another "just back from New Caledonia"

Hi,
We have just (well about 3 weeks ago actually) returned from 3 weeks holiday in NC and as thorn tree was very helpful for me in planning out trip i thought I'd share some of our experiences.
Firstly, we were 2 adults with our 15 year old daughter, and from Australia. We all speak a little high school French.
We stayed initially at Casa de Sole in a 2 bedroom apartment.Casa de Sole is a ? 16 storey apartment block at the Anse Vata end of Baie des Citrons, largely patronised by longstay business and French holidaymakers.With respect to beaches and restaurants the location is great, but it is a fair walk to the nearest supermarket at Port Plaisance which is the nearest place to buy groceries like tea, sugar, milk, cereal etc.There is a boulangerie virtually next door which also sells salads and quiches.
The apartment was very spacious (much bigger than we needed,) comfortable and relatively quiet.They have great balconies with terrific views over the bays where you can watch passing yachts, windsurfers etcThere is a pool but we only used it once, as the beaches are so close.
I would recommend the Baie des Citrons side, as it is sheltered from the prevailing south easterly trade winds which were really strong for our first 3 days.
The apartments do not supply things that I would take for granted in similar accomm. in Australia (tea, coffee, sugar, detergent, washing powder) so we had to buy all of these.
Noumea is buzzy and cosmopolitan and could easily occupy you for a week.(OK so I live in a country town!) We visited the aquarium (fair), the famous cultural centre and walked around central Noumea. I would have liked to visit Musee de la Nouvelle Caledonie, which seemed to have a very good ethnographic collection, but got there too late. We also went snorkelling at Baie des Citrons, which was suprisingly rewarding.We didn't visit the islets because it was so windy.
We then spent a week touring la grande terre. Apart from getting slightly lost just out of Noumea, this was pretty straightforward.We essentially followed the recommendations on the tourisme du nord website.
The roads are pretty good, but ofter very windy because of the rugged terrain, so you need to take this into account in terms of distances.The northeast coast(ie the northern part of the east coast) is definitely the most spectacular scenery, with almost 2000m mountains coming virtually straight out of the lagoon and waterfalls plunging down into small estuaries. We stayed at Koulnoue village for 3 nights. This has 50 comfortable bungalows, each sleeping 4 (a Queensize and 2 double bunks with bathroom and a small fridge)
Food there was very good, but expensive (like everywhere) although you could get snacks from the bar at lunchtime. Facilities are a bit rundown and minimal and the beach was not very appealing. We mainly used it as a base.There is a nautical centre in Hienghene and we hired kayaks and circumnavigated la Poule. (they also have small dinghies and windsurfers), climbed one of the waterfalls, visited the cultural centre and did a walk and lagoon tour with a local guide(where we were a bit limited by our non fluent French).There is a local tourist office in Hienghene, but they were really no help at all.
It was a very long drive from Hienghene to Sarramea where we stayed (sadly for only one night) at Hotel Evasion 130, a stunning retreat in the mountains with a superb restaurant.They were also very kind , gave us milk from the kitchenand allowed my husband to stay in our room 3 hours after checkout the next day as he had a migraine.
We then flew to Isle des Pins and stayed at Gite Nataiwatch in the newer bungalow with bathroom.
Basic bungalow. very uncomfortable bed (we eventually upended the bed and put the mattress on the floor, but great location and ambience. Has a restaurant, which is expensive. If I was contemplating staying again I would take my own jug and mugs.
Also, be aware that you cannot buy takeaway alcohol on Isle des Pins.
Kanumera Bay is really beautiful, and also very sheltered from those raging trade winds. Gite Nataiwatch would be a fantastic place with small children, particularly if you were prepared to hang the expense and just eat in their restaurant (and a lot of French and local tourists were doing just that.)
I would certainly consider taking a wetsuit if you feel the cold, as even at end of November my daughter and I were cold after 30 minutes of snorkelling, because of the cool breeze.
Another tip, if you do the obligatory pirogue trip, which I would recommend, wear reef shoes if you have them, as you have to wade through sticky mud and coral.
We stayed 4 nights which was about right. We then flew back to Noumea, intending to fly out to Lifou but our flight was cancelled due to bad weather.
The local airline handled this less than perfectly, although I gathered from talking to other stranded passengers that it is a common occurrence with flights to the Loyalty Islands. Fortunately we had booked through an agent who came and rescued us (late on a Sunday evening. thanks Margeurite) ie found out what was happening , when we needed to come back and booked us into some accom(the Novatel) very reasonably and also redeemed our accommdation at our destination.
We made it to Lifou the next day. Stayed at Oasis de Kiamu. for 3 nights 12 comfortable bungalows, restaurant. tiny beach across the road (where we saw a turtle).Lifou is not very spectacular scenically, although the Baie de Chateaubriand and Luengoni have great beaches. the snorkelling in the north at Baie de Jenek was the best we saw, and it was easier to talk to the locals and find out about their culture.
We also stayed 2 nights at Fare Falaise , which is recommended in LP. However the case leaked raher badly and the verandahs with the great views were badly in need of basic repairs.
In terms of catering, NC is a bit tricky. It is relatively easy to self cater for breakfast and lunch (or get snacks in some places) Bread is available everywhere. Dinner is more difficult and you may be best to resign yourself to eating in restaurants where the food is generally pretty good, but expensive.It is hard to get a good cup of tea.
On a final note, NC was interesting from an environmental perspective.
There seems to be extensive use of wind and solar power., which is encouraging Some the interior is scarred by old nickel mines. There is a lot of coral bleaching (as in Australia). There is a fair bit of litter. I was struck by the absence of birds. The flora is largely unique- similar to home, but subtly different.
Hope this is of use to other visitors.

Great report Meredith, thanks.

One thing though- you say
"you cannot buy takeaway alcohol on Isle des Pins"
but I think that is not right. I recall seeing beer/wine atthe general store near the village of Vao.If you ARE right, then the other option is to buy up in the supermarket in Noumea and take it across.

No I'm pretty sure it is a legal restriction on the sale of alcohol, not a question of availability. it doesn't apply anywhere else as far as I am aware.
I would agree stock ingup on wine in Noumea at the supermarkets is the way to go. You can ,of course buy drinks at hotels and restaurants, but they are pretty pricey.
Meredithh

Hi Meredith,

Very informative report- thanks. We are thinking of heading to NC with our toddler who will be 18 months by the time we go. Do you think NC would be a suitable destination? Also we keep hearing how expensive it is and we will be travelling with the Kiwi Peso so what are your thoughts on general costs ( would appreciate any actual $ figures on basic accomodation, meals etc). I travelled to Tahiti a while back and found you could live pretty cheap, however this will be our first trip as parents- gulp!

Cheers

Simon

Edited by: EleanorNZUK

Hi Eleanor,
Thanks.
If I was travelling with a toddler and wanted to go to NC I would keep it really simple and probably just spend a little bit of time in Noumea and then do Isle of Pines, staying at somewhere on Kuto or Kanumera Bays, either of which would be lovely if you just want to sit on a beautiful beach, or maybe in the shade and paddle with a toddler. I think you would have to go upmarket to get things like babysitting etc.Certainly Casa de Sole would be very suitable with a toddler if it is within your budget.
In terms of specific expenses I don't have them all to hand, but for example we stayed 4 nights at Gite Nataiwatch in a bungalow with 2 very small rooms and bathroom (7850 FPC per night) Airport transfers were 7800FPC, (for3 people) breakfast (continental buffet) was 950FPC, dinner (menu du jour ie 3 courses, but basic home cooked fare) was 2800FPC per person.
I'm a bit removed from the world of toddlerhood these days, but from what I recall (and its a bit of a blur) I think the important ingredients are good sleeping conditions, preferably with a separate room (so you don't have to go to bed at the same time as your toddler), babysitting, access to medical care (because kids inevitably develop an ear infection as soon as you leave home) and a pile of dirt or sand (for the toddler to play in).
Hope this is helpful. I would consider a standard resort holiday with direct transfers if you want to go somewhere warm with a toddler.
.

Sorry, I meant hi Simon.
Meredith