Have you been to St. Kitts, Grenada or Martinique?

[mlbcruiser]

Went to the port section on the boards and found nothing on St. Kitts or Grenada. I have heard Georgetown, Grenada is a charming port. (Of course, BEFORE the hurricane!) And I know from the air St. Kitts look like a bat and a ball. Otherwise, not much. Have heard many negative things about Martinique, mostly to do w/friendliness. Any of you who have been to these islands, please share your experiences and also offer advice of what's good to see there. About to book a cruise and it's between one that goes there and 2 others. We've been to many islands in the caribbean, but not these 3. Need help fast! Thanks!

[wallie5446]

We have been to Martinique & St Kitts.

 

Martinique is beaufiful but alas the people there act as if they live outside of Paris. This is a very French island and most expect you to know some french not visa versa. If we ever went back I would just spend the day on the beach. As they were very snootie. Wanted our $$ but not us.

 

Now St Kitts is the exact oppsite. The people were the most welcomeing of any place we have visited in the Carib. Now this was Dec/2000 and ships were just starting to call. But we have always said that we would like to return and spend the week there, oh and it is very Beautiful. Wind blown Atlantic on one side, the calm carib on the other. You have to take the ferry over to Niveas (sp). They went out of their way to make you feel welcome.

[nosnobunny]

I've been to both Grenada and Martinique. These are two of my favourite islands.

 

I believe Grenada had a major fire a few years ago that destroyed a lot of the harbour area. I was there prior to this, so I can only go by the word of others. Yes it is very quaint but also very hilly, so wear good walking shoes. The people are friendly. Make sure you see the local market just up the hill from the harbour. You can buy all sorts of local goods including the spices Grenada is famous for.

 

I know Martinique has gotten a lot of negative comments on this board. So I was prepared for that last year when we went. Honestly, the first impression at the pier lived up to everything I'd read. The cab and tour operators are extremely pushy and arrogant. Once you get past that, things change. We had prior arrangements for our own rental car. I think it was Budget in the downtown area. If you do this, keep in mind that the French take extended breaks over the lunch hour and shops close up tight. (World class fashion shopping I might add) Sometimes for as much as three hours! :eek: That can be a problem if you have to return a rental car. Plus the ship's time may be different from that on the island. Make sure you take this into consideration. There is a lot of history on Martinique. It's a fascinating place, especially their cemetaries. And the scenery is unbelievable - much like Maui. The roads are as good as any I've driven on in the Caribbean. If you travel outside Fort de France, they may not take US $. The local currency is the euro, but most of the major credit cards are accepted.

 

If you take the time to find out for yourself, you may find that Martinique is a very unique and sophisticated island. One day, I'd like to go back for a land-based vacation. It certainly helps that I can speak French. :D

 

Beth

[Zeno]

I have been to all 3 on cruises and as well I spent a week in St Kitt's

St Kitt's - a very nice island with friendly people. I would recommend a taxi tour (most drivers are good and have received some training in touring) - the highlights are Brimstone Hill (a spectacular fortress high on a hill - it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the views are great), Romney Gardens and Caribelle Batik - the grounds are lovely and the various Batik products make nice souvenirs.

Grenada: I was so sad to see this island suffer so much hurricane devastation. The rain forests are lush, the beaches are lovely, and it smells like nutmeg and spices.

Martinique: I like Martinique. It is extremely scenic ( a drive up the Route de La Trace to St Pierre and a return along the coast is lovely). I found the people quite friendly (but I do make an effort to speak a little French). Your biggest mistake here is to just stay in the port area - the countryside is magnificent -There is a reason why it is known as L'ile des Fleurs (Isle of the flowers).

[Blackrobe]

We just returned from our cruise and one of the stops was in St. Kitts. A very nice island. As previously noted, the people are very friendly. We took the Sugar Train tour. You either drive to the train or from the train. Basically you circle the island. Roughly half the trip is by small bus and half on the train. They have taken the narrow gauge railroad that is used for transporting sugar cain and added a tourist train. There are six cars, an engine and a power plant. The cars were specially built for the purpose of touring. They each have two levels. The lower level is enclosed and air-conditioned. The upper level is covered but open air. There is room on each car for everyone on that car to be either upstairs or downstairs. The train moves at 8 mph with narration, entertainment and complimentary beverages. It is a tour that we enjoyed but it is not for everyone as the train moves slowly and there is not much activity. You do get to see a large part of the island. You can check it out at:

 

http://www.stkittsscenicrailway.com/page3.htm

[trish1c]

We loved St. Kitts. A friend from the baords arranged a tour w/ a Mrs. Wallace. Sorry I don't know how to contact her but she took us everywhere. Brimstone hill is really interesting if you like history. The point where the Atlantic & the Carribean meet is amazing.

 

On the ports board, look under Other.

[Trevoli]

...to look at. But they don't exactly behave like they're happy to see you.

 

So different from the warm and gracious people you meet ANYwhere else in the Caribbean.

 

T

[grobbins]

Grenada and St Kitts are two of our favorites. We had a hard time finding info on St Kitts when we were there on Celebrity. Prices quoted for taxis on our ship were not what we experienced. They were much less. We did get a taxi to Turtle Beach and had a great time- beautiful view of Nevis from the beach. Our driver picked us up at the designated time. Lovely island. Friendly people. We have been to Grenada twice. We did a snorkel/party boat trip once and went to Grand Anse Beach the second time. St Georges was a lovely little village and we found the spice market fun. Because of the hurricane devastation to this beautiful island who knows when it will available as a port of call. We hope and pray for the best for one of our favorite ports.

[etoile]

That's St. George, not Georgetown, that is the usual cruise ship dock in Grenada. It is also the capital.

 

I spent a week at the Rex Grenadian resort in April 2003. It is an absolutely wonderful island and I was very sorry to see that it was so brutally ravaged by the hurricane. Some places are starting to open up again, but I would suggest that Grenada isn't the best tourist destination right now as they are still trying to rebuild.

 

(That said, there is/was a wonderful pizza place just off the Carenage...I will try to find the name!)

[freddiebud]

Love Grenada. We took an island tour which was terrific. Went all around the island, visited a spice plantation and saw lots of sites. I am sure that after the devastating hurricane, it is not the same. The people there were so nice.

 

Martinique is not high on my list. Very pretty, nice beaches, good food and shops, but I can survive without having to deal with the folks ever again. Very snooty.

[Tarheelbelle]

I have been to all 3. All 3 are wonderful for nature lovers, but of the 3, St. Kitt's wins! Fantastic!!!

[mlbcruiser]

Yes, you are correct, Etoile, it's St. George. Slip of the tongue! Just today at work I sold a watch to a young man getting married in 2 wks. I asked if he & his bride were going on a honeymoon, and he replied they WERE going to Grenada, but the resort they had reservations at won't be reopened for 16 months! Just such a shame. What a hit on their economy. MY DH and I are going to Jamaica shortly and were worried that the same thing would happen to us, but apparently our resort is up and running again. Don't know what we'll find otherwise.

 

It's also a shame that many people in Martinique seem to be so snooty. We were wondering what we would find in French Polynesia recently, but the attitude is NOTHING like we hear Martinique's is. We stayed in St. Martin/ Sint Maarten for a week once and found a lot of snootiness on the Marigot side as well. Well, I'm just not going to let that bother me. I know it's hard to put up w/tourists sometimes, but like someone said, they like our money but not us. O.K. Maybe we'll like their island but not them! (Hope we do like them, though!) ;)

 

If any of you have any "musts" for first timers to any of these islands, please post! Thanks! :)