La Suite Villa

Le Suite Villa, opened in 2010, has decor that's a drastic departure from the quaint French Creole and Caribbean colonial style found at many hotels on Martinique. While the hotel sticks to the basics in its structural design -- barrel-tile roofs, colorful Caribbean colors, and fretwork framing -- the interiors are a visual showplace for a collection of contemporary artwork and over-the-top finishes.

From the first turn into the driveway, guests are introduced to one of the prominent artists featured at the hotel with a custom mural painted along a concrete retaining wall. A walkway bordered with flowering shrubs and overhead crisscrossing colored lights leads to the three-story lobby. At the center is a spiraling forged metal staircase that the hotel's owners imagined and then had crafted by local metal workers. It ascends to the suites and mini-suites on the second and third floors. A large chandelier mimics the sweep of the stairway and has lights with different colored shades. A black-velvet chaise, a tall red giraffe, and a multitude of canvas artwork gives guests reasons to linger during check in.

A few steps away is Le Zandoli restaurant, which includes a small bar and an open terrace that stretches to the pool. The lively spot, where reservations are required, is headed by chef Ivan Duchene, who did stints in the kitchens of star chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Jean-Marie Amat, and Jocelyn Herland before settling in Martinique. Keeping with the hotel's eclectic style, the restaurant's colorful tables in shades of pink, yellow, and turquoise are fitted with chairs wrapped in leather, faux fur, and other interesting fabrics and set with one-of-a-kind hand-painted plates. The hotel pool, steps from the restaurant, is a serene area that guests can use during the day, but when the restaurant opens for dinner, it becomes part of the scene, illuminated from its depths and competing with the distant shimmering lights of Fort de France.

The hotel attracts a mix of couples, who tend to choose the spacious, romantic suites set in the main hotel, and families who gravitate toward the two- and three-bedroom free-standing villas tucked into the hillside below the hotel. While the pool is enticing and beautiful and the rooms are outfitted with large beds that encourage sleeping in, most guests spend their days exploring the nearby beaches and other popular island sights.

Located off Route du Fort d'Alet, a main road through Les Trois-Ilets, the hotel is built on a hillside with a gated parking lot located below the main hotel and the villas set on the hillside between the hotel and the parking lot. It's a short ride to nearby beaches, golf, and the shops and restaurants of Point du Bout and the Village Creole.

• Two-minute drive to Anse Mitan Beach
• Five-minute drive to the Point du Bout Ferry Dock
• Five-minute drive to Martinique Golf and Country Club
• 10-minute drive to Anse a-l'Ane Beach
• 20-minute ferry ride to Fort du France
• 30-minute drive to Martinique Aime Cesaire International Airport
• 30-minute drive to Diamant Beach
• 45-minute drive to Habitation Clement
• 1-hour drive to Balata Garden
• 70-minute drive to Caravelle Peninsula
• Two-hour drive to Mount Pelee

The six spacious suites within the main hotel, located on the second and third floors, are reached via a spiral staircase from the lobby and are named for various types of candy -- pistache, nougaut, caramel. Each room is decorated in a different color palette ranging from red to green (pistachio) to cobalt blue and black. Artwork coordinates to match the overall color scheme of each room. All rooms have high king-size beds, desks, large vanities with l'Occitane bath products, closets (tucked behind the beds) with safes, and Wi-Fi. The regular suites have outdoor showers facing the back of the hotel with separate water closets. The suites also feature private outdoor terraces with deep soaking hot tubs, small tables and a set of chairs, mini-fridges stocked with beverages (including Champagne), and ocean views. The smaller Mini-Suites follow the same high design, but have large walls of windows rather than terraces.

The two- and three-bedroom French Creole style villas are tucked into the hillside below the hotel, reached via a stone pathway bordered with blooming shrubs and trees. The villas are suited to families or two couples or groups traveling together. They feature small living rooms with flat-screen TVs and kitchens with breakfast bars that open to outdoor terraces with dining tables. Each bedroom is equipped with its own bathroom, and includes similar furnishings to the hotel. The outdoor space at the villas features a private lawn with a large hot tub, oversize umbrella, and hammock.

La Suite Villa's intimate size and attentive on-site owners mean guests receive personal attention. Hand-picked flowers are arranged in the guest rooms, along with small packages of handmade candy that matches the names of the rooms (nougat, pistachio, and so on). The hotel's pool, steps from the terrace and tables of the restaurant, is surrounded by playful sculpture and furnished with cushy lounge chairs.