DoubleTree by Hilton Noumea Ilot Maitre Resort

pure relaxation. . overwater bungalow is a must! !!

food selection i.e. vegetarian food not enough variety.

Stunning place overall. Seeing the turtles and other creatures alone made it worth the trip. You'd be on the boardwalk or in your bungalow and you could see it all happening. Adored watching the turtles say hello, and particularly enjoyed seeing a baby shark one of the days! Really easy to navigate getting across to the island with the navette. Staff were delightful, always happy to help and have a chat. Overwater bungalow had plenty of space, and bathroom was fabulous. If I were to come back again, I wouldn't bother with a bungalow on the island - I'd go straight for the over-water option. It was an exceptional experience to have and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I think we were also pleasantly surprised because we had read reviews that it was horrifically busy on the weekend. Because îlot maître is so close to Noumea, it is also subject to the swim ban (until 31 Dec 2023), so many locals went to other islands to swim - so lucky us! It was super quiet and calm, and felt like a true getaway, without having to queue for a watersport gear rental etc. It was quiet and LOVELY.

These aren't terribly grave points, but to be nitpicky:. The swim ban! While this wasn't the hotel's fault, it also wasn't clearly communicated to guests, other than the big red flags intermittently placed around the island & a poster of the law with the ban at reception - if you didn't speak French, it was easy to miss. Just a simple reminder at check-in would've been great. (This being said, no one was stopped from swimming in the ocean or hiring any watersport gear. ..). Regarding food options - breakfast had a great range, but the prices of food for lunch and particularly dinner were extortionate. Food options were mostly, if not all, fried and/or greasy, unless you wished to pay around AUD90 for a buffet-style meal for dinner. I think the island would benefit from a salad bar or smoothie place or something! Would have loved to know that there was going to be a fridge in the room - as we could have brought some food to snack on to get us through to the next meal. Not a very pleasant culture around holiday makers making sure they get a chair by the pool - many brought their towel to breakfast and had dibsed a chair before the pool was even open! Many of these people then didn't turn up to the pool for hours. Disappointing that everyone couldn't just share a little more! Also, don't leave your stairs down - the snakes DO like to climb up and say hi.

THE ROOM WAS WELL APOINTED AND COMFORTABLE.

The wi fi coverage was excelent but the download speed was very low could not stream sd tv without constant buffering. The repetivness of the buffet and cold presentation of hot food.

- The location is simply stunning - Almost guaranteed sight of green turtles - Crystal clear waters and good snorkeling at your doorstep - Amazing sunrises and sunsets - Natural reserve with local birds, flora and fauna.

- Probably, some of the staff have not been properly trained. Some of them were not even friendly/welcoming and looked like they did not want to be there - The main pool was closed for the whole time and they never opened the bar in the other pool. We did not receive any sort of compensation or gesture for that - We were stuck on the island on the weekend since there was no space on the boats to go back and forth to the mainland. We tried to reserve one day in advance, but apparently it was already too late - Food is ridiculously overpriced and not worth it at all. No local dishes on the menu, and the fish is not great - Long waits for drinks and food from the kitchen. Some of the staff were still trying their best, so it is not their fault. They are probably seriously understaffed - The bed was very comfortable, and it was easy to adjust the temperature, but I had imagined a better room for the price. We barely had a wardrobe. Overall, this is not what I was expecting from a DoubleTree. It was my first experience at a DoubleTree and I was very excited about it. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. The vacation was still enjoyable since I was with a friend. I would never come here for an important celebration like a Honeymoon though. We did not even receive the famous cookies at our arrival!