There is a ti’ punch kit in the minibar.

The placement of lime, white rhum and cane sugar immediately reminds you that you have come to the French Caribbean.

And that is the story at the Cap Est Lagoon Resort and Spa, Martinique’s top boutique resort.

This is a quintessentially French Caribbean hotel, from the red roofs to the plantation-style great house to the foie gras appetizer on the menu.

Indeed, Cap est is Martinique’s great hideaway, set on a beautiful property on the Atlantic coast of the island and focused on one primary goal: tranquility, the kind the French Caribbean has mastered.

That means nothing but the sounds of tree frogs at night and Atlantic breezes by day.

It also manifests itself across the hotel: the terrific boutique spa, the wide infinity pool and, most importantly, the individual plunge pools in the suites.

They’re the perfect place to spend an afternoon, looking out at the garden or the lagoon and sipping on the French Caribbean’s most famous cocktail.

They are all of the ingredients for a very relaxing vacation – and a ti’ punch.

To book a stay at Cap Est, click here.

— Alexander Britell