Hotel berhampiran Anse Vata Beach, Anse Vata

Clean hotel in the heart of Baie des Citrons, with plenty of restaurants in walking distance. (Would like to rate as 3 1/2 stars but not possible.) Staff were friendly and efficient, booking airport transport with ‘Arc en Ciel’ before our arrival. (Rental cars have street parking near the hotel, and we always found a spot.). The only ocean swimming allowed in Noumea currently is in a small roped-off area across the street. Lagoon View rooms, some with balconies, look great but are quite noisy unless you are a nightclubber yourself. After three nights of hearing the nearby club music until 3.30 am, as well as cars racing past and people yelling on the beach and footpath ALL night long, we moved into a garden room which was perfect for us. Management were quite helpful facilitating this changeover. Babar below the hotel had good food, and there are plenty of other dining options nearby.

I arrived very late, close to midnight, and had sent the hotel an email notifying them of this. However, I never received any reply. On arrival, though, reception was open and I was quickly checked in by a friendly receptionist who spoke some English – not much, but we got along. My ”deluxe” room on the second floor was, according to the floor plan, the smallest room on the whole floor and the only one without a bathtub. Nothing deluxe about it, quite the opposite. The hotel really lives up to its name, Le Paris, as Paris is full of these ubiquitous three star hotels with dated, cramped rooms. My room felt reasonably clean, however, it reeked of decades of cigarette smoking and could really use a refresh. There was a soft bed called a double, but it would be narrow for two, a desk and chair as well as a fridge that was not turned on. The safe worked, the A/C was effective and the wifi was reliable albeit a little slow. There was a clock on the wall, however, it did not work. There were no water bottles in the room, but they had some for sale downstairs. The bathroom was small and came with a shower cubicle where the handheld shower had good water pressure and ample hot water. The only amenities provided were two wall-mounted containers: hand soap and a combined hair and body soap. Check-out time was 10:30 am, which must be the earliest check-out time I have ever seen. A ”late” check-out at noon would have incurred an extra charge of approx. 25 €. I could levae my bag at reception for a few hours on checking out, though. I stayed here for one night because I had a late arrival and I also wanted to see the city centre before moving to a beach hotel in Anse Vata. For this purpose, the hotel did its job, but I would not be happy staying here for more than one night. The hotel enjoys a very central location two blocks from Place des Cocotiers and is within easy walking distance to anything in the city centre. The cathedral is right behind the hotel, and you are reminded by this each hour as the church bells ring, day and night. I paid 71 €, no breakfast included, and felt the hotel was more or less worth the price.