#KBYG – Martinique
Location – Martinique is part of the French West Indies or French Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is located northwest of Barbados, north of Saint Lucia and South of Dominica.
Climate – The climate is tropical with sunny days, but relatively low humidity and temperatures in the 80’s F.
Best Time to Visit – For discounted hotel rates (compared to the peak season) and weather around 80 °F visit in May. The peak season is from December – April and the rainy season is from June – November. I visited in January.
Safety – I never felt unsafe while in Martinique. Granted most times I was with someone else, but if there wasn’t such a steep language barrier I could see myself visiting there as a solo traveler and possibly would still do it knowing ahead of time it will be difficult.
How Long to Stay – On average 5 days is a good amount of time. Tip – If you use a long weekend and travel around a holiday you can use less vacation days.
Religion – The majority of Martinicans are Christian.
Dress Code – Most people dressed casually as would be expected on an island.
Vaccinations – In addition to ensuring you are up to date on routine vaccinations, Hepatitis A and Typhoid are recommended since those are diseases you can get from contaminated food and water. Disclosure – I didn’t get any vaccinations to go Martinique and was fine.
Time Zone – Martinique doesn’t recognize Daylight Savings Time. There is no time difference with the east coast when the US is in daylight savings time, but there is a time difference when the US is in standard time.
Flying Time – It takes about 4.5 to 5 hours to get there from NY. which is not bad considering you are going to another country. It takes longer to get to Cali from NY.
Currency – Martinique is part of the European Union and uses the Euro for currency. Translation – Martinique is not cheap! The value of the Euro is normally higher than the USD so Americans typically lose money when traveling to European countries.
Language – The main language spoken on the island is French with most also speaking Martiniquan Creole. Very few people outside of the hotels and touristy areas speak English. The taxis drivers we encountered didn’t speak English. Thank God there was someone with us who spoke Haitan Creole and it was close enough to Martiniquan Creole so we were able to communicate. Note – If you don’t speak French or Creole it will be difficult for you to communicate and get around on the island.
Local People – Unfortunately, Martinicans are not that friendly. The Gudaloupeans acted in a similar fashion so I wasn’t surprised or caught off guard. I have never been to Paris, but I know Parisians have a reputation of being rude so maybe it’s a French thing.
Cuisine – To be honest the food wasn’t all that great. I stuck with seafood, generally fried fish, rice or french fries and salad.