Sean Henri

Video Tour of Martinique

November 08, 2008 // 3 Comments  // Add yours »

One last post about my recent trip to Martinique - a quick video tour of the island.

For more information on Martinique, visit France Guide.

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My thoughts on Martinique

October 26, 2008 // 6 Comments  // Add yours »

A short recap of the end of week long vacation to Martinique, as well as some photos:

The island, Club Med, and the trip as a whole far exceeded my expectations.   I know my Dad enjoyed it as well.  Martinique is a beautiful and unique island, and I think that there's something for everyone who'd ever want to visit. 

That being said, I was never an "island" kind of person.  The sort of places that usually attract me are cities with a rich history and culture, or the "outdoors" type of destinations - mountains, hiking trials, national parks, and so on.  The idea of sitting around and doing nothing on an island for a week never really appealed to me that much.

But my assumption about whether or not I would enjoy a week at one of these "all inclusive" island resorts turned out to be wrong.  Sure, there was plenty of time to relax and "do nothing", but a trip to Martinique can offer much more than that.  You can explore the rain forest, hike to the peak of Mount Pelée visit the rum distilleries and museums, and get a feel for daily life the island by going into the cities and villages and seeing the different crops that help support the island's economic health.

As for Club Med Buccaneers Creek - if you're ever going to visit Martinique, it's an ideal place to stay.  All the meals and drinks where included and unlimited, with snacks in between.  The resort offered free snorkeling, kayaking, water skiing, tennis, and other sports into the package.  There was a gym, a spa (which cost extra), and free nightly entertainment.  The staff there go out of there way to keep you socializing with the other people staying there.  Of course this was a bit difficult for me being one of the few people there who couldn't speak French, but at least I had the staff to talk to.  The crowd was a bit older than I was, and mostly couples.  It wasn't until the last night that I met a single girl who was age.  The beach was the nicest one I had ever been on, and from what I've heard it was one of the nicest beaches on the island.  The rooms were nice, although a bit warm.  Overall, I'd give Buccaneers Creek Club Med an 8 out of 10.  Had they offered internet in the rooms and better transportation to and from the airport, it would have definitely been a ten.

The trip back home was long, but not bad.  We had another long layover in Puerto Rico which just gave another excuse to explore San Juan.  You'll find a few photos of that towards the bottom of this post.

A few weeks later, I think I may want to visit a second time to dig a little deeper into what the island has to offer.  But with so many other places to see, only time will tell if that ever happens.  One thing I found to be unfortunate was that most of the visitors staying at Club Med knew very little about the island they were on.  I bet that many of them never even stepped foot off the resort.  I could go on a rant about this, but I'll save that for another day.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Martinique, Photos, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (6)

Bananas, Waterfalls, and Rainforests

October 23, 2008 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Our tour around the island in a rental car gave us a good glimpse of the volcano and the freedom to explore areas we wouldn't have been able to visit otherwise.  But we thought a second round would be worthwhile, so we went along on a guided jeep tour with other people who were staying at Club Med.

There was a caravan of 4 jeeps, each with its own tour guide.  Our tour guide (who reminded me a bit of Morgan Freeman), was the only one out of the group who could speak English, so we had two other non-French speaking visitors ride with us.

The tour initially took us through flooded roads and banana fields, where we stopped for a bit and got a lesson on how the crops are managed and how important it is to the economy of Martinique.

We gradually took a turn towards the north, where we once again found ourselves driving through a rain forest.  But this time we took a different route, allowing us to see few places that we hadn't before. 

We stopped for lunch at a traditional creole restaurant somewhere in the middle of the island.  It turned into an international talk about the US election - with Germans, French, and French Canadians all asking us questions. We sampled the rum and tried some local food - which was all in all not that bad, but definitely not my favorite.

As we left the restaurant the clouds lifted from the top of Mount Pelée, giving us a rare glimpse at the peak of the volcano.  We stopped for a short break at Morne-Rouge for an opportunity to snap photos, the same place we had visited a day earlier, only this time we could see more than a few feet in front of our faces.

We made a short stop at the Saint James Distillery & Rum Museum before making our way south down along the Atlantic Coast.  I was half asleep at this point, (having stayed out pretty late at the bar the night before), so I was eager to make it back to the club to relax.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Martinique, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (1)

Mount Pelée

October 15, 2008 // 5 Comments  // Add yours »

Lounging around at Club Med has it's perks - unlimited food during your meals, snacks available in between, beautiful beaches, a swimming pool, water sports... it's all very relaxing. 

But it's a bit like being in a bubble.  Just like anywhere one might visit, you have to leave the resort to get a feel for what a place is really like.  So to break away from the routine of simple relaxation, we picked up a rental car for a drive to the north of the island to Mount Pelée.

Mount Pelée is a dormant volcano that has an elevation of about 4,583 feet, making it the highest point on the island.  What really makes this volcano interesting is that it was the source of the worst volcanic eruption of the 20th century.  In May of 1902, after several days of increasing activity, the volcano erupted killing about 30,000 people, most of whom resided in the town of St. Pierre.  Only two people in the direct path of the volcano survived, one of which was a prisoner in a poorly ventilated dungeon-like cell.

We stuck to the coast on our way up north, traveling through Marin,  Fort-de-France, and St. Pierre before we took our turn inland towards the mountains.  In the pic above you can see me standing on one of the black sand beaches just to the south of St. Pierre.

Quickly after the turn inland, the landscape changed from sunny fields, beaches and palm trees to a thick, wet rain forest.  To get to Mount Pelée we had to drive through a village called le Mourne-Rouge to a steep, narrow road  that takes you up the mountain side to the beginning of the hiking trail.  We hadn't exactly planned on taking the hike to the top, and it was rainy, so we paused for lunch at a tiny restaurant that was at the end of the road while debating whether or not to give it a try (we were advised not to without a guide).

While we were eating lunch there was this ratty looking dog wandering around the parking lot that kept following us around looking for attention.  He didn't look like he was very well taken care of at all.   We felt bad for poor guy but there wasn't much we could do.

By the time we had finished our lunch, the clouds had cleared a bit and we decided to try hiking up towards the top.  Unfortunately we only got about a half hour in before the thick clouds returned and we decided we should go back.  But it was still a great experience, and something I'd definitely do again.

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Walking into Sainte Anne

October 08, 2008 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Late Tuesday my Dad and I decided to take a hike to the nearby village of Sainte Anne.  There wasn't much too it aside from a few bars, cafe's, souvenir shops, and a beach, but the buildings and views made the trek well worth it.

This was a cemetary along the coast.  It overlooks the bay our resort is on, and if you walked towards the ledge you could see exactly where we're staying.  You see a lot of these around the island.  The graves are very ornate and are usually either in a pure white tile or a light blue.

My Dad in Sainte Anne.  Behind him you can see Club Med about to receive a downpour.

A typical building in Martinique.  Below you'll see the bull that greets visitors near the entrance to the resort.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Martinique, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

The beginning of a week in Martinique

October 08, 2008 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Late Sunday night we finally arrived in Martinique's capital, Fort de France.  Club Med had arranged for a taxi to drive us to the resort, which was about 45 kilometers to the south in Sainte Anne.  Not a bad ride, but the price-tag was a bit of a shock - 75 Euros.  Convert that to American dollars, and you'll  see it's quite a bit.

Club Med has turned out to be quite impressive.  The beach here is amazing - everything you'd imagine from an island in the Caribbean.  The food and drinks fantastic, and readily available.  If you're looking to relax, this is the place to do it.

If you know me well, you'll know that sitting around being lazy is a hard thing for me to do.   And it's been an adjustment.  But I'm beginning to think I could get used to this. 

A few early thoughts:

• I'm the whitest person on the island
• I really wish I spoke French
• I'm probably the only person to ever visit Martinique with a laptop
• If you come here, don't arrive on a Sunday.  Transportation is rough.
• I should have gotten a tan before I arrived.  Sunburn sucks.

More to come.  Below is a pic of a thunderstorm forming to the north from the beach here at Club Med.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Martinique, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Travelling to Martinque

October 08, 2008 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Remember that trip I won earlier this year?   Round trip airfare for two and reservations an all-inclusive resort on the French Caribbean island of Martinique.  Well I finally went, and I brought my Dad along. 

It's not every day you win a trip, so at first I was a bit skeptical.  In fact, I remained skeptical up until I received the plane tickets and hotel reservations in the mail.  But it turned out to be legit, and now I'm sitting on a deck surrounded by palm trees, sun-burnt from head to toe.

The trip from Hartford to Martinique was a long one. Out flight left the airport at 730 in the morning and landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We had about 7 hours to kill before our transfer left the airport so we decided to take a taxi into old San Juan, where we checked out a few shops and the Fort San Felipe del Morro, walked around, and visited some shops.

Then it was back to the airport where we boarded our rickety two-propeller flight bound for Martinique.    I'll post more later as I'm tight on time at the moment, but for now here's a few pics from San Juan.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Contests, Martinique, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Back home too soon

July 04, 2008 // 4 Comments  // Add yours »

My trip ended much too quickly.  Monday morning I was back in Connecticut, and back at work.  But as quick as the trip was, it was worth every penny.  Two days away was just enough to hold me off for a while.

My last day there was more casual than the day before.  We went to downtown Scottsdale for lunch then took a drive down RT 87 to Saguaro Lake.  By night I was back at the airport ready for my flight home.

A few more pics, all from Saturday:

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Arizona 2008, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (4)

Sedona

June 29, 2008 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

The flight here was terrible.  My "window seat" lacked a window, the plane had no pillows or blankets, it felt like there was an hours worth of turbulence while over Oklahoma and Texas, and the woman next to me was praying the rosary like it was Armageddon.

It was worth it.  Friday night was kept low key, partly due to the fact that it was almost 2 AM by the time I arrived.  My friend Kristen and I grabbed some fast food from Jack In The Box (great stuff), had a quick chat, then called it quits for the night.

Saturday we started the day with some coffee and then took a 2 hour road trip up north towards Sedona.  The terrain changed fast - from flat desert and tall cacti to jagged red mountains in what felt like the matter of a half hour.  I drove most of the way because Kristen wasn't too crazy about driving in the mountains. The views were amazing so the drive seemed to go by very quickly. 

We pulled over at a rock formation to the south of Sedona called Bell Rock.  A lot of people go here looking for a Vortex - a place where people have reported feeling inspired by a beneficial source of energy.  Needless to say, I'm a bit skeptical about the existence of such a thing, but I wasn't there for that, I was there for the hiking.  We tried to make our way towards the top, but in 110 degree heat we couldn''t get very far so we had to turn back.

Once our attempt at hiking was over we made our way to downtown Sedona where we lunch and cooled off at a Mexican restaurant named Oaxaca. 

From there we did a bit more driving, and then found ourselves hanging out along a river and watching people jump off cliffs at Slide Rock State Park, just to the north of Sedona in the Coconino National Forest.

To sum it up: it's been an amazing weekend so far.  Videos here and pics below:

Hiking around Bell Rock

A jumper at Slide Rock State Park

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Arizona 2008, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (1)

One way to spend the weekend

June 27, 2008 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

It's a Friday night, and I'm sitting at JFK looking for ways to kill the time as I wait for my flight to arrive.  I think thunderstorms are to blame for the delay.  It's no excuse, we should have braved the weather.  I had only planned on spending 48 hours at my destination!  Delays simply aren't acceptable.

Where am I going?   Arizona.  There I'll be meeting up with a friend who I haven't seen since 2005 and then roaming around in the desert for two days.  Why am I going?  I couldn't really tell you.  I have a friend there that I've been meaning to visit, and I've really wanted to take a vacation for a while now.  Those would be two good reasons, but I'll only be there for a day and a half.  Two miserable nights of travel for 36 hours of fast paced leisure. 

People question the wisdom behind these fast-paced trips, but for me, it's worth it.  I'll get to see a part of the country I've never seen before, and I'll spend some time with a great friend who I haven't seen in years.  I'm considering this a preview trip.  If I like what I see, I'll come back.  I gave this very little planning... I actually just booked my flight 4 days ago.   Few people know I'm even going to be away this weekend.

There's a forecasted high of 112 degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow.  I can hardly bare 80!   I'm told it's no so bad because of the lack of humidity, but we'll see.

I'll be posting quick little updates throughout my trip, via the blog, twitter, and YouTube.  You can find it all here on the right hand side of your screen under "Recent Thoughts" and "Recent Video".

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Arizona 2008, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (1)

Win a trip to the French island of Martinique!

February 02, 2008 // 5 Comments  // Add yours »

I have a very simple request for everyone who reads this. I'd like for you go and enter a contest to win a trip to the French island of Martinique.  All you need to do is vote for my story "Getting Lost on the Appalachian Trail", and you could find yourself spending 7 days relaxing on Caribbean island.  Pretty easy right? 

I ask this of you because if I'm the blogger who receives the most votes, I'll be winning a trip of my own to the island.  I was asked to participate in this contest along with 24 other bloggers by the French Government Tourist Office.  I had never thought about going to Martinique before, but after doing some research it actually looks like an interesting place to visit.  There's a volcano on the island as well as some mountains that offer spectacular views for hikers.  It seems like it would be a great place to do some kayaking as well. 

So please go ahead and vote, and ask your friends to do the same.  But make sure they vote for my story!  I'll greatly appreciate it.  You can win, I can win, and we'll all be happy.

One way you could really help me out is by posting a bulletin on MySpace or Facebook that asks your friends to go vote as well!  To post on Facebook, simply click this link.  Or if you have a blog, maybe mention it there?  I mean who wouldn't want to win a trip?

Terms and Conditions | Color Me Martinique Contest

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Vote to send me to Martinique!

January 21, 2008 // 8 Comments  // Add yours »

I need your help!  The French Government Tourist Office has included a story of mine in a contest they're running, and I'd like to have your vote.  There's only 19 people being included in this contest and the person who has the most votes by March 1st will win a trip to Martinique!  My story is called "Getting Lost on the Appalachian Trail" and you can find it here.  Simply vote with a valid email address and you're done! 

If my gratitude isn't enough here's one more incentive for you to help.  By simply voting you will be automatically entered to win a 7 night stay for two at the luxury Sofitel Bakoua in Martinique!  So go do it!  Just click HERE.

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Video from my trip (Part 2)

August 15, 2007 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Here's some more footage from my recent trip to Ireland.  This one starts off on the tour bus that I jumped on with the Troop 3 scouts from Derby, which brought us through The Burren to the Cliffs of Moher, and then down to our hotels in Limerick.

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Video from my trip

August 14, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

This is a real touristy-like video from my trip to Ireland.  It's mostly just footage of the landscape from when I first landed and then while I was walking around Galway.  It's more for my own memory than for anything else, but I'm sharing it anyway.   I have one more clip coming.

Posted in:  Ireland 2007, Travel, Videos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)