Where? A 15-minute boat trip from Noumea in the French territory of New Caledonia, 1,475km east of Brisbane, takes you to the lap of luxury in a bungalow standing over the sea. Coral Palms Resort occupies an islet in the heart of a 200-hectare marine reserve.
What's so special about it? Refurbished in April, and one of the newest to join the 'overwater club', the resort's 25 luxurious bungalows are connected by walkways over part of the world's largest lagoon. Each lagoon bungalow has a private staircase that leads you straight into the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon, with its ever-changing ballet of sea creatures. The metal steps leading into the lagoon can be hydraulically controlled at the press of a button.
What do we do there? Swim, snorkel and scuba-dive, jet-ski around the lagoon or just unwind. You can walk around the coral-girdled isle in 10 minutes, or laze on the white sandy beach. The swim- up pool bar is perfect for balmy Pacific days. It's self-indulgence at its utmost to sit on your private balcony and do nothing but sip French wine in five-star surroundings, watching fish idle by.
Tell us more: Unlike most Pacific islands, New Caledonia is neither volcanic nor made of coral. Like New Zealand, it's a fragment of the ancient continent of Gondwana that included Australia. It split 80 million years ago, at a time when dinosaurs were still the dominant land animals and flowering plants were the bumptious upstarts of the plant kingdom. Besides bats, there are no mammals in the Pacific's third-largest archipelago. Instead, it's a world of reptiles, with more varieties of lizard than anywhere on Earth.
How about the rooms? The 55-square- metre bungalows are furnished in a fashionable blend of marble and glass, complemented by the warm tones of timber and raffia. The sitting rooms are equipped with television sets and CD and DVD players. Each varnished washbasin, shaped like a ceremonial bowl, provides an attention-grabbing contrast to the clean modern lines of the white-tiled bathrooms. Less luxurious but still an indulgence are the resort's ocean-view and garden-view rooms.
What's on the menu? The French chef specialises in local seafood and shellfish, prepared with rich, French flavours that reward the palette with occasional bursts of Melanesian spices. He and the rest of the French-speaking staff give the resort a chic atmosphere.
