Mare is a gorgeous island in South Pacific. We have had the pleasure of visiting the island on multiple sailings with Royal Caribbean Cruises from Australia.
Mare is part of the Loyalty Islands and is the second largest island in the archipelago. It is approximately 42km long and between 16 and 33km wide. Mare is part of the French – administered territories outside of France. While we have found the local tour guides pretty good for understanding English, English itself is not widely spoken with their national language being Nengone. French is widely spoken and Japanese is said to also be common.
While the local currency is CPF, French Pacific Franc, they will accept Australian dollars.
Mare is a tender port when travelling by ship. The pier where we disembarked the tender boat is at Tadine.
Yejele Beach
I can’t speak on behalf of other cruise companies as we have only been to this island with Royal Caribbean but be prepared to have to spend some money here. The Yejele Beach is beautiful but it is a distance from where the pier is. Royal Caribbean provide a shore excursion to this beach. It isn’t too much but isn’t cheap either. About USD 15 pp (can add up if you are travelling with a family).
The beach is beautiful. It is safe and a great spot for the family to sit back and enjoy the sunshine.
Take your snorkel (we recommend bringing your own with you on the ship) and see what you can find. There is plenty to explore here for the day.
You can purchase food and drink on the beach. We really enjoy purchasing something to eat. The food is made by locals in little huts and is a great way to experience something a little different. Pricing can be a little high but is worth it and it helps out the locals a little.
There are toilet facilities close by to where the buses drop you off (across the road from the beach toward the top end of where you would wait for the bus).
If you are reading this, preparing for your first trip to Mare, we would certainly recommend a trip to this beach.
