The island, situated off the coast of South America, lies at the southern tip of the Caribbean chain and offers tourists a little slice of Gallic pride. French settlers arrived here in 1635, got rid of all the locals and began a life of exotic food production and trade.

To help them in their efforts, they brought slaves from west Africa – whose descendants make up the majority of the population today.

Today, the island has its own sense of culture and identity springing from its varied and tumultuous history. Tourists will be surprised and delighted to find a treasure trove of pretty towns, serene beaches and a nightlife to rival that of any Canarian Island.

Most visitors will arrive by air at the Lamentin International Airport, situated in the middle of the island, and will head straight for their resort. But looking further afield pays off.

The best beaches can be found on the southern tip of the island, which has been left undeveloped and thus remains an untouched spot of paradise. Locals say the sands of Les Salines are the best that Martinique has to offer – and who is to argue when the beach sports sunshine for large parts of the year and not even the locals plus the tourists in the high season can make it appear crowded.

Its name comes for the Etang des Salines, a large salt pond backing onto the sands, which is a small piece of sea that became cut off due to deposition of the sands on what is now the beach.

Tourists are reminded to be aware of the poisonous manchineel trees, dubbed the most dangerous in the world. Most have been marked with red paint and visitors are asked to not touch the fruit by any means, as even a smidgen can cause blistering in the mouth and eating a bite could be deadly.

Further north lies the capital of Martinique, Saint-Pierre. Once dubbed the Little Paris of the West Indies, the town is a hub of activity that has continued despite its cosmopolitan past.

A century ago everything was destroyed following the eruption of a nearby volcano. Loyal residents rebuilt the town and today interesting remains, such as a blob of molten nails, can be seen on the site of the former city.

When visiting the town, don’t miss the large central park of La Savane. There are tall tress, chunks of bamboo and lots of benches to sit down and observe the daily life of the population. The remnants of a statue of Empress Josephine lie in the park’s north side. Many years ago someone thought it best to behead the monarch and splash her with red paint – no one thought to repair it, so this is how she remains in display today.