Habitation La Sucrerie des Anses-d’Arlet is a beautiful estate house dating back to the late 18th century, bearing witness to the industrial history of the Hayot family. Today, it belongs to the Hayot Group, along with Habitation Pécoul and Habitation Clément.

In 1788, Jean-François Hayot left his coffee plantation in Saint-Esprit and purchased La Sucrerie, which was then the most prominent estate in the Anses-d’Arlet area. By 1845, his heir Michel Hayot—mayor of the southern commune (Anses-d’Arlet, Le Diamant, Sainte-Luce)—turned toward sugarcane cultivation in the context of the Industrial Revolution.

The mid-19th-century acquisition of Habitation Poterie and neighboring properties in Trois-Îlets led to industrial diversification, including the production of terracotta building materials such as bricks and tiles. These estates also cultivated sugarcane, which was processed at the Pointe Simon factory (now the Fort-de-France taxi terminal).

A pivotal moment came in 1868 when Octave Hayot (1843–1892) was sent by his father, Louis Hayot, to the newly established Usine du François to work alongside Émile Bougenot, a French mechanical engineer who had come to Martinique to develop a new generation of factories. Under Bougenot’s guidance, Octave learned both the industrial techniques of sugar production and the workings of a modern, shareholder-based enterprise.

This fusion of technical innovation and local production capacity sparked a major industrial success. At the end of 1868, Octave Hayot gathered several planters from the Rivière-Salée region—starting with his family’s estates in Trois-Îlets—to found, with Bougenot’s help, the Central Factory of Petit-Bourg on Habitation Génipa.

In the following years, competition among factory owners led the Hayot family to take control of neighboring estates to secure the factory’s supply chain and long-term viability. Octave Hayot is credited with initiating the agricultural development of the Rivière-Salée plain, which had previously been considered unsuitable for farming due to its marshy terrain. He died prematurely in 1892, and his relatives took over the factory’s management during a pivotal period in Martinique’s history.

Later, the eruption of Mount Pelée caused the deaths of many merchants, positioning factory owners as key players in the island’s economy. Descendants such as Joseph, Simon, Saint-Michel, Léon, and Yves Hayot played a major role in the sugar industry, managing numerous factories in Le Robert, Le François, and Lareinty until the late 1960s, when the sugar crisis brought an end to cane sugar production.

The family then shifted its focus to consumer goods retail, founding the Hayot Group, which now owns several stores and businesses across the island.

To get there, take the D7 road to the entrance of the Anses-d’Arlet village. The estate is located at the intersection of the D7 and D37. You’ll need to park your vehicle at the village entrance.

Located opposite the Savane de Fort-de-France, the Schœlcher Library (Bibliothèque Schoelcher) is a glass and iron building that combines Roman-Byzantine, Art Nouveau, Egyptian, and Neoclassical influences. It is the most visited building on the island.

It was built under the direction of architect Pierre-Henri Picq in 1887. It was first presented to the Parisian public, then dismantled and transported by ship to be rebuilt on the island six years later. It owes its name to Victor Schœlcher, the Under-Secretary of State for the Navy and Colonies, who pushed the government of the Second Republic to sign the abolition of slavery in April 1848.

Victor Schœlcher wanted the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of its population to be accompanied by access to culture for all.

In 1883, he donated 10,000 books to Martinique, which formed the initial collection of the library. Most of these books were lost in a fire in 1890. The library was rebuilt and now has 130,000 books, some of which are unique. The building has since been classified as a historic monument. It is owned by the Collectivité Unique de la Martinique.

Habitation Saint-Étienne, or H.S.E., is a distillery built to replace an old sugar mill, La Maugée, covering more than 400 hectares from Gros-Morne to Saint-Joseph.

In 1882, the distillery was bought by Amédée Aubéry, a young captain of industry who became one of the iconic figures of the Martinican economy. Towards the end of the 19th century, faced with the sugar crisis, it was converted into a distillery, like many sugar plantations of the time.

Amédée Aubéry expanded the factory and gave it a remarkable façade with 28 arched windows, ensuring optimal ventilation of the building. He modernized the entire facility to maximize rum production efficiency.

In 1909, the distillery was bought by the Simonnet family, who developed the business until its decline in the late 1980s. In 1994, Yves and José Hayot took over the operation, relaunched the Saint-Étienne brand, and undertook the restoration and enhancement of the architectural heritage of the property.

Today, although rum distillation no longer takes place (since 1988), it continues to produce rums, known as HSE rums. Its preserved architectural ensemble is one of the best examples of the housing system in Martinique, offering a glimpse into life in the 19th century. The master's house and the former slave huts, later used by paid workers, have survived for two centuries and are open to visitors.

The site is listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments (I.S.M.H.). During the tour, you can see how HSE rum is produced, including the barrel storage system and bottling process, before tasting the rums made on site. Numerous exhibitions are held there throughout the year.

The Musée de la Pagerie is the birthplace, in 1763, of Marie-Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, who later became Empress Josephine de Beauharnais. Today, the building is a museum entirely dedicated to her life and legacy.

The guided tour takes you through the ruins of the estate, which was damaged by several cyclones. You’ll see her childhood bed, portraits, and letters said to have been sent to her by Napoleon. The visit also includes the reception area, a botanical garden, the ruins of the sugar mill, her birth house, the cane press, and the “manioquerie,” a space where cassava was traditionally processed.

It was in this house that she learned of her future marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, whom she wed in 1796. Two mayors of Trois-Îlets sought to honor this iconic figure born in their town: in the 1930s, Mayor Gabriel Hayot created a first museum near the church where she was baptized. Then, in 1944, Mayor Robert Rose-Rosette acquired the property where the museum now stands.

To get there, head to the town of Trois-Îlets. Once in front of the Trois-Îlets golf course, follow the signs to the Musée de la Pagerie.

Habitation Clement is THE place to visit absolutely from Martinique. Throughout its history, what it represents for Martinique's past and present, this symbolic place will immerse you in the heart of the history of Martinique. Habitation Clement is a former sugar plantation. In 1996, it was classified as a historical monument. The property, on an area of ​​approximately 300 hectares, is called Domaine de l'Acajou.

Originally called "Habitation Acajou" by its first owners, Louis Hodebourg Desbrosses and Simon de Bassigny, Habitation housing was bought in 1887 by the Mayor of François, Homere Clement. Homere Clement was a descendant of a freed slave. First, he cultivates sugar cane, which he sells to the factory of François. Then, in 1917, following an order, he was allowed to build a small distillery.

When he died in 1923, his son Charles, an engineer who graduated from the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris and the Institut Pasteur, took over the business and worked to improve the quality (fermentation and distillation) of agricultural rums. He created the Acajou brand in the 1930s and Clément in the 1940s.

The company prospered until the 1980s before experiencing economic difficulties. It was bought by the Bernard Hayot Group in 1986. It was then that it definitively took the name “Habitation Clément” in tribute to the family that had made it prosper.

In 1991, following the Gulf War, it was a meeting place of prestige between the President of the French Republic at the time, François Mitterrand, and the President of the United States, George Bush.

Today, it is divided into three parts:

• the former Clément rum distillery, which is now a museum,
• the Clément rum aging cellars, which are still in use, and
• residential buildings, some of which are open to visitors.

You can also see many tropical plants and trees over an area of ​​17 hectares. The tour is free but paid and is done through audioguides freely distributed at the beginning of the visit.