwork and pottery, but also jewelry and art.

Fort-de-France
The most well-known French and International brands are sold in Fort-de-France, as well as creations by local fashion designers. Most of them are located on the following streets:

• Rue Victor Hugo
• Rue Moreau de Jones
• Rue Antoine Siger
• Rue Lamartine
• Rue Schoelcher

The beaches of paradise are here, bathed in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Discover  the ever-charming city of Saint Pierre, the typical Creole houses, the sugar cane plantations, and the Bay of Fort-de-France, one of the loveliest in the world…The climate, the friendly inhabitants, the spellbinding music, the aromas of Creole cuisine all combine to make your stay a dream come true...

Beaches
The beaches in Martinique surprise visitors with their beauty and their incredible diversity. Firstly, there is a large palette of colors, with sands from a luminous white to the deep black of the volcanic beaches. It is accompanied by a rich variety of landscapes, from the peaceful beaches of the southern Caribbean coast to the more tumultuous ones of the Atlantic coast. The magnificent sea beds are home to schools of colorful fish. And all this with the pleasure of bathing in crystal-clear, warm water over 25°C.

Hiking
Nature lovers will find 130 kilometers of hiking trails in Martinique. Long walks along the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts, the ascension of Mount Pelée, a dive into the exuberant hills in the center of the island with its waterfalls… over thirty different trails await hikers, from beginners to experts.

Heritage
Martinique’s heritage is one rich with the remains and relics of the past. The ruins of Saint Pierre are among the most important, of course, but there are also the old homes and buildings in Fort-de-France. One can discover the former colonial and slave-holding society by visiting the old sugar plantations, whereas the fishing villages, far from urban excitement, take you about fifty years back in time.

Rum Distilleries
As early as the mid-seventeenth century, the first sugar cane plantations began producing a crude alcohol from the molasses obtained during the sugar extracting process. Called « Tafia » by the slaves, and « Guildive » by the French, the drink took its definitive name under the English occupation (1794-1802). Today, rum is extracted directly from the sugar cane juice. Martiniquan rum “agricole” has attained a rare degree of perfection, and delights the senses of numerous connoisseurs throughout the world.

• Habitation Clément: Open daily for visits from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tel : 0596 54 62 07. (Exit to the south of Le François). Admission : adults - 6€, children under 16 – 3€, children under 12 – free.
• Saint-James Rum: Open daily for visits from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 97230 Sainte-Marie. Tel : 0596 69 30 02. Admission and rum tasting free.
• Bally Plantation Lajus: 97221 Le Carbet. Tel : 0596 78 08 94.
• Depaz: 97250 Saint-Pierre. Tel : 0596 78 13 14.
• Dillon: Ancienne route du Lamentin, 97200 Fort-de-France. Tel : 0596 75 20 20.
• J-M Bellevue: 97218 Macouba. Tel : 0596 78 92 55.
• La Mauny: 97215 Rivière-Pilote. Tel : 0596 62 62 08.
• Neisson Habitation Thieubert: 97221 Le Carbet. Tel : 0596 78 03 70.
• Trois-Rivières: 97228 Sainte-Lucie. Tel : 0596 62 51 78