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MARE: Anybody been there?

warrina

By warrina,
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

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warrina

warrina

Posted
Posted

:)Hi,

We are off on a cruise next week and it's the first time to Mare,

Can anybody tell us what to expect ? or has anybody got any photos?

 

Is it worth getting the bus to go to the beach?

where's the best area to swim and what is the snorkelling like?

 

thanks for any info.

 

Clive::)

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bazzaw

bazzaw

Posted
Posted

If you don't go on the bus to the beach ( from Mare) , there is not much point in even getting off the ship. There is almost nothing to see/do at the wharf where the tender drops you. The beach is quite nice - not sure how good it would be for snorkelling as when we were there , there was a cold onshore wind blowing which tended to make it all not so nice.

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Wastegirl

Wastegirl

Posted
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Snorkelling was not too bad, it was nice and clear when we were there but a strong current was running so you couldn't float in one spot, it was more start at one end and float across the lagoon with the current. If you wanted to stop and look at something it was a bit of hard work. As long as your expectations are not too high you will have fun as the coral was quite pretty. The GBR it is not, so don't expect that type of snorkelling.

 

As for the beach itself, it was okay, covered in pumice when we were there but then that is quite common on the islands in that area.

 

If the cost of the bus is not too bad (we paid $15 each) and you are not part of a mass exodus and having to wait (maybe leave it until the eager beavers are all off), it is worth the trip to stretch your sea legs and have a dip in nice warm water.

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Fletch1

Fletch1

Posted
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The bus trip is about 15-20 minutes and there all different sized buses that get you there.

 

We were on the same cruise as Baz and I would agree with him in that if you don't go to the beach, there is nothing much else there.

 

If the weather is foul, I would not bother going to the beach.

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mtn_couple

mtn_couple

Posted
Posted

Mare was my favourite island!! Loved the beach, loved the atmosphere, loved the kids cutting the tops off coconuts for a drink, loved that the island was still relatively untouched (was Nov 2012 so may be different now). Definitely take the bus. Some pics attached from our trip (hope they work!)

img_3320.jpg.9fa30651cc3f6c593da14b13cbced43a.jpg

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img_3325.jpg.d8dbbaa4332258602f3a9ffa60723944.jpg

PIC_0028_00.jpg.3bfa36a57dd9dee71ead8aff444d6d2b.jpg

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  • 2 months later...
parko

parko

Posted
Posted

Yes definitely worth going to yejele? Beach. Went there last February and July, swam and snorkelled both times. We found the end of the beach past where the buses stop to be better in that this end was the sandy end. Also if you are sailing with Carnival you can purchase bus tickets on the dock although they encourage you to buy on board ($20). Reef shoes not necessary. Enjoy.

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Tara Jane

Tara Jane

Posted
Posted

Mare is also my favourite island for the same reasons, it is untouched and very natural still. We were on the 2nd ship to dock in mare back in april 2012 and been another couple of times since, the latest this past May. Yes please do take supplies to the school, they need and appreciate everything pencils, paper, erasers, rulers, stickers, absolutely anything kids use.

When you get off the tender, instead of going right to the bus, turn left and wander down the road, there you will see a stone church, with no windows, but a perfect photo of your ship can be taken through the window gaps. There is also an area that has pigs just past the church, keep wandering along and you can see some lovely plants. On the opposite side of the road is a watering hole where kids are always swinging from the ropes. This year we noticed new toilets, spotlessly clean, hopefully the cruise passengers left them the same way at the end of the day.

We did notice a big change in the area over the years, money being spent on paving and roads that weren't there back in 2012.

Go, enjoy, speak to the kids who will be hanging over the school fence, wanting to practice their English with big beautiful smiles.

We didn't need reef shoes in isle of pines even though we did take them. Lifou is the island that we needed them most.

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Greensteam

Greensteam

Posted
Posted (edited)

We visited Mare on Carnival Legend 9/11/14. Sadly, the weather was overcast and raining so a trip to the beach was a bit of a waste of time. If you're going to another country and haven't been there before, you're mad not to get off the ship even if you do get a little wet.

The ship should moor relatively close to the island so the tender ride is very short. There's not much to see if you stay close to the dock. Maybe wander around like others have mentioned. Our day was too wet to do that, and it was a Sunday so the school was closed. There were some markets open just to the right of the dock - selling sarongs, tshirts and other trinkets. They did accept $AUD but don't expect change. Take $5 notes. There was also a hut doing hair braiding. Worth going ashore for a look.

I hope you have a sunny day, it would be much more fun. A couple from our group went on the bus to the beach but came back early. I think most of the cruisers were back onboard for lunch.

 

PB090024_zps39ae7277.jpg

 

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PB090018_zpsf7f33963.jpg

 

PB090017_zps647b01ec.jpg

Edited by Greensteam
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jessica3152

jessica3152

Posted
Posted

We went to Yejele Beach in July 2013. Definitely worth the visit. The beach is very scenic but can be a bit cool if the wind is coming from the south.

 

We went later in the day and came back on one the last busses. There is no point rushing as the weather warms up during the day and the beach gets quieter as the days goes on. We were back on board Spirit by 3.00PM and the buffet was open for a late lunch.

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mtn_couple

mtn_couple

Posted
Posted
We visited Mare on Carnival Legend 9/11/14. Sadly, the weather was overcast and raining so a trip to the beach was a bit of a waste of time. If you're going to another country and haven't been there before, you're mad not to get off the ship even if you do get a little wet.

The ship should moor relatively close to the island so the tender ride is very short. There's not much to see if you stay close to the dock. Maybe wander around like others have mentioned. Our day was too wet to do that, and it was a Sunday so the school was closed. There were some markets open just to the right of the dock - selling sarongs, tshirts and other trinkets. They did accept $AUD but don't expect change. Take $5 notes. There was also a hut doing hair braiding. Worth going ashore for a look.

I hope you have a sunny day, it would be much more fun. A couple from our group went on the bus to the beach but came back early. I think most of the cruisers were back onboard for lunch.

 

PB090024_zps39ae7277.jpg

 

PB090022_zpsf6c0d9f2.jpg

 

PB090018_zpsf7f33963.jpg

 

PB090017_zps647b01ec.jpg

 

WOW! Looks like they've done A LOT of work since we went in 2012. The paving, Boardwalk and roundabout all are new. Was dirt edged potholed roads when we were there.

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  • 2 weeks later...
kimmy176

kimmy176

Posted
Posted

We went on Carnival Spirit and were in Mare on Friday 02/01/15. Unfortunately the school was still on holidays but I gave a bag of stationery supplies to the gentleman that was on the microphone (from the local church) who had a child there and requested that he please pass it onto the school which he said he would do and also thanked me. We went to the beautiful Yejele beach on the bus, it was $20 per person over 13 years old and $16 for my younger son. The kids snorkelled while we sat on the beach, I did go in for a dip. Later on I noticed people walking around with coconuts but by the time I lined up and got served at one of about 6 stalls, they had run out, and so had the surrounding stalls. We took French pacific francs as well as $5 and $10 notes. The coconuts were advertised as $3 or 200 francs. They also had coke and other fizzy drinks for $5. They had hot chips, beer, their native food, fruit (papaya) and other things to buy. The kids were serving aged from about 10-14, they had gorgeous smiles. We were told that we couldn't take any food off the boat, so did buy a few food items there and then went back to the ship around 2.30pm and ate lunch at the La Playa grill on Lido which was open until 3.30pm. It was truly a beautiful beach. My husband was chatting to one of the chefs at the deli onboard who said that you don't need to go to that beach on the bus, if you walk for 15 mins you can go to another beautiful beach, which is what the chef had done before.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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