St. Pierre and Rum Distillery tour

[ravensbad]

When I was researching Martinique prior to our December 2015 cruise I found it was really hard to find information. So I figured I would add a little info to this sub-forum so that people can see information about this specific tour and a little about Martinique in general.

 

My wife and I decided that since there was so little info about this port we wanted to take a ship-sponsored tour. We chose the St. Pierre and Rum Distillery - MT08 tour from Royal Caribbean. I read somewhere in another thread that it was more than just the distillery but that was after I had already booked it. The tour was $80 per person and it definitely took longer than the 4 hours it called for, but I honestly can't remember the exact time.

 

We started out our morning with some nice views of the port:

 

 

Note how long the pier is. They do have a little van that can carry 6 people I think, but it doesn't go very fast.

 

 

The white tents down there are the entirety of the shopping for the port area. They have a pretty decent selection of stuff, but you can find better prices elsewhere on the island (the rum specifically was about 25% cheaper in the distillery gift shop). You can also see one of the buses that we took our tour on down there as well. They were very nice, new buses. I don't know if it's just been awhile since I've been on one or if I've just grown in the wrong direction but I found the seating very tight and a bit uncomfortable.

 

Soon enough we set off on our tour. The tour guide was nice and talked throughout the entire drive. Unfortunately she had a pretty heavy French accent so some people had a hard time understanding her. One gentleman ended up as a part-time translator and it became a running joke that Royal Caribbean should be paying him to take this tour.

 

Here is a picture of the docked ships from our bus:

 

 

Our tour started out by heading up into the mountains and rain forest. We drove through some pretty incredible scenery on our way to our first stop, you can see some of it below:

 

 

[ravensbad]

More scenery from the drive:

 

 

 

 

Soon enough we were at our first stop, Balata Cathedral. Our guide told us that after a natural disaster (I can’t remember if it was an earthquake or another volcanic eruption) an entire town needed somewhere safe to go and at the time there was nothing available. So, afterwards, they commissioned this cathedral to be built so that the entire town could fit inside if needed. It is a smaller copy of Montmartre Church in Paris. The Cathedral was really beautiful and very photogenic. Unfortunately we only got about 15 minutes here to stretch our legs and look around.

 

 

 

[ravensbad]

More from the inside of the Cathedral:

 

 

 

 

 

After a quick stop here it was back on the road and on to our second stop, some stream I forgot the name of. The legend is that drinking from this stream will make you 20 years younger. It just looked like any other stream to me, and I wish we had skipped this and spent 15 minutes somewhere else on the tour.

 

 

[ravensbad]

Everyone got back on the bus and we headed out to the main event, Depaz Distillery. The distillery is located in St. Pierre and was destroyed, along with the rest of the town, in the devastating volcanic eruption of 1902. Victor Depaz returned to the Depaz estate in 1917 and rebuilt the estate and the distillery. They have a pretty clearly marked tour path of red bricks which covers the majority of the distillery. They also have signage here that is in English and French. There is a gift shop and they offer free samples of all of the different types of rum and liqueurs distilled here. Unfortunately, we only had about 45 minutes here and there was so much to see my wife and I didn’t get to sample anything. The large majority of our tour group didn’t even explore the whole distillery, but they got to try the different rums so it’s a trade-off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ravensbad]

They had lots and lots of small machines and old equipment on display, as well as windows into the areas that they currently work in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ravensbad]

Some more equipment displays, as well as a shot of large tanks at the end that they use for the white rum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ravensbad]

My wife and I really enjoyed ourselves here, but I definitely wish we had more time to explore. I spent the entire time looking around and going into the building and there was a lot of neat stuff I simply didn’t have time for. And like I said earlier, other skipped a lot more than I did. The gift shop does accept US dollars, but the exchange rate is not very friendly. They also accept credit cards but their machine was going extremely slow when we were there. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the alcohol is about 25% cheaper to buy here than at the port and there is a larger selection.

 

 

 

 

The Depaz estate is located on the same grounds as the Depaz distillery, and as you can see it’s right at the foot of the volcano:

 

 

I also managed to get one shot of the gift shop as we were hurrying to purchase the rum we had promised my Dad:

 

[ravensbad]

After our stop at the distillery we went back down into the town of St. Pierre. Here is a picture of how narrow the streets are:

 

 

This town was really interesting because they rebuilt the town using the bones of what was left after the volcano destroyed everything. So in a lot of places you had a building where, for example, the back and one side were old, blackened stone, and then the front and other side were newer materials. They are right on the sea so there are a lot of fishermen in town.

 

 

 

A local boat ramp:

 

 

We ended up at a small museum that documented the before and after of the 1902 volcanic eruption. There were bathrooms and someone selling snacks here. They had a lot of really neat before and after photos, as well as artifacts that were preserved. They apparently do not allow photos (there are signs but they’re in French!) so my wife only got to take 2 photos before she was asked to put her camera away. This bell was certainly worse for wear after the eruption:

 

 

[ravensbad]

The area around the outside of the museum:

 

 

 

 

Right down the street from the museum was the ruins of the theater and jail. These building were never rebuilt and now serve as a reminder of the devastation mother nature can cause. This was where the entrance to the theater used to be.

 

 

And where the stage once was:

 

 

A view from the theater looking at the volcano:

 

[ravensbad]

This is from inside the theater looking down into what used to be the jail. That little room on the right hand side is a jail cell and inside of it is where the lone survivor was when the volcano erupted in 1902:

 

 

This picture is from the top level of the theater looking back towards those big stairs from a couple of pictures ago:

 

 

After we were done in St. Pierre we headed back to the port but we went back by way of the coast so that we could see more of the island. I think some of my earlier pictures may have been from this part of the trip back but it’s been too long so I don’t remember exactly where they were all taken. At some point on the way back we did see this neat church:

 

 

We got back to the port area about an hour before it was time to leave so we browsed through some of the market wares and I think my wife did her part to support the local economy. All in all we really enjoyed our day here in Martinque. I’m definitely glad we did an excursion because there wasn’t very much to do right at the port. I talked to some folks on the ship who tried to explore the town a little from the port and something I kept hearing was that they didn’t feel safe. One of our tablemates mentioned that she was offered drugs multiple times. Now, this is only second-hand so take that with a grain of salt. We felt totally safe on our tour the entire time, but I’m not sure I’d want to be wandering some of those streets on my own. There was also a lot of construction going on while we were there. If I remember correctly our guide said they were building some sort of mass transportation from the airport to the city. Anyways, that’s all for now, I’d be happy to answer any questions although keep in mind, my entire knowledge about Martinique comes from this one excursion.

[rcprncss]

Wow. Thank you for the detailed pictures and explanation of your trip. There isn't much info on this port. i will be visiting Martinique in a couple of weeks and it was so hard to choose something. I'm sure your post will help others. Thank you again.

[cruiseapril]

Very good review- wonderful photos. Thanks.

 

We went to the church and to St. Pierre on our tour in Martinique a few years ago- but went to the Balata Gardens and not the distillery- so it was very interesting to see the distillery photos.

[Jayhoaps]

I'm going on a Cruise in November with a stop in Martinique. I'm going with Princess Cruise and they have a excursion entitled "Best Of Martinique: St. Pierre & Rum Distillery" 

 

But basically I think it's the same tour you went on Ravensbad. Just want to say thanks for posting such a detailed review along with pictures. 

 

I definitely made my mind to go to this excursion. Thanks again as this was a wonderful resource at this time. Time. 

[Jayhoaps]

Hey Everyone, just following up on my previous post. On my upcoming cruise there is an excursion called "Best of Martinique: St Pierre & Rum Distillery" . Just want to know has anyone done this excursion before? Also is this the same tour you did Rabensbad?

 

Here is the following description of the excursion at this time

 

Get to know Martinique on a half-day tour of popular sites and a visit to a rum distillery for a tasting. Board an air-conditioned transportation for a picturesque drive to Sacré-Coeur de la Balata. Built in 1925 as a miniature version of the Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre in Paris, it is beautifully surrounded by a tropical forest. Continue on to dramatic Mount Pelée, the volcano responsible for a sudden eruption and the resulting devastation in the nearby city of Saint-Pierre in 1902. Then, visit Depaz Distillery where you'll get a tour of the facility and an opportunity to taste its rhum (French for "rum") agricole. Next, explore Saint-Pierre, the historic village that perished in the massive 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée, and visit the Museum of Volcanology to learn more about the epic natural disaster. Complete the day with a ride through several charming villages en route to port.

[ravensbad]

4 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

Also is this the same tour you did Rabensbad?

 

The one I did was through Royal Caribbean but based on your description it does sound like the same tour. Royal and Celebrity are owned by the same company so I would imagine many of the excursions are the same.

[Jayhoaps]

18 hours ago, ravensbad said:

 

The one I did was through Royal Caribbean but based on your description it does sound like the same tour. Royal and Celebrity are owned by the same company so I would imagine many of the excursions are the same.

 

The cruise I'm taking is Princess which offers this tour. Thanks again for your detailed review and sharing the pictures. It has really given me great insight to book this tour. Thanks again at this time. 

[ravensbad]

5 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

 

The cruise I'm taking is Princess which offers this tour. Thanks again for your detailed review and sharing the pictures. It has really given me great insight to book this tour. Thanks again at this time. 

Oh, yea, sorry, no idea where I got Celebrity from but hope you have a great cruise! 

[Jayhoaps]

On 9/4/2023 at 11:08 AM, ravensbad said:

Oh, yea, sorry, no idea where I got Celebrity from but hope you have a great cruise! 

 

Hey seems like they have increased the price of the excursion and it's a bit pricey. Just wanted to ask your honest opinion, was the tour worth the money? Still contemplating If I should go to this, thanks in advance. 

[ravensbad]

8 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

 

Hey seems like they have increased the price of the excursion and it's a bit pricey. Just wanted to ask your honest opinion, was the tour worth the money? Still contemplating If I should go to this, thanks in advance. 

 

When I took this tour in 2015 it was $80 per person, which was almost double the cost I paid for tours on other islands. St. Maarten and St. Kitts were both $45 per person but they were not booked through the cruise line. So even at the time this tour was more expensive than your average island tour. I did think it was worth it at the time, especially since there were pretty limited options at this port and it really did turn out to be a fantastic day. They took us out one way (through the jungle) and back to port a different way (along the coast) so both ways you had different scenery which I liked. I just went and searched and it looks like Princess is charging $100 per person now, so that doesn't seem out of line compared with the 2015 cost (not with how bad inflation has been the last couple years, anyways). I'd happily pay that to do this tour again.

[thinfool]

We took this tour....it was interesting....I decided to buy a bottle of their product...they asked if I wanted to use my credit card and charge it in USD.  Knowing this trap I said no and that I wanted to charge it in local currency which was likely euros.  That action dropped the price of the bottle about 20%.  Buyer beware!

[Jayhoaps]

On 9/18/2023 at 10:48 AM, ravensbad said:

 

When I took this tour in 2015 it was $80 per person, which was almost double the cost I paid for tours on other islands. St. Maarten and St. Kitts were both $45 per person but they were not booked through the cruise line. So even at the time this tour was more expensive than your average island tour. I did think it was worth it at the time, especially since there were pretty limited options at this port and it really did turn out to be a fantastic day. They took us out one way (through the jungle) and back to port a different way (along the coast) so both ways you had different scenery which I liked. I just went and searched and it looks like Princess is charging $100 per person now, so that doesn't seem out of line compared with the 2015 cost (not with how bad inflation has been the last couple years, anyways). I'd happily pay that to do this tour again.

 

Thanks so much for the valuable feedback, I truly Appreciate it. With much confidence I have booked this excursion, Princess had it as $124.99 American. I look forward to this excursion, thanks again. Time. 

[TTEllis]

Email Kristelle Eugene of Karambola Tours it's the same or better tour than your taking. When I took this tour back in Dec. 2018 it was $80(US) I handed her $100(US) worth every penny of it. 

At the time I booked with Karambola it was the only 5-star tour on the island and you could tell it. The basilica up in the mountains, Depaz Distillery at the base of Mt. Pelee, we went everywhere in a Mercedes Benz Van that was sweet and comfortable all day. 

 

This is the tour you want. If it doesn't work out with the ships tour do what I just told you. Have fun.

 

Looking forward to your review whichever tour you choose. 👍

[auntsally]

We dock at Saint Pierre in March, can you walk from the port to the centre and if so how long does it take?

[EatonDoolittle]

How are you docking there? I remember it as having a small pier, suitable for smaller boats. Plus, I don't remember much infrastructure, like a tourist entry hall. It's an interesting town, well worth a visit, if you enjoy history. Volcano stories are so compelling. 

 

If you are docking in Fort of France on a cruise ship, you are right in town.  So, maybe 5 minutes, or however long it takes you to walk the length of the pier.  

 

ETA - wow, very old thread. Docking info still accurate tho, AFAIK.

Edited January 28 by EatonDoolittle

[PORT ROYAL]

5 hours ago, auntsally said:

We dock at Saint Pierre in March, can you walk from the port to the centre and if so how long does it take?

Yes…. Along a main road/artery busy with cars and heavy vehicle traffic.  Pavements/Sidewalk very narrow - About 20 minutes walk to town.  Take a cab.

 

Better still, see the island with all it offers with https://www.karamboletoursmartinique.com

Edited January 28 by PORT ROYAL
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