EMILY BLATCHFORD
DEPUTY EDITOR OF KIDSPOT.COM.AU, REGULAR PANELIST ON CHANNEL TEN’S STUDIO 10 AND MOTHER TO ONE
NEW CALEDONIA
IS THIS THE EASIEST OVERSEAS FAMILY HOLIDAY DESTINATION FROM AUSTRALIA?
Emily says…
It was coming up to the end of the year and we were feeling knackered. My husband found out he had some extra time off work, so we decided to go somewhere for a week at late notice. Keep in mind we had a one year old who had just learnt to walk so we didn’t want to fly too far, and our main aim was to RELAX.
For this, New Caledonia was so perfect. It’s a 3 hour flight with no time difference (no jet-lag hurrah!) and ticks a lot of baby-friendly boxes (for instance, you’re able to drink water from the tap, the calm clear water is perfect for little ones, there is no Zika virus if you’re pregnant or planning to conceive, etc.)
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WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at the Chateau Royal Beach Resort & Spa which was perfect for what we were after. All the rooms are actually suites (so you don’t have that claustrophobic feeling when your baby goes down for a nap and you have to sit silently in the dark -anyone else had this?) and it has direct access to the beach – you can even spot turtles there!
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The grounds are expansive – plenty of room to move. The pool is great for littlies AND it features a swim up bar (clever).
It’s easy walking distance to a strip of bars and restaurants as well as having multiple restaurants on site.
The only disappointments were the ‘extras’ – for example, while the site says there are two pools, you have to pay to enter the second one, plus the spa was booked for days in advance, which meant no massage for mama 🙁
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OUT AND ABOUT
As the point of this holiday was to relax, we spent most of our time in the resort but in hindsight I wish we had ventured out further. (To be fair we did try – but more on that later).
Paddle boarding was a real highlight for me – nothing quite like seeing turtles cruise beneath your board – and there’s a small but excellent aquarium within walking distance that our daughter LOVED.
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We also took a day trip to Bird Island which was a fun way to change up the scenery, but beware, the sand is coral and tough on tiny feet.
But probably my biggest regret was not staying at least one night in Ile des Pins (Isle of Pines). It was 2.5 hours by boat, so practically the same time it takes to fly Sydney to Noumea, and by the time we decided we really wanted to at least do a day trip, the wait list was too long.
Looking back I really wish we made the effort and/or planned further in advance as it looks like paradise.
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EMILY’S TOP 5 NEW CAL TIPS!
1. GAME PLAN
Book everything in advance. I don’t know if it’s because we went at peak time but as I mentioned before, a lot of things (tours, boat rides etc) had a wait list of at least a couple of days, which wasn’t ideal considering we were there only for a week, so we missed out.
2. HAPPY HOUR
Drinks can be expensive (comparative to Australia) so make sure you go nuts at Duty Free.
3. ROCK-A-BYE BABY
If you stay at the Chateau Royal Beach Resort & Spa, don’t bother packing a travel cot as the one they provide is excellent.
4. PACK LIGHT
You’ll only need a stroller or light pram (we took the BabyZen YoYo, which if you don’t know, is approved by some airlines as carry-on which means no need to check it in – woo hoo!).
5. OUI S’IL VOUS PLAIT
While there are plenty of dining options, make sure you dabble in the French fare while you’re there.
Two words: NUTELLA CREPES!
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Images (unless specified) supplied by Emily Blatchford
