Rare mitsugirly Posted December 30, 2017 #1 Share Posted December 30, 2017 This will be our first time visiting Martinique and have no idea what to do there. We will be in port from 8-5pm and from what I'm seeing, we will only be there with 1 other ship (Seabourn Odyssey?). We LOVE the beach and beautiful surroundings. If there's snorkeling there, that's an added plus. We are really not into tours or booze or food places that you "must try out". We're not "historical" buffs or anything like that. We pretty much like the beach. If there's a "must do" tour that Martinique is known for, like four-wheeling or this island excursion you can only reach by boat" ....or whatever, then let me know and we'll consider it. Otherwise, we want beaches and we usually like to do them on our own and not using the ship tour. List your suggestions how to get there? how long it takes to get there? Entrance fee? Facilities there for food/drinks/restroom? Any pricing for above would be great. Snorkeling? Chair rental? and anything else I might need to know. Thanks in advance. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PORT ROYAL Posted December 30, 2017 #2 Share Posted December 30, 2017 (edited) This will be our first time visiting Martinique and have no idea what to do there. We will be in port from 8-5pm and from what I'm seeing, we will only be there with 1 other ship (Seabourn Odyssey?). We LOVE the beach and beautiful surroundings. If there's snorkeling there, that's an added plus. We are really not into tours or booze or food places that you "must try out". We're not "historical" buffs or anything like that. We pretty much like the beach. If there's a "must do" tour that Martinique is known for, like four-wheeling or this island excursion you can only reach by boat" ....or whatever, then let me know and we'll consider it. Otherwise, we want beaches and we usually like to do them on our own and not using the ship tour. List your suggestions how to get there? how long it takes to get there? Entrance fee? Facilities there for food/drinks/restroom? Any pricing for above would be great. Snorkeling? Chair rental? and anything else I might need to know. Thanks in advance. :) If it is just a beach with facilities, without the special experience of top end restaurants/bars, or Herds, then head to Pointe du Marin Sainte-Anne, and pick your spot. About 50/60 minutes from the port. Gave €75.00 for each taxi including tip (4 Pax) each way. 2 Beds & umberella €20.00 Bars and finger food. No charge to enter the beach. Edited December 30, 2017 by PORT ROYAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 2, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted January 2, 2018 If it is just a beach with facilities, without the special experience of top end restaurants/bars, or Herds, then head to Pointe du Marin Sainte-Anne, and pick your spot.About 50/60 minutes from the port. Gave €75.00 for each taxi including tip (4 Pax) each way. 2 Beds & umberella €20.00 Bars and finger food. No charge to enter the beach. I looked at some pictures online and that looks like an amazing place. But an hour drive...I'm not sure about that. So the US conversion on that...would that be $90 each way??? :o I definitely won't be doing that if that's the amount. Yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggiepuff Posted January 2, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 2, 2018 I was reading about a water ferry for something like $8 round trip that takes you to two different beaches and I believe it was a short trip, maybe like 20 minutes? When will you be there? I read a few of your other cruise reviews and took some of your advice on where to go! We will be hitting Martinique on Feb 21st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsxgrl28 Posted January 2, 2018 #5 Share Posted January 2, 2018 We are same her - 1st timers looking for beach. Any with jet skis? - the DH's big thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 3, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted January 3, 2018 I was reading about a water ferry for something like $8 round trip that takes you to two different beaches and I believe it was a short trip, maybe like 20 minutes? When will you be there? I read a few of your other cruise reviews and took some of your advice on where to go! We will be hitting Martinique on Feb 21st. Where do you catch this water ferry? It takes you to 2 different beaches? As in hop on it and go to a beach and hop back on it to head to another and then back? That sounds interesting. We will be there in April...so you get to go first. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggiepuff Posted January 4, 2018 #7 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Where do you catch this water ferry? It takes you to 2 different beaches? As in hop on it and go to a beach and hop back on it to head to another and then back? That sounds interesting. We will be there in April...so you get to go first. ;) So I believe there's a pier right near the cruise ship dock in Fort de France. Walking distance. I think there are a couple different ferries or taxis (whatever they call them). I believe it goes to Anse Mitan and then Anse a l'Ane. That ferry or another one goes to point du Bout, which apparently is a little town and you can walk (10-15 minutes) to the beach from there. I read that the ferries can get crowded at the end of the day, so watch your time going back. Also, I read that they run behind the schedule. I think this is what we are going to do there, I'll let you know how I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmarya Posted January 6, 2018 #8 Share Posted January 6, 2018 We took the ferry to the beach at Pointe DuBout back in late November. To get to the ferry, assuming you are docked at the main pier, take a right and walk a short distance (beyond the vendors) to a couple of piers. I think the ferry pier is the second one, just look for the sign. When we were there it was $7 US or 7 Euros round trip. There are also ferries to Anse a l' Ane and Anse Mitan. Here is a link to the ferry schedule: http://www.vedettestropicales.com/horaires-dessertes-vedettes-tropicales/ We stayed at Pointe DuBout and swam in the coves there--calm clear water with decent snorkeling around the outside of the coves. There were no chair rentals there--you would probably have to go to one of the other beaches for that, though there is a hotel where you might be able to rent chairs. There is a public restroom when you get off the ferry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanthor13 Posted January 10, 2018 #9 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Make a right along the water after exitING cruise terminal...10 min walk to ferries. 2 Ferries: one that goes to Pointe du Bout and the other with 2 stops: Anse l'Ane and Anse Mitan. RT fare is $7US, $5US for children age 5 -10. We were disappointed by Anse l'Ane. Beach was dirty, sand was grey, water was cold and murky. Most of the storefronts were closed or abandoned. From the ferry, Anse Mitan beach quality looked similar...except beach here looked smaller, there were more people, more shops looked open. My understanding is that the truly nice beaches are at least an hour away from the cruise port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 13, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted January 13, 2018 So I believe there's a pier right near the cruise ship dock in Fort de France. Walking distance. I think there are a couple different ferries or taxis (whatever they call them). I believe it goes to Anse Mitan and then Anse a l'Ane. That ferry or another one goes to point du Bout, which apparently is a little town and you can walk (10-15 minutes) to the beach from there. I read that the ferries can get crowded at the end of the day, so watch your time going back. Also, I read that they run behind the schedule. I think this is what we are going to do there, I'll let you know how I like it! Thanks so much for the info. Yes, please let me know how you liked it. We took the ferry to the beach at Pointe DuBout back in late November. To get to the ferry, assuming you are docked at the main pier, take a right and walk a short distance (beyond the vendors) to a couple of piers. I think the ferry pier is the second one, just look for the sign. When we were there it was $7 US or 7 Euros round trip. There are also ferries to Anse a l' Ane and Anse Mitan. Here is a link to the ferry schedule:http://www.vedettestropicales.com/horaires-dessertes-vedettes-tropicales/ We stayed at Pointe DuBout and swam in the coves there--calm clear water with decent snorkeling around the outside of the coves. There were no chair rentals there--you would probably have to go to one of the other beaches for that, though there is a hotel where you might be able to rent chairs. There is a public restroom when you get off the ferry. Thanks so much for the info on the ferries and the schedule. I appreciate it. So since there is no chair rental there, I suppose there isn't any vendors for drinks or food either? Make a right along the water after exitING cruise terminal...10 min walk to ferries. 2 Ferries: one that goes to Pointe du Bout and the other with 2 stops: Anse l'Ane and Anse Mitan. RT fare is $7US, $5US for children age 5 -10.We were disappointed by Anse l'Ane. Beach was dirty, sand was grey, water was cold and murky. Most of the storefronts were closed or abandoned. From the ferry, Anse Mitan beach quality looked similar...except beach here looked smaller, there were more people, more shops looked open. My understanding is that the truly nice beaches are at least an hour away from the cruise port. Thanks for the ferry info. Aww, sorry to hear you were disappointed in Anse A L'ane and Anse Mitan. I did look up pictures of these and I see what you mean by the grey colored sand/beach. The pictures that I have seen does look like the water itself is beautiful though. I'll have to check more into Pointe De Bout but it looks pretty nice there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted February 17, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted February 17, 2018 So just wondering... Is it even possible to visit all 3 of the beaches? Or not possible since there are 2 different water taxi's to get you there? Which direction does the water taxi go? Like what is the first drop off (beach area) and do you just catch the taxi and go to the next after that? Is this possible? I'm just so undecided on which beach to visit and would like to go to more than one if possible. Pro's and con's of doing this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofcool1947 Posted February 18, 2018 #12 Share Posted February 18, 2018 So just wondering... Is it even possible to visit all 3 of the beaches? Or not possible since there are 2 different water taxi's to get you there? Which direction does the water taxi go? Like what is the first drop off (beach area) and do you just catch the taxi and go to the next after that? Is this possible? I'm just so undecided on which beach to visit and would like to go to more than one if possible. Pro's and con's of doing this... Are any of the beaches clothing optional? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted February 25, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted February 25, 2018 BUMP on my question? So just wondering... Is it even possible to visit all 3 of the beaches? Or not possible since there are 2 different water taxi's to get you there? Which direction does the water taxi go? Like what is the first drop off (beach area) and do you just catch the taxi and go to the next after that? Is this possible? I'm just so undecided on which beach to visit and would like to go to more than one if possible. Pro's and con's of doing this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrilled2012 Posted March 4, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Another BUMP for OPs question. Personally, I prefer clothed beaches lol...as my kids get all wide-eyed at clothing optional. Topless...no problem. Clothing optional...yikes. I'd rather not have to explain that to the kiddos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofcool1947 Posted March 4, 2018 #15 Share Posted March 4, 2018 (edited) Another BUMP for OPs question. Personally, I prefer clothed beaches lol...as my kids get all wide-eyed at clothing optional. Topless...no problem. Clothing optional...yikes. I'd rather not have to explain that to the kiddos. I enjoy tanning in the nude. So do you know if there are any nude beaches on Martinique? Edited March 4, 2018 by Kingofcool1947 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iatag Posted March 6, 2018 #16 Share Posted March 6, 2018 BUMP on my question? Have you got it figured out yet, Mitsugirly? If so, please post your findings. Here is what I've been able to gather (inconclusively) from various posts as I am researching this port as well. You could take the ferry from FdF to A'L Ane. This ferry makes a second stop in Mitan, but I believe you could explore A'L Ane first, then catch a later ferry to Mitan. From Mitan it would be a 10-15 minute walk to Pointe du Bout. Then ferry back to FdF from there. Other posts indicate you do not have to return from the same route you started on. Here is a link to ferry routes and times: http://www.vedettestropicales.com/horaires-dessertes-vedettes-tropicales/ I've enjoyed some of your past reviews. Hope you have another nice adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted March 10, 2018 Author #17 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Have you got it figured out yet, Mitsugirly? If so, please post your findings.Here is what I've been able to gather (inconclusively) from various posts as I am researching this port as well. You could take the ferry from FdF to A'L Ane. This ferry makes a second stop in Mitan, but I believe you could explore A'L Ane first, then catch a later ferry to Mitan. From Mitan it would be a 10-15 minute walk to Pointe du Bout. Then ferry back to FdF from there. Other posts indicate you do not have to return from the same route you started on. Here is a link to ferry routes and times: http://www.vedettestropicales.com/horaires-dessertes-vedettes-tropicales/ I've enjoyed some of your past reviews. Hope you have another nice adventure. No not really. I guess you could get off at the furthest beach away, then take the ferry to the next and then walk across to the other but no one has said if you have to pay again or can use the same ferry ticket. I think (just from research) that maybe we'll just do the 2 beaches...getting off at Mitan and then walk over to Pointe du Bout. either way, I'm sure we'll have a great day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayjo Posted March 13, 2018 #18 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Just visited Martinique last week and wanted to go to the beach, but the water was very rough and all water excursions were cancelled. We ended up walking around the town and then tried to figure out the ferry boat schedule, but gave up since we speak and read limited French and the water was so rough decided to just get back on the boat. I am not sure anyone was allowed to swim at any of the beaches, we were told they were all closed, so I hope you have better weather and an understanding of French. It is very expensive place, so you should eat a big breakfast on the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted March 13, 2018 Author #19 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Just visited Martinique last week and wanted to go to the beach, but the water was very rough and all water excursions were cancelled. We ended up walking around the town and then tried to figure out the ferry boat schedule, but gave up since we speak and read limited French and the water was so rough decided to just get back on the boat. I am not sure anyone was allowed to swim at any of the beaches, we were told they were all closed, so I hope you have better weather and an understanding of French. It is very expensive place, so you should eat a big breakfast on the boat. Aww, so sorry to hear it wasn't a great day. Hopefully we'll have better weather. Wasn't there anyone who spoke English? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PORT ROYAL Posted March 14, 2018 #20 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Just visited Martinique last week and wanted to go to the beach, but the water was very rough and all water excursions were cancelled. We ended up walking around the town and then tried to figure out the ferry boat schedule, but gave up since we speak and read limited French and the water was so rough decided to just get back on the boat. I am not sure anyone was allowed to swim at any of the beaches, we were told they were all closed, so I hope you have better weather and an understanding of French. It is very expensive place, so you should eat a big breakfast on the boat. "Expensive" is perceived from one's personal perspective. Personally, we find Martinique prices very reasonable, having many good restaurants and beaches, which we encourage people to visit. Also, good Rhums are sometimes one third of the UK prices, and in most cases about half price of U.K. offerings. The same applies to fine Wines, where one only pays French tax and Duties. Remember, those living outside the EU can purchase Tax Free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PORT ROYAL Posted March 14, 2018 #21 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Aww, so sorry to hear it wasn't a great day. Hopefully we'll have better weather. Wasn't there anyone who spoke English? The French education system is noted for the emphasis placed on linguistic skills, with English included within the syllabus. Sometimes, people may, for whatever reason, wish not to engage with some tourists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgbcruise Posted March 21, 2018 #22 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Just back off the Royal Princess. I have to say Matrinique has done an Amazing job with the signs. We docked in a different spot than expected. Looking at the port from the bay we docked to the right of Fort Louise. This made for a longer walk to the farriers. It was very easy to get to. We went to Anse A L'ane. it was a much smaller beach. It was the first stop for us. There we went to the right of the dock. We rented to chairs and an umbrella for $19.00 for the whole day. The man spoke some English. There was a young lady in the restaurant 3V that spoke English. She let us open a tab, we did have to walk up to the counter each time to order. They do over table service, just not chair bar service. The prices where good. We had a wonder relaxing day on the beach. There where plenty of spots to set you stuff if you didn't want to rent a chair. We collected a lot of shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofcool1947 Posted March 21, 2018 #23 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Just back off the Royal Princess. I have to say Matrinique has done an Amazing job with the signs. We docked in a different spot than expected. Looking at the port from the bay we docked to the right of Fort Louise. This made for a longer walk to the farriers. It was very easy to get to. We went to Anse A L'ane. it was a much smaller beach. It was the first stop for us. There we went to the right of the dock. We rented to chairs and an umbrella for $19.00 for the whole day. The man spoke some English. There was a young lady in the restaurant 3V that spoke English. She let us open a tab, we did have to walk up to the counter each time to order. They do over table service, just not chair bar service. The prices where good. We had a wonder relaxing day on the beach. There where plenty of spots to set you stuff if you didn't want to rent a chair. We collected a lot of shells. Thanks for the report. One question: Re: Farriers. You walked to a horseback stable? Can you rent a horse to ride on the beach? How much did you pay to rent a horse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie cruises Posted April 11, 2018 #24 Share Posted April 11, 2018 Another BUMP for OPs question. Personally, I prefer clothed beaches lol...as my kids get all wide-eyed at clothing optional. Topless...no problem. Clothing optional...yikes. I'd rather not have to explain that to the kiddos. Explain what? Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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