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Hi,
Does anyone know which is the better trip at this time of year, Cook Islands or New Caladonia? I am going to Sydney on business and was planning to take a short 3 -4 day side trip. Any information about hotels etc. would be GREAT!
Tks!
Since you've only got 3 or 4 days, I'd pick New Caledonia because it's closer. You'll spend the better part of a day just travelling there and back, depending on flight departures. You can't always pick your preference for departure times as we found out when we thought about doing a quick 6-day trip to Vanuatu last year when we were in Sydney. By the time we figured out the logistics and costs, it wasn't worth it. It would have been 3 full days of relaxation with the rest of the time either in the air, or wasting time in airports.
As far as hotels, try TripAdvisor, VirtualTourist or Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forums for advice, ratings, comments, etc. They've been very helpful to me in the past.
I agree with New Caledonia (or Norfolk, or Lord Howe, etc)...basically anywhere but Raro. I think the Cooks are great if you take that extra flight from Raro to Aitutaki, which is the Cook Islands of the brochures - like a castaway island. I'd steer clear of Raro itself - there is one nice beach on the island but otherwise I found it dull, very unfriendly (don't believe any hype about friendly locals - they aren't like the Fijians) and very expensive. My sister had her wallet stolen on a separate trip there by a guy who befriended them at the hotel bar. When she reported it to the police and told them the guy who did it, they told her it couldn't be him because he was a local and wouldn't do something like that. So you can add corrupt to that list!
New Caledonia.... that australian hospitality comes at a price. its better and cheaper in new caledonia. Besides, New caledonia is a 3-4 hour plane hop from Sydney. and OMG is it beautiful...
you know when you look at a postcard and you think WOW, then you go there and its totally different to the postcard.
In new caledonia IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE THE POSTCARD.... The water is literally clear, its amazing. New caledonia also has a lot of French culture... Aussie Vs French... um there's no competition. FRECH PACIFIC is beautiful!
did you actually find new caledonia cheaper than Oz? They use the same currency as Tahiti and when I stayed in Tahiti, it was expensive... and I was hanging with locals..
did you actually find new caledonia cheaper than Oz? They use the same currency as Tahiti and when I stayed in Tahiti, it was expensive... and I was hanging with locals..
I think pretty much any place in the South Pacific is cheaper than Tahiti. Or at least that's what I understood when I was looking into doing a little trip to some SP island last year. Everything I read about Tahiti said it was "prohibitively expensive". I remember those exact words in one of the guide books. Gorgeous but out of this world price-wise.
I wonder if this is a French thing because when we went to Saint Maarten in the Caribbean, the French side of the island was outrageous, while the Dutch side was far more reasonable. And more friendly.
yes New caledonia is cheaper than Australia, i live in Australia... and have visited the cook islands, Vantuatu, new caledonia... cook islands tends to be more expensive remember Australia has much higher minimum wages levels so you will be slugged for it.... Vanuatu being the cheapest but boy New caledonia is cheaper than australia and the service is better.... you have my word... New caledonia is preferred more than the cook islands
yes New caledonia is cheaper than Australia, i live in Australia... and have visited the cook islands, Vantuatu, new caledonia... cook islands tends to be more expensive remember Australia has much higher minimum wages levels so you will be slugged for it.... Vanuatu being the cheapest but boy New caledonia is cheaper than australia and the service is better.... you have my word... New caledonia is preferred more than the cook islands
Gee, wished I'd looked into New Caledonia then. We both got our hearts set on Vanuatu last year, specifically the island of Espiritu Santo but turned out it was too much of a hassle and an expense to get there, so we gave up on the idea. Oh well. Maybe next time we're out East, if we're still in Oz.
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