Hotel Sofitel Bakoua

This charming West Indies style hotel is situated across from the sublime Fort de France Bay, 20 minutes from the airport.

Not content to rest on its laurels as the best hotel on Martinique, the Hotel Bakoua-Sofitel continues to improve. New management has instituted a training program that includes employee internships with the major Sofitel properties in Europe. The end product is a polished staff whose eagerness to please seems earnest.

In addition, the grounds around the Bakoua underwent an extensive replanting several years ago. The result is a property that bursts forth with color. Also, what was once a beach snackbar has been transformed into a stylish beach restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch. The main dining room, Le Chateaubriand, serves French and Continental fare.

Hotel Bakoua's beach is the resort's center of activity. Boasting a wide crescent of sand, it's also the best beach in the area, fronting the clusters of low-rise rooms. A beach bar provides refreshments for lazy sunbathers, while the more active set will find snorkel equipment, windsurfers, pedal boats, water skiing, sailing and scuba diving.

Hotel Bakoua has 138 rooms and suites, 40 of which are on the beach and boast the best views. Another cluster of rooms sits about 100 feet from the water and offers more spacious accommodations for about the same price. The garden rooms, though spacious, aren't as appealing as the others.

Hotel Bakoua offers a convivial atmosphere, especially at night when the hotel stages nightly entertainment. On Friday nights, the hotel rolls out a local folkloric group. Hotel guests looking for a little more excitement can walk the short distance to the ferry terminal and hop a boat to Fort-de-France, Martinique's must-see capital with a plethora of Creole restaurants, shops and
clubs.