New Caledonia

a doubt, on its outer islands. Enjoy a leisurely few days on the Isle of Pines a tiny jewel in the crown of the South Pacific. An indigenous land, there is very little here except for a few low rise hotels, peace, quiet and the opportunity to commune with nature in solitude. The picturesque Oro Bay can get crowded when the cruise ships arrive but the rest of the time, it remains a pristine beach that offers picture perfect scenery and a spectacular natural aquarium that is worth leaving your spot on the talcum soft sand for. Visit the church and village in Vao before sighting one of the most photographed spots on the island the St Maurice Bay Monument.

Visit the islands of Mare or Lifou for long, deserted beaches; sheer cliffs topped with majestic colonial pine trees; fish and fauna found nowhere else in the world; caves, grottos and underground pools and a magical underwater world waiting to be discovered.