Isle of Pines Escape

A day exploring the world's largest lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary marine life, before heading to the islands. A boat trip carries you across the shimmering turquoise water to Amedee Islet, a tiny coral cay crowned by a historic white lighthouse, one of the tallest in the world, which you can climb for breathtaking views over the lagoon. On the island, you snorkel over vibrant coral gardens alive with tropical fish, turtles and rays, swim in the warm, clear water, relax on the white sand, and enjoy a barbecue lunch, often with a display of Kanak dance. The sheer beauty and marine richness of the lagoon are breathtaking, and the day offers a wonderful introduction to the underwater wonders of New Caledonia. As the boat returns across the turquoise water, you take in the beauty of the lagoon. Back in Noumea, a relaxed dinner rounds off a delightful day, and you rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to the incomparable Isle of Pines.

This morning you transfer for the short, scenic flight to the Isle of Pines, the 'jewel of the Pacific', one of the most beautiful islands in the world. As you approach, the island's signature landscape unfurls beneath you, blinding white beaches, towering dark araucaria pines, and impossibly turquoise water, a scene unlike anywhere else in the Pacific. On arrival you are welcomed and transferred to your accommodation near the beautiful beaches of Kuto and Kanumera. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this island paradise, swimming in the warm, calm, crystal-clear lagoon, strolling the white sand beneath the pines, or simply relaxing and admiring the extraordinary beauty. The Isle of Pines is small, tranquil and utterly unspoiled, and the pace is wonderfully slow. As the sun sets over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, you settle in for four blissful days on this incomparable island, the barefoot heart of your escape.

Today you experience the crowning glory of the Isle of Pines, the magical Oro natural pool. Reached by a lovely walk through fragrant pine forest and along a shallow, crystal-clear river, the natural pool is a stunning tidal lagoon enclosed by rock and reef, filled with water of the most extraordinary, luminous turquoise imaginable. Here, in sheltered, calm, crystal-clear water, you can snorkel among coral and shoals of brilliant tropical fish, or simply float and swim in the warm, dazzling pool, surrounded by the towering pines and white sand of this incomparable island. The setting is idyllic and utterly tranquil, and the sense of having discovered a hidden natural paradise is profound. Snorkelling or floating in the Oro natural pool, in water of such astonishing beauty and clarity, is an experience that stays with you for a lifetime, and for many the single most beautiful moment of the escape. As the sun sets, enjoy a relaxed island dinner of fresh lagoon seafood.

A day to enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Pines. In the morning you sail Upi Bay aboard a traditional wooden outrigger canoe (pirogue), gliding silently among dozens of towering limestone rock pinnacles that rise from shallow water of the most brilliant turquoise, a surreal and unforgettable seascape, propelled by the wind and the skill of the Kanak boatman. The rest of the day is yours to relax on the world-class beaches of Kuto and Kanumera, where the water is warm and calm and the sand blinding white beneath the pines, snorkel the coral, kayak the lagoon, or explore the atmospheric ruins of the island's convict past. The Isle of Pines combines extraordinary natural beauty with tranquillity, and there is always time to swim, relax and soak up the incomparable surroundings. As the sun sets over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, enjoy a leisurely dinner, perhaps a traditional Kanak bougna feast cooked in an earth oven.

A final full day to savour the Isle of Pines at the gentlest of paces. You might snorkel the coral again, take another walk to the natural pool, relax on a different beautiful beach, kayak the calm lagoon, visit a Kanak community to experience their warm hospitality, or simply do nothing more than move from hammock to sun lounger beneath the pines, cold drink in hand, watching the endless colours of the turquoise water. By now you have surrendered fully to island time, and the day passes in a happy blur of swims and relaxation in this incomparable setting. The warmth of the welcome and the beauty of the surroundings make it hard to imagine anywhere more restful. As your escape draws to a close, a special farewell dinner celebrates the days of pure island bliss, and you watch one last spectacular sunset over the turquoise water and the tall pines, deeply rested and reluctant to leave this rare and beautiful island paradise.

After a last barefoot morning by the lagoon, perhaps a final swim in that warm, turquoise water beneath the pines, you transfer for the flight back to Noumea and your onward international departure. You leave rested, sun-kissed and quietly changed, with sand between your toes and the beauty of the Isle of Pines etched in your memory, the magical natural pool, the rock pinnacles of Upi Bay, the tall pines silhouetted against white sand, and the warm hospitality of the Kanak people. The Isle of Pines has a way of staying with those who visit, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this rare and beautiful island, the 'jewel of the Pacific', and to the incomparable turquoise water and towering pines that make it one of the most beautiful places on earth. Few escapes deliver such complete and restorative island bliss.