6 of the 7 Continents For The Budget Traveler: 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???

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!