To end our stay in Martinique we decided to go for a splurge at the Cap Est Resort located south-east of Martinique.

This is a high-end resort, the first one actually in Martinique.
Suites are minimum 55 sqm in size up to 130 sqm.

We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a De Luxe Suite (60 sqm) with a small plunge pool giving on the sea.

Service was excellent but not always faultless. Anyway this resort beats overall all the other places in Martinique. Prices are (of course) very high, I would even say "overpriced", notably for sightseeing and Spa.

Breakfast was very nice and the gastronomic restaurant in the evening offers a very high quality food on par with Parisian top restaurants. Still expensive of course, but definitely worth it!

Nice swimming-pool. The beach area looks a bit weird, since seaweed invades the shore. We've been told it was coming back regularly despite all efforts to remove it. There is also a seasport center.

This is a wonderful luxury resort, easily the best in Martinique. The service was unbeliveable, the grounds were beautiful and the rooms were spacious and well appointed. It is bit of a drive from the resort to other destinations around the island, but that is the way Martinique is generally. Highly recommended!

Cap Est Lagoon Resort & Spa really was a thoroughly elegant hotel, and I could hardly fault it! It’s just such a beautiful place to have spent a holiday, it hardly felt like a hotel. I have been to plenty of other hotels which are highly acclaimed through the Caribbean, such as Jumby Bay and Cap Juluca but for really stylish ambience and friendly service you can’t beat Cap Est.

The resort’s right on a peninsula on the Martinican coast, overlooking a lagoon and coral reef. All around you are have stunning landscaped gardens with cane sugar, frangipani and bougainvillea. My personal highlight was the vast infinity-edge swimming pool. It’s quite a quiet place, probably not somewhere to go if you’re looking for a hedonistic and wild escape, and even though the hotel was apparently quite full there was a real sense of space. The interior’s bathed in subdued light, all exotic local hardwoods, and pale colour schemes. Good for recovering from rum-induced “head conditions”!

We stayed in a Deluxe suite which was certainly very spacious but I think I would rather have splashed out on an Executive suite and been able to luxuriate in one of the private plunge pools! Still, our room was super elegant with authentic touches (I liked the bamboo wardrobes and mosquito nets) and plenty to make us feel comfortable such as DVD players, plasma televisions, internet access (which I didn’t use) and maxi bars and an espresso machine (which I did, regularly).

It was nice to be able to relax in the Guerlain spa, though it’s a little small and though there is a range of treatments I don’t think I would recommend it if you’re after a real spa holiday. Martinique is great for a beach holiday, but the beach at the hotel is a tad disappointing…a sarong-sized strand that was a bit sea-weed festooned when we visited! I travelled with Expressions Holidays who had a good range of recommended beaches and I would advocate a trip up to Anse Céron and Anse Couleuvre in the far North West even though they’re pretty far from Cap Est (you can cut through from Le Robert to Fort-de-France and then straight up north through some really picturesque villages although it’s certainly a day-trip and you need a hire car). I would practise driving in Martinique for a day or so though before attempting going up to the North West as it can be a little scary. Much much closer to the resort are Cap Macré and Cap Chevalier which was absolutely magnificent. The much lauded Grande Anse des Salines was a little overrated (it’s very very long but not as scenic and characterful as the other beaches, and was relatively more cramped).

Lastly, I’m not sure how good the English is at the hotel as I’m a French speaker, but all the staff were so friendly and accommodating that I can’t imagine that this could be a problem.

This is a great place to stay. Expensive but fantastic. We stayed in an executive suite, but this was not necessary. A garden view room is also very good and the resort is small so you can enjoy oceanview in almost every room. We felt like a prince and a prinsess. Cap Est is at the east side of the island where the wind blows and you will find it pleasant because it will cool you down.