Noumea Pastry shop and Jinek Bay Q's

[P&O princess]

Hi all,

 

My self, hubby and 3 children are heading off on Carnival Spirit in March visiting Noumea, Lifou, Isle of Pines and Mare. We have done 2 South Pacific cruises on P&O before but are trying a few different things (for us) on the islands this time.

 

Does anyone know how much the pastries cost (rough price range) in the 'famous pastry shop' in Noumea? I think they only except Pacific Francs and want to know how much money we should change. We want to make sure we have enough, but don't want to exchange too much.

 

We are thinking about going to Jinek Bay while at Lifou. I know you have to pay to access the site now (and that's fine with us), but I just wanted to hear from anyone who has been there and get feedback as to whether you think it is suitable for my 3 children? They are 9, 7 and 4. While they don't snorkel properly, they do have a great time swimming under the water with their goggles and taking photos of the beautiful fish.

 

Is it very deep there?

Is there somewhere to sit on the edge of the water and just play in the sand or is it only a walkway with a staircase down to deep water?

 

Or if anyone could recommend anywhere else they think would be (more?) suitable for snorkelling with young children on any of the other islands, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[resordanis]

Hi all,

 

My self, hubby and 3 children are heading off on Carnival Spirit in March visiting Noumea, Lifou, Isle of Pines and Mare. We have done 2 South Pacific cruises on P&O before but are trying a few different things (for us) on the islands this time.

 

Does anyone know how much the pastries cost (rough price range) in the 'famous pastry shop' in Noumea? I think they only except Pacific Francs and want to know how much money we should change. We want to make sure we have enough, but don't want to exchange too much.

 

We are thinking about going to Jinek Bay while at Lifou. I know you have to pay to access the site now (and that's fine with us), but I just wanted to hear from anyone who has been there and get feedback as to whether you think it is suitable for my 3 children? They are 9, 7 and 4. While they don't snorkel properly, they do have a great time swimming under the water with their goggles and taking photos of the beautiful fish.

 

Is it very deep there?

Is there somewhere to sit on the edge of the water and just play in the sand or is it only a walkway with a staircase down to deep water?

 

Or if anyone could recommend anywhere else they think would be (more?) suitable for snorkelling with young children on any of the other islands, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I can help you with the French Pastry Shop. They prefer Francs but will take Australian Dollars. We paid in Francs(worked out about $20 for 2 coffees and 2 pastries) but some other cruisers sitting close by paid in Dollars and had no problem.

Personally, I thought it was over-rated, coffee not that good and the pastries very rich, but that was just my opinion and I am sure many will disagree with me!

[aussielozzie18]

I was at Jinek Bay in December. On the day we were there it was windy and there was quite a strong swell. It was definitely only suitable for strong swimmers on the day we were there. It was quite deep in parts and there is a lot of coral - which is great for snorkelling - but it means if you want to have a breather or adjust your gear you need to tread water. There is nowhere for the kids to sit on the edge or play in the sand. It is just a case of stepping off the steps into the water and start snorkelling.

 

Amedee Lighthouse Island at Noumea is great place for young kids to snorkel. You walk from the beach into the crystal clear water and its shallow with lots of fish. This is a ship tour and its quite expensive but its a great day out. I haven't been to the other ports you are going to.

[mtg-01]

There is a short concrete stair way down to the waterline, from the observation platform at Jinek Bay, which leads to fairly shallow (waist deep water). There wasn't any exposed sand, but there is a shallow sandy section where kids could play in the water, or prepare their snorkeling gear. The water around the coral ranges in depth from about 1 - 3 meters.

 

Our 8 year old son who had only ever practiced snorkeling in a swimming pool prior, had no trouble snorkeling around the coral.

[3littlepigs]

When our kids were younger we used to take a pool noodle each to hook under their tummy/chest so they have some extra buoyancy. They are very cheap so can be abandoned after you finish with them. Some very cute kids in Vanuatu were very happy to adopt the last ones we had.

 

From memory the pastries we had were about $8, lemon tart...yum! the bread rolls we had were cheaper maybe $2 it was divine. My daughter says choose the bread that was the furthest to the right sitting on top of the counter.

 

We didn't have coffee there because we were very disappointed when it came out of an automatic machine rather than made by a barista!

[OzKiwiJJ]

French coffee is different to the Italian style we are used to in Australia. It can still be reasonable though, just not quite as good. Just think of it as a different drink.

 

My regular barista gets quite confused when I have an espresso instead of my usual latte. But I consider them both as different drinks. The latte I have with breakfast for, or morning or afternoon tea, the espresso I have after lunch or dinner or when I don't want a milky coffee.

Edited January 23, 2014 by OzKiwiJJ

[Kiwi_cruiser]

We are thinking about going to Jinek Bay while at Lifou. I know you have to pay to access the site now (and that's fine with us), but I just wanted to hear from anyone who has been there and get feedback as to whether you think it is suitable for my 3 children? They are 9, 7 and 4. While they don't snorkel properly, they do have a great time swimming under the water with their goggles and taking photos of the beautiful fish.

 

Is it very deep there?

Is there somewhere to sit on the edge of the water and just play in the sand or is it only a walkway with a staircase down to deep water?

 

Or if anyone could recommend anywhere else they think would be (more?) suitable for snorkelling with young children on any of the other islands, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

We will be at Lifou on Monday / Tuesday, so I will have a look at Jinek Bay and let you know what it is like :)

[taninaus]

where do you find the Noumea pastry shop?

[2011CruisingFamilyof4]

We were in Jinek Bay in June. They were limiting the number of snorkelers per day there. You could either go in the am for a couple of hours, or the pm. It was $15 per person, that includes children, ours were 4 and 7. For this reason, my husband went and the girls and I headed back to the beach where they could play in the sand and run in the water.....as opposed to Jinek Bay as someone said it is a ledge.

 

Also in Noumea if you are looking to do something else, we went to Escapade Island. Great day out and included a buffet lunch. The tour bus will met you at the terminal and drop you back in the afternoon. Let me know if you want details.

 

Finally my big suggestion for kids snorkelling is to by a blow up floating kick board or floatie ring. That way when they get tired, they can rest for a bit without going back to shore!

[P&O princess]

Thank you so much to everyone that replied. Lots of great suggestions.

 

I think we'll definitely try the pastries, but might give the coffee a miss.

 

I like the idea of the pool noodle or other floatie for the kids - I might even take one for myself!

 

Kiwi cruiser, if you could give me an update on what Jinek Bay is currently like, that would be great! Also, if you could find out if it is better/different in the am or pm session. Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

We visit Noumea after Lifou, so I guess we can use that as backup if we decide not to go to Jinek Bay. Can you book snorkelling/island tours when you arrive in port, or can you pre-book? (Non Carnival tours)

[2011CruisingFamilyof4]

Hi I just got so confused, but then realised you were on two different threads!!!

 

In Noumea there is Lemon Bay to snorkel at, not the best (i.e not as colourful as the others), but you can take a tour to Amadee Island (spelling!) or Escapade Island. If you want the details on Escapade just let me know. Jinek Bay is the better one, but I couldn't justify the $15 fee for the 2 kids who would spend only 5 or 10 minutes looking than just want to play in the water.

[P&O princess]

where do you find the Noumea pastry shop?

 

 

From my searching of suggestions/things to do in Noumea I found this pastry shop... it's Le Fournil Gourmand, address 16 Rue General Gallieni

 

I'm hoping it's the one that everyone talks about... If anyone can confirm this??

[resordanis]

From my searching of suggestions/things to do in Noumea I found this pastry shop... it's Le Fournil Gourmand, address 16 Rue General Gallieni

 

I'm hoping it's the one that everyone talks about... If anyone can confirm this??

Yes, that is the one!

[taninaus]

From my searching of suggestions/things to do in Noumea I found this pastry shop... it's Le Fournil Gourmand, address 16 Rue General Gallieni

 

I'm hoping it's the one that everyone talks about... If anyone can confirm this??

 

Thanks for the address, I am sure I can find it now - I can't wait to get there and look around

[IngFam]

Hi I just got so confused, but then realised you were on two different threads!!!

 

In Noumea there is Lemon Bay to snorkel at, not the best (i.e not as colourful as the others), but you can take a tour to Amadee Island (spelling!) or Escapade Island. If you want the details on Escapade just let me know. Jinek Bay is the better one, but I couldn't justify the $15 fee for the 2 kids who would spend only 5 or 10 minutes looking than just want to play in the water.

 

 

Hi 2011CruisingFamilyof4,

 

Is Escapade Island a resort? Would love the details of this place have tried searching and I can only see the resort. Thank you.

[2011CruisingFamilyof4]

Hi 2011CruisingFamilyof4,

 

Is Escapade Island a resort? Would love the details of this place have tried searching and I can only see the resort. Thank you.

 

Hi, yes it is a resort on a tiny island. We went through a bloke named Alfred, he runs a lot of different tours through Noumea. Google Gateaway tours and you will find it. A lot of great reports about the tours and we were happy with ours. Great Buffet lunch as well, lots of variety and FANTASTIC desserts!!

[dancinman66]

Hi all,

 

My self, hubby and 3 children are heading off on Carnival Spirit in March visiting Noumea, Lifou, Isle of Pines and Mare. We have done 2 South Pacific cruises on P&O before but are trying a few different things (for us) on the islands this time.

 

Does anyone know how much the pastries cost (rough price range) in the 'famous pastry shop' in Noumea? I think they only except Pacific Francs and want to know how much money we should change. We want to make sure we have enough, but don't want to exchange too much.

 

We are thinking about going to Jinek Bay while at Lifou. I know you have to pay to access the site now (and that's fine with us), but I just wanted to hear from anyone who has been there and get feedback as to whether you think it is suitable for my 3 children? They are 9, 7 and 4. While they don't snorkel properly, they do have a great time swimming under the water with their goggles and taking photos of the beautiful fish.

 

Is it very deep there?

Is there somewhere to sit on the edge of the water and just play in the sand or is it only a walkway with a staircase down to deep water?

 

Or if anyone could recommend anywhere else they think would be (more?) suitable for snorkelling with young children on any of the other islands, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

From memory the pastries are about $4-$8 each aus. not real cheap but nice and a must

 

nowhere at jinek bay other than down the steps

go to the main beach near where the tenders dock for lifou would be better for the young ones

 

enjoy

Greg:)

[aussielozzie18]

Hi, yes it is a resort on a tiny island. We went through a bloke named Alfred, he runs a lot of different tours through Noumea. Google Gateaway tours and you will find it. A lot of great reports about the tours and we were happy with ours. Great Buffet lunch as well, lots of variety and FANTASTIC desserts!!

 

Thanks for this tip. We did Amedee Island at Noumea and loved it. I was looking for something similiar to do next time we are in Noumea that involved snorkelling again and this looks perfect. Great reviews on Trip Advisor.

[kimmerz81]

Sounds like we will be on the same cruise as we are going in March to those places as well and I was going to ask the same questions lol I think what I might do is print out a street map of Noumea and put places on it I want to see so we can formulate some kind of day plan as I think we might do a short shore tour and then just go round the place ourselves. Its My husband and I and our two kids (age 4 and 7) also we dont want deep water while snorkelling but have heard all the small islands are good for snorkelling so we wont be doing that at Noumea as it's more populated and other stuff to look at besides beaches :)

[kimmerz81]

You can see the shop on the Google street map of Noumea, Noumea is actually bigger than I first thought ! There is also a chocolate shop around the same area I want to walk to but will need that address but have heard it's just round the corner or something. Also would anybody have a route map of the green and yellow tchou tchou trains??

[2011CruisingFamilyof4]

You can see the shop on the Google street map of Noumea, Noumea is actually bigger than I first thought ! There is also a chocolate shop around the same area I want to walk to but will need that address but have heard it's just round the corner or something. Also would anybody have a route map of the green and yellow tchou tchou trains??

 

Kimmers, an idea for staying in Noumea is when you get to port, buy one of the hour long tours that they are selling. Once you have done this hour of the tour, your ticket is valid for the whole day on a "hop on hop off" bus. Great way to see the city and go back to places you liked......found a great playground on the tour as well so went there for the kids, plus Lemon Bay has snorkelling. And although we haven't done it, the Aquarium is meant to be pretty good.

[kimmerz81]

Thank you, does sound like a good idea, might see when we get there because you just sit on the train on the tour don't you and don't get out?

[P&O princess]

Hi Kimmerz81,

 

We are going on the 3rd March. So if there is anything specific you want me to find out, just let me know and I'll give you a report when I get back.

 

We did the Aquarium last time we were in Noumea and the kids enjoyed it. It only took around an hour (maybe less, can't exactly remember) to go through. So there's plenty of time to do other things. Entry is 2000 francs for the family (pretty good value for Noumea!)

Edited February 6, 2014 by P&O princess

[2011CruisingFamilyof4]

Yep, you cant get of the train. Lots of different vendors in the port, so unless you are looking at going to an island for the day, you really don't need to pre book anything.

[Cruising Our Way]

From my searching of suggestions/things to do in Noumea I found this pastry shop... it's Le Fournil Gourmand, address 16 Rue General Gallieni

 

I'm hoping it's the one that everyone talks about... If anyone can confirm this??

 

We get into Noumea on a Sunday do you think it well be opened?