waterholic® Insides - Martinique Part 1 - The Island

At the end of 2021 we will be on the French Caribbean island of Martinique for the 4th time, enjoying the ideal mixture of relaxation in a wonderful winter climate, 28-30°C during the day and 21-23°C at night, water sports and wind, usually 12-22kn. And of course we are also working, reviewing the waterholic® year 2021 and preparing the year 2022 for you.

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All in all we have spent more than 4 months on Martinique, know the island really well by now and would like to provide you with some impressions and information about Martinique.
Why do we choose the Lesser Antilles and Martinique in winter?
There are certainly spots with more wind and waves from November to April/May (e.g. Cape Town), there are certainly cheaper spots (e.g. Egypt or Vietnam, Thailand). Also, the other Caribbean islands are wonderful for waterholics.
Barbados is nice, St. Lucia is interesting, Grenada and Tobago are great 1-2 week destinations, the Grenadines with Bequia, the Tobago Cays and Union Island are of course a Caribbean dream.
But if you have a bit more time, want to get involved in a Caribbean all-round happiness package outside of sailing, kiting, windsurfing, Martinique is just the ticket.

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A large island (73x39km) with a rampant flora, Caribbean-French flair, friendly people, different spots for all kinds of water sports and a good infrastructure (internet, shopping, doctors, etc.).
Martinique has wonderful beaches (e.g. Plage des Salines, Cap Chevalier, Les Anse d' Arlet, etc.) but is not a clinically pure showcase island like the Maldives. Also, there is fortunately little chichi on Martinique.

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Rather, the charm of Martinique lies in the hundreds of breathtaking views of the sea and the lush greenery with wonderful flowers (Madenina, the flower island), which are always revealed as you drive through the hilly landscape. Martinique has many faces, is at the Atlantic rugged and always windy (yes;-)), at the Caribbean west side mostly mild and lovely, in the interior with a rampant tropical vegetation. Martinique is hustle and bustle and loneliness at the same time. With Le Marin lies one of the largest Caribbean marinas in the south of the island, with hundreds of sailboats and generous yacht charter, 20min away on the 3km long beach of Macabou you will meet a maximum of 5 people during the week.

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The friendly people of Martinique complete the relaxed and Caribbean atmosphere. This is certainly helped by the fact that, despite their partial reservations about the former colonial power, they profit from their affiliation with France and therefore, in comparison to other islands, there is considerably less poverty to be found.
Of course, we as tourists also benefit from this affiliation.
Daily multiple flights from Paris, for manageable money, EU roaming to work, a comparatively well developed road network to name just a few things....
Martinique is for us: Sans chichi ni flaflas - la bonne vie.
(No fuss, no muss - just the good life!).

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Two more pieces of information for you to finish with:
Language:
Of course, speaking some French here is a good advantage. This is very much appreciated by the locals. But in the meantime, you can get by quite well with English in France too.
Cost of living:
Gastronomy and food costs are about +10-15% related to the mother country France, about +20% related to food in Germany. But in the end it depends on your personal requirements.
In part 2, we will introduce you to a few water sports spots on the island in 14 days.
Pointe Faula and Cap Chevalier for windsurfers, kiters and stand up paddlers,
Le Marin and Sainte Sainte-Anne for sailors,
Tartane for surfers.
Until then, have a good time and stay healthy.
Your waterholic®-Team.
PS.: If you have any questions about Martinique we are looking forward to your email.

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