Maisondemaitre2 Housingclement Francois MartiniqueThe road to L’Habitation Clément leads out of the village of Le François. Access to the estate is via a long driveway lined with coconut palms. The parking lot is on the left, just below the picnic area. At the reception desk, the hostess welcomes us with a lovely smile and asks us whether we’d prefer to go to the boutique, visit the Fondation Clément exhibition room or take a full tour of the site.
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Habitationclement7 Francois MartiniqueAs I’m with friends on vacation, we’ve decided to take the grand tour, starting with the gardens and finishing with the boutique, the sensory workshop and the art gallery… The tour is free, but the interactive map and audio guides will give us a better grasp of the different worlds of the whole building. Just click on the number and you’ll get audio and info sheets – it’s really well done!
Allow1h30 to 2h for the complete tour!
You can download The dedicated “Habitation Clément” application onto your cell phone free of charge. Packed with useful information and explanations, it provides access to audio guides and an interactive map of the estate.
Immediately after the small bridge over the ravine, we enter the park, created in the 1990s on the industrial wasteland of the former distillery. Ponds have replaced the former vinasse settling basins. The park, designated a “Remarkable Garden” in 2015, is magnificent, with a collection of 300 impressive trees planted since 1992, and plants from different tropical regions of the world.
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Garden pool House Clément Francois Martinique
Garden3 Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueWe stroll along the avenue of royal palms, discovering a palm grove, trees with colorful foliage, a stream, ponds and a bird tree, a refuge for egrets at night. In this maze of tropical vegetation created by Christian Buren, each step offers new and surprising perspectives, revealing a subtle harmony between nature and art.
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garden2-culture-habitat-clement-francis-martiniqueIn this magnificent park, Clément has created a sculpture garden featuring overtwentycontemporary works by Caribbean and international artists. Their diversity of style and material responds to common themes: reflection and light, memory, the body and mathematics, technology and the digital.
Garden9 Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueVisitors can touch and experiment with all possible interactions with the works, moving towards or away from them as they please…
Garden Sculpture Hervé Beuze House Clément Francois Martinique
Sculpture Miguel Chevalier Dwelling Clément Francois Martinique
Garden Pond Sculpture Dale Chihuly House Clément Francois Martinique
Moulinabetes2 Housingclement Francois MartiniqueThe map says it’s optional, but here’s a tip: don’t hesitate to climb up to theoldcattle mill, beautifully restored and surrounded by a Creole orchard.
The view over the park and palm grove is one of the finest on the site!
On the way back down, we follow a path lined with sugar cane that links the botanical and industrial worlds.
Chais Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueTo reach the house, we walk along the various cellars named after the Clément heirs:
The open doors of these beautiful cellars offer a view of the perfectly aligned barrels. The tuns in the Charles Clément cellar are truly impressive! This is where the work of the cellar master takes place: storage, blending and ageing of the old rums. I love the smell that emanates from the barrels, the famous ” angels’ share “, which corresponds to the natural evaporation of rum!
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Chai Tonneau Rum House Clément Francois MartiniqueBefore moving on to the big house, we enter the old distillery, where the machinery on display is a reminder of its former production capacity.
Since its takeover by GBH in the 1980s, Clément rums are no longer distilled on the site, but the space occupied by the old installations is an initiatory tour devoted to rum-making, with all the stages of cane transformation.
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Distillery Rum column Clément Francois MartiniqueOutside, we find the machinery garden, with sugar boilers, a steam winch, gears, rolles, a locomotive,old farm cars…
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Garden Train House Clément Francois Martinique
Maisondumaitre5 Houseclement Francois MartiniqueWhen the site was opened to the public in 1988, it was the main attraction ofHabitationClément. I’m delighted to rediscover the skilfully restored and maintained beauty of the manor house, a remarkable example of the Creole wooden house with a masonry base, the walls covered in wapa wood and the flaked tiles from the Trois Ilets pottery.
With its ventilated galleries, naturally ventilated louvers, imposing dining room, period mahogany furniture and collection of caned armchairs, it’s like stepping back in time and history! You’re somewhere else…
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House Clément Francois MartiniqueThe historical anecdotes, the carbet from the 1991 Mitterand-Bush summit, the stable, the outdoor kitchen: everything is magnificently restored. The house is listed as a ” Monument Historique “. The former carriage garage has become La Case à Léo. The Fondation Clément uses it for its cultural events and temporary exhibitions.
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House Clément Francois Martinique
Museefondationclement Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueAs you leave the house, take in the sublime view and head for the small kiosk before reaching the contemporary art space. Spread over two floors, this space hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions by Caribbean artists.
In March 2023, the Fondation Clément inaugurated a museum space dedicated to contemporary art from Martinique and the Caribbean. In a spectacular new room with a skylight ceiling designed by architect Bernard Reichen, works by artists acquired by the Fondation and already exhibited are showcased.
The Pinacothèque is a 40-metre-long gallery with a surface area of 550 m² and ceiling heights ranging from 4 to 8 metres. It features two monumental skylights overlooking the Habitation’s trees and lush vegetation.
The collection comprises over 800 works by 250 contemporary artists from Martinique and the Caribbean, purchased over the past 30 years by Bernard Hayot and his Fondation de mécénat.
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Museefondationclement2 Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueThe space that welcomes us is unique, both stylish and warm. The materials – stone, wood, copper – are enhanced by subtle lighting effects. The large circular counter allows us to discover the different aromas recognized by the AOC, to learn to distinguish olfactory nuances and the color of the rum’s robe. In the center, a palette indicates the aromatic profile of each rum. Depending on the variety of cane, the geographical zone where it was planted on the island, the work of the cellar master, the choice of casks and the length of aging…
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atelierdessens2-tasting-distillery-housing-clément-francois-martiniqueIt’s both extremely interesting and fun. Well done!
The staircase leading down to the boutique, with its monumental mirrored display case filled with bottles of aged rums, is well worth the detour!
Boutique Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueThe 7-metre bar in copper and enamelled lava invites you to a little tasting! The barman advises us and explains the vintages. The vintages are all different: VO, XO, VSOP, hors d’âge, white rums… We taste: for me it will be a Canne Bleue 2023 and the Clément XO! This year, they’ve released three new liqueurs: Créole shrubb, Mahina coco and Ban canne.
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Rhum Habitationclement Francois Martinique
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shop2-distillery-housing-clement-francois-martiniqueIn addition to the rums, the beautiful 100 m² boutique features products made by local artisans: jams, preserves, liqueurs, scents and a small bookshop.
I snapped up a beautiful book, some lovely postcards of the house and an Elot chocolate bar for the kids. The morning ends on a high note!
Habitationclement12 Francois MartiniqueThroughout the year,Habitation Clément organizes :
See the calendar for all dates.
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Garden15 Habitationclement Francois MartiniqueTheserene, relaxing atmosphere of the gardens with their majestic trees. The visit to the furnished house, a magnificent example ofold-styleCreole architecture. Theimmersionin the cellars, with the scent of rum emanating from the angels’ share. The sublime new sensory area, with explanations from the cellar master, an introduction to the different aromas and, of course, a tasting session!
