At the heart of an exceptional 200-hectare marine reserve, just 20 minutes by boat from Noumea, is Escapade Island Resort. A day trip for outstanding water activities like stand-up paddling, jetskiing and snorkelling, or an overnight stay or two in the romantic bungalows is a must when you go to New Caledonia.

Pick your escape accommodation…The overwater bungalows have a large living room, a bedroom featuring exotic timbers, the subtle elegance of the huge bathroom decorated with Italian marble, a private balcony facing the sunset, direct access to the lagoon down your private stairs to the water.

Nestled in lush tropical gardens, there are 30 spacious and air conditioned garden bungalow rooms with wide glass windows to view the landscaped gardens. A serene haven, these rooms will seduce you with their peacefulness and subtle luxury.

There are 14 deluxe beach bungalows with views of the long white sand beach and the turquoise lagoon, each a serene haven that combines luxury with exoticism.

Archetypal dream of the South Seas, the island floats like a mirage Master of the lagoon.

This unique hotel offers gay and lesbian travellers the luxury associated with the tropical tranquility of the place and the staff are quick to lay out the gay welcome mat. It is one of the GLP Group Hotels that are Rainbow Tourism approved. 

Swim-up bar at Escapade Island Resort

New Caledonia is a sport lovers’ paradise; almost a quarter of the population is involved in some sort of sporting activity, and visitors are drawn to participate and spectate at international events hosted around Noumea and beyond.

Rainbow Tourism recommends a visit to New Caledonia during one of its many sporting activities, like the International Pro Kite Surfers Competition each November, or the upcoming International Triathlon on May 27th.

Book your accommodation ahead with these gay welcoming places to stay.

Obviously, the warm water of the lagoon, its underwater splendours and the trade winds that rock the coast all seasons lend themselves to a multitude of activities like sailing on your own chartered yacht and snorkelling in the world’s most beautiful lagoon.

But it’s not just water sports and activities that make it alluring.  New Caledonia has mountains and bush areas, too,  for fishing, hunting, horse riding, trekking and nature walks.  The agency to use for information and  bookings is Noumea Discovery Tours.

Lonely Planet has unveiled its list of favourite 10 countries to visit in 2012. New Caledonia has broken into the Top 10 list at eighth position, the only destination in the South Pacific.

Despite its fabulous island scapes and unique mélange of Gallic and Melanesian cultures, New Caledonia rarely makes it onto tourists’ short lists. Maybe the tide will turn this coming year.

Gay and lesbian visitors from nearby Australia and New Zealand have long known about the gay welcome mat in Noumea and the Loyalty Islands.

Nouméa could be easily mistaken for city in the French Riviera. But beyond the très French panache of the capital and the west coast of the main island, Grande Terre, the indigenous Melanesian culture quickly comes to the fore. The rebirth of Kanak traditions has been gaining momentum for the past 30 years, and today is at an all-time high.

Head to the Loyalty Islands or Ile des Pins and you’ll enter another world. Stay on Grand Terre and you’ll think you’re in gay Paree.

Rainbow Tourism Accredited Accommodation in New Caledonia includes The GLP Hotel Group, with 6 budget-to-luxury level properties. One in Noumea CBD, 4 on magnificent Anse Vata Bay in the lagoon, and one on a private island just offshore.

Fly from Australia or New Zealand to New Caledonia and you could be speaking, eating and drinking in French that day.

More than a destination, Noumea is a lifestyle. The Pacific “French Riviera” is where good taste is combined with the Pacific lifestyle. Sophisticated cuisine and fine wine are two elements of The French Touch experience awaiting you in New Caledonia’s capital.

Noumea today has many wineries, cafes and restaurants that make it a great destination for lovers of fine wine and gastronomy. For a romantic or a family meal, various styles of restaurants offer local products “à la française”. Oysters, lobsters, mud crabs, coconut crabs, shrimps, prawns, bougnas and the famous Caledonian deer and bio-dynamic vegetables are paired with French, New Zealand and Australian wines. French, Asian or Oceanic, New Caledonian cuisine reflects its mixed population, offering visitors a delicious, eclectic menu.

For the gourmets, the curious and others, visitors can attend cooking classes in order to be initiated into the codes of French cuisine -  learn some chefs’ secrets and taste the results of your own work as a bonus.

Outside of the city in the brousse (bush), local specialities feature deer, shrimp, coconut, crab, wild hog and fruit salad.

The Bougna is the traditional kanak dish (Melanesian), chock full of assorted tubers, fish, prawn or impressive lobsters. The whole meal is marinaded in coconut milk then simmered for hours in banana leaves on the hot stones of the Kanak oven. The dish contains yams, sweet potatoes, and taro, plus snails and pigeons – or for the more daring candlenut worm (a fat white worm tasting like hazelnuts, eaten raw or roasted!).

Bon apetit!

Treat yourself to a gourmet getaway, learn French and get into the Pacific Lifestyle. You can select the perfect retreat at a Rainbow Tourism Accredited hotel right on the lagoon. The GLP Group of hotels has a range of tropical and contemporary hotels, from two to four stars, along the promenadae close to the restaurants, cafes and cooking classes. There are other gay-welcoming hotels, venues, language schools and tour operators. Ask the Rainbow Tourism Concierge, a frequent visitor to Nouvelle Caledonie.

Dream Yacht Charter Noumea

A seasoned mariner or a sailor for a day, stop dreaming and come and enjoy the unique experience of sailing on the Caledonian lagoon!

If you are in Noumea over 10-11 December, you can participate or spectate at the 24 Hours of Sailing event.

Jet Skiing with Dolphins

The principle is simple: teams of minimum four persons sail non-stop for 24 hours!

All sailing lovers are participating: wind surfing, kite surfing, dinghy, catamaran, kayaking, even outrigger canoes.

In parallel with this water competition, events are taking place on the land, involving activities associated with sliding, as skateboarding and BMX.

• For more events and news, Visit New Caledonia
• Rainbow Tourism Accredited Accommodation & Attractions

For the 10th consecutive year, Noumea hosts Teri Kite Surf Pro, a race in the world championship calendar of the Professional Kitesurfing Riders Association.  What is at stake for the male and female riders is winning the World Champion title of Freestyle Kitesurfing.

The event will be held in the beautiful lagoon of Noumea from 30 Nov. to 4 Dec. You can follow the action from Anse Vata Bay and even hear the results from the gay bars that border the bay.

If you’re going for the competition or happen to be on holiday in Noumea, check out the Rainbow Tourism Accredited accommodation and tour operators.

The iconic image reflects the love and generosity that the New Caledonian people feel for their land – a country where the nature is spectacular and intimately attached to the ocean.

Visit New Caledonia site has some fabulous videos that will transport you to paradise – 64 of them showing the range of activities, events, accommodations, cultural landmarks, restaurants and heretofore hidden secrets.

Pass the word, grab your travel companions, and head to one of the most gay-welcoming destinations in the South Pacific.

Rainbow Tourism Accredited accommodation and tour operators
10 Good Reasons to Place New Caledonia on Your Must Do List

Two-thirds of New Caledonioa’s quarter-million residents live in greater metropolitan Noumea, which hosts the vital economic activity. While there is a lot there to hold tourist attention, it behoves other travelers to escape the commotion of the capital – by escaping to the outer islands.

On Lifou, Mare and Ouvea, you can enjoy the tranquillity of wide-open spaces and the authenticity of the Kanak tribal people who live there. It is here that you can experience traditional songs and dances, see demonstrations of weaving and sculpture, and taste the fruits from the sea and gardens of the native tribes.

Some upcoming reasons to plan a discovery visit to the Loyalties.

WETR 26 – 28 August on Lifou

This festival is a rare opportunity to discover all the ancestral customs of the Kanak culture, including songs, dances and traditional foods, lasting late into the night.

Loyalty Islands Fair 17 – 18 September on Mare

Each year, the festival rotates to one of three Loyalty Islands and this year lands on Mare. It is a showcase for Kanak culture and island life.

Lagoon Day –  May 2012 on Ouvea

The event is an opportunity for all fishermen of the island to demonstrate their spear and net fishing expertise. For visitors, its a chance to taste a fish deemed not “scratching” the pride of Iaai.

More information:

• Visit New Caledonia
• Visit Loyalty Island
• Rainbow Tourism Accredited Hotels: Mare, Ouvea, Lifou
• Upcoming Events

Each year these marine mammals travel thousands of kilometres from Antarctica to the warm waters of the Pacific to reproduce, in particular in New Caledonia’s World Heritage lagoon. Even though an adult can weigh 25 tonnes, its weight does not prevent it from performing jaw-dropping leaps. Humpback whales being able to perform up to 70 of these in a row!

Rainbow Tourism Accredited Places & Tours in New Caledonia

• Noumea
• Lifou, Loyalty Islands
• Private Yacht Charter for Whale Watching

Take to the air and fall to the ground in New Caledonia