Ouvéa

Ouvéa is a coral atoll whose western side is one unbroken beach of twenty five kilometres, backed by coconut palms and facing a lagoon so shallow and clear that the water reads as white. The chain of small islets called the Pléiades closes the lagoon to the north and south, and the Mouli bridge at the southern end is the place to watch turtles and reef sharks pass beneath. The island is farmed and fished rather than built on, accommodation is small and tribal, and a colony of green sea turtles nests on the shore. A novel made it known in France as the island closest to paradise.