Martinique is the definition of a refined French-Caribbean island  fashionable and elegant, with an abundance of flora. Filled with ruins and monuments, Martinique has been French, with few interruptions, since 1635, and offers gorgeous beaches, great food and a live volcano. Banana farming, cane raising, the rum business and tourism are all important to the island. Napoleons empress Josephine hailed from Martinique, as did Aime Dubuc de Rivery, who was kidnapped at sea and made Sultana Valid, mother of Turkeys Sultan Mahmoud II. Its many small museums focus on curiosities such as dolls, banana farming and ancient island civilizations. Hikers and horseback riders will find plenty of guided adventures among the steep, lush hillsides. Windsurfers and board surfers will welcome the challenges of the choppy Atlantic side of the island.

The capital, Fort-de-France, offers chic shops, the flowered Park Savanne, the Bibliothque Schoelcher, and the Saint-Louis Cathedral, built in 1895. Restaurants are among the best in the islands. Pointe du Bout is the islands main resort area, offering hotels, golf, shopping and casino nightlife. North along the coast is St. Pierre, which was destroyed, along with its 30,000 residents, in 1902 when Mont Pele erupted. The Museum of Vulcanology there displays chilling lava-coated mementoes. Carbet, a quaint fishing village, was briefly home for French painter Paul Gauguin, and inland is Morne Rouge, site of MacIntosh Plantation, cultivator of Martiniques well-known flower, the anthurium. Be sure to tour one of Martiniques 12 fine rum distilleries. The island boasts Frances official appellation for producing agricultural Rhum (a label like Cognac or Champagne).

Lamentin International Airport (FDF) - a large modern terminal building. From Airport to: Fort-de-France-10 km, Pointe du Bout-20 km, Sainte Anne-35 km, Sainte Pierre-42 km. Gateways/Flying Times: New York-4.5 hours. Montreal-5 hours. Paris-7 hours. Miami-3.5 hours. The mean temperature averages about 79 degrees F. Average humidity 75%. The rainy season is from the end of August to October. Approximate sunrise-0530. Approximate sunset-1815. Restaurants available-Local. Fast food. French. Gourmet. International. Chinese. Creole cuisine. Vietnamese. Oriental. Service charge is usually added to the bill, otherwise tipping is at your discretion. Dress code is casual. French is the official language. Creole is spoken locally. English is spoken in the tourist areas. Entertainment available includes-Discos. Nightclubs. Cabarets. Dinner/dances. Theaters. Casino at Meridien Hotel and at Bateliere Plazza. Cinemas. Live Music. Fort-de-France, the capital city. La Pagerie, birthplace of Martiniques most famous daughter: Josephine, Napoleons Empress. Diamond Rock. Botanical Gardens where you can admire over a thousand varieties of tropical and local plants. Cockfights. St Pierre and the ruins from eruption of Mt. Pelee, the Pompeii of the New World. Volcanological museum. Castle DuBuc. Mont Pelee.

Source: Luc Olivier for the Martinique Tourist Board