The Fonds Blancs

Off Le Francois, the lagoon floor rises to white sandbanks in open water - the fonds blancs, where boats anchor and passengers step out to stand waist-deep a kilometre from shore, the classic being the Baignoire de Josephine, named for the empress with the anecdote adjusted per skipper. The ritual is fixed and delightful: ti-punch served in the water, accras passed between strangers, a soak that dissolves the morning, then a cruise of the ilets - the private-island scatter where old Creole houses hide in the palms. It is Martinique's most sociable half-day, and the water really is that colour.

The landscape

• The Baignoire de Josephine - the waist-deep sandbank institution.
• Ti-punch in the water - the standing-in-the-sea aperitif.
• The ilets cruise - the islet scatter of Le Francois bay.
• The lagoon colours - white-sand shallows against reef blue.

When to go

December to May for the calmest, clearest lagoon; morning departures beat both wind and the busiest rafts of boats. Weekends multiply the party factor - choose your energy.

What to expect

It is social by design - boats gather, music plays, rum flows; seekers of solitude should charter privately or pick another coast. Sun on white sand and water doubles down - hats and reef-safe cream are survival gear. Book trips ahead in high season.

Nearby

Le Francois, the Clement rum estate and Le Robert's own islets.