Martinique, My Kind Of Layover

I can't just see this from the plane and leave!

      I had done a trip to the Forgotten Corner of South America in March of 2024, Guyana, Suriname, and ending in French Guiana (why do they spell it different than Guyana???), my last stop had been Cayenne. I had to figure out how to get back to the USA. My initial forum sources and tour company sources recommended taking an 8 hour bus back to Paramibmo, Suriname, or to fly to France and connect back to the USA! Neither seemed like a cozy option so instead I opted to do my own research. 

     There are several websites you can use for this, I believe I had used www.flightconnections.com to research where I could actually fly from Cayenne. I was fairly certain they were right about no direct flights to the USA, but I had faith that I could find a connection somewhere in the Caribbean, and maybe even make a layover trip out of it. And suddenly there it was, a flight to FDF and back to MIA.... And I ALWAYS make a layover of Miami, as it's one of my favorite places in the USA. But FDF.... I had no idea where that was in the Caribbean... A quick google search told me Martinique... A place I had loosely heard of, but didn't know too much about it... That quick google search also told me it was definitely going to be a layover trip!

     I rented a car, and covered a lot of the island in two days that I made the layover... I planned on spending more time hiking and at the beach, but to be completely honest I was super sun burnt from South America, so I had to limit my outdoor time to the morning when it wasn't too bad out yet! I live in Arizona, so the heat I was used to, the power of the sun on the equator I was not!

Red skin with red swim wear!

Here's my go to advice to make the most out of Martinique on about a 36 hour layover, or Martinique in general!

• Rental car was easy, plenty of options from the airport, I chose enterprise which was a bit of a walk from the terminal with no shuttle options, no big deal for me, but if you were heavy on luggage something to consider.
  
                           
  
  
• I narrowed my search down to two spots on where to stay, Le Diamante, or Pointe Du Bout. I opted for Le Diamante as the Airbnb had a great view and the beach was better there. It was also a weekday layover so I wasn't too concerned with nightlife. However I will say....
  
  
• On my day trip around I stopped at Pointe Du Bout and think the night life there would be better. Not many night clubs, but definitely a good selection of bars.
  
  
  
  
  
• Speaking of not expecting night life on a weekday, it was Easter week, which is big here. So my Airbnb had a huge pool front/beach front party.... How could I say no???

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  This view in the morning took care of the mild hangover!
  
  

• Ok you got your rental car, my first stop on my road trip was the Anse Cafard Slave Memorial, a great monument to pay respects. Street parking was relatively easy.
  
             
  
  
• Go head next to the Les Anses-D'arlet church, to not go is like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Parking is easy if you go to the huge lot a little east. Also some dining options here for a quick bite. The beach is very nice and if I had more time and wasn't a lobster I would have spent more time there.
  
  
  
  
  
• There are COUNTLESS beautiful spots to stop along the road. I had no system other than heading to Point Du Bout along a loose Google Maps route. If it looked like a nice spot, I pulled over for a look or quick dip... Again that sunburn!
  
  
  
• French! I thought about learning some basic French when I went to Paris in 2012ish, I was already learning Russian for the same trip so I skipped French, thinking... it's a short part of the trip, when else am I gonna use French. This was my maybe 6th or 7th French speaking country, luckily I knew the basics, but wish I did maybe a week or two of tourist phrases.... 
  
                                                         
• Pointe Du Bout! Besides heading to the main city Fort De France, this was my spot to get some shopping unsuccesfully done, but also to get a nice cocktail, ice cream, and ice coffee!It's a more lively spot of the island outside the capital. So shopping I will note:
  
     
  
  
• I was looking for head phones, willing to pay tourist price, and to buy wireless or wired, to no avail. It was that moment I noticed electronics overall were scarce, so if you needed a phone charger etc, you would have to go the city for it. Just something to be mindful of.
  
  
• After some more beach hopping it was back to the hotel to catch the sunset....
  
                    
  
  
• Then dinner, I wanted the last meal to be a good one, I wasn't sure if I wanted French, Island food, or whatever I could find, the receptionist at the Airbnb led me to La Kaz’a Demus. I usually don't like to recommend dining on this blog, as my articles are sometimes written years later and the restaurant industry is so ever quickly rotating, but this was a must. She told me I had to try the burgers, I thought maybe this was because I was American but I ran with it.
  
  

  

  Its an lamp light in the background, but I also feel like its a somewhat heavenly divine light of the food Gods.

  
  I decided to go with it because there was not a lot nearby. I wasn't expecting much but I knew it was going to be somewhat good from her and online reviews, little did I know it was going to be one of the best burgers I ever had in my life! The staff was amazing, I did the cheesy appetizer if they still have it which was great. The burger itself was excellent, they had a cheese on it I've never had before with little bacon bits, the side salad itself was a delicious meal as well. I definitely recommend this place! Perfect last dinner to a beautiful layover.                 
  
  
• I had some locally bought Champagne when I got back and got a good nights rest. The next morning my Airbnb had an awesome dock to jump off so I did one more quick dip in the Atlantic, and a quick swim in the pool as well.
  
                          
  
  
  
• I headed to the airport with ample time and wanted to do breakfast along the way if I passed something. I should have used maps because I didn't pass anything. I ate at the airport which was ok. And I got my headphones I needed for airport pricing.

     As with all layover trips, a few more days would have been nice. I would say 4-7 days would by ideal for Martinique, maybe an extra two if you are scuba diving. But as always I was so happy I did this layover trip and got to experience a small part of the culture there. So one of the only phrases in French I know... Merci beaucoup Martinique! 

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Puerto Rico

      For me, when I travel, my constant goal for the next trip is to be the far opposite of the last trip. If the last trip was a desert adventure the next may be a city museum tour, if the last one was hiking in the South East Asia jungles the next one may be a road trip thru New England, you get the point. Spring of 2021 had rolled around and Covid restrictions were still high.  So very unlikely for me, but after just leaving the Caribbean in Jamaica a few months before, it was time to go back! But luckily there are enough difference between Jamaica and Puerto Rico that although climate was the same, the adventure aspect was definitely different. Here's my go to tips on how we enjoyed Puerto Rico and how you can as well as a budget traveler!

• Airbnb is going to go a long way here over the hotels and resorts, it's a much more fun way to experience the culture. We stayed at an old home in Old San Juan with a balcony over looking the street and ocean views on both sides. It had the perfect feel of living there not just visiting there at a much cheaper price than the resorts.
  
                     
  
  
• Speaking of Old San Juan, while I loved the beaches of PR my favorite part was Old San Juan. As a guy who loves South and Central America old San Juan is a similar experience of course with a little United States flavor. Just walking around seeing the old buildings, trying different food, drinks, and the coffee made for a fun day.
  
  
• We opted for a snorkel tour at Escambron Beach to check out the local sea turtles, as a budget traveler I can definitely say you can easily bring your own gear and do this on your own, but also as a guy that packs light with a carry on only I was happy to pay $40 or so for the tour guide who brought gear and was better at finding turtles than I would have been!
  
                               
  
  
• La Factoria is a tourist spot, but one well worth it, the famous Despacito video was filmed here, so while it's part tourist trap, the drinks are definitely top notch. Due to curfews I can't vouch for the party scene first hand, but I'm confident to say when Covid is over this is going to be a great spot to drink and dance the night away.
  
                            
  
  
• More old San Juan bars, roof top bars (Al Fresco for us), little alley bars, coffee stands, and fun street art.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  mmmmm!!!!

  
           
  
  
• And of course you want to check out Castillo de San Cristobal and Castillo de San Felipe del Morro (check out the cemetery here too!)
  
  
                                          
  
                 
  
  
• We also went further afield with Rocaliza Tours to visit the El Salto Waterfall and do a great hike there, some zip lining, some swimming, and to top it off the tour ends at a family home for a home cooked lunch!
  
  
  
  
                                                          
  
  
• Spanish helps but is definitely not needed, this is USA and just about everyone speaks English.
  
  
• Speaking of which, this is USA if you are a US citizen coming from the mainland, no passport needed.
  
  
• Prices overall were very cheap, not south America cheap, but north America cheap. Even at La Factoria and upscale restaurants, especially if you compare them to mainland big US cities.
  
  
• La Perla, to see or not to see? La Perla is a fascinating part of town because anywhere else in the USA a beach front area between two historic fortresses would be an expensive upscale tourist area. La Perla is not quite there, some dilapidated buildings, and definitely the feeling you probably shouldn't be there at night. That being said, day time, in a small group, you can check it out. Buy some lunch there and help out the area, because one day, it will rebound and then maybe we $ the budget travelers $ won't be able to enjoy it!!! 
  
                                            

  

  La Perla 
  
  

• Take it all in, breathe the ocean, taste the cocktails, dance, practice Spanish and have fun, its a great destination for a budget traveler and a perfect spot for a long weekend, or if you are lucky even longer to explore more!
  
  
  
  

     The first time I went to the Caribbean was close to 20 years ago in the Bahamas. I ended up going twice on Spring Break. I hope one day to go back there because I've learned a lot traveling to not just get drunk and party, but actually explore and learn (don't worry a lot of partying is still done!). Going back to back to the Caribbean for Jamaica and Puerto Rico was a gift. Being in the same region was not at all a repeat trip for me. Because each island has it's own flavor, it's own culture, it's own pace, and the same beautiful climate. We felt the pulse of San Juan, breathed in the air of the beaches, tasted so many great flavors, and discovered a part of the USA I've always known of but never truly knew. Claro, quiero regresar... ¡y te recomiendo que tú también lo hagas!

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