Honeymoon in French Polynesia
approximately $8K per person, not including food or activities,
April 18-30 2004
We went to Tahiti, Tahaa, and
Bora Bora for 11 days (1 night in Tahiti, 5 nights in Taha'a and 4 nights in Bora Bora), plus 1 night in Los Angeles (Westin LAX) on the return
trip. It was truly an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. My husband
and I were in awe of the beauty of the islands and the smells in the breeze were
enchanting. I cannot even really put into words the experience we had because it
was so perfect. French Polynesia is true paradise and we cannot wait to return.
We are going to try for next year, but as you will read below, the flights
alone for us were a fortune and we would not fly any other way EVER again. If we
cannot make it back next year, hopefully we can in 3-5 years. Upon our return, we will do Bora Bora first, and Tahaa last. We have tossed around the idea of doing the Gaugin cruise first, then spending two weeks on land, but we may just do land, with 6 nights each in both Bora Bora and Tahaa, and perhaps 4 or 5 nights in Rangiora or Huahine. It is truly worth
every penny we spent and I personally feel this is one trip you should try not
to do on a budget, although it is something everyone should try to do once in
their lives, if they like the sun, the water, and relaxation. We were very
fortunate to be able to splurge on this trip and we are extremely thankful we
had this opportunity. For anyone looking for great advice for planning a trip, check out Tahiti
Travel Forum .
Our travel agent, Tahiti
Travel Planners, is reviewed above in the vendor review section. They were
great, although I have seen better price deals out there.
Flights
Our first
flight, leaving out of Dulles International, was delayed for about 2.5 hours on
Sunday morning. We thought "great way to start off the honeymoon,
huh?" but once the plane arrived, things were right on track. Both of our
domestic flights were mostly full and upgrades were nowhere to be found. I slept
on the way to Los Angeles and we arrived there just after lunchtime. Our next
flight on Air Tahiti Nui was to leave
at 4:20pm. We checked in with Air Tahiti Nui and did not need to upgrade since
we had pre-paid for business class. VERY smart choice since our flight was full.
On the way back, there were a few seats left in business class and first class
only had one person in it. Our flights on Air Tahiti Nui took off and landed on
time and I slept the entire way both times. I know they give you a blanket,
pillow, eye cover, and ear plugs in all classes, but my seat almost fully
reclined and that really helped me remain comfortable the entire flight. I
missed our five-course meals both times, but I did manage to have some pastries
both times and they were very tasty. My poor husbandcould not sleep at all, even
after taking a Valium, but he said he was comfortable. Our flight timings were
perfect because we arrived in Papeete around 10pm and went straight to the
Beachcomber and went to bed. So, we got a full night of rest and were ready to
go the next morning. The return flight was also around 10pm, so we got a full
day of activity and everyone slept on the plane overnight. Our return domestic
flight was not fun after flying Air Tahiti Nui, so we vowed to never fly coach
again. Of course, most of my traveling is done through work, so I have to fly
coach, unless I upgrade on my own dime. Just a heads up for those who
made the same mistake as us- when we got to LAX and checked-in with Air Tahiti,
we forgot to ask about the premium class lounge. So, when we got to the entrance
for the lounges, we asked the security guards and they lead us to the wrong
lounge. So, we NEVER found the lounge. It ended up being with Qantas.
Although we were only at the Beachcomber for
no more than 12 hours or so, we felt that this resort was the best choice in Papeete. I did not get to see any of the other hotels, but the grounds at the
Beachcomber were pretty, everything was well taken care of, and they do offer a
few overwater bungalows if you really want to stay in one, but your budget is
tight, or if you really wanted to splurge on everything! We stayed in a lagoon
view room and I thought our room was cute and decently appointed. We had a view
of the pool mostly, but there was also construction going on just below our
balcony. It appears that they were building another deck. Also, we ate both
breakfast and lunch at the Beachcomber and the outdoor restaurant was pretty
decent. The food seemed pretty good and you had a nice view of the pool. Another
plus- I bought my pearls at the Beachcomber at the Robert Wan ( Tahiti Perles)
boutique. I got a beautiful turquoise loose pearl that I'm having set into a
ring and I bought a bracelet that has pearls all the way around it. I love my
bracelet! I also tried on the ring I had chosen before I got to Tahiti, but the
smallest size they had would not fit the fingers I wanted to wear the ring on. I
believe the smallest size they made is a size 5, so they have plenty of
selection, it is just that my fingers are incredibly small.
Our transfer flight from Tahiti to Raiatea
landed just before sunset, so our 40 minute boat transfer to the resort allowed
us to see the gorgeous sunset looking over toward Bora Bora. While on our
transfer, we got to see part of the main island of Tahaa and we also passed the
Paul Gaugin cruise ship, which looked pretty nice. Once we were there, check-in
was a breeze and we ended up with beach suite #51. I was excited because I had
requested #50-#57, but after viewing the location of all of the beach suites, I
am convinced suite #51 was the BEST on the whole island. It was set back a
decent way from the path, there were only 2 beach suites beyond ours (that
happened to be empty for the majority of our stay), and we had an open view of
the lagoon and the main island, while most of the others had a restricted view
because of the overwater bungalows. It was absolute perfection. The bungalows
are extremely well appointed, with a "sexy exotic luxury" feel about
them. Our favorite part of our bungalow was the private plunge pool. We also
REALLY enjoyed the outdoor bath tub. I can honestly say clothing was optional
while in our bungalow. We also enjoyed being able to have direct access to the
beach (not white, sandy beaches though- mostly broken up shells and coral, but
 walkable) and lagoon from our back deck and we often just went out and swam at
our own leisure. Plus, the view was AMAZING! I was supposed to switch to an
overwater bungalow after our third night, but decided we could not leave the
beach suite. Since the resort was fairly empty, they gladly let us decide what
we wanted to do. I had also heard that bugs and lizards were an issue in the
beach suites, but I got bit once the entire time and saw two lizards for 2
seconds in the bungalow one night. The rest of the resort was just as beautiful.
We spent a lot of time at the pool, just because of the location. It was right
next to the coral gardens and the kayaks, as well as the pool restaurant, Le
Plage. Our first night there, we decided to get room service because of our late
arrival and we just enjoyed the beauty of our bungalow. The second day, we went
to breakfast at the Vanilla Restaurant, we snorkeled just outside of our
bungalow and in the coral gardens, and we attended the Polynesian show and
buffet at Le Plage. The show wasn't anything spectacular, but it was interesting
to see some of their culture. One of the women did a demonstration on how to tie
pareos and she chose my husband! He was really embarrassed, but I thought it was fun.
The next day, we enjoyed the pool (it is not a large pool, but it is nice) and
we went kayaking in the coral gardens. We had room service for our breakfast and
ordered one continental breakfast for the both of us. It truly was plenty of
food and very delicious. For dinner, we went to the Vanilla Restaurant again. We
chose not to eat at the gourmet restaurant or Chez Louise because of my picky
eating habits (for those that are picky eaters, I do not eat any fruit,
vegetables or seafood and I ate well while I was away). During the night on the
third night, it stormed and it continued to rain off and on the next day, but we
still were able to enjoy the pool and our private plunge pool. It gave us a much
needed break from the strong sun, even
 though we still saw sun that day. On our
5th day, we went to the spa and both received the Monoi Rima Avae treatment,
which is a reflexology massage. My DH did not really enjoy it and found out he
does not like the spa, but I was in heaven. The spa is very open air and exotic.
I went back later that day and got the Hohoa Patitifa facial, which is a local
treatment consisting of hibiscus, coconut, honey, and fruit. The smell of the
spa and the smells from the facial were amazing! In between my spa treatments,
we rented jet skis for an hour and went around the back side of the main island.
While jet skiing, we could smell these amazing scents of ylang-ylang and
vanilla. The water was an incredible color and the air was so refreshing. I
recommend taking the jet skis out to explore (although they are partially
guided, our guide let us go at our own pace), but they are expensive. Our two
jet skis for the hour were $335USD. On our last day there, we enjoyed room
service for breakfast and caught our shuttle back to the airport in Raiatea. On
the way back, dolphins swam along side of the boat. It was like a dream come
true- our whole experience at Le Tahaa was surreal and those 5 nights were
simply not enough for me. Overall, I enjoyed Le Tahaa the most, but I could see
very active people getting bored with it after 5 nights. As far as the food is
concerned, I LOVED the pancakes and the pastries, as well as the Coupe Pearl
dessert at Le Plage, which is vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped
cream. My DH enjoyed all of the fish, especially the mahi mahi and the tuna, as
well as all of the fresh fruits. The service was good, although a tad slow, but
I think we are so used to being in a hurry that it was not as slow as it seemed.
Our only complaint was the language barrier. The staff, for the most part, did
not know a lot of English, which is normal for around there, but my DH was
getting very frustrated. I took French for 7 years in school, and although it
had been a good 5 years since I last spoke it, it did help me out a few times
while trying to communicate. I wish I had brushed up on it before our trip, so I
have vowed to take up French again so I'm almost fluent when I return. YES- WE
WILL RETURN IN A HEART BEAT! Next up...Bora Bora!
We arrived at the airport in Bora
Bora after our 10 minute transfer flight (we almost ditched it to take the
helicopter transfer instead) and we were greeted by an American! I thought
"how nice! Someone who speaks English" but then I thought "Geez,
is this going to be more like Hawaii than French Polynesia?" Thankfully, it
was more like French Polynesia, although it is definitely more Americanized than
the other resorts. The luxury of this resort definitely fits the American
definition of luxury more than Tahaa did, and I personally preferred Tahaa over
the Nui in the luxury category. The Nui is spectacular though- it has beautiful,
well maintained grounds, two large infinity pools (that are connected), a nice
restaurant, and very well appointed bungalows. I would have been even more in a
trance with the Nui if we had visited there before Tahaa, but I am happy with
the timeline I chose because of the wedding. Upon our return, I would go to Bora
Bora first. Anyway, we stayed in overwater bungalow #109, which is the furthest
out on the tier to your right when facing the ocean on the motu. It was a long
walk, but well worth it since we had the best view at the resort. We had the
deepest water for snorkeling (and had a ton of coral as well), the best sunset
views, a good view of the main island of Tahaa, and a view of the top of Mt.
Otemanu when we walked out our front door. I requested this bungalow and was
very excited to hear that our request was fulfilled. During our 4 night stay, we
remained extremely busy. On our first afternoon there following the transfer, we
decided to enjoy the snorkeling right off of our bungalow. There were so many
fish and they all followed you as you swam. On the second day, we did the shark
and manta ray feeding with "Shark Boy". We met up with them on the
main island and we went out into a coral garden close to the Nui. The sharks
were a tad scary, but they placed a rope in the water and told you to remain
behind it while they fed them. Hopefully our underwater pictures turn out! Then
we were allowed to snorkel among the other fish in the coral garden. We then
moved to a new spot where we swam and fed the manta rays. They were so neat and
so soft, but maybe a little too friendly. They kept rubbing up on everyone and
some of the other participants got scared. After the ray feeding, they took us
to the motu where the Ritz Carlton is being built for some fresh fruit (More on
the Ritz and other resorts later!). Upon our return from the excursion, we chose
to spend some time relaxing in the sun by the pool. On the third day, we awoke
to a storm, which was somewhat welcomed because we needed a break
 from the sun.
It quickly cleared up and we headed out to our 4x4 jeep safari in the afternoon.
Since it was a little breezy and overcast, we could enjoy the safari minus the
heat and the bugs. Also, because of the storm, there were only 3 of us in the
back of the jeep. We went with Tupanau Tours and I think the guide did a good
job of explaining both the landscape and the culture. He also took me shopping
for pearls afterward! But, unfortunately, we did not have our credit cards on
us. Lucky for my husband, huh? LOL Overall, the tour was interesting, but probably
would not do it again if we went back. That night, we decided to head over the
Bloody Mary's for dinner. I know some people complained about it being too
Americanized, but I think it was fun and definitely worth the trip. The food was
really good and the atmosphere was relaxed and light. I know it is definitely a
tourist trap, but it was fun to be a nerdy tourist for a night! The next day, my
DH headed to the pool, the beach (which is fairly large compared to other
resorts) and did some kayaking, while I enjoyed a day at the spa. I indulged
myself with the "Transcendence" treatment, which offers a an
aromatherapy foot bath, lavender body wash, a body scrub (Bali coffee or
coconut- I did the coconut scrub) and a massage (Balinese, reflexology, warm
stone and one other- I did the warm stone massage). Compared to the Manea Spa in
Tahaa, the Mandara Spa had a more Balinese tone since most of the treatments and
masseurs were from Bali! I thought the Mandara Spa was a little pricey for what
they offered, but it still was worth it for the relaxation aspect. I did enjoy
the more open-air set up of Tahaa more, though. Our last day was more centered
around packing and relaxing, knowing that we had to head home. We had a late
check out and our flight did not depart Bora Bora until 6pm, so we went to the
pool in the morning and laid around in the afternoon. As for food: the Nui has
two main restaurants, Iritai in the main building, and the pool restaurant.
Iritai has a contemporary Mediterranean cuisine and was fairly decent (remember,
I'm a picky eater, so things can get tough) and the pool restaurant was more
focused on light, American cuisine. We really enjoyed the pool restaurant for
lunch, especially the french fries, the cheese burgers, and the cajun chicken.
We had breakfast included in our package, but we ordered room service everyday,
so we had that extra charge. Plus, they accept tips at the Nui, unlike Tahaa, so
we obviously felt obligated to tip since the service was decent. Upon our return
to Bora Bora, we would love to stay at the Nui again, perhaps in Royal Suite 107
(!), but Hotel Bora Bora also intrigued me because of the intimacy the resort
offers. Also, the new Ritz Carlton will be open sometime next year, and has an
incredible view. It is a tough call, but we are very happy with the Nui, but
would go to Bora Bora first and Tahaa last.
Okay, so I checked out the
other resorts and here are my opinions (you can take them for what they are
worth!):
Hotel Bora Bora:
We
did not go onto the grounds of Hotel Bora Bora, but we saw it from above during
the jeep safari, from the road, and from a boat. The grounds looked lovely, and
the size of the resort is nice, but the location BLOWS. I did not like how it is
right off the main road on the main island. It would be nice to stay there for
maybe 2 or 3 nights so you have complete access to the main island without
worrying about boat shuttles, but I can imagine it can get noisy. Plus, some of
the amenities, such as the tennis courts, are across the street from the main
resort grounds. Besides that, the accommodations look old, but they do look
large. The water under the overwater bungalows looks decent for snorkeling, but
the water appears very shallow. Also, cruise ships anchor almost directly in
front of the resort and that would annoy me. A couple we met at the Nui went
over there for lunch and said the food and service were good, but they were very
glad they stayed at the Nui instead. I tend to agree. My husband thinks a few nights
there for main island access would be beneficial for sight-seeing, but other
than that, staying on a motu is the way to go.
Bora Bora Lagoon Resort:
Although this resort is on the same motu as the Nui, we chose not to go over
there. It looked old and dark, although it does have a decent view. Cruise ships
also anchor in front of this resort as well, which is unappealing to me.
Bora Bora Pearl Beach
Resort:
Once we were picked up on Vaitape for our shark feeding, we went
over to the Pearl Beach to get more participants. While waiting, we decided to
walk around the grounds. The grounds looked a little ragged and not well
maintained, except around the pool area, which reminded me a lot of the Le
Tahaa. I thought the overall size of the resort was nice (not too big, not too
small) and the bungalows looked fairly nice, but a little older. The view from
the Pearl is nice, but I did feel like the resort was too close to the airport
for my taste. But, for all I know, you can't even hear the air traffic! It did
not look like the lap of luxury, but it did look like a nice resort if you did
not want to spend the money on the Nui or Hotel Bora Bora.
Le Meridien:
Another
nice price alternative is Le Meridien, which looked like it has lush grounds and
quite an amazing view! The lagoon it faced was very nice and the motu seemed
very secluded. The overwater bungalows looked a little worn and somewhat small,
and the snorkeling under them did not look great, but it is the beach bungalows
I would be most interested in if staying there. The resort is a tad far from any
main villages on the main island, but that could be a good thing. Honestly, Le
Meridien would be my third choice behind the Nui and Hotel Bora Bora,
respectively.
Ritz Carlton (Opening
2005):
the new Ritz shares the same incredible view as Le Meridien, but is
probably twice the size. It is HUGE!!! It has two, VERY long tiers jetting out
into a gorgeous lagoon. I can only imagine how luxurious this resort will be,
and the location has me sold, but I feel that only 2 overwater bungalows would
be worth the money (the furthest out on each tier). Plus, the snorkeling did not
look that great and it is far from the villages on the main island. I'd be
willing to spend the money if I got those two choice bungalows just to see what
the Ritz has to offer.
Sofitel Motu/Marara:
The Sofitel Motu looked VERY small, and for me, that is nice, but not for that
resort and the location. The grounds looked a little wild, but perhaps they were
just very lush. The bungalows looked a little worn and not very large. I
personally did not care for the location because the water seemed very shallow,
not very colorful, and the view was only decent. Plus, some of the amenities are
across the lagoon at the Marara, and the Marara is also small. I saw the Marara
from the front entrance on the main island and thought it looked quaint, but not
anything I'd want to spend a lot of money on in Bora Bora with so many other
options. Personally, if the Sofitel Motu was closer to the new Ritz Carlton, I
might think more highly of it.
Beachcomber
Intercontinental:
The Beachcomber in Papeete looked MUCH nicer than this
resort. The bungalows looked really ratty and old, not very large at all, and it
was on the main island with pretty much no view. Plus, the resort looked crammed
onto the land next to the homes of locals, which sadly, does not provide a very
nice, luxurious surrounding. BUT, I did see that the Beachcomber is opening a
brand new resort in Bora Bora in May 2006. I did notice some construction right
next to Le Meridien, so perhaps it is going there?? That would be a fabu spot
in my opinion.
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