Looking for a vacation destination that is truly breathtaking? Fancy somewhere with a beach and sailing opportunities, plus the cuisine and atmosphere of a metropolitan city. A perfect holiday that provides all of this is a trip to the French colony of New Caledonia, located about halfway between Fiji and Australia.

This island is located further south compared to other South Pacific islands, benefiting from southeast trade winds, lots of sunshine and balmy weather. If a sailing holiday is what you are seeking for, New Caledonia is located in a part of the Pacific that has the largest coral lagoon in the world. Sailing charters are freely available and with the assistance of the trade winds you can sail out of the capital city of Noumea along the coastal line, past numerous small islands that dot the ocean around the New Caledonia. Other outdoor activities on the Island are scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, canoeing, and kayaking.

If you were hoping for a gourmet holiday, New Caledonia has almost everything you could want. New Caledonia’s capital, Noumea, also known as the Paris of the Pacific. Noumea features fine gourmet French food and wine along with the other benefits of a active cosmopolitan town. Some of the world-class restaurants in the South Pacific can be found here. Colonised by France in 1853, New Caledonia has a distinct French influence when it comes to food.

Noumea has over 100 palces to eat, ranging from sidewalk cafes to high-class bistros. French cuisine is easy to come by, but other choices include Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and African food. Seafood is a speciality of the Island, including spiny lobster, prawns, crab, and mangrove oysters. One of the national dishes is Bougna, which is fish or chicken, mixed with sweet potatoes and bananas wrapped in banana leaves and then baked covered in sand on hot stones. For the adventurous traveller on a gourmet holiday, you can sample a dish popular with the locals, bat stew.

New Caledonia is the holiday destination you want to be: a sailing holiday, a gourmet holiday, or a time to just relax by the beach.