Caribbean Travel Advisor, News
By: Alexander Britell
The first time you see it, when you make the northward drive-up the Caribbean coastline of Martinique, it hits you: Mont Pelee, the towering green giant of a volcano that sets the tone for much of this fascinating French Caribbean island. The road winds and curves, and it’s filled with picture-perfect black-sand beaches, all in plain sight of Pelee.
This just might be my favorite corner of Martinique, where fishing villages, rum distilleries and charming towns dot the landscape.
It’s also home to the island’s best-value hotel, a lovable boutique hotel in the endlessly fun beach town of Le Carbet. This is the Madicreoles, and it’s a residential-style hotel literally across the street from one of precisely those stunning black-sand beaches, and a haven for traveling families.
There’s a collection of apartment-style units, all with flat-screen TVs, great AC, and full outdoor kitchens and fridges on the balconies.
I loved the views from my balcony — the sunsets were sometimes overwhelmingly beautiful, a sea of orange, yellow and purple clouds with a volcanic side dish. I also loved how the fridges are painted with unique artwork. It’s a really thoughtful place.
The hotel is run by legendary chef Guy Ferdinand, the man behind the island’s most famous restaurant, Le Petibonum and its newest eatery, Aquarium (more on that in a later issue), and his hospitality touches are all over the place – and having Le Petibonum as your own personal beach club is no small detail.
This is an authentic, endearing 22-room beach hotel, well-run and friendly, and really the best place to stay in this whole corner of Martinique.
That makes it easy to get to some of the island’s most famous rum distilleries, including Neisson and Depaz, along with the historic town of Saint Pierre just a few minutes’ drive — the town that was the scene of Pelee’s infamous eruption in 1902 — but today is filled with bakeries, eateries and shops.
The hotel fills up even in the summer months, with travelers and locals who make a beeline here for precisely its combination of budget-ease and direct beachfront. Walk a few steps across the coastal road and you’ve found a spectacular beach called Anse Latouche, replete with a little beach shack called Chez Maurice with an active grill.
But the biggest amenity is undoubtedly Le Petibonum itself, a beach bar that is one of the region’s bucket-list attractions, where gourmet food marry a wonderful selection of rums and rum cocktails.
Martinique isn’t quite like anywhere else in the Caribbean, and it’s this northwestern corner that really tugs at your heart strings.
And if you’re planing a visit to Le Carbet, Madicreoles is the ticket.
Rates at Madicreoles start at around $114 per night.
