Written by Gal Jurick
More often, we’ve been asked questions about our vacation choices with wonder. “Where is that… and how do you get there?” Michael’s travel posts are quite amazing and have made an impact with tourism authorities around the globe.
Some of our favorite trips have resulted from exploring the road less traveled.
After returning from Martinique, we decided to answer those questions with a photo-inspired top ten list of our trip.
1. OK, this might seem like a silly reason to go somewhere, but it’s true, there are new non stop-flights to Martinique from JFK on Norwegian Airlines. This made the island more accessible and appealing to us and we decided to give this unknown airline a try. We were very happy with the modern, comfortable planes, nice crew & on time departures. Arrival through customs was a breeze.
Martinque is a region of France located in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. One of the Windward Islands, it is directly north of Saint Lucia and South America. As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the euro. We stayed in the borough of Trois-Ilets.
2. As one would expect, French and Creole cuisine dominate Martinique’s culinary landscape. The two styles combine using French techniques with local produce. Creole dishes rely heavily on seafood, including curries and fritters. We love Creole food, seafood, fresh fruit – and boy oh boy do we love baguettes! So the combination of all of these flavors provided interesting and yummy meals.
3. We love a beach front hotel, who doesn’t? Our first hotel room was literally on the beach! We would wake up with a smile and step into the sand. Jonah was clearly very happy to be stepping onto the sand first thing in the morning.
4. The topography and architecture in Martinique was truely varied. One night we literally had to jump out of our car because the hill we were going up was steeper than streets San Francisco – and the weight was too much for the engine! Spring flowers were everywhere.
The borough of Trois-Îlets where we stayed preserved a style characteristic of West-Indian architecture. In the town center, huts used cemented bases and the painted wood porches were painted in pastel colors, giving it creole island charm.
5. We are a tennis playing family- so lodging options with tennis courts are a high priority. The weather is perfect for tennis. This is Michael working on his new one-handed backhand.
6. We are into adventure and activities when we travel. Our 22 kilometer bike ride was very challenging! If this is your thing, contact Hervé Commercy @ jvlh@orange.fr He is the nicest bike tour guide and will take good care of you – just let him know if you are up to the challenge of a long ride. Here are some of the scenes from our ride.
7. Well, we were given a heads up about the language barrier. French is certainly the primary language here, so brush up on your french to help with day to day communication. Here’s a dictionary on Amazon.
8. Boating to Josephine’s Bathub! We suggest renting a little speed boat to guide you on an adventure to Josephine’s Bathtub. It’s a sandbar in the middle of the ocean where you’re able to stand and enjoy the surrounding mountain and panoramic Caribbean views.
9. The Clement rhum distillery was incredible – it’s actually a natural sugar cane/rhum habitation and a sculpture garden has recently been added to visitors can stroll the grounds. Located in Le Francois, Habitation Clément is the birthplace of Rhum Agricole and carries the culture of an ancient Créole sugarcane plantation rich with French West Indian history.
We are so thankful to the Martinique Promotions Bureau for comissioning us to take these photographs for them.
10. Enjoy the family that you travel with – and take lots of pictures with them. An island this beautiful deserves to have family members in them! Make memories here!
