Martinique and Saint Lucia: an ultra-marine combination

Report Serge Barret - Photos Alain Parinet

They've all been there: intellectuals, artists, lawyers, journalists, the upper middle class and the lower middle class too... In short, the whole of Fort-de-France has at one time or another sat down at one of the tables in the café of the Hôtel Impératrice, clearly an ocean liner with its balconies with rounded railings at the corners. a nod to the Roaring Twenties of Miami, not so far from Martinique. You always come to the café at the Hôtel Impératrice, and sitting on its little terrace means taking the time to observe local customs. With regulars almost holding a salon, passers-by stopping for a second to make sure they don't forget to say hello; a slightly provincial way of doing things, but a way led by a funny waitress with a hoarse voice and a Parisian accent.

Opposite is the Savane, the city's park and green lung, which not so long ago was virtually uncultivated, uninhabitable in the evenings, the scene of all kinds of trafficking and, incidentally, all kinds of danger. Today, at the behest of the local council, the area has been reclaimed, lined with kiosks selling pizzas, sandwiches and kebabs, and planted with trees and flowers representing the island's different species. It extends the Foyal MaleconThis urban success story has created a gigantic seafront with a promenade, restaurants and cafés for young people who enjoy life to the full.

Victor Schoelcher wrote in 1848: "The freedom of one man is a fragment of universal freedom; you cannot touch one without compromising all at once". From the advocate of the abolition of slavery to Aimé Césaire and Frantz Fanon, the history of colonisation is written in the background in Martinique.

Still on the Rue de la Liberté side of La Savane, you can marvel at the architectural jewel of Martinique's capital, the marvellous Schoelcher Library. A metal-framed edifice built for the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris and brought here piece by piece. The style is a sort of potpourri, oscillating between Roman, Byzantine, Baroque, neo-colonial and, above all, Eiffelian. The interior is bright and airy, with a metal staircase, large picture windows and endless shelves of books to browse through. It is also used as a space for exhibitions and conferences, and even for chic cocktail parties.

This audacious jewel is the work of Pierre Henri-Pick, who also designed the nearby cathedral, which is so influenced by Eiffel's style that you can immediately recognise his handiwork. Right down to the extravagant bell tower, recognisable by its metal structure alone. Not a single tile, not the slightest sheet of metal, nothing but structural steel. In front, a small square and a few benches where ladies in fancy dress chat in Creole. All around are streets of little charm, so destroyed have they been by successive fires and earthquakes, but with a few remarkable houses and buildings here and there. Everything here is small, including the Galeries Lafayette, which rises up, but not too high, in a pretty 1930s style. Of course, there are fashion boutiques, such as Desigual, Lacoste and many others that are ultra trendy; but perhaps you'd prefer to linger over the charm of yesteryear, over a few tiny shop windows, almost milliners, where you don't mind the frou-frou or the knot-knot, and which correspond perfectly to the idea you have in metropolitan France of West Indian Sundays.

Farewell madras

Afterwards, there's the inevitable diversions to the market, which, like all tropical markets, is bursting at the seams with all the fruits and vegetables of creation. A few old and very fat ladies still wear madras, dresses and scarves, but this is more of a marketing exercise than an everyday item of clothing that has largely been put away. After all, the famous checks from ancient India are no longer the order of the day in Martinique. Above all, they are tourists' delightIt's the same for business and leisure travellers alike, who flock to the stalls selling the famous fabric by the metre in the neighbouring streets. Madras in predominantly blue, red or yellow... all the colours of the chromatic circle that are sure to cover garden tables with sunshine next summer in mainland France.

However, Fort-de-France has not always been the capital of Martinique. It used to be Saint-Pierre, just 31 km away, because the island isn't that big - roughly 60 km long and 30 km wide. Before what? Before the explosion of Mount PeléeThe history of this volcano will be revealed a little later, when we visit the brand new museum, which provides a perfectly didactic account of the tragedy, backed up by images. On the way - it's still early - we'll be sure to stop off at Belle Fontaine for a late Creole breakfast, almost like a brunch, and watch the spectacular return of the fishing boats. The gigantic net, sometimes 500 metres long, is hauled up to the top of the beach by hand, filled with fish if possible. Raphael Concept offers the perfect incentive exercise. The initiative deserves to be highlighted, but also supported by business groups who, at the same time, show their interest in a different kind of tourism, one that is in some ways a little more committed.

Far from Creole clichés

Raphael Concept is not alone on the island in this respect. Young companies are springing up all over the place, like Lakou A, based in the heights of Le Morne, which offers tradition days with the aim of introducing visitors to the island's traditions. the bèlè cultureIt also includes the "lafouytè", in other words the work in the fields as practised by slaves, to the sound of the drum. And here we have an extremely fun version for groups. The carbet for groups may be a little rootsy, but the lunch served there is also an opportunity to discover a wonderful family cuisine, light years away from the clichés of cod acras and Creole black pudding.

Innovative concepts initiated by young people in tune with the timesBut there are many more. For example, there's this eco-lodge near Benguette-Le Vauclin called Les Bulles, an idea for luxury rooms set in transparent plastic bubbles in the middle of the rainforest. On rainy days, it's simply marvellous. Unfortunately, there are still too few bubbles for a business tourism group.

Now it's time to get back on the road towards Saint-Pierre, passing a black sandy beach painted by Paul Gauguin when he stayed on the island, and instantly recognisable if you're interested in the painter's work. Then there's Saint-Pierre, a sudden arrival after the tunnel that opened up the island in 1935. A Saint-Pierre that distils a very special atmosphereThe streets are empty, the shops are closed and the shutters are shut. It's like the end of the world. Something strangely haunted. Up ahead is the sea. Behind, seven kilometres away, the 1,397-metre peak of Mount Pelée, and in the middle, the sleepy town and the remnants of its brilliant past. Here's the story.

These islands have come and gone, sometimes in the hands of the English, sometimes in those of the French. Martinique and Saint Lucia, just an hour's boat ride apart, are nevertheless united by the same spirit, that of the Caribbean, and offer themselves in combination to business tourists.

In the XIX^e In the 19th century, Saint-Pierre was a flourishing port city, cosmopolitan and cultural, a hub for the West Indies, but also a city with a sulphurous reputation, with countless cabarets, cafés-concerts, girls for hire and bad boys... In 1900, it had an opera house, a tramway, a stock exchange, a nursing home, churches and a cathedral... As a result, it was nicknamed the "City of the West Indies". "Little Paris of the West Indies. Then came February 1902 and a few fumaroles above the volcano, but nothing alarming. In April, there was a slight earthquake and a small shower of ash. On 5 May, a mudflow... Until the morning of 8 May, when a blast preceded a fiery cloud and splashes of smoking mud. Ten times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, they say. The dazzle and 90 seconds later, nothing. The city is dead. Wiped off the map. Of the 30,000 inhabitants transformed into heat and light, nothing remains. Oh yes, there is! A boat moored a long way out in the bay and a man, a prisoner who'd been locked up for getting drunk and fighting. So much for rum! His cell is still there, a sort of miraculous cave that saved the one and only survivor. The ruins of the opera house, the cathedral and many others are also still there...

To get a better idea of the scale of the disaster, visit the brand new museum where photos and artefacts, including the cathedral's half-melted bell, are on display for educational purposes. Films made immediately after the volcano erupted are also shown. You don't get out of there unscathed. In spite of everything, some villages and plantations in the surrounding area were more or less spared. And why? Perhaps simply because they were on the other side of the mountain... The fact remains that the Céron dwelling, a 17th-century estate, was not destroyed.^e century, is still there, with its fully restored manor house in the 90s by a couple who were as extravagant as they were courageous. Their children have now taken up the torch and opened the park, classified as a "remarkable garden", where a tree, a zamana, presides, covering 5,000 m² The tree has been awarded the title of 'most beautiful tree in France'. The rest is cacao, fruit trees, tropical forest and mountain whitewater. An enchantment. The restaurant, on the banks of the torrent, has made a speciality of crayfish a la plancha and serves only fresh produce flavoured with wild herbs and beautifully decorated with edible flowers. Business tourism groups from mainland France, and more generally from all over the world, come here one after the other.

Liquid gold

However, Martinique's former fortune was not really based on cocoa. Its real business was growing cocoa around the plantations, extracting sugar from it and distilling it before taking it across the Atlantic on beautiful sailing ships. Sugar cane, rum! Liquid gold. Some of these plantations are still there, with, as a highlight, the sumptuous "habitations", as they are called in Martinique. Some, like the Clément dwelling, have gone down in history as the venue for official international meetings; others, more discreet and also much lighter, are still inhabited and sometimes open a few rooms to enlightened enthusiasts, and above all still distil cane within their walls steeped in history. One of them, the Simon dwelling, founded in 1710 and magnificently redecorated in a contemporary style, has been producing a very top-of-the-range rum for some years now, under the leadership of Yves Assier de Pompignan, and organises enlightened guided tours of the house, distillery and cellars on request... Far removed from the large industrial units, it is on a human scale, charming, and gives a real insight into the process of making this famous spirit.

The story remains. All those slaves who once ran the shops and built the fortunes, one of the greatest scandals in the saga of mankind. Their living conditions are perfectly illustrated a little further on in the countryside of the three islets, where a passionate man, Gilbert Larose, has reconstructed an entire village: the Savane des Esclaves. The three-hectare site is made up of tiny furnished huts, a Case-Nègres street and a very well-designed trail recounting the terrible way in which the workforce of the time was treated, including punishments.

Sailors as chic as they are seasoned

And then the sea. The seaside. Endless beaches, white sand, narcissistic coconut palms leaning over turquoise waters and indolent little ports... that's what you find in the south of the island. With all the facilities needed to welcome the sun-seeking tourist world. Here and there, there are remarkable concepts such as Cook and Sail by Zanzibar, a gourmet and refined concept organised around a restaurant and a catamaran. The restaurant, a cosy, chic two-storey building with sea views, serves reinterpreted local cuisine and welcomes large groups. The boat, meanwhile, owned by the same couple of chic, seasoned sailors, is truly exclusive, as it can only accommodate eight people on a cruise, although a few more can be accommodated for a cocktail at sunset. The same idea of gastronomy and cruising can be combined on request for a few hours or a few days; to Saint Lucia, for example, to reach this nearby land whose lights can be seen in the evening from Martinique.

For its Creole culture, of course, for its stunning greenery, but above all for all the nature and water sports activities that go with it: Saint Lucia is known for its top-of-the-range beachfront resorts, perfect for relaxation and incentives.

As part of a Caribbean package, the Martinique-Sainte-Lucie association The two islands, just 20 minutes by plane or 1? hours by boat, complement each other perfectly. Even if, on the whole, they offer the same services for corporate groups, each in its own style. There are, however, some notable differences, particularly when it comes to the tropical landscapes that abound in Saint Lucia. It's quite simple, just leave the seaside and you're in the jungle. Hills, giant trees, climbing plants, tangled lianas, clumps of banana trees... All of this, and more! in an old-fashioned landscape, with tiny roads full of potholes, hairpin bends, simple houses bursting with colour, nonchalant villages with tin-roofed churches buried in the exuberance of the forest and, from time to time, a few impromptu markets brimming with exoticism. The markets are as busy as the shoppers.

That's for the day-to-day, ordinary life in an English-speaking country, as Saint Lucia was passed back and forth from English to French hands, and vice versa, until 1814, when the English settled on the island for good. Today, Saint Lucia has been independent since 1979. However, the to-and-fro between the English and French colonisers has left many traces. For example, if children today go to to school in uniform and speak English, when they're with their families they use a Creole that's heavily laced with French words. And the same goes for the names of the villages and localities, some of which are downright hilarious: anse Jambon, anse l'Ivrogne, Moule à chique, Mount Grand Magazin...

The country, which is predominantly made up of descendants of African ancestors - only 4 % of the population is of European or Caribbean descent - is clearly much less wealthy than its neighbour Martinique. Nevertheless, tourists enjoy a much higher standard of accommodation, with some establishments going as far as to offer absolute luxury. And so much the better for business tourism, which finds all the criteria necessary for a successful operation here: rooms as gigantic as they are luxurious, gourmet restaurants, well-equipped meeting rooms...

Postcard landscapes

When it comes to activities, it's downright Byzantine. Starting with this gondola ride above the canopy. Then there's the accrobranche (tree climbing) experience, with ziplines running from giant tree to giant tree via platforms hooked around the trunks. Then there's a 2.5-hour mini-catamaran cruise from Castries, the capital, to Soufrière, where the two sugar loaves set in the sea make the island one of the most beautiful in the world. the most beautiful postcards of the island. And then there are the horse riding, quad biking, buggy tours, volcanic mud baths, speed boating around the peaks, sunset cruises on a replica pirate ship, bike rides, visits to rum distilleries and cocoa plantations, cookery classes, segway, diving, deep-sea fishing, and even a helicopter tour of the island... As you can see, the country has plenty to offer.

That leaves Castries, a capital of 20,000 inhabitants, where it all begins and ends, with its port and airport. It's a tiny town, with no real heritage interest, but one that has its reasons, since it was completely destroyed by fire in 1948. So, as in all the Caribbean, there's a central market geared more towards tourist products. But above all, there's everything that goes on outside, just across the street, in the stalls and restaurants, improbable bistros spilling out onto the pavement where people play dominoes. But above all, there's an extraordinarily decorated cathedral There's also an old French colonial house on the outskirts of the town, which has been transformed into a restaurant.

And that's it. At eight o'clock in the evening, nothing more happens, everything is dead. Except on Fridays, when the crowds head for nearby Gros Islet to be exact. Why would they do that? It's because the wild party The 'Jump Up', as it is known, is a must. For locals and tourists alike, all packed together for the occasion. At around 11 o'clock in the evening, bars, restaurants, kiosks and barbecues are improvised in the middle of the street; the crowd is dense, the beer and rum flow freely in the fumes; the music coming from the giga-baffles - rap, reggae, soul, socca, rock or pop - is ear-piercing. People are singing and dancing in the streets until dawn. If you're a corporate band, this will be your last night out before the plane home. A tropical night that proves all the clichés: really, really hot.