There are some 20 towns outside capital Fort-de-France, with honorable mention for appealing going to Les Anses d´Arlet (pop. around 3,800) in the southwest, famed for its iconic waterfront view – and “Three Islets” (known as Twazilé in Creole), is definitely one not to miss. In fact, it´s Martinique´s top resort town, and arguably more popular than the capital just across the bay. Less than a than a half hour´s drive away and just 20 minutes by ferry, this charmer of around 7,500 is packed with – besides its characteristic brick-and-clapboard houses – a wide choice of restaurants, nightspots, shops, and all manner of hotels, resorts, inns, and guesthouses.
Check out the colorful public market, as well as a number of worthwhile historical/cultural landmarks, including the Church of Notre-Dame de la Bonne Déliverance (started in 1724 and not finished till 1955!) and most especially La Pagerie, a modest cottage-turned museum on the outskirts of town which was the birthplace in 1763 of a certain Marie Joseph Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, who shacked up with some dude named Napoleon Bonaparte and became France´s Empress Josephine. (I still remember visiting and being interviewed here by a local TV channel on the subject of tourism because I spoke some French.) There´s also a trio of interesting museums, devoted to sugarcane, coffee and cocoa, and seashells.
Also on the outskirts you´ll find La Poterie, a pottery village and brickworks in operation since the 1783, where visitors can see it all being crafted and of course shop for mementos – both pottery and other arts and crafts. Also not far from town, La Savane des Esclaves is a privately owned 12-acre (4.85ha) outdoor museum showcasing the island´s terrible history of slavery as well as its pre-Columbia peoples, including exhibits and reconstructed huts.
(And by the way, if you love to golf, check out the fantastic seaside 18-holer here. Also, in case you were wondering, the titular three islets are Charles, Sixtain, and Thebloux out in the bay.)
Read more in my post Martinique, C'est Magnifique!
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