Recently in New Caledonia Category

Everybody is different, which is why it's nice to have choices in life. What might be right for me, might not be right for somebody else. That's why the SPG You Choose promotion is so enticing. It allows you to choose from a variety of great reward options for your stays at participating Starwood hotels and resorts between October 1 and December 31, 2008. What reward you earn is entirely up to you. Perhaps you'd like elite status? Each stay can count double toward elite status, fast tracking you to the extra luxuries you desire. Or maybe you want to get free nights faster? Four stays, or eight nights, can earn you a free weekend night at properties such as the exquisite Le Méridien Ile des Pins in New Caledonia. But the rewards don't end there. Maybe you'd like an Amazon gift cards, or perhaps bonus Starpoints? The decision is yours to make. Just visit SPG You Choose and register by November 15, 2008 and get the rewards you really want.

This week, Le Méridien relaunched their signature website, an interactive imaged based journey through the creative world of this chic brand and introduced the LM100, a community of creative experts and cultural innovators that are shaping the future of the hotel experience. Throughout the week, thelobby.com has been highlighting special features surrounding this event. Today, we explore some destinations we uncovered navigating the canvas.

Chirping birds, bubbling waters, the subtle strumming of a Spanish guitar, a faraway sitar, these are some of the sounds I hear while watching vivid postcards appear on this three-dimensional grid. I stare at a spectacular array of landscapes and then choose to explore the first image that contrasts with the rain outside my Los Angeles window. Yes, the first image that appeals to me is a stunning cerulean blue ocean. Where is this paradise? After pressing on the + button, I am swept to the coast of Mauritius and Le Méridien Ile Maurice, a hotel featuring nirvana rooms with private heated infinity pools, all nestled against a lagoon off the Indian Ocean. Whoa. From Mauritius, I return to my canvas and become breathless at a blazing orange sunset overlooking another vast body of water. Yes, there seems to be a water theme with me today...Where is this? Le Méridien Nouméa it seems, in New Caledonia in the South Pacific, another destination I never even thought of visiting, although it possesses some of the fantasy vacation prerequisites: the largest lagoon in the world and an accompanying red coral reef. Snorkeling heaven! Throw in the fact that there's plenty of French culture as it is an overseas French territory, this is another enchanting destination I would never have discovered alone.