haruko425

Hello,

My boyfriend and I are thinking of staying the entire month of January in Martinique. We enjoy snorkeling and diving ( I am planning on getting certified this month), hiking, being on the beach, kayaking, and getting to know the local culture. I wanted to know if you can recommend any cities, towns or areas that we should stay? Also, if you absolutely loved an activity while out in Martinique, that would be great.

Thank you,
Stephanie

Odin

You might find Guadeloupe might be more suitable for snorkelling and scuba diving, although both exist in Martinique (Anse Noir for snorkelling & some wreck dives eg Le Nahoon). Check info on the Jacques Cousteau underwater reserve.

There are plenty of activities in Martinique, hiking, horseriding, windsurfing, also in Guadeloupe which a National Park. In Martinique, we found St Pierre to be very interesting, a sort of mini Pompeii, the beaches are best in the south, around Les Salines, they were postcard perfect. If you go to Guadeloupe, you can also go to some smaller islands, eg Les Saintes. They are accessible via Express des Iles, a catamaran service (also serving Martinique-Guadeloupe).

haruko425

Thank you so much for your help. I will look into Guadaloupe.

We are also thinking of staying in Puerto Rico as well. Do you have any other suggestions?

Here are some things that we are trying to find.

1. We want to stay in an area that isn't too touristy but is near some great seafood and local restaurants.

2. We are looking for a place that is on a beach that we can snorkel on a daily basis.

3. We also enjoy other water activities such as fishing, kayaking, diving, and possibly kitesurfing.

We are looking for an apartment, villa or house to rent for the month. Are there any towns, cities, villages that I should look into?

Thank you so much for your help.

Best,

Stephanie

Odin

We stayed in Deshaies Guadeloupe, which is a fishing village and you could buy fish at the beach. But there are villages like this all over the islands.

I found this link useful in planning our holiday to Martinique and Guadeloupe.

http://www.antilles-info-tourisme.com/

There is kitesurfing in Martinique, on the windy Atlantic side but I can't remember exactly where.

http://www.zananas-martinique.com/en...s/kitesurf.htm

This link provides info on accomodation (gites)

http://en.gites-de-france.com/liste?...=n&libregion=n

Sunfish2017

bookmarking

SkipEU

There isn't much of a snorkeling in Martinique. There is a superb diving at Rocher du Diamant and average elsewhere. Hiking is one of the best in the Caribbean. All interesting hiking is up north while best beaches are in the south. Kayaking is on the east side, also windsurfing. There are nice little black beaches at extreme north of the island.

Where to stay? Depend. Island is big so you need to drive around for all the activities. Roads are the best in the Caribbean. Accommodations are very cheap (check abritel.fr or similar). Food is expensive, so is the fuel.

Do you speak French? It is hard for tourists that only know English so you will have limited access to locals.

SkipEU

And I have to mention that beaches are great. Best of them are protected as natural monument and not built-up like on other Caribbean islands. They are also far less touristy if you compare them to other islands and they can be pretty empty.

But if you don't like French culture I suggest you to go someplace else.