Caribbean Destinations

First Impressions: Petite Martinique

Less than a day in Petite Martinique and already I’m blogging about it. Unusual for me, but there’s absolutely nothing ‘usual’ about Petite Martinique (by my medium-sized-island-girl standards). Plus, the fact is there’s little else to do at 9:05 on a Thursday night. Already, all doors are closed, lights are off and there is nary a sound to be heard but for the beautiful melody of waves crashing on the shoreline, occasionally interrupted by brief but heavy rain showers hammering down on the galvanize roof of our guest house. #Bliss.

Fact: Everything I knew about Petite Martinique prior to my arrival could fit into one sentence – a poorly constructed sentence littered with hackneyed phrases such as ‘tiny island’ and trite words like ‘seafaring’. Beyond that I couldn’t state one significant detail about this extraordinary dot in the Caribbean archipelago. I just knew I needed to see it for myself.

First impressions of Petite Martinique, Grenada

Before I go any further, I feel obligated to clarify that Petite Martinique is an island in the Grenadines and, along with Carriacou, it is a dependency of Grenada, which in turn is a member of the British Commonwealth. It is not, nor is it any way related to, the island of Martinique, which is an overseas region of France.

At 2.37 square kilometers, Petite Martinique is home to approximately 900 people. Before I made this trip, Carriacou, with it’s 34 square kilometers and 8,000 population was the smallest populated island I had ever visited and I was in awe of its miniature geographic footprint and sparse population. Try as I might I couldn’t imagine what smaller would look like.

Now, after a brief walk that took less than 20 minutes but covered over half of the island’s road system, I can safely say that I know what at least 50% of ‘smaller’ looks like. And it’s pretty awesome. If falling waaaay off the grid and indulging in some serious quiet time are your cup of tea.

First impressions of Petite Martinique, Grenada

Here’s a snapshot of what I’ve learned about Petite Martinique so far…

One primary school (secondary school students take the small ferry to and from Carriacou every day to attend classes).

One church.

One post office.

One health clinic.

One main road. That has accommodated more foot traffic than vehicular traffic since we’ve arrived.

Golf carts are as common a mode of transportation as small SUVs and mini vans, but not a single car has been spotted. Yet.

North of the island is considered ‘country’ while the south of the island is considered ‘town’.

WiFi is available at certain locations but there is no data signal. None. At all. In fact, the friendly lady attending to us at Palm Beach Restaurant & Bar asked me what data was and she was shocked when I explained that it allows you to access the internet on your phone, even when you’re not in a WiFi zone.

The island is volcanic so there is no white sand and azure waters but the landscape has a wild, rugged appearance not synonymous with the “Caribbean aesthetic” that I find refreshing and unpretentious.

And…here comes the rain again. I think this time I’ll call it a night and snuggle up with some Netflix until I doze off.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! Cheers!

First impressions of Petite Martinique, Grenada

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First Impressions: Petite Martinique

(30) Comments

  1. Sounds like essential island life . Half carts , no traffic , and the rain ❤️ . Thanks for sharing your travels

    Xoxo,
    @Callme_twoshoes

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Thanks so much chica! I see you’re enjoying St. Lucia as well! Hope you get to check everything off your list!

  2. I’d never heard of Petite Martinique until reading your post! There are so many hidden gems in the Caribbean and I love the fact that its small and tranquil and hasn’t been disturbed by tourism. Quite often those are the most beautiful islands!

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      You’re so right Maggie! Completely unspoiled and so authentic!

  3. Sounds like a cozy place. I hope it didn’t rain to much while you were visiting.

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Cozy indeed! The cool thing about PM was that it rained every day but miraculously the sky would clear up whenever we needed to go outside 🙂

  4. This sounds heavenly! Although I wouldn’t spend weeks on end there I could see myself riding around on a golf cart exploring the island for just a few days.

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      I’m right there with you on that Lydia! A few days is enough for me as well 🙂 The only other tourists on the island was an American couple who’d been there since Oct and were staying until April…I admire them for it but couldn’t do it myself at all! lol

  5. Thank you for clarifying that Petite Martinique has nothing to do with the French Martinique! I was confused for a second. The island looks so pretty! And no data signal? Man, I should hop on the first flight! Enjoy! 🙂

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Lol no problem! A lot of people kept thinking they were one and the same so I figured it was best to clarify from the start. Regarding the no data signal, I was in shock at first but it worked out really well. The wifi connection at the resto and guest house were relatively reliable and I truly enjoyed not be able to connect when I was out roaming the island 🙂

  6. loving your photos! Looks like an awesome place to visit.

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      It is Courtney! I’ll admit it might not be for everyone since it’s so sparsely populated and doesn’t have all the fancy trimmings of the larger islands but it’s a great place to really getaway 🙂

  7. I’ve never heard about this town before… I’d love to visit! I love small towns… The description kind of reminds me of Catalina. Well, especially the “more foot traffic” part…

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Hi Jill, I love small destinations as well! PM is actually a tiny dot of an island just off Grenada and it’s perfect for you if you really love stepping waaaay off the grid 🙂

  8. That looks very good ! I never heard about this place before but now I had to googled it and looks fabulous ! Thanks for sharing !

  9. I am so jealous! I want to go on vacation now! Hahaha! I was just in St Lucia in July. But this looks stunning!

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Really? I was in St. Lucia last month, had a BLAST! The PM experience was the complete opposite but I loved it just as much. I love the variety of vibes you can find throughout the Caribbean 🙂

  10. sounds like a little piece of paradise, we live on Greek island and explore the smaller ones around us, this now needs to be added to our list of places to visit, thanks for sharing 🙂

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Oh I can’t wait to explore the Greek islands…every one of them looks so beautiful! PM is definitely worth a visit though if you really enjoy very small and simple island experiences 🙂

  11. I was totally sure that Petite Martinique is belonging to France as well. Do you know if they are producing Rum there?

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Most people do, even I was confused when I first learned about this island a few years ago 🙂 There is no rum production on Petite Martinique…fishing is their only real industry.

  12. You know what they say small is beautiful. It looks like a lovely island and your photographs are very good.

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Thank you Debbie!

  13. This Island looks so peaceful and calm. it would be great to escape from hustle bustle of life and spend some quality time here…

  14. Thanks very nice blog!

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      Thanks!

  15. This place sounds like one that we would love! We really love rural locations and tiny villages. We love being far removed from the rest of the world! It’s being added to the list!

    1. islandgirlintransit says:

      If you guys love being removed from the rest of the world then yes you’ll absolutely love PM!

  16. Looks so quiet and peaceful. Will be waiting on more of your blog posts about it! The biggest treasures are hidden in the smaller islands 🙂

  17. PM Boy says:

    Hi Island girl, I am from PM, I was actually born on the Island, went to the UK in the 90’s for Uni now back in Grenada, I visit PM very regular but not enough. PM was originally occupied by a French guy from Martinique hence the name Petite (small) Martinique. The best part about PM is that you can go almost any part of the island and be totally alone with nature. the entire eastern side of the island is uninhabited. Its the place to be if you want to throw the rest of the world behind you and be at total peace. Thanks for visiting our part of paradise.

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