Martinique Is A Beautiful Island!

[parafire]

 

The port area and capital of Martinque is not picturesque. It is crowded and the traffic is congested. I took a four hour taxi tour of the Island that was well worth the price of $35@. The taxi was a new Mercedes 300D and the driver spoke english. We viewed mountains, rain forests, beautiful foliage, banana farms, waterfalls, black sand beaches, quaint fishing villages, Mt. Pele and the old capital which was destroyed by the volcano in 1902. I encountered friendly english speaking residents. The natural beauty of the island is amazing. I saw no third world living conditions. The highways were excellent. I saw no garbage along the highways.

What a shame it would have been for me to have stayed onboard ship.

 

If the oppertunity presents itself I would chose to stay a week in Martinique.

 

Yes, the taxi prices are on the high side. I was told that gas costs $6 a gallon.

 

 

[laryco]

visited 2 weeks ago while on the Legend.a group of Lynn Firefighters & wives..loved the island...had a little trouble with dollars...it was like a time warp back in time before development...a good thing...

[hstrybuf]

Sounds like the best way to see the island. We did the ship's excursion from the Legend this past Sunday and I would NOT recommend it to anyone.

 

 

Navigator OTS 10/04

Legend 04/04

Grand Princess 09/03

Dawn Princess 01/03

Enchantment OTS 10/02

Destiny 01/02

Sensation 08/99

[Coolcruise02]

We are going on the Legend next year. What excursion did you take that you DON'T recommend? Thanks

[gizmo]

I don't know what tours are offered but I took one on Hal a couple of years ago that I would not recommend. It was advertised as a catamaran to Mr.Pelee, (sorry I can't remember the name of the town at the moment but it was where the volcanoe killed everyone except the guy in jail, years ago). Anyway the catamaran was a party boat, no sails, but technically it was a catamaran. The seats were very uncomfortable and it was a very long ride, since the boat went so slow. The tour guide was ok and explained about each town we passed.

 

When we arrived we were hearded on the the trolley train that took us through town. It was ok, but would have been nicer if we stopped once or twice to take pictures or see things. We were then hearded into the museum, no pictures allowed and then they rushed us on to a bus to be taken back to the ship. There was no time to do anything. A couple of us ran across the road to buy some water and the tour people were not happy since they wanted to get moving. The bus that took us back to the ship was very nice and we had the same speeches about the towns that we heard on the way up on this so called catamaran. I don't think one person thought much of this tour. It was not cheap by any means. If you want to see this town, get a taxi and do it on your own.

 

On a previous trip we had a taxi give us a tour and it was nice. The view from the cathederal is beautiful, and a good photo op.

 

On another trip we did a catamaran snorkle tour. Lousy snorkling, but this island is not know for snorkeling, but it was a very nice catamaran that I got to steer. We also got into a dingy to see the bat cave on this tour. This tour I enjoyed.

 

The town itself is very crowded and loaded with traffic. Exchange rates vary and some people felt they get ripped off.

[nosnobunny]

We rented our own car and toured the entire island. The roads were top notch, but I can live without the traffic circles. :D It is absolutely a beautiful place! Very much like Maui in landscape but very, very French. One thing to keep in mind is most businesses close anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours for lunch. Make sure someone will be there if you're returning a rental car. Being able to speak French was a great help because once you're outside of Ft de France, not many people speak English. This is now my new most favourite island.

 

Beth

[cruznlobo]

nosnobunny,

Really loved your quote in your signature

[zeroni]

Reading the OP, I was taken back to my honeymoon about 15 years ago when Martinique was one of our port stops. We still have vivid memories of how gorgeous this island is. It remains our favorite island after 5 cruises. We got off the ship not knowing what to do other than to just "see the island". There were plenty of Mercedes' lined up with drivers who carried ear to ear smiles - extremely friendly (in a good way). We saw our tablemates, a couple from Mexico (he spoke a bit of English, she spoke not a single word of English), just standing around, looking a bit lost, so we grabbed them and the four of us toured the island in a Mercedes driven by one of the nicest guides we've ever encountered. That island is beyond beautiful - no words can describe that beauty. We never told our driver what/where to go; he took care of it for us and we were very pleased. We learned so much from him - it was much better than if we would have rented a car on our own.

 

If you have the chance, grab a guide and really see the island.

[limbogirl]

My husband and I stayed a week in Martinique many years back. It is an incredibly beautiful island. There is not a lot to do.( back many years I'm sure its changed). One of the best things we did was rent a car and drive thru the rain forest and tour the island on our own. Its beauty is incredible! The people there were rude to us and did not like Americans! The negative vibes I got from the locals ruined it for me. I've always liked everyone and gotten along with any one but I was definitely uncomfortable here.

[pomliane]

I'm quite disapointed that you had a bad experience with people of Martinique. As a martinican,i'm always sad when someone tells me that people of Martinique were not friendly with him. What you need to know is that very often, martinicans are shy and don't to dare to talk to visitors beacause they think their english isn't good enough. But, i'm sure that if you're in trouble in Martinique, you'll always find someone to help you and to give you assistance.I hope one day you'll come back to Martinique and that your point of view will change.

[NoPiratesPlease]

I've heard that Martinicans are rude, but I have never, ever seen it. In fact, most of the people we have met on Martinique have been incredibly nice, and very willing to put up with my lousy French--even appreciative of it because that way, we could talk. Of all the islands we have been to, Martinique is the one where people speak the LEAST English, so any French is a big help. Quite frankly, we have found people on Grenada and St. Lucia to be much ruder than Martinicans.

 

While Martinique is definitely a Caribbean island, it is also very much a part of France, as much a part of France as Hawaii is part of the US. Despite all the current animosity between France and the US, I have always assumed that was on the governmental level, not the personal one. I have always found the French to be EXTREMELY nice, from my first visits at age 20 to recent ones. The only hassles I ever got was from the Customs and one rude waitress (in French Polynesia) and a rude clerk in a shop in Charles DeGaulle Airport--over a time span of nearly 30 years. We've had more rude cab drivers just on Barbados--and we LOVE Barbados!

 

I'd say rude French people are no more common than rude New Yorkers or rude New Jerseyans (What? Us? Rude???) I've found people in Russia and Portugal to be ruder than people in France.

[Lissete]

We 1st visited Martinique last year while on the Legend. I totally agree with the OP. The main shopping area & the port area is nothing to write home about. But once you take the tour around the island you will totally LOVE it. We consider this one of our favorite islands. Yes, some people were rude but you find that just about everywhere. We had store clerks who went above & beyond and we had those that were rude and ignored us. I get that in the U.S. as well.

Our taxi driver was excellent as well! He was polite & very friendly. You could tell that he takes pride in his island.

 

I for one would go back to Martinique in a heartbeat. I will also try and find our same driver :)

[mlbcruiser]

We, too, have heard MANY negative comments about rude treatment in Martinique but are keeping an open mind and always TRY to speak a bit of the language of the place we are visiting, and that always helps!

 

So. . .it sounds like the best thing to do is to take a general cab tour of the island. We like to stay away from ship sponsored tours anyway. Sounds like it is pretty easy to arrange a cab tour? Was it very easy to communicate w/at least the cab drivers? Did you bargain for your rate from the first price you were given?

 

We might also like to have a bit of time at a beach. Any recommendations on which would be best or easiest to get to from our ship? Are cabs readily available at whatever is the most popular beach so that there would be no worries about finding one to take us back if were dropped off at the end of a cab tour?

 

What are the most worthwhile highlights to see on this island?

 

Any info. would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks for any help. :)

[pomliane]

mlbcruiser, read me answer in a previous message.

 

What you have to remember, is that many martinicans don't speack good english (even mine is not good) and they're shy to talk to you. But, they'll try to answer your questions if you ask them...people are very friendly and helpy...

[mlbcruiser]

I will be sure to listen to my In Flight French c.d. before I go! Wasn't a very good lesson, but I learned enough to be able to ask/say a FEW things. (We were in French Polynesia in Sept. and the only place I NEEDED to speak French was downtown in Papeete, when I needed to get my glasses fixed!

[iancal]

Parafire: Was that $35. per person or for the cab? I have read some conflicting stories about the pricing. We are going next month and are very much looking forward to Maritinque. Everyone I have spoken to loved it. I grew up in the French culture so am hoping that we will get on just fine. thanks

[popcorngal]

OK, I'll admit it. I was all ready to hate Martinique as DH had had a very bad experience there with rude people on a previous cruise. They had made it very clear they greatly disliked Americans. (at least the people he encountered)

 

Well, we were just there 2 weeks ago on the Legend, and I think Martinique is probably the most beautiful island I have been to.

 

We booked the St. Pierre Island tour through the ship and it was a fantastic tour! We boarded a very new motorcoach and headed out of town to St. Pierre that was destroyed by Mt Pelee. We stopped for pictures and to tour the small museum there. Then on we went to the Depaz Rum Distillery. That area, without a doubt is one of the most gorgeous you will ever encounter. Mt Pelee looms above you, shrouded in clouds, and all you see is lush green vegetation. The sound of weedeaters buzzing in January caught the ear of this snowbird! Our tourguide walked us through the distillery and gave a very nice tour. We then reboarded the bus for a drive through the rain forest on some wild mountain hairpin turns (our driver was the best!). Our final stop was at the replica of the Sacred Heart church in Paris, with a beautiful overlook of the island. All in all, it was a fantastic tour. So, please, don't be afraid to take the ships tour. I am going to try and post a pic of the Depaz Rum Distillery that is gorgeous. If it doesn't work, I apologize, I'm still new at this!:o

[popcorngal]

Oh well, the pic doesn't show, even though I downloaded it. Don't know what else to do with it. Sorry:(