What to do here for a day? Just looking to relax on a nice beach- any great recommendations and how to get there from port?

Martinique is a hole. I would avoid it.

Freester, please tell me more. I have heard differently. Have you been there?I am thinking about a day trip.Thanks.

I would be interested in knowing why it is a Hole as well . It certainly looks very beautiful , lush , and tropical and has a vibrant culture .... freester , could you elaborate .. Faith .

I stopped there on a cruise at the port. I felt it wasn't clean or safe. The shopping was not very impressive. There may be other areas that are nicer, but I didn't see them. It is my least favorite carribean island.

Freester, thanks. What are your favorite islands, what shopping do you like? I have heard M. is clean, safe and nice being a state of France and funds flowing in from the mainland for roads?

Aruba and Grand Cayman were more impressive and upscale. I felt Martinique was like St Lucia, another island I didn't especially care for.

Ah , There you go , st . Lucia is the island tops on my list for its beauty , feeling etc. Aruba on the other hand , for me is not appealing at all . I know it is extremely popular , I am obviously the odd man out but both Martinique and st. Lucia look much more to my tastes . Thanx for replying though , any advice is appreciated !! Faith

Martinique is not a "hole". The island is very green and lush. Personally I would recommend taking a tour following the Route de la Trace (incredibly lush rain forest) and then to St Pierre and back along the coast. Best bet - get together with friends, find a van driver who speaks English (and lots do) and do a tour. We got a 3 hour tour in a nice clean air-conditioned mini-van (7 of us $30 each). The number of people sharing determines the individual cost. Taxis are NOT cheap - so I definitely recommend getting a group together. We just got together with some people we met on the dock.

We toured Martinique last yr. and were most pleasantly surprised. It is green, lush and you must see the rain forest. It is spectacular. I too heard all this crap about it and found nothing of the sort. I also heard about how rude the people are and I must say found none of that as well. Be friendly to them and you will get it in return.

A few years ago we spent a week in Martinique. There were ferries between Fort-de-France and the southern part where the beaches are. Check out the miniguide (under destinations) on this site for Martinique.