Buccaneer's Creek

General:
In the past, this village was one of the wildest, with a fairly young crowd. But NOT anymore. Nowadays it is getting mostly older couples. This is a French island so you can expect a large contingent from Europe and Eastern Canada; with a small minority of mostly US East Coasters. If you're doing the 'Wild Card' from the East Coast, there is a strong chance that this will be your destination.

If you are using Club Med transportation, expect a long and winding bus ride south, about an hour from the airport. If you are traveling independent, be careful of the taxi drivers. The rates are controlled by the government, but the drivers charge whatever they can get. You'll be better off if you speak French and pay in francs. Expect a hefty 'surcharge' if you are traveling late at night.

Martinique is in stark contrast to somewhere like Turks & Caicos. The island is mountainous and extremely lush with vegetation. Walking around the village, the plant life is fantastic. What I would expect to be a small houseplant at home, is a huge monster towering over you.

The island is very pretty and well worth a tour, either with a Club excursion or just renting a car or scooter. Keep in mind that the roads are mountainous with lots of tight curves.

You don't really get a sense of it from the pictures, but the beach is really quite narrow; almost to nothing in some places. They do have an area for sunbathing au naturel and, of course, topless is fully accepted. Heaven forbid that a French woman would have tan lines.

Cons:
Aging badly.
This is the oldest village in the American Zone; it opened in '69. The problem is that it has never been renovated in all those years. Club Med ranks this village as a 2 Trident, believe it. Many of the rooms are hot and stuffy.

No pool.
I can excuse the villages in Tahiti for not having pools, but not here. At most Club Med villages, the pool is the central focus of the village. Here, people tend to spread out along the ocean, in search of water.

Recommendation: I would try another village. Personally, I've been to this village once, seventeen years ago and have no plans on returning. The facilities were fairly deteriorated when I was there and they certainly haven't improved with time. The shift to a mostly older French couples crowd doesn't help either. I found the local help to be very rude, I haven't encountered that at any other village.

SCUBA diving:
I give the diving here a 'fair'. If you want really good diving you are on the wrong island; St Lucia is in the distance. This is a traditional dive center. Read that - one dive per day.

Most recent visit: Oct-88