The feeling of celebrating Christmas in Paris and Christmas Day on the plane was good because. I was sceptical at first. We could spend a great time with family in Paris. On Christmas Day morning, it was a little stressful. But once on the plane, we could relax. We departed at 12:45 and arrived 5pm local time. The time difference is 5 hours. When we arrived, it was 10 pm for us.

When we arrived on Martinique, the feeling of the different temperature somehow didn’t feel natural. It was about 26°, it was cloudy and it was already dark.

We had to wait two hours to get our car. People are not stressed, the pace of life is slower. Getting something “quickly” is not the same as in Europe. Time is managed differently. We went to the rental company (There is no public transport on the island). We were driven to the place where our car was, but because there were so many of us, our daughters had to stay at the terminal. We were assured that it would be very quick, to pick up our daughters. It took 2 hours. Luckily, they had some money to get something to drink. There was a long queue to wait to get to the car. It was not very organised. Keep cool, no stress! My daughters were constantly on the phone, demanding what was going. We didn’t abandon them.

It was late, we were tired, it was dark, and we had to drive to the holiday home. The owner kept calling us, where we were. Navigating the route is not easy. The roads are not in a good condition and many, many roundabouts. It was an adventure. We were in the mountains, it took 45 minutes to drive. They felt very long.

The owner had to wait for us because we were delayed. He had planned to have a meal, but I was not hungry. There was grilled fish, salads, rice, a starter with “acras de morue”. The problem was that for us, it was 3am, we were tired and not hungry.  On Boxing day, friends visited us from our village in Alsace. They were at the end of their holiday, we at the beginning, so we only had a few hours at midday to spend together.

We visited two rum distilleries (with a guide). He explained everything, but there was no rum production in process. There was a large garden which was nice. We could taste and buy some rum. In the second visit, we took a small train. We stopped and could visit the equipment. In the shop, they explained all the rums (there are a lot). The choice is bigger than on the mainland. We bought some bottles and had to find extra space in our luggage.

We also visited St. Pierre. The town was destroyed by a volcano in 1902, resulting in 30000 deaths in approx. 1–2 minutes. We visited the museum there to learn more about this. There was only one survivor, who ironically was in prison.

We were surprised, the town was relatively clean. There were some strikes at the beginning of December, some supermarkets were burnt as well as the speed traps on the road. Martinique is like a jungle, there is a lot of green, it rained during our holiday.

The mix of people and cultures is strong. There were black people, French expatriates. We felt safe, because it is a part of France. People speak French. They guessed that we come from the Alsace, which was surprising. That said, there are parts of the island which are unsafe, with gangs, violence. I think a lot of the population live on social security benefits. There was a strong smell of cannabis. Even the owner of our apartment complained about the attitude of many islanders, finding them lazy, not motivated to do anything.

Went to different beaches. Because of the volcano, the sand is more brown. On the Atlantic side, which we visited, there was less sand, making swimming not possible.

One day we went out with a boat, with a group, to go snorkelling and diving, the first time, a baptism for my husband and daughter. We drank planters rum on the boat! Saw different fishes and marine life.

One cannot compare the beaches here with those in the South of France because they are more natural. The palm tree growing out of the sand by the sea is a true picture. There was a lot of space, they were not crowded. Not packed like sardines, like in France. On some beaches there are small restaurants or bars, but you have to go to them, they don’t come to you.  But, it was fantastic to experience the warm weather, know that at home, it was cold, wet, miserable. It made us feel good.

Drinking cocktails on the beach at sunset. We could also eat meals directly on the beach and we saw many crabs.  My younger daughter was in paradise, enjoying all the seafood.

We ate in different restaurants, recommended by a friend who has been living there for six years. The restaurants were just as good as on Mainland France. The owners are usually French who then moved to Martinique. We were not disappointed.

Generally, the presentation was very good, the products were always fresh. They have more chicken dishes. Poulet Boucané, is a local speciality. The chicken is marinated in sugar cane, lemons, onions, garlic, different spices (this varies for each recipe).  The whole chicken is roasted in the oven or put on the barbecue.  It is accompanied by potatoes.

The tomatoes looked a little strange, they were not fully ripe, and I heard that their aroma and taste is different to the mainland.

We also went shopping in the local Hypermarket. These are huge, and the supermarkets are full, which was off-putting. The food is more expensive because it has to be flown in from France.

One day we went on a hike, the “Trou du Cochon” on the Atlantic side. It offers fantastic views of the landscape. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the possibility to buy something to drink, and the weather was hot & humid. We were starving, so much so, that we took refuge in a MacDonalds. Our younger daughter wanted to “test” the local MacDonalds and compare it with one at home. She was satisfied. 

We enjoyed exploring the mangrove forests. There were also swimming possibilities if you wanted to.

The owner of the apartment encouraged us to visit the local church, which turned out to be an Evangelical church. We actually wanted to go to a Catholic Mass because we had heard they are different to home. We sat on the chairs, the service lasted for 2 hours. There was a lot of singing, people got up, went to the front and prayed. They didn’t do this silently, but very vocally. We were shocked by this. The priest addressed my husband directly and “welcomed” us to the congregation. It was a little overwhelming. The preacher impressed on us that we are their “servers of God”.  It was repeated over and over for an hour. The congregation was asked if they agree, which they did with great enthusiasm. We could leave after two hours, but the service continued long after we left.

For diplomatic reasons we thanked the owner for this positive experience.

Speaking of the owner, he would sometimes drop by for an early morning drink. Alcohol in the morning. It was a shot of rum, lime and water. Sometimes we drank fresh coconut water, direct from the tree. He would go up the tree, select a coconut and then use a machete to cut it open. The taste is special, I could only drink a small glass. Pure, directly poured from the coconut. Between the water and the meat is a jelly which is very good for the health. Many vitamins and tastes delicous.

Our accommodation was excellent: we spent some time there, relaxing by the pool, spending time outside. We had a spectacular view over the landscape, some villages and parts of Fort-de-France, which looked nice at night.

Because the house was in the mountains, we were less affected by the constant presence of mosquitos. There is a danger of getting dengue fever on the island.

We also visited smaller towns near our area, some with tourist shops, jewellery, decoration, paintings. Not a commercial centre, but in the nature.

I really recommend going to Martinique. We appreciated the landscape, the nature. The variety of landscape is fantastic, the Atlantic side is different from the Caribbean side, the people are very friendly. The only downside is not to go into Fort-de-France, the main city on the island, at night, it is too dangerous. But, there isn’t much to do there. The food, restaurants, it’s a positive experience. The ideal duration to stay there are two weeks. Some people, who are retired, spend the winter months there.

Open chat
1
Scan the code
Hello
Can I help you?