FORT-DE-FRANCE — The sweet scent of jasmine is one of many floral scents welcoming visitors to the French isle of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles, whose moniker is ‘The Island of Flowers.’

Located between Dominica and Saint Lucia, Martinique welcomes Canadians on flights from two Canadian airlines. Air Canada has offered direct flights from Montreal for 15 years and since 2023, seasonal direct flights as well from Toronto.

Air Transat meanwhile offers direct flights via Montreal four times a week in winter, and in June 2025 will begin year-round service to the island with weekly Saturday flights until October, when Air Transat returns to its winter schedule.

During the 2023-2024 season, there were 30 cruise calls on Martinique at the port in Fort-de-France, from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Princess, Celebrity, Costa and NCL.

Canadian visitation increased by 7.6% in 2023 (with more than a million tourists that year) according to recent statistics from the Martinique Tourism Committee. The tourism board has made marketing to Canadians a top priority.

UNESCO HONOURS

The most recent recognition by UNESCO occurred in 2023 for Martinique, with the volcanoes and forests of Mount Pelee and the pitons of the northern island added to the World Heritage List.

The island’s first UNESCO designation was in 2020, with yole, a boat designed on Martinique in the 1940s by fishermen, added to the UNESCO’s register of “good practices for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.”

Visitors can learn to sail a yole with Yole Smem or Alizes Yole, sailing schools located in Le Marin. The Tour des Yoles is the nautical highlight of the year, with sailing teams competing annually the first week of August.

In 2021, the entire island of Martinique was designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, from the 4,583-foot high Mount Pelee, an active volcano which last erupted in 1902, to the lush rainforests and mangroves and surrounding seas.

Active clients will appreciate Anse Couleuvre, a two-hour roundtrip hike near the village of Le Precheur, leading through lush ferns, succulents and palms to a 120 metre waterfall. A shorter adventure is 10 minutes from the trailhead, a quick 10 minute walk to a black sand beach. Both are free access.

ISLAND ATTRACTIONS

Habitation Clement continues to be Martinique’s most popular attraction. Maker of Clement Rhum since 1887, the distillery was founded by Homere Clement, considered the pioneer of rhum agricole, rum made with fresh sugar cane juice.

Daily tours include the manufacturing process, reveal island history and showcase extensive gardens with a large variety of trees, bushes, flowers and colourful glass sculptures by American artist Dale Chihuly.

In the north of the island is Habitation Depaz near Mount Pelee, featuring daily tours, a tasting room, Sugar Cane Restaurant and Depaz Chateau, the family home of the founders, available for private events.

A 15-minute ferry from Fort-de-France’s port, is La Savane des Esclaves in Trois Islets, conceived and built by Gilbert Larose.

This open-air museum of thatched huts with historic vignettes and Creole gardens bluntly depicts the history of indigenous peoples, colonialism and slavery. Plan for two hours for a tour, ending with ice cream flavoured by plants grown on site such as guava, pineapple and mango.

CLUB MED REFRESH, AND MORE RESORT NEWS

Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek opened in 1969 as the first Club Med village in the Americas, and completed renovations at the end of 2024, with public spaces inspired by the colours of the lush gardens.

The resort’s 293 rooms have been refreshed in bright yellow, from walls to wallpaper, light fixtures to accessories. Guests have access to a beach-side pool, extensive sandy beach and a circular dock for water sports.

Later this year Club Med will add an adults-only zone with 52 rooms and pool area.

Located in Fort-de-France’s port, contemporary Le Simon Hotel has 96 rooms, popular with business travellers and cruise passengers and features Bolibar Restaurant, a brasserie overseen by Chef Sebastien Birba, with a menu inspired by Creole flavours and classical French cuisine.

In Le Precheur, Village Pomme Cannelle offers 21 studios and suites, accommodation perfect for couples, friends or families, many outfitted with kitchens. Amenities include an infinity pool, restaurant, fitness trail and garden with orchard.

Less than a half hour away is Le Petitbonum, one of the most heralded beach restaurants on island, where Chef Guy Ferdinand’s menu is inspired by the fishing village’s daily catch and island ingredients.

Hotel Bambou, in Trois Islets, is a 15-minute walk to a marina, where boat tours depart for offshore excursions such as diving, snorkelling and to see dolphins. Featuring 193 colourful bungalows and villas, two restaurants, swimming pools and direct access to Anse Mitan, this three-star hotel features Creole Culture, an adults-only area with 40 two-storey bungalows and private pool.

To register for the Martinique Specialist Course, click here. For more details about travel to Martinique, see https://us.martinique.org/.