14 Best Hotels in Martinique

A home away from home in the heights of Fort-de-France, Apolline is a modernist-style mansion with spacious rooms tucked away in a lush garden setting. Built in the 1930s, the hotel was recently renovated and decorated by Martinican designer Moana Luu; a Creole elegance permeates the property. The rooms are spacious and well equipped, and the infinity pool is heated. With the lush nature and the friendly staff, you will want to cocoon. There is also a table d'hôte with a chef available upon reservation. Do not hesitate to share your adventure plans with the personnel, who can help you plan.

One of the French chain's most upscale, sophisticated all-inclusive resorts offers a lot of fun, good food, and a huge, seaside pool to an international mix of singles, couples, and families (though there is no kids' club). There's a French-influenced main buffet, which is consistently appealing and often exceptional, as well as a beach lounge. You'll also find a boutique and a wine "cellar" and rum boutique. This resort has always been fun (DJ music is all around, even at the coffee bar), and everyone parties until the wee hours, heading out the next day to the spa for a rejuvenating massage or a marine body wrap so they can do it all over again. If you are staying elsewhere but want to sample the Club Med style, you can purchase a day or night pass.

Long one of our favorites, this heavenly hideaway is now a modern, Martinique landmark, with accommodations in Creole cases (cottages)—painted red, purple, and subtle earth tones—with contemporary bathrooms, and terraces that maximize the glorious sea views. The decor throughout is enlivened with the designer offerings from Bangkok, repurposed natural materials, paintings, and objets d'art. Suites (but not regular guest rooms) have private plunge pools; some have a second bath; massage services are available. The excellent terrace restaurant also has a deck with monumental bay views.

This hilltop boutique hotel gives Les Trois-Îlets some art-infused glamour and manages to maximize the Caribbean views from every room—even the bathrooms. Its vantage point allows for spectacular nighttime views, the star-spangled sky, and the lights of the village below, and recent renovations have redecorated all rooms and added terraces with Jacuzzis to suites. There is now 24-hour room service throughout and a small spa. The cascading infinity pool and bar are both highlights, as is breakfast. The six smaller suites have the superior views and gaze down on nine private villas with tropical gardens, covered terraces, solariums, outdoor showers, and Jacuzzis. French élan extends throughout, and two talented French chefs make their culinary magic at the alfresco, table d'hôte restaurant, where reservations are essential. Boat trips and other excursions can be arranged.

Unique in Martinique, this contemporary Caribbean villa complex is secluded amid acres of Zen-like gardens yet a short drive to Diamant’s beach and town, making it more of a slice of real island life than a tourist destination. It was designed by celebrated local architect Mike Parker to catch the cool breezes and furnished with French élan and artistic taste. The stylish, well-equipped kitchens and long dining tables make it well suited for families and/or social groups that may want to cook a little. (Private chefs can also be arranged.) Three villas have their own private pools; Villas Corossol, Maracudja, and Coco do not, but there is a main pool for everyone to use, with ample deck space and loungers. Even the smallest villa can sleep five persons, yet couples are welcome. The interior decor has the "wow" effect, with antique mirrors juxtaposed with French contemporary couches, plants, and frequent splashes of color—pinks, purples, and oranges.

Not to be confused with the military installation (Fort St-Louis) up the hill, this accommodation bills itself as a residence for both business travelers and tourists, though it doesn't have the full range of hotel amenities. Rooms range from simple doubles to studios with kitchenettes to commodious suites with well-equipped kitchenettes; all have an LCD TV, working desk, and free Wi-Fi. Some interior apartments have balconies overlooking a landscaped courtyard. Contemporary furnishings are in shades of maroon, and bedding and pillows are better than the norm. Units facing the street have double-paned windows. Although there’s not a lobby as such, there is an attractive sitting area in the second-floor elevator lobby.

Wrought-iron gates open to this lovely beachfront hotel, a throwback to gracious estate living, where you can cocoon yourself in colonial-era style. From the circular bar and the adjacent infinity pool, the views of the mountain peaks juxtaposed with the yachts in the bay are magical. Walk down the pier to the thatch-roof rotunda that shades the Coco Bar. (Lunch here is inexpensive, and the tropical drinks are super.) The bountiful breakfast is not included in the rate, but it's definitely a must-do. Suites offer down pillows and European linens, as well as comfy window seats, giving even the smallish beach-level rooms a sumptuous feel. Alas, they can be damp, and on weekends, when people party, are too loud. At night, entertainment makes this one of the island's social centers.

Although popular with French tourists, this basic, locally owned hotel draws few Americans because it's not on a good beach. Most of the rooms have terraces with panoramic views of the Atlantic; the remainder look upon manicured tropical gardens, streams, even a pergola. The rooms have a generic feel with a few Caribbean colors but are by no means luxurious. The most attractive are the three Cupid Rooms, the smallest now called Wee Garden Rooms. The game room is paneled in solid wood—and beautiful. The pool complex is impressive, too. The good restaurant, L'Hacienda ($–$$), which offers both a creole buffet and à la carte menu, is large enough for the groups that come; it's known for live entertainment on weekend nights and Sunday. Nature tours by foot, bike, canoe, and horseback are offered.

Right across from La Savane stands this hotel, which has been owned by the same caring, Martinican family since the 1950s; like the park, it's another landmark that's been revived in recent years. The guest rooms, though not luxurious, have nice wooden Creole furnishings, such as four-poster beds, plus contemporary amenities that include flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and renovated bathrooms with impressive tile work. A good choice is one of the superior rooms (those on the third floor are best), which have private terraces overlooking the park. The hotel's central location means it's within walking distance to the ferry terminal, where boats leave for Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Saint Lucia; and to the dock, where there are departures for Les Trois-Îlets.

Ideally located in Pointe du Bout, this affordable hotel with a palm-lined swimming pool and lots of local art is one of the area's best. Its lobby is inviting, with its gray Euro-furnishings, vases of fresh, and flowers, and the lively Palm Bar churning out tropical cocktails has become a local gathering place. (Martinique's folkloric ballet, Tifermasc, performs there weekly.) Among the happenings are flower arranging classes. Breakfast offers plenty of protein choices; fresh breads and pastries; and dried, preserved, and fresh fruit for an extra fee. The stunning pool has been creatively designed with a palm-studded island and dramatic colored lighting. The poolside restaurant serves award-winning "bistronomic" cuisine for dinner.

Simple, modern decor typifies this modest bayfront property that is somewhere between a boutique hotel and a French business hotel. But while it is on the water it is not on a good beach. Five of the nine rooms have sea views and are just €10 more per night; the other four face the street, and you can expect some street noise. That annoyance is mitigated by flat-screen TVs and good Wi-Fi. Guests and nonguests alike enjoy the traditional French-Caribbean fare served at the 20-seat restaurant, which is open only for dinner (reservation only). The beach here has black sand and pebbles, but the hotel has a dive shop. Kayaks are available to rent.

This small B&B in a suburban house (about 10 minutes from Fort-de-France) has deluxe suites with contemporary decor, as well as Wi-Fi and other attractive amenities and high-end touches. The continental breakfast service is lovely, with jams made from the tropical fruit that ripens on trees outside. The pool is a pleasure and there are a couple of fitness machines nearby. Guests are given clickers for the mechanized security gate. This upscale neighborhood is very close to the center of Fort-de-France, but when you're lying in your terrace hammock, you hear nothing but the songbirds. You might even see an engoulevent (hummingbird) whirring over a flower. Dinner is also available (if requested in advance), but there are restaurants nearby.

Apartments at this private estate---perched on a verdant hilltop offering breathtaking views overlooking the Atlantic---are divided between a 19th-century Creole plantation house and newer, freestanding cottages. Of the 30 apartments, 11 are in the main house and 19 in separate lodges; 7 have been carved out of the original stables, and 12 in four-room lodges, built in the same great-house style as the original manor. The owners have maintained the colonial ambience as they have expanded. Newer rooms have some antiques and more style. Additionally, six two-bedroom flats, with four-poster beds and fashionable lighting, are rented seasonally and with minimum stays. Within the manor house, the restaurant is elegantly furnished with mahogany period antiques and offers exceptional, fixed-price dinners to both hotel guests and nonguests. Adjacent is the similarly decorated music room. The owner, a musician, named each of the apartment suites with sea views after a jazz great like Miles Davis.

Garden and water views are abundant at this lovely secluded hotel in La Trinité, close to the beach and to the Caravelle nature preserve. The simple but sufficient rooms are bungalow style with natural wooden walls and terraces that, on upper floors, have spectacular views of the sea. The whole property has an airy feel and tends to draw surfers due to proximity to the Bliss surf school nearby. Note that there's no restaurant or bar on site.