Relais Creoles. This is something you need to know when making a Martinique hotel reservation. There are few deluxe Martinique resorts to choose from, and the hotels are clustered throughout the island, making car rental a necessity to get around the island. Relais Creoles are small and charming, quaint inns that offer far more character than they do amenities. Here you get treated like family. In these, the staff seem unbelievably enthusiastic to greet and talk with you. Unlike many of the Caribbean islands, however, English is not widely spoken. Perhaps in the posh resorts and even the large-scale French-looking hotels in Martinique – but significantly less so in these small inns. That is why you have to learn.
Martinique hotels seem far more spread out than in many of the other islands, and that's to be expected – it is the largest of all the Windward islands. There seems to be clusters of Martinique resorts and hotels that crop up on the island, but each is cut off from the other by busy roads and decaying ruins and converted sugar plantations. So, while you may need to spend a bit more time in a taxi or rental car, you get much of the isolation of the island, along with small groups of urban areas that impress a small-town feel, even in the busier areas.
Fort-de-France is the largest city on the island, and you will find many of the finest resorts and hotels in Martinique in the vicinity. La Plantation Leyritz is, as you would guess, a fine Martinique hotel transformed from its previous life as a sugar plantation, where the furnishings and grounds are all very colonial. A reminder of Martinique's embarrassing association with the slave trade, many package groups actually tour the plantation during the day to get a sense of some of the island's colonial architecture and history. A model Realis Creole is the Residence Oceane, found far northeast of Martinique's capital. With bougainvilleas creeping all around you, the view of Tartane Beach is not to be missed. Also north, you will find many collections of Realis Creoles, along with a few charismatic Martinique resorts, in the Marigot, Ste-Marie and Caravelle Peninsula regions.
The city of Ste-Anne is another of the small clusters of Martinique hotels. Urban but not busy, this city has been rewarding visitors with its access to the island's petrified forests and the glimmering beach of Grande Anse. The Manoir de Beauregard can be found here - built in the 18th century and oozing colonial charisma, it is another example of the many fine hotels in Martinique. If that is too far from the main cities, however, another good choice for accommodations is Les Trois-Ilets. Just a ferry or scenic drive away from Fort-de-France, this area is popular for its high concentration of Relais Creoles. It is also where you'll find the Sofitel Bakoua, one of the largest resorts in Martinique, distinguished by its elegant patios that lead directly into the soft white sand.
