Le François
Martinique’s Atlantic shore behind a line of breakers, with islets and white-sand shallows out in the open water and a listed rum estate inland.
- Arrival
- Martinique Aimé Césaire International · FDF
- To Le François
- About 10 km from the airport in a straight line
- Private jets
- FDF open 24 hours, with customs
- Best time
- February to April
The city
Islets, shallows and a rum estate.
People were living here among the Caribs as early as 1620, before the first French settlers landed on the far side of the island. Today the commune of some sixteen thousand looks out over the Atlantic through a belt of breakers, and between the reef and the shore lie islets and fonds blancs, sandy shallows in the open sea.
Inland, the Habitation Clément keeps its eighteenth-century house, an old distillery, a gallery and a landscaped park; Presidents Bush and Mitterrand met there in 1991. On the water, the yoles rondes, Martinique’s traditional sailing boats, are still sailed here, and Le François is also the home of the Haute Taille dance.
- Baignoire de Joséphine The best known of the fonds blancs, a bed of sand under shallow water, well out from the shore.
- Habitation Clément An eighteenth-century estate listed as a historic monument, with its former distillery, art gallery and gardens.
- The islets A scatter of small islands between the shore and the breakers, facing the Atlantic.
Arriving
A short drive from Le Lamentin.
The island’s airport at Le Lamentin lies about ten kilometres west of Le François in a straight line, with one 3,000-metre runway for every kind of aircraft.
- St Maarten 55 min
- San Juan 1 h 15
- Miami 3 h 25
- Zurich 9 h 40 long-range jet
- Nairobi 14 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
February to April.
Highs hold between 28 and 30 °C all year, and the sea stays warm enough to swim in every month. The drier stretch runs from February to April, when each month brings 90 mm or less; the wet season peaks between July and October at over 230 mm a month.
- 28° J 119 27°
- 28° F 91 26°
- 28° M 68 27°
- 29° A 90 27°
- 30° M 124 28°
- 30° J 174 28°
- 30° J 231 28°
- 30° A 247 29°
- 30° S 233 29°
- 30° O 235 29°
- 29° N 218 28°
- 28° D 153 28°
Where to stay
Pointe Thalémont, and both coasts within reach.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
-
La Suite Villa An owner-run five-star of suites and villas on the Caribbean side, each with a Jacuzzi of its own.
- Hôtel Plein Soleil Five villas in an 8,000 m² tropical park holding sixteen rooms and suites, several with a private pool, and a dining room over the bay.
-
French Coco Seventeen suites further up the Atlantic coast, beside the Caravelle peninsula reserve.
-
Sable Bleu Boutique Hotel Sixteen rooms by the marina at Le Marin, with a rooftop pool.
-
Simon Hotel A modern four-star facing the bay of the capital.
-
Hotel Bakoua A beach hotel on a small peninsula, in the MICHELIN Guide selection.
Where to dine
Gastronomic tables across the island.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Martinique. All three tables are classed gastronomic by the Martinique Tourism Authority; Le Zandoli is also listed by Gault&Millau’s Antilles guide, and Plein Soleil’s chef, Rudy Réclair, was Gault&Millau Antilles Chef of the Year 2020.
- Plein Soleil Gault&Millau Chef of the Year 2020 Creative, island produce and seafood Hôtel Plein Soleil, Pointe Thalémont
- Le Zandoli Gault&Millau Modern gourmet La Suite Villa, Les Trois-Îlets, about 17 km south-west
- Miza Martinique Tourism, gastronomic Surprise tasting menu Rivière Roche, Fort-de-France, about 17 km west
Elsewhere in Martinique
More reasons to come.
- Fort-de-France The capital on its bay, and the Schoelcher library shipped over from Paris.
- Les Trois-Îlets Across the bay, the birthplace of Joséphine, and the marina of Pointe du Bout.
- Sainte-Anne The Grande Anse des Salines, the island's most celebrated beach.
- Saint-Pierre The old capital destroyed by Mont Pelée in 1902, its ruins still standing.
Flying to Le François?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.