This was not on our must see list but we're sure glad we went! What a gem! Very magical in my opinion! The drive from Saint Luce took about 1hour 40 minutes. Not difficult if you're used to driving on narrow roads and streets. Traffic through Fort de France was terrible. Once arriving to Habitation Ceron, road is not paved, bumpy but not long. Park in the grass parking lot under some beautiful trees. View of a large pond, great start. A very short walk to the rustic buildings that contained a separate co-ed restroom, a building that houses a small boutique that you walk through where you pay 8 euros to gain entrance to the hiking trail or go to the covered outdoor restaurant. Let me start at the restaurant: the food is sublime! It's fresh, locally sourced and every dish we ordered was prepared to perfection! Portions are not large (not small either), very rich and filling without making you over stuffed. The menu is in French but the 2 lovely waitresses (who we later found out were the daughters of the owner) speak enough English to give you enough of an idea of what is on the menu. You can't go wrong with menu item you choose. Be prepared however, to spend your time there. Food is prepared at time of order. We were there for 3 hours. So don't plan on rushing! Cost of an appetizer and meal approx 40 euros. Now for the trail. The trail is easy and short. Not wheelchair accessible. You get a view of the owners home and original distillery (no longer functional) they now grow cocoa beans. Then to the 1800 year old "Zamana" tree and tropical gardens. The Zamana was spectacular! Amazing it survived the Mount Pele explosion! You can also view the cocoa grove. A very worthwhile trip. So glad we...
Read moreA truly spectacular place. Well off the beaten path- ( drive from the South West with steep grades and turns- I would not want to do in the dark.) With 2.5 weeks in Martinique, this is at the top of the chart. Serine setting, buecolic gardens, a lovely outdoor restaurant--- and the most AMAZING FREAKIN TREE you may ever see in your life!!!!
The owner and her family are gracious and make amazing food- the setting includes a wide mountain stream and historic buildings, and the vegitation is spectacular. Paths through the jungled woods and gardens lead to the 1800 year old tree which has a branch reach that spans 2.5 acres. I looks like the tree from the movie Avatar, and is just as magical. We stood and stared at it for no less than an hour and a half. DO NOT MISS THIS if you go to...
Read moreLe jardin ne manque pas de charme. Nous avons pu y voir une belle collection de plantes et arbres tropicaux. A 9€ le prix de la visite, en revanche, est très excessif. 45 minutes de visite (en marchant lentement) dont une bonne partie dans un bout de forêt pas du tout aménagé. En comparaison on en a beaucoup plus pour son argent au jardin de Balata qui, malgré son prix plus élevé (14€) offre une visite 2 fois plus longue et bien mieux aménagée. Je passe sur la qualité de l'accueil : nous avons dû attendre un bon quart d'heure avant que quelqu'un daigne venir nous voir. Non pas qu'on ne nous ait pas vu ("il y a des gens à l'accueil" avons-nous entendu plusieurs fois). Au bout de ce quart d'heure, une charmante dame vient enfin nous voir. A peine avait-elle fini de dire "bonjour" qu'elle avait déjà le terminal de paiement en main. Pas un mot de bienvenue, ni d'excuse pour le temps d'attente, encore moins d'explications sur le lieu où son histoire. Enfin, le chemin passe par plusieurs "cuvettes" naturelles, ou l'eau stagne (pour peu qu'il ait un peu plu la veille), et le chemin est donc très boueux. Sur certaines (petites) parties des rondins de bois ont été disposés pour pouvoir marcher dessus. On se demande pourquoi la même chose n'a pas été fait aux 2 ou 3 passages particulièrement boueux.
En conclusion, on ressort de cette visite avec l'impression que cette habitation est une vache à lait, où les propriétaires cherchent à maximiser les profits tout en limitant les...
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