I had the misfortune to visit Martinique due to a seriously ill friend in hospital. Martinique would benefit greatly if Sarkozy used the whole island as a nuclear testing site.
Only people who grew up in war torn Bosnia would feel slightly at home in the capital Fort-de-France (although Bosnia improved!). I was told by locals I was lucky to get out of an area in the centre (normally a safe bet in any city!!) in my hire car as there had been quite a few shootings there.

The La Pagerie hotel from the outside looks ok, and the lobby is bright and inviting. On closer inspection, you notice the sofas are moulded plastic and all is very outdated. The staff behind reception are typically French; if you don't speak perfect French and are not French do not expect civility! The rooms are very basic... portable old TV with 3 French fuzzy channels, small fridge, aircon you need ear defenders for, and a bathroom which must be about 20 years old and badly in need of refurbishment.

Breakfast; I've been lucky to have visited several dozen countries and this was the worst breakfast I've ever had! I turned green after day 3 and even though we'd paid for it, we ate elsewhere. It consisted of a couple of rancid yoghurts of vile flavours, rock hard bread, processed sliced cheese and small sausages which were 90% fat. To the last reviewer who thought the breakfast was good; take less drugs!

Dinner..you have to be joking! After breakfast it would take a Victoria Cross to eat there! We ate on the street.

Good points; the pool was average, and the location was very good.. 5 min walk from the beach and right beside a few decent restaurants and bars in Trois-Ilets . Trois-Ilets is a pleasant enough area specifically built for the French tourists, but it won't blow you away. Like everywhere on Martinique, it is very expensive.

I realise I was visiting a seriously ill friend and was not in the best frame of mind to appreciate Martinique but it would take large amounts of hallucinogenic drugs to appreciate anything on the island. The French go there becasue it is in the caribbean and they speak French.

In conclusion, if you find yourself shipwrecked on Martinique, the hotel will pass until your flares are spotted. All I can say is President Sarkozy...PUSH THE BUTTON, LAUNCH!

Clean and comfortable in the heart of the Trois-Ilets resort area and 15 minutes by ferry from Fort-de-France. A five-minute walk to the beach.

The free breakfast is great although the eggs reminded me of the Army--maybe the French like them runny.

In the evening, the restaurant has a prix fixe menu. I didn't try it because the area is full of great places to eat.

The pool is nice but it is a family pool. Not a place for the "pool scene."

Keep in mind that Martinique is a part of France and Chauvin was a Frenchman. The operative language is French but, unlike Paris, they will accept high school French and everyone at the hotel seems to speak a bit of English.