Sorry
about the lack of activity lately but I promise it was for a good reason.
:-)
We put
all of our penny pinching to good use and went on a lovely holiday to New
Caledonia.
So I
thought in light of my holiday I would do a review on New Caledonia as a holiday
destination. Also I will give a few good tips on how to go on a holiday on the
cheap.
New
Caledonia is a fantastic family holiday destination. There are a few down sides
to going there and if you don’t mind over looking them then you will have a fantastic
time.
The
country does not rely on the tourists to get by financially. They get most of their
money from mining. So the hospitality leaves a bit to be desired. We are
still waiting on a cot for our room (haha). French is the spoken
language here and most websites say that English is widely spoken and
understood. We didn’t find that the case at all. So if you enjoy the challenged
of a language barrier and even learning a few words then New Caledonia would be
perfect. We loved the challenge. It definitely made for an interesting
holiday and my 2 (nearly 3) year old even learnt a few words which was cute.
The City
Centre is a little dirty so we kept away from there unless we were going to the
Market which I strongly recommend. The fruit there is unlike anything you can
get here. It’s so sweet and juicy. Also if you enjoy your pastries
as much as I do (my waist line is my proof) then once again this is the place
for you. They have all the French pastries you can ever want and there is
a patisserie on every corner. It was amazing to walk just across the road and
grab a freshly baked french stick for 10c AUD. The only thing
we found about eating here was there restaurants didn’t open till late for
dinner, so eating out for dinner was out of the question with our kidlets in
tow.
Although you can go to the Supermache (super market) and pick up everything you
need for next to nothing. With loads of cheeses, breads and french wines
to choose from you are never out of options of what to eat.
I would
have loved to travel the country more than we did and see the beautiful forests
and islands but once again with a toddler and a baby that was hard. But
we found there are still a lot of things to do within the capital city,
Noumea. The aquarium is a must see and my sons favourite place. There was
a great zoo were you can see Monkey and fruit bats. They also have a
fantastic bird avery which was amazing. The Cultural Centre is another
must see but mainly for the parents. The building and land is breath taking and
they always have some interesting exhibits there. And if you would prefer
to just kick back and relax then do as the locals do. Take a nice pair of
swimmers and hit any one of the beautiful beaches there.
To sum
up. This is a beautiful Island and I strongly recommend it. The hospitatly is
not the best but when you have such a fantastic view and yummy food you can
forgive them. :-D
BUDGET
Now it is
possible to go on a nice holiday fairly cheap. We went for a week and the
whole holiday including spending money cost us $6500. Pretty cheap considering
it was an international holiday and that’s including passports for the 4 of us.
Here are
a few of the things that I did to keep the holiday within budget.
1. Search around for accommodation.
Don’t just settle on the first hotel that pops up. It doesn’t hurt to spend a
little bit extra and get one with a kitchen or kitchenette. That way you can
eat breakfast and a few lunches and dinner at the hotel and save some money.
2. Book your flight tickets well
in advance. The closer it gets to the date that the flights leave the more the
price goes up. We booked out tickets 3 month in advance for $859 return for an
adult. When I looked at the price the tickets were going for on that flight the
week before we left the price return for an adult was $1780. That’s a saving of
just over $900 on the adult tickets.
3. Eat were the locals eat. It is
nice to go out to a big fancy restaurant while you’re away but it does not have
to be every night. Ask around and see where the locals like to eat. Are there
any hidden little cafes? You will be surprised at what you find and the
cultural experience you get is priceless.
4. Check out the list of markets.
You can get lots of fresh local produce for next to nothing in most places. It
will save you a pretty penny and once again the experience of just going to the
market is worth it in itself.
5. If possible try going on the
holiday during the school term. Everything is cheaper when it’s not peak times.
So there
you go. A nice international family holiday is not out of reach of the one
income house hold. A little bit of penny pinching and planning and anything is
possible.
I look
forward to getting the blog back on track. I have lots of new ideas, sewing
tutorials and learning curves that are Simply Beautiful coming your way,
so stay tuned.
One more
cute photo before I go (haha)
Tiffany
