Sa ou fè from Martinique

It’s easier than ever to get to Martinique on regularly-scheduled flights offered by two major U.S. air carriers—

Beginning on December 15, 2007, Delta Air Lines will resume weekly nonstop service between its Atlanta hub at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Aeroport International Martinique Aime Cesaire (formerly known as Le Lamentin Airport) near the island’s capital of Fort-de-France.

Delta flight #409 leaves from Atlanta every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and arrives in Martinique at 3:45 in the afternoon local time. The return flight #410 also departs from Fort-de-France on Saturday—leaving at 4:05 p.m. and touching down at 7:40 p.m. in Atlanta.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is not only Delta’s headquarters airport, it also ranks among the busiest hubs in the world. Plus, it’s known for efficiency and ease of use compared to other airports of similar size and volume of flight activity. Passengers flying through Hartsfield-Jackson on Delta and nearly every other airline serving the entire U.S. can make an easy, one-stop connection to and from Martinique on these flights.

The Boeing 737 800 aircraft on this route has 16 first class seats and 134 seats in the economy cabin. For up-to-date scheduling information and reservations go to www.delta.com

American Eagle continues its daily nonstop service between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Fort-de-France. (Flights are reduced to four flights weekly during the low season in September and October.)

Flight #5106 leaves from San Juan at 12:25 p.m. and reaches Martinique at 2:25 p.m. The return flight #5107 takes off from Aime Cesaire Airport at 2:50 p.m. and arrives in San Juan at 4:45 p.m.

These flights are great for travelers from New York and Miami, which both have frequent, convenient service to Puerto Rico. The planes on American Eagle’s San Juan/Fort-de-France route are ATR72 turboprops with room for 64 passengers.

For details and reservations about these flights go to the American Airlines website at www.aa.com

If you would like to learn more about the pleasures of tourism on Martinique, please contact the Martinique Promotion Bureau/CMT USA at info@martinique.org

The tourism industry of Martinique is bouncing back quickly just one month after Hurricane Dean. The big storm was a Category 2 hurricane with the eye remaining over the waters of the Caribbean as it passed south of Martinique and north of St. Lucia on August 17. Flooding and sustained winds of 75MPH, with gusts up to 95MPH, punished Martinique for hours, but the island avoided a direct hit.

By noon of the following day, August 18, Martinique Aimee Cesaire International Airport was operational and reopened. Air traffic is now completely normal with the full schedule of arriving and departing flights restored. Hotels emerged from the storm intact, sustaining some cosmetic damage—broken windows, downed fences, toppled trees—but most repairs are complete. Martinique’s hotels are open for business with full services and hospitality to welcome visitors.

Public transportation is totally up and running; all roads are cleared. The mobile communications network has been reestablished as well.

Some tourist attractions are still closed for repairs. The Gardens of Balata will not reopen until the end of the year. Excursions into the tropical rain forest are temporarily suspended. Habitation Latouche, Habitation Clement, the Museum of the Pagerie and Plantation Leyritz are currently shut to the public but expect to reopen soon.

Although the quality of the beautiful Caribbean waters surrounding Martinique was not harmed by Hurricane Dean, some beaches have lost quite a bit of sand and require further cleaning, especially on the south side of the island. Access may be restricted. Visitors are encouraged to check ahead for the most current information.

For accurate updates and complete details regarding Hurricane Dean recovery and all tourism information, please contact the Martinique Promotion Bureau/CMT USA at
info@martinique.org

The 23rd Tour de Martinique des Yoles-Rondes boat race around the island is complete and the winner is UFR-Geant, champions for the second year in a row–

Congratulations to the crew and support team
that represents the coastal town of Le Robert!

UFR-Geant defeated seventeen other yoles-rondes teams and won the General Classification for total elapsed time by finishing the seven stages of this year’s race in 21 hours 16 minutes 44 seconds–exactly 45 minutes 41 seconds faster than second-place Joseph Cottrell-Optika. UFR-Geant took the General Classification lead after Stage Two and stayed on top for the rest of the race, confirming its dominance with a victory in Stage Seven at the end of the Tour on August 6. The finale of this year’s race came a day late due to a delay for weather conditions between Stages Three and Four.

UFR-Geant also won the points competition awarded for high-place finishes in each of the seven stages. The team from Le Robert won three stages during this year’s Tour. Second place in the points category went to arch-rival Rosette-Orange, with two stage wins. The final overall points score was UFR-Geant 124 to 114 for Rosette-Orange.

Every summer, the Tour de Martinique des Yoles-Rondes
is the year’s top sailing event for the island’s signature yawls that are powered by beautiful, colorful sails and manned with daring crews who race for the pride and prestige of their hometowns. Each stage around the island is celebrated with a dockside festival of food, music and fun where everyone is invited to join the party.

To see complete race results and full stage details, go to www.yoles-rondes.org/index.php If you would like to find out more about the Tour de Martinique des Yoles-Rondes and visiting the island, please contact the Martinique Promotion Bureau/CMT USA at info@martinique.org

Almost every island in the Caribbean produces its own rum, and all of these islands are proud of the rum they make. But there is something special about the rums distilled on Martinique—

These rums have been giving the designation AOC (for appellation d’origine controllee) by the French government. In France, the prestigious AOC label is reserved for wine, cheese and other agricultural products at the heart of French culture and fine eating. AOC means products are made by consistent and traditional methods with all ingredients from approved sources in strictly designated agricultural areas.

Obviously, the French are serious about their wine and cheese. And the people of Martinique are just as serious—and just as proud—of their rum. Martinique’s rums enjoy a strong reputation across the Caribbean, where the standards for quality are high and extremely competitive.

You can see for yourself how Martinique’s rums are made with tours and tastings at working distilleries across the island:
Distillerie Depaz on the slopes of Mount Pelee has great rum and spectacular views. La Mauny distillery is located amid lush sugar cane fields, where the crops are grown for the rum you can sample right on the spot. The tasting room and museum at St. James distillery is famous with rum connoisseurs around the world.

On these tours, you will see just how serious Martinicans take the production of their rums. But once the rums are made and the tasting starts—that’s where the fun begins.

See for more information about Martinique’s rum and distillery tours.

The sound of music adds a lively pulse to daily life throughout the year in Martinique. The island is famous for hosting festivals for jazz and guitar that attract the best musicians and devoted fans from around the world. Martinique also has dozens of local music festivals and, of course, carnival season has its own distinct music and dances.

Music in Martinique is different from the salsa, merengue and reggae heard around the Caribbean—and the people of Martinique are proud of the original, traditional music that gave birth to the special rhythms on their island.

The style known as bele goes back to the time of slavery, when a drummer and singer played for people who wanted to dance even when they were exhausted from long hours of hard work. Gradually, other instruments were added to the mix and a unique style of communal music and dancing evolved that allowed the slaves to express their creative freedom and their artistic talent through bele.

For many years after the end of slavery, bele faded into the background. The sound was considered old-fashioned, too rural and a reminder of a difficult era. But in the 1950s, breakthrough artists began to bring bele into the urban environment, especially during carnival season, and blend bele with other Caribbean and Latin American music.

Their creative brilliance helped spark musical innovations in Martinique and Guadeloupe that led to the music called zouk, which became the rage in Paris and across the French-speaking world. Martinicans may enjoy and play many types of music, but they continue to honor their musical roots—

Bele is very much alive on the island, especially at the House of Bele where traditional songs and dances are performed with vibrant, modern energy. For excellent example of the music, and videos of musicians and dancers, go to www.martinique.org/about/music.htm for a link to the House of Bele website. Or, go directly to www.lamaisondubele.com. The House of Bele site is in French, but you won’t need to understand the language to enjoy this wonderful music.

It’s hard to improve on paradise but the longest beach on Martinique, with white sand stretching for more than six miles, has a view that comes with a great story.

Diamond Beach, rated as one of the best beaches in the Caribbean by Frommer’s travel guides, faces a small offshore island with a unique claim—Diamond Rock was once officially registered as a sailing ship in the British navy, the man o’ war HMS Diamond Rock. Twenty armed sailors and five cannons were stationed on the island to control access to Fort-de-France and the southern tip of Martinique back in 1804, when the English and French were struggling for control of commerce throughout the Caribbean.

For more than a year, the English blockade of Martinique was so effective that Napoleon himself ordered the conquest of Diamond Rock. The French were successful, although the exact reasons for their victory are clouded by history—

Some accounts say the English were driven away after they lost their supply of fresh water on the tiny island. A more colorful version claims the French sent a raft loaded with barrels of rum floating toward Diamond Rock, then overwhelmed the thirsty and drunk defenders.

Whatever really happened, today you can kick back and enjoy the sun and the breeze on one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches, and you won’t have to wait for a raft to bring you a refreshing rum drink.

No one lives on Diamond Rock anymore, but if you feel like getting up out of your hammock, short excursions and scuba diving tours to this historic spot are easily arranged.

For details go on tours and packages

Yole boat race, unique to Martinique.

The competition for the America’s Cup isn’t the only exciting regatta this summer. Coming up from July 29 through August 5, the racing in the 2007 Tour de Martinique des Yoles Rondes will be fought just as hard by the sailing teams—and the event promises to be just as much fun for spectators.

While getting into the competition for the America’s Cup may cost millions and millions of dollars—and the price to watch doesn’t come cheaply either—the annual yoles rondes race around Martinique is grass roots sailing at its best.

The boats are traditional Martinique fishing vessels and the teams are sailing hard to win bragging rights that will let them claim they are very best among all their friends and rivals on the island.

Even better, spectators can watch from the shore for free. And getting onto the water for an even closer view of all the excitement is affordable too.

The whole Tour is a week-long traveling party with barbecues, banquets of delicious French/Creole foods, music and world class Martinique rum to punch up the festivities during one of the Caribbean’s top, must-see summer events.

For more details, contact the Martinique Promotion Bureau/CMT USA at info@martinique.org
Check also www.martinique.org

Summertime is not far away!

Keep on dreaming and make sure to include these deals!

Liberty Travel Vacation Packages
June 1st to July 12th, 2007

6 DAYS – 5 NIGHTS at Karibea Amyris Hotel***

New York $759
Boston $799
Miami $769

Prices are per person, based on double occupancy accommodations and round-trip midweek air.

Find out more Deals at Martinique Vacation Packages.

DELTA AIR LINES ANNOUNCES NON-STOP SERVICE FROM ATLANTA TO FORT-DE-FRANCE

Beginning December 16, 2006, Delta’s flight 409 will depart Atlanta every Saturday at 9:45 a.m. and arrive in Fort de France, Martinique at 3:15 p.m.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft will depart from Fort de France, Martinique every Saturday at 4:05 p.m. and arrive in Atlanta at 7:40 p.m. on Delta’s flight 410.

For more information on rates and reservations, please visit Delta Air Lines’ Web site at www.delta.com.

Congratulations to the Yole team Geant UFR.
You made it!

They won the 2006 Yole race around Martinique.

Bravo!!!