Martinique & Guadeloupe Alive

419 Pages·2001·2.82 MB·English

by  Lynne Morgan Sullivan

MARTINIQUE
&
GUADELOUPE
EE !!
VV
II
LL
AA
LynneM.Sullivan
HUNTER
HUNTERPUBLISHING,INC.
130CampusDrive,Edison,NJ08818
(cid:1)732-225-1900;800-255-0343;fax[phone]
[email protected]
www.hunterpublishing.com
TheBoundary,WheatleyRoad,Garsington
Oxford,OX449EJEngland
(cid:1)01865-361122;fax[phone]
UlyssesTravelPublications
4176Saint-Denis,Montréal,Québec
CanadaH2W2M5
(cid:1)514-843-9882ext2232;fax[phone]
ISBN1-58843-262-9
©2002LynneM.Sullivan
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmayberepro-
duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy-
ing,recording,orotherwise,withoutthewrittenpermission
ofthepublisher.Briefexcerptsforuseinreviewsorarticles
arepermitted.
This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such
activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author,
affiliatedindividualsandcompaniesdisclaimanyresponsi-
bilityforanyinjury,harm,orillnessthatmayoccurtoany-
one through, or by use of, the information in this book.
Everyeffortwasmadetoinsuretheaccuracyofinformation
in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume
and hereby disclaim, any liability for any loss or damage
caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or
potentialtravelproblemscausedbythisguide,evenifsuch
errorsoromissionsaretheresultofnegligence,accidentor
anyothercause.
MapsbyKimAndré©2002HunterPublishing,Inc.
1 2 3 4
Acknowledgments
AveryspecialthankyougoestoMr.MyronClement
at The Clement-Petrocik Company and Ms. Sylvie
RéginaattheMartiniquePromotionBureaufortheir
invaluableassistancewiththisguide.
www.hunterpublishing.com
Hunter’sfullrangeoftravelguidestoallcorners
of the globe is featured on our exciting website.
You’ll find guidebooks to suit every type of trav-
eler, no matter what their budget, lifestyle, or
idea of fun. Full descriptions are given for each
book,alongwithreviewers’commentsandacover
image. Books may be purchased on-line using a
creditcardviaoursecuretransactionsystem.
Alive Guides featured include: Aruba, Bonaire &
Curaçao, Buenos Aires & The Best of Argentina,
Venezuela, The Cayman Islands, Cancún &
CozumelandTheVirginIslands.
Check out our Adventure Guides, a series aimed
at the independent traveler who enjoys outdoor
activities (rafting, hiking, biking, skiing, canoe-
ing, etc.). All books in this signature series cover
places to stay and eat, sightseeing, in-town
attractions,transportationandmore!
Hunter’sRomanticWeekendsseriesoffersmyriad
things to do for couples of all ages and lifestyles.
Quaint places to stay and restaurants where the
ambiance will take your breath away are
included, along with fun activities that you and
yourpartnerwillrememberforever.
About the Alive Guides
R
eliable, detailed and personally researched by
knowledgeable authors, the Alive! series was
foundedbyHarrietandArnoldGreenberg.
Arnoldhasco-authoredSouthAmericaon$40ADay,
as well as St. Martin & St. Barts Alive!; Aruba,
Bonaire & Curaçao Alive! and Buenos Aires & the
BestofArgentinaAlive!
Harriethasco-authoredTheUSVirginIslandsAlive!
andSt.Martin&St.BartsAlive!Sheiscurrentlyre-
searching The British Virgin Islands Alive! and
PuertoRicoAlive!
This accomplished travel-writing team also operates
arenownedbookstore,TheCompleteTraveller,at
199MadisonAvenueinNewYorkCity.
We Love to Get Mail
T
his book has been carefully researched to bring
youcurrent,accurateinformation.Butnoplaceis
unchanging. We welcome your comments for future
editions. Please write us at: The Alive Guides, c/o
Hunter Publishing, 130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ
08818, or e-mail your comments to comments@
hunterpublishing.com. You can also contact the au-
thorbye-mailthroughherwebsite(www.travelynne.
com),whichcontainsislandupdates,commentsfrom
fellowtravelers,andanswerstoreaders’questions.

Contents
Acknowledgments........................iii
AbouttheAliveGuides ....................v
WeLovetoGetMail ......................v
Introduction ................................1
◆ TheIslands..............................2
Location ................................2
Language ...............................4
Lifestyle ................................5
ASharedPast ...........................6
LifeoftheArawaks&Caribs..............6
VisitorsFromEurope ....................9
Climate.................................9
TheLand ..............................11
PlantLife ..............................13
Birds..................................14
Mammals,Reptiles&Amphibians..........15
GettingtotheIslands ....................17
ByAir................................17
ByCruiseShip ........................19
GettingAround .........................21
CarRental............................21
OtherOptions .........................22
BestPlacestoStay ......................22
ALookattheOptions...................22
Food&Drink...........................24
CommonFrench&CréoleMenuItems.....25
MoneyMatters..........................28
Cash&ExchangeRates.................28
CreditCards ..........................28
EntryRequirements .....................29
Health&Safety.........................29
TheBestAttractions&Activities...........32
GoingMetric–Quick&Painless ...........33
(cid:1)
viii Contents
CustomsRegulations.....................33
Electricity..............................35
TimeZones.............................35
Martinique ................................37
◆ Overview...............................37
◆ ABriefHistory..........................38
DiscoverybyColumbus...................38
ArrivalofTheFrench ....................39
Sugar,Slavery&TheBritish..............40
The20thCentury........................41
DestructionoftheMartyredCity..........41
EmpressJosephine.....................43
◆ GettingtoMartinique....................44
ArrivingByAir .........................44
ArrivingBySea.........................46
FerryService..........................46
CruiseShips ..........................46
PrivateBoats..........................46
◆ GettingAround .........................47
CarRentals ............................47
Rates ................................47
Buses .................................48
Taxis..................................49
Ferries ................................49
◆ Festivals,Events&Holidays ..............50
MajorAnnualEvents ....................50
Carnival..............................51
Public&ReligiousHolidays ...............51
◆ ExploringtheIsland .....................52
Fort-de-France .........................52
PlacedelaSavane......................52
FortSaint-Louis .......................54
SchoelcherLibrary .....................56
ArcheologicalMuseum ..................57
CathédraleSaint-Louis..................57
SermacFloralPark.....................58
Marketplace...........................58
(cid:1)
Contents ix
SouthwesternTour ......................59
Lamentin.............................59
Ducos ................................59
Trois-Ilets ............................60
DomainedelaPagerie ..................62
BotanicalGarden ......................62
PointeduBout.........................63
LeDiamant ...........................63
NorthCaribbeanCoastTour ..............64
Schoelcher ............................65
Case-Pilote............................65
Morne-Vert ...........................66
LeCarbet.............................66
Saint-Pierre...........................67
ChestoftheDead ......................70
HabitationCéron.......................70
RoutedelaTrace........................71
Balata................................71
Saint-Denis ...........................72
MorneRouge..........................73
Ajoupa-Bouillon........................74
Basse-Pointe ..........................76
GrandRivière .........................78
WestCoastTour ........................78
LeRobert.............................78
CaravellePeninsula ....................79
MornedesEsses .......................80
Sainte-Marie ..........................80
Marigot ..............................82
TheBestRumintheWorld................82
DistilleriestoVisit .....................84
OrganizedTours ........................86
◆ SunuptoSundown.......................87
FunintheSun..........................87
Beaches................................88
SouthernBeaches......................88
WestCoastBeaches ....................94
(cid:1)
x Contents
EastCoastBeaches.....................95
Diving&Snorkeling .....................95
DiveCenters ..........................97
Boating................................99
BoatTours...........................100
BoatRentals .........................101
Fishing ...............................102
BigGameFishing.....................102
Windsurfing&OtherWatersports.........102
Hiking................................104
TracedesJésuites.....................105
CaravellePeninsula ...................106
LaTracedesCaps.....................106
LePitondeCrève-Coeur................107
CanaldeBeauregard ..................108
AbsalonLooponRoutedelaTrace .........109
MontPelée...........................109
ForêtdeMontravail ...................110
Biking................................111
Motorcycling...........................112
Golfing ...............................112
Mini-Golf ............................113
Tennis................................113
HorsebackRiding.......................113
One-of-a-KindTours ....................114
ShopTillYouDrop .....................116
FavoriteGiftItems....................116
Fort-de-France........................117
Trois-Ilets ...........................119
LeDiamant ..........................120
Monésie .............................120
Sainte-Anne..........................120
Saint-Pierre..........................120
AlongtheNorthernAtlanticCoast .......121
◆ AfterDark ............................121
Casinos...............................121
IslandShows ..........................122