Martinique

While the island is shaped by France its overwhelming Creole culture permeates the streets of the capital and villages in the countryside.  French Caribbean-style bistros with lacey balconies and picturesque sidewalk cafes converge on open-air markets with madras-covered tables laden with breadfruit, mango, and tiny hot peppers.  Coastal villages where fishermen still cast nets from the shore are common along the Atlantic coast at Tartane.  And the entire island seems to enjoy a late afternoon ti’punch as the island is plentiful with rum distilleries–over a dozen in all. Here the rum is unique with vibrant flavors notorious the world over as rhum agricole made with fresh pressed sugar cane.

Known as the “island of flowers” the fertile soil is popping with colors of heliconia and fringed with bamboo and ferns. The northern mountains are stunning with Mount Pelee, now quiet and looming overhead, offering a four-to-six-hour hike for the fit.  More subdued walks along the Caravelle Peninsula and through the rainforest reaching the falls at Les Chutes du Carbet reveal the beauty of the island. And the coastlines are distinctive with black sands at Anse Noire and white soft granules at Grande Anse des Salines that are mostly left in their natural state.