We thought we would try a new spot in Trois Ilets this trip. Previously we have stayed at the Bakoua in the south and St. Aubins on the northeast coast. The La Suite Villa is truly one of the most friendly and accommodating places in which we have stayed . We arrived very late in the evening after a six hour lay-over in Puerto Rico. We were relived to have such a warm welcome at such a late hour from Gilles and Valentine. We were given a tour of our villa, complete with hot tub! An unexpected surprise came in the form of a delicious cheese board from the kitchen. The next morning we delighted to find a beautiful patio, and bar area to enjoy. The mini kitchen has everything one might need for preparing small meals. The beds are comfortable and the A.C. works well. It was so nice to have two toilet areas, and a shower that functioned with lots of hot water. The breakfasts that we were offered were very good even though we tried not to eat too much since there is excellent food everywhere on the island. It is true that they are not located on the beach, but the service and staff are superior. Valentine spent a lot of time with me on day two trying to get my car rental straightened out. Thus we had wheels!! Touring the island is very interesting, and definitely the way to meet people. When we returned we dined in the restaurant and loved our meal which was delicious and very inexpensive by island standards for a top flight meal. It is possible to choose either the two or three course plates, which is helpful for small appetites.
We will definitely return to La Suite Villa on our next stay. Almost forgot my most important comment. EVERYONE helped me to use my French, which is one of the reasons that we visited Martinique. Not to worry about a language barrier here, since many people on the island have at least an adequate command of English. A beautiful, friendly island-we look forward to our next visit and return to the Villa.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at La Suite Villa and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to stay in Trois Ilets that doesn't mind being a bit away from the beach. The hotel is composed of mini suites in the main building and then separate villas descending the side of the hill. All rooms & villas should have a nice view and there is a small pool (which they close at 6pm as it's right next to the restaurant) and a very good restaurant.

The positives:
1. Excellent service. Valentine in particular went out of her way to assist me, even lending me a charger for my Blackberry as I had left mine at home. I speak a bit of French, which undoubtedly helps, but I have no reason to think the staff wouldn't be just as accommodating to those that don't.
2. The rooms are very nice, modern and comfortable. Valentine wasn't sure the A/C was working in the first room she showed me so she moved me immediately to a room on the top floor, which I thought was atypically pro-active (rather than leaving me in the first room and hoping the A/C worked). Befitting a hotel of European standard, the rooms are not large but they're definitely not tiny.
3. Free wifi throughout
4. Very good, reasonably priced restaurant. I had a 3 course meal and 2 drinks at the bar and my total was 57 euros.
5. Nice views from most, if not all, rooms

The only negative:
1. The hotel is up a decent hill and probably takes 10 minutes on foot to reach from the nearest beach

I would have given it 5 stars if it were on the beach but other than that it's tough to find fault.

We've been dotting around the Caribbean for the last few years and thought we'd add that bit of Gallic flair to this year's holiday. We'd done lots of research so La Suite Villa was going to be the obvious choice if we were looking for the best in Martinique.

After the usual complete chaos, lies and hell that is a LIAT flight, and the drive on busy, dark roads from the airport, we arrived at this little gem on the hill. It seems that we were greeted by everyone in the restaurant / hotel and the irrepressible Gilles took us to our villa to show us the rooms, amenities, the parasol, the hot tub........etc. in the most flamboyant and charming manner. Lovely to meet him, but we only got glimpses the rest of the week when he chatted to certain guests at this restaurant Zandoli.

Morning revealed the beautiful view over the bay and the cute, brightly coloured villas which terraced down the hill.

We chose to take breakfast in the restaurant which was superb. Eggs, pastries, coffee, chocolate, charcuterie, cheese etc. etc. all authentically French and delicious. Our school French held out and we managed to order and converse quite happily. The breakfasts were so filling that we seldom needed lunch. In the evening, we alternated between something simple in the town and dinner at Zandolli which is an absolute gem - probably the best place that I've eaten at in the Caribbean. It is very well priced and the service is excellent - particularly from our Celtic cousin, Sinead. Special mention for the cocktails and the desserts. One note for the non-French. The French see nothing wrong with smoking before, between and sometimes during courses. Its something you've just got to live with unfortunately.

The rooms in the villas are small but beautifully detailed and welcomely cool with good air-con. The bathrooms and en-suite are very high spec and come festooned with L'Occitaine toiletries. The main connecting room is a bit dingy but the villas are best enjoyed outwith this space. Cooking facilities are adequate but we never used them, but we kept the fridge packed with water, chocolate and wine to enjoy in the hot tub in the evening. The little garden is a lovely place to relax at the villa with a shuttered window opening "bar style" and every evening we had at least an hour here pre going out.

Les Trois Islets is the place to be in Martinique. It is best prepared for tourists with good facilities and restaurants and with some English spoken at most places. Try out Boule de Neige and Cafe Havana - both excellent. We explored some of the island, the highlights being the gorge and the Habitation Clement. We also had some fabulous snorkelling / scuba with Aliotis Plongee (Laurent and Sophie are wonderful and booked by the hotel). St. Pierre is very disappointing and tourist friendly places are few and far between in the north, although it is very beautiful. We took the ferry to Fort de France and the ferry trip itself is the highlight of this trip as Fort de France is a squalid, hot, bustling, smelly collection of tin-roofed delapidation. Its nothing like New Orleans - as some guide books will have you believe! The driving is frantic, with small Renaults being thrashed around tight corners and up steep inclines. Tourists can be easily spotted by the fact they use indicators and their cars are dent free.