Hotel Bakoua

As the area's most established hotel, Hotel Bakoua attracts a mix of business travelers and vacationers. The hotel is set on a hillside overlooking Point du Bout and Fort de France Bay and the views are attainable from nearly every point at the property.

At the top, a sprawling open-air pavilion stretches from the lobby. The space contains a somewhat formal circular bar (Le Gommier) that showcases Martinique's variety of rum as well as a terrace that's a popular meeting spot for local businesspeople as well as guests, many who are staying at the hotel on business. The cavernous Le Chateaubriand restaurant is used for daily breakfast buffets as well as organized events and weddings. There's also extra gallery space that the hotel uses to display the talents of local artists.

Steps from the lobby, the scene shifts from business to vacation mode with a bubble-shaped, sky-blue infinity edge pool that delivers panoramic views of the bay. Wide, somewhat steep, wooden steps ramble down the hillside to the hotel's main restaurant, La Sirene, a tiered space with hardwood floors and a tented roof. In the evenings the restaurant is lit with candles, offering a romantic atmosphere and views of the sparkling lights of Fort de France.

The steps end at the white sand of the hotel's beach where rows of yellow lounge chairs can be positioned beneath stationary tiki umbrellas, under tall palm trees, or close to the boardwalk that separates the beachfront rooms from the sand. A water-sports facility is well equipped to help guests with peddle boats, jet skis, or paddle-boards, an ideal way to loll away the afternoon on the calm water of the bay. At sunset, the Coco Bar is a prime spot for cocktails. Accessed via a long wood pier, the circular bar sits on stilts over the water and wears a roof that resembles the Bakoua hat for which the hotel is named.

Hotel Bakoua is set on a peninsula overlooking the Bay of Fort de France in Point du Bout, Martinique's main tourist area. It's aerie location is within walking distance to the shops and restaurants of the contrived Village Creole as well as the Point de Bout Ferry Dock where guests can take the 20-minute ride to Fort de France.

• 10-minute walk to Village Creole
• 15-minute walk to Anse Mitan Beach
• 30-minute drive to Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport
• 32-minute drive to Le Diamant Beach
• 40-minute drive to Habitation Clément
• 70-minute drive to the Caravelle Peninsula
• Two-hour drive to Mt. Pelée

Hotel Bakuoa's 138 rooms and suites are organized into three different categories, located in either a four-story building at the top of the property, tucked into the hillside overlooking the sea, or directly on the beach. All of the rooms feature classic, colonial Caribbean style with a touch of nautical inspiration, using mahogany toned wood doors and accents, sturdy dark wood furnishings, rope railings, and window treatments in tiny floral prints or multi-color stripes.

The entry-level Superior Rooms offer one king-size bed or two double beds and feature views of the property's gardens from terraces outfitted with two teak chairs and a small table. Privilege Rooms are similarly styled to the Superior Rooms but feature king-size beds and views of the ocean from their terraces. Luxury Rooms have direct access to the beach and private screened and shuttered terraces with teak wood furniture. They also feature wood floors instead of basic, white ceramic tiles, and additional features such as Nespresso coffee machines. The hotel also features a handful of suites, including the cobalt-blue hued Josephine Suite, named for one of Martinique's most famous residents, Josephine de Beauharnais, who was born in Les Trois-Ilets.

All of the rooms feature fluffy comforters wrapped in cotton duvets and also come equipped with mini-fridges, bottled water, and safes, but some rooms lack modern, flat-screen TVs and instead are furnished with small, outdated equipment. The bathrooms in many rooms are also in need of updating, outfitted with lackluster white ceramic tiles and single vanities that are showing their age.

The hotel's two bars feature a circular design but differ in their location and vibe. In the lobby, Le Gommier caters to more business-oriented guests and locals who gather in the clusters of chairs and tables overlooking the bay. At the bottom of the property, the Coco Bar sits over the water, delivering a relaxed atmosphere and 360-degree views of the the beach and sea. The property's small stretch of sand offers plenty of yellow lounge chairs and umbrellas while the calm water is ideal for floating, wading, and leisurely paddle-boarding. 

In the evenings, guests can play a match or two under the lights of two tennis courts before sinking in to the canvas director chairs at the candlelit La Sirene to enjoy a slow-paced dinner and the views of Fort de France. There are also several other restaurants and cafes within walking distance in the lively Village Creole.