There are public telephones on every square and many street corners, all of which accept only plastic télécartes (phone cards). You can buy them in units of 50/¬6,72 and 100/¬13,40 from any post office and most tabacs (tobacco shops). For the best rates, call after 7pm. Many payphones also list a 1-800 AT&T phone number to dial for collect calls.

Telephone numbers on all three islands are ten digits long, starting with 0. To make local calls on any of the islands, dial the ten-digit number. International calls to Martinique and Guadeloupe do not require the 0 - simply dial the international access code of the country you're calling from, followed by the digits after the 0. To make an international call to St Barts, however, dial the international access code, followed by tel 590, then ten-digit number.

Sending letters home using the French postal system is straightforward - postcards and airmail letters cost ¬1.34 to North America, ¬1.04 to Europe and ¬1.80 to Australia.

The internet is still relatively new here, available mostly in the more resorty areas. Consequently, checking your email can be expensive. Until the islands catch up with the wired world, fax remains the preferred mode of written communication.

The country codes for Martinique (tel 596) and for Guadeloupe and St Barts (tel 590) are now part of their ten-digit telephone numbers.