Martinique's best gem
Review Submitted: March 7, 2008
Date of Stay: February 2008
The villa is lovely; each room perfectly decorated and furnished. The view of the Caribbean Sea and pool is better than you’d find at a five star resort. The home is centrally located in Case-Pilot, far enough away from the big city to provide semi-seclusion and close enough to serve as a home base for daily adventures. Fort De France is an industrial city with auto plants, casual restaurants, stores and mountains dotted with the candy colored rooftops of homes. The rest of the island has unspoiled nature areas, beautiful mountains and amazing beaches with clear blue Caribbean water. The people who live here are generous, charming and helpful. Despite the language handicap, we managed to make friends with the family next door, nicknamed the Bonjours (my 2-year-old thought bonjour was their name since we kept saying bonjour to them). We shared interesting conversations and the customary Martinique cocktails (planteur and ti punch).
Our favorite spots were St. Anne’s Beach, the Grande Anse des Salines, Les Anses D’Arlet and Anse Couleuvre. St. Anne’s has several good beachside restaurants featuring Caribbean Creole cuisine. When you order lobster, the waiter brings 2 live crustations to your table for you to pick from.
The Anse Couleuvre, one of the black beaches has breathtaking mountains, cliffs and clear blue water for swimming. Getting there involves a short hike and a small stream to cross. The Anse Céron is scenic and has restrooms and picnic tables. Nearby St. Pierre is a quiet little fishing village with good restaurants and site-seeing. Here you’ll find a train ride—ideal for young children.
We also enjoyed Le Marin, a harbor town with dockside restaurants and shops. We took a Catamaran boat ride from St Lucé, a highlight of our week. On a boat, you’ll see Martinique from the ocean. We passed by the famous Diamond Rock and stopped to snorkel at a reef near les Anses d’Arlet. The day of sailing was an adventure in itself, with snacks, rum drinks and a live guitarist. We toured Trois Riviéres, a rum plantation and learned all about types of aged rum. (They have free samples, and I am all about free!) Our week in Martinique and especially this villa was a fantastic experience. It was our first homeaway.com vacation and it was so much better than a hotel. We left feeling like we got to know Martinique pretty well.
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Helpful votes: 6/9
