Koulnoue Village

The staff were genuinely kind and helpful. They lent us beach towels the day before check-in so we could go diving in the morning, and even did a quick wash and dry for us on Sunday afternoon. WiFi was reasonably fast in our room. The nearby Babou Cote Plage campground and dive center is excellent and less than a five-minute drive away. The hotel itself sprawls across the grounds, with a small pool and sea access, though the beach isn't for swimming. Our room had been modernized and the bathroom was very new, but Room 24 had a dangerous toilet problem: water exploded upwards from the bowl, so you had to remember to put the lid down before using it. The resort is usually almost empty, but it was full for an event on Saturday. They turned rooms around quickly, and ours was clean, while the huge restaurant and shared toilets weren't very clean. Food was the biggest letdown. There was no lunch on Sunday. We'd told them we were vegetarians and they said they'd informed the kitchen. We were expecting an à la carte meal, but got a plate of noodles with soggy reheated vegetables, clearly left from the previous day's event, for almost $35. Terrible value next to the wonderful buffet at their sister resort in Poindimie, which adjusted the price for vegetarians. Breakfast was mediocre too: no cold milk for tea or cereal and no yoghurt. There were cooked eggs and some fruit left from the event, plus lots of leftover custard desserts from it. It's fine for a night or two, but with so few restaurants and supermarkets nearby, bring snacks. The nearby Shell service station closes on weekends, so fill up in Poindimie.

The setting and room were lovely, with a great view and a pretty good beach. Our bungalow was large and right near the shore, so falling asleep to the waves was wonderful. Service was great, and the woman I dealt with spoke excellent English, which made everything easy. The other staff were friendly and polite too, as seems common across New Caledonia. The dinner buffet was plentiful, but the desserts were pretty average for the island, so I'd give the food 6/10 overall. There were a few dogs around, which was fine, but overnight we heard them fighting. In the morning one poor dog limped to our bungalow, badly hurt and bleeding. It was awful to see, and we felt terrible that we couldn't help. I know it wasn't the hotel's fault and is just island life, but it still upset us.

The bungalow was clean and nice, and WiFi worked well both in the room and around the bar. Dinner was a buffet with a good choice, and the American-style breakfast was good too. The pool remained open while the pool area was being renovated. There were free activities on site, including tennis.

There are lots of village activities to choose from, and the new room felt fresh, with what I needed for a staycation. If the pool gets too crowded, you can always jump into the crystal clear sea. Good value overall. I only got to stay briefly, which was disappointing. I'll definitely be back and would highly recommend it.