New Caledonia 2012 - Entry 2

Much to my surprise, Tontouta Airport has undergone some major renovations since the last time I was there! Back in 2010 - when I was in New Caledonia last time - the airport was quite literally just a big, plain-looking box with super outdated decor. Now, it's one of the newest, cleanest airports I've been to!

Unfortunately our airplane arrived late by about half an hour, but we were greeted with cheerful smiles of assorted relatives who came to pick us up.

And then I learnt my first lesson on New Cal. The have a saying, "La nuit, tous les chats sont gris!" (at night all the cats are grey), meaning that at night, anything goes! My driver most definitely embodied this with her weaving out of road lanes, talking on her phone and breaking the speed limit - all at the same time.

FINALLY we arrived at our hotel, Le Méridien Nouméa. There are 3 main things I love about this hotel in particular:

1. The quality of the hotel

One word: Luxury. From the moment you drive down the boulevard to when you enter your room, everything about it proves to you why it's a 5-Star hotel! One can't help but feel rather erudite (cultivé) when walking through the hotel. For example, there's always something 'cultural' going on, like a display of Aboriginal art. I mean, putting aside the irony that I was seeing Australian Aboriginal art while overseas, it added a little sophistication. And the gardens were a treat to stroll through.

My room was amazing. I had it all to myself! I found myself just sitting on the balcony reading and looking out at the view quite often, when I wasn't tanning on the beachfront!

2. The friendly staff

All the staff really go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your stay. Even though my Australian accent snuck through a few times when speaking French, they were all keen to speak in French with me and didn't do the usual *rude* switch to English they do when they don't think you can handle French! There's also a few Japanese staff to cater for the steady flow of Japanese tourists and honeymooners, so they appreciated the occasional Japanese phrase here and there.

In particular, the lady making omelettes every morning and the breakfast buffet waiters, Richard and Mary, were super friendly and attentive.

3. The facilities

Where do I begin? The pool was obviously a major attraction given the tropical heat, but in addition to that, there's a lot more to do around the place. Walking along the beach, swimming in the ocean and sipping an Orangina while sunbaking were probably my highlights!

I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully get over the sheer eccentricity of one night at the seafood buffet, though, when we had a Gypsy Jazz ensemble playing for us. I guarantee you, it well and truly kills any semblance of conversation when some old lady screams in Hungarian at you!

So... when am I going to start blogging about the food? Check out my next post!