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Guide to MartiniqueResorts, Hotels, Inns, Lodges & Vacation RentalsBook a Room and Make Reservations at a Place to Stay in Martinique, The Caribbean |  |
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With beautiful white-sand beaches and a culture brimming with French flair, Martinique is part of the Lesser Antilles and lies in the semitropical zone; its western shore faces the Caribbean, and its eastern shore fronts the more turbulent Atlantic. The surface of the island is only 1,088 sq. km (424 sq. miles) -- 81km (50 miles) at its longest point and 34km (21 miles) at its widest point.
The terrain is mountainous, especially in the rainforested northern part, where the volcano Mount Pelée rises to a height of 1,397m (4,582 ft.). In the center of the island, the mountains are smaller, with Carbet Peak reaching a 1,188m (3,897-ft.) summit. The high hills rising among the peaks or mountains are called mornes. The southern part of Martinique has big hills that reach peaks of 350m (1,148 ft.) at Vauclin and 420m (1,378 ft.) at Diamant. The irregular coastline of the island has five bays, dozens of coves, and miles of sandy beaches. Almost a third of the island's year-round population of 360,000 lives in the capital and largest city, Fort-de-France.
The climate is relatively mild, with the average temperature in the 75°F to 85°F (24°C-29°C) range. At higher elevations, it's considerably cooler. The island is cooled by a wind the French called alizé, and rains are frequent but don't last very long. Late August to November is the rainy season. April through September are the hottest months.
The early Carib peoples, who gave Columbus such a hostile reception, called Martinique "the island of flowers," and indeed it has remained so. The lush vegetation includes hibiscus, poinsettias, bougainvillea, coconut palms, and mango trees. Almost any fruit can sprout from Martinique's soil, including pineapples, avocados, bananas, papayas, and custard apples.
Bird-watchers are often pleased at the number of hummingbirds, and visitors can also see mountain whistlers, blackbirds, and mongooses. Multicolored butterflies flit about, and after sunset, there's a concert of grasshoppers, frogs, and crickets.
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If you like masquerades and dancing in the streets, you should be here to attend Carnival, or Vaval, as it's known here. Most of the celebrations associated with Carnival occur, depending on when Lent falls, for 5 days either in late February or early March, but there is also usually some form of celebration or contest conducted for the 6 Sundays prior. Most visible of these is the election of the Carnival Queen, a contest that's usually held the first Sunday before the actual week of Carnival itself. Each village prepares costumes and floats. Weekend after weekend, frenzied celebrations take place, reaching fever pitch just before Lent.
Fort-de-France is the focal point for Carnival, but the spirit permeates the whole island. On Ash Wednesday, the streets of Fort-de-France are filled with diablesses, or she-devils (portrayed by members of both sexes). Costumed in black and white, they crowd the streets to form King Carnival's funeral procession. As devils cavort about and the rum flows, a funeral pyre is built at La Savane. When it's set on fire, the dancing of those she-devils becomes frantic (many are thoroughly drunk at this point). Long past dusk, the cortege takes the coffin to its burial, ending Carnival until next year.
The least expensive -- and most colorful -- way to transfer between Fort-de-France and the hotel and tourist district of Pointe du Bout is via one of the ferryboats (vedettes) that depart from rue de la Liberté in Fort-de-France. Transit costs 6€ ($7.80) one-way or 10€ ($13) round-trip. Schedules for the ferryboats, at least 20 of which run at regular (usually 30-min.) intervals every day between 6:30am and 9pm, are printed in the free visitor's guide Choubouloute, in French and English, which is distributed by the tourist office. However, because the ferries are so frequent, most visitors dispense with attempting to understand the schedule altogether, and meander down to the waterfront to wait for the next boat.
There's a smaller ferryboat that runs between Fort-de-France and the unpretentious resorts of Anse Mitan and Anse-à-l'Ane, both across the bay and home to many two- and three-star hotels and modest Creole restaurants. The boat departs from rue de la Liberté in Fort-de-France at intervals of between 20 and 30 minutes every day from 7:30am to 6pm. The trip takes about 20 minutes. One-way and round-trip passage cost 6€ and 10€ ($7.80 and $13), respectively. If seas are extremely rough, or if there's a hurricane warning, all ferryboat services may be suspended.
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