DECEMBER 2014
Hi Lesley,
Just want to say thanks for organising our trip to New Caledonia, we loved it. A great opportunity to mix a relaxing beach break with a bit of cultural difference with a bit of fun night life with a bit of discovery. Just thought I'd send some notes below in case it's of help for future bookings.
Noumea
We loved The Parc Hotel. Great location. Sure the décor was dated but the room we had was spacious with a big bathroom bit a big round bath. Great balcony and views from our room too. (First stay fourth floor and second stay was fifth floor). Swimming pool area really nice. Obviously the hotel food and drink prices were expensive but we found a great French bakery about five minutes’ walk away (where you can buy a baguette for approx. NZD $1.50-$2, shops nearby you could buy a wheel of nice cheese for NZD $5 to $6 and for around NZD $13 a six pack of beer cans). Note you can't buy alcohol from shops after midday or certain days of the week (Wed, Fri and Sat I think).There is also a great hamburger bar right near The Parc where you can get a delicious hamburger for around $9 to $10.
A short walk away from the bay we stayed in Anse Vata beach is Bay de Citron where there are some great bars and restaurant. The beaches at both Anse Vata and Bay de Citron are both nice to swim in. Beautiful sunsets to be seen.
You can catch a bus into town for around NZD$3 to have a look around. I guess some people wouldn't be in to this as there is not a lot to do in town. But it's good if you're willing just to walk around and observe a different place.
Southern New Caledonia
The right-hand side driving is really scary at first!! Best to warn travellers of this if they are taking the self-drive option. It can cause stress in an otherwise relaxing holiday. They may prefer to stick to other means of transport. The Kanua Tera resort was lovely but the climate in the South seems to be slightly different. A bit cloudier, perhaps more sub-tropical. It felt more like we were on a lake there rather than on a beach. Good to check out the south for a completely different terrain (sort of like outback Australia or South Africa, lots of red earth and low shrub). There are lots of walks and bike rides to do in the area. The resort rooms are lovely but the beach there is not that great. Probably best suited to people wanted a very quiet, peaceful break who like doing outdoor activities and not wanting hot tropical beach getaway. Dinners were lovely, probably around $40 NZD each. Breakfast was included with the accommodation and it was really good - lots of fruit, yoghurt, breads, eggs, bacon etc. There are NO shops in the area so a good idea to take some supplies with you.
Isle de Pine
Beautiful! We definitely got out hot tropical beach fill here. The Resort rooms were lovely. Meal prices were similar to the other resort and breakfast was good. Free snorkelling, kayaks etc. Nice to walk around to some of the other bays and there is a lovely beach side restaurant about a 20 minute walk from the resort. There are some cheaper places to stay on the Island. The Oure Tera seemed to be the most expensive (but it was the nicest).
Once again, thanks for your help.
Kind regards,
Carolyn Brooke