The most beautiful natural sites to discover Sainte-Marie

Anse Azérot is an estate founded at the end of the 17^th century by Father Labat, who saw on this seashore the possibility to easily exploit lime kilns. The path goes along the ocean, its beaches and its high cliffs. It is very easy to get there and, by walking all along it, you will discover the remains of lime kilns… It is the best way to appreciate the island in all its splendor.

To get there: on the RN1, one kilometer before the town of Sainte-Marie, at the crossroads leading to the Sainte-Marie estate.

It's the story of a reopening: that of the former La Salle sugar factory, founded at the end of the ^17th century in Sainte-Marie, and which once produced pure sugarcane juice used to distill tafia, the ancestor of rum. Nestled in a magnificent tropical garden, Habitation La Salle offers a real trip back in time, and a lovely walk through its verdant surroundings. The dwelling was formerly known as the Survilliers sugar factory. It was owned by Claude de Laguarigue de Survilliers, born in 1668 on the island of Saint-Christophe. Driven out by the English in 1690, he took refuge in Martinique, settling in Sainte-Marie and marrying Luce de La Salle in 1695. Just before the French Revolution, in 1786, Jacques Guillaume Seguin de La Salle bought the house that today bears his name. After more than 3 years of restoration, the site reopened its doors in March 2021. Nearly three-quarters of the site's traceability has now been rediscovered, enabling us to share with visitors the history of sugar and agricultural rum in Martinique. During your visit (the audioguides are very well done), you can discover the boiler house and its chimney, the 2 paddle mills in operation, the sugar loaves, the guildhall, the stills and the ageing cellars. Take a look at the Maison du Café, home to a host of old machines. The tour ends with a tasting of the rums produced in collaboration with Saint-James: an organic white, a VSOP and XO.