While Kory and I were in Martinique, we had an opportunity to scout out many of the best places on the island to shop for groceries, clothing, and home goods. Here’s what we’ve discovered.
Saint Anne
Although Sant Anne is a darling little village with quaint boutiques, bistros, and a boulangerie, with the best ham and cheese croissants we’ve found, this is not the best place to stock your fridges and cupboards. There is a small Carrefour Express market in town with the basics like milk, butter, rice, and snacks; but the produce, meat, and dairy selection is minimal. This mini-market is convenient for those anchored near Saint Anne, but it’s certainly not the top place on my list to provision.
There are some cute boutique clothings stores, but the prices are a bit steep, and the “one size fits all” options don’t actually fit all! There are far better places to shop for clothing on the island.
Le Marin
There are several grocery stores around the city of Le Marin. This is especially helpful for those who don’t have a car. The Auchan Supermarket is a medium-sized grocery store within walking distance from Marina du Marin. It has a fairly good selection of produce, dairy, and meat, a small bakery, and a lot of canned, jarred, packaged, deli, and frozen foods. I found the produce to be a little overripe, and the fresh meat and dairy selection is minimal, but overall it’s a decent market.
The Marin Market is an outdoor farmer’s market located next to the old marina. The market is supposed to be open from Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 1 pm, but we can’t guarantee that. Vendors carry a good selection of local, seasonal fruits, vegetables, spices, and homemade sauces. In the back of the market is a food vendor called “A la Maison.” We haven’t eaten there, but we hear they have great Caribbean creole dishes.
Next to Marin Yacht Harbour is a free dinghy dock behind the Pli Bel Price market, which used to be called Leader Price. It’s not my favorite grocery store because the produce isn’t very fresh and the meat selection is poor. However, it is a good place to pick up inexpensive cleaning and household products, snacks, and canned foods, and the prices do seem to be less expensive than some of the other stores.
A short walk up a hill from Pli Bel Price is a medium-sized Carrefour Market. They have an okay selection of produce, meat, and dairy, and some items that the other grocery stores in town don’t carry, but it’s an old Carrefour and it’s not one of my favorites. I think they sell more snack food, soda, and alcohol, so if that’s your thing, then this might be a decent stop. On a side note, due to the riots on the island over the last several months, the store was partially set on fire and workers are still trying to repair the damage. There is a strong smell of smoke inside, but hopefully that will clear out soon.
Now onto my favorite grocery stores; but, unfortunately, these will require a car or a bus to access. We’ve found EuropCar in Le Marin to be a great place to rent a car. Over the summer the price was $20/day, but now that the cruising season has picked up, the price is $40/day. This is well worth it, however, for running errands and making major provisioning runs. There is another rental car agency in Le Marin called Air Conditioned Car Rental that we hear is a good option if Europcar is booked.
La Galleria in Le Lamentin
About a 45-minute drive from Le Marin is La Galleria in Le Lamentin, just south of Fort de France. This is a major mall, similar to what you’d find in the US. I spent a lot of time browsing the shops while Kory sipped a cappuccino in a comfortable chair in the lobby. This is a two-story mall with clothing stores, shoe stores, a department store, electronics shops, a pharmacy, restaurants, coffee & chocolate shop, food court, and a major supermarket. I love this place! I recommend getting there before lunch, browsing the shops for an hour or two, having lunch at Pizza Plus, and then provisioning at the on-site E.Leclerc grocery store (details to come).
E.Leclerc is a “hypermarket” attached to La Galleria mall. This is a major supermarket and one of my favorite places to provision in Martinique. The store is well-stocked with the freshest produce, dairy, and meat. The quality of meat is some of the best I’ve had in all of the Caribbean, and the butcher is super nice. I usually order two kilos of steak haché (ground beef), and have the butcher separate the meat into four packages. The price is a little steep at $21/kilo, but the quality of meat is stupendous, and it’s definitely a treat compared to what we purchased in Grenada all summer.
E.Leclerc has a massive cheese and deli section. The French sure love their yogurt and puddings as well, as two aisles are dedicated to just these creamy delights. E.Leclerc also has a great bakery and produce section. And you’ll be pleased by the toiletries, electronics, clothing, and home goods sections as well. To me, it’s better than a Super Walmart in the States. The only downside is that there are very few US products, so everything is in French. You’ll likely need a translator app to help you choose the right products with the ingredients you want, but the quality of food is great and I’m super impressed with this store.
Génipa – Ducos (south of Fort du France)
Génipa is a modern, upscale shopping center with boutique clothing and shoe stores for men, women, and children. There is a small Decathlon, a nail and massage salon, optical center, Apple store, Nespresso shop, Etam lingerie store, multi-media supply and repair shops, and more. Génepia is not nearly as large as La Galleria mall, but it’s a little nicer and less crowded.
There is a great food court with excellent Thai food at Pataya Thäi Street Food. Kory and I highly recommend the Kao Pad Crusty with spicy mayo! There is also a gourmet hamburger restaurant called Big Fernand which is a very popular place. If that weren’t enough, there is a La Saladie with a massive salad bar, Happy Mix Juice Bar, La Brioche Doree with European sandwiches, pizza, and pastries, and excellent gelato and cappuccinos at Amorino Gelato.
After browsing the shops, and having lunch, I would go grocery shopping at the Carrefour Hypermarket while Kory waited in a comfortable chair by the food court and caught up on the news, emails, etc.. This Carrefour is my absolute favorite grocery store on the island! It is modern, clean, and well-stocked. It is like a Super Walmart, but much nicer. I really like E.Leclerc, and they have items that Carrefour doesn’t have (and visa-versa), but this Carrefour is so much less crowded and it’s just fun taking my time here and browsing up and down each aisle. There is a large home section, electronics segment, clothing area, and cleaning supplies and toiletries section as well.
The produce here is fresh and vast; the meat is lean, fresh, and high quality, and there is a great organic section as well. I love the fact that the Carrefour brand products have a health rating on them from A to E. A is rated the highest quality, health-wise for you, and E is rated the lowest. These are, of course, European ratings, but it’s nice to have that gauge to make sure you’re not filling your cart with all “D” and “F” products.
All in all, Carrefour at Génepa is my favorite market on the island, but E.Leclerc at La Galleria is a close second. Make a day of it and shop them both. As one who loves to cook, bake, and entertain, these stores were a delight for me to peruse.
Decathlon
For the active and sporty folks, the Decathlon store in Le Lamentin, near Fort du France, is excellent. This is a huge sporting goods store with everything from paddle boards and bathing suits, to dive equipment and pool toys; from fishing and hiking gear, to mountain climbing and camping supplies; from weights and yoga mats, to bikes, bats, balls, and treadmills. This place has it all, and it’s just plain fun to explore. Across the street is Mr. Bricolage, and La Galleria is across the highway, so this area is really a one-stop-shop!
Mr. Bricolage
Mr. Bricolage is a large home and garden store similar to a Hope Depot or Lowe’s in the United States, only nicer! On one of our passages, the frame to Gracie’s potty pad broke, so we went to Mr. Bricolage to get wood, screws, polyurethane, etc., so Kory could build a new frame. We also bought a new toilet seat, plumbing supplies, batteries, and outdoor throw pillows. This place is a must for cruisers who need hardware, plumbing, lighting, kitchen, cleaning, or electrical supplies.
Some of the Eastern Caribbean islands we’ve visited have had a limited selection of shopping, but not Martinique. This island has everything we need and more! It’s nice to have such luxury after spending five months in Grenada where the shopping isn’t quite as abundant, modern, stylish, fresh, lavish, or well-supplied. Kory and I sure have enjoyed our weekly excursions to the malls, markets, and home goods stores, so we hope this summary helps fellow cruisers who are looking to spend time in Martinique as well! Bon achats (happy shopping)!