We got back from our delayed honeymoon in French Polynesia a few weeks back. Got married in April, but mainly due to my work related travels, we had to postpone the honeymoon plans until August. That was good though, it gave me a little time to research our destination further.
Pretrip:
In the beginning, planning the trip seemed overwhelming. With the different islands I wanted to visit and no prior knowledge of the transportation system, I did something I swore I would never do in the Age of the Internet. I used a travel agent. After comparing prices between agents to packages online and an estimated cost of manually booking the trip myself, I found an agent that offered me the best deal. The agent I went with was Shaman Mullick and he was excellent. He had a great knowledge of the area and understood what I wanted. He was located right here in Houston, so that was a plus. If you want his contact info, shoot me an email at cdub121283 at gmail
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, so I gave Shaman specifics and he made a few suggestions to supplement my requests. He was in contact with me up until the week of the trip. The entire trip/transfers/reservations all went smoothly. Travel Agencies dominate French Polynesian travel, they have it down to a science.
I did add on a few more activities directly last minute once I had some more research done and a firm grasp on my schedule.
Flight:
The day of the trip arrived and we flew Southwest from Houston Hobby to LAX. LAX offers a direct flight to Tahiti through Air Tahiti. The flight from LAX to Tahiti Faa'a International Airport was only about 8 hours.
We exchanged our USD for Francs at the airport, they offer one of the best exchange rates around (definitely better than the counters at the hotels or at LAX) Unrelated matter I always use my Capital One credit card when I travel overseas as they do not charge any fees to use it. Most everywhere we visited took credit cards. There were a few places that required 1000xpf purchase for the credit card though.
Tahiti:
We stayed overnight in Tahiti before flying to Moorea the next morning. I had planned on walking to some nearby roulettes for dinner. Head right as you leave the hotel to find them. We skipped dinner though as we were wiped out from lack of sleep the night before. Unfortunately we were staying at the Intercontinental Tahiti and did not find a hotel room geared toward a good night's sleep.
The room was old and outdated. In addition, it was hot. The A/C did little more than circulate the warm air. The TV did not work and would not turn off once it was powered on. The front desk sent a technician that basically told us to wait 20 minutes and the AC would be fixed. That didn't work. He was also unable to fix the TV. I ended up unplugging it. To make matters worse, there was a Tahitian show going on at the hotel beach complete with loud drums. The drums pounded through the thin walls and persisted for a couple of hours of the miserable night.
The next morning, we found the grounds very nice and breakfast average. Next we hopped on a flight to Moorea.
The airports on the islands are somewhat like a bus system. It's easy to hop on a plane and get where you need to be. For one flight, we arrived 5 minutes before takeoff and had no issue getting on the plane. Try that in America.
We tried to take a bus to Papeete on our return flight at the end of our trip. I had some sights mapped out and a restaurant picked. Butthe bus never came. I'm told the public transportation is not very dependable later in the day. We ended up just milling around the airport. There's nothing to see in this part of town. If I had a do-over, I would have tried to rent a car for a few hours to get a quick tour of Papeete.
Moorea
The flight from Tahiti was less than 15 minutes. There is also the option of traveling between the two islands by ferry. It's cheaper, offers nice scenery, but does take longer. The Moorea airport makes the Tahiti airport look like O'Hare.
We were quickly transported from the tiny airport to the opposite side of the island to our hotel, the Intercontinental Moorea. This hotel was so much better than the Tahiti property, it was ridiculous. Recent renovations were complete and the hotel grounds were beautiful. It's a large property so we were transported to our Beach Bungalow by cart. Our bungalow was nice, sat on the beach on the east end of the property. We had a nice patio facing the water. We did some snorkeling in the waters and it was fairly decent. A nice intro to the snorkeling we'd be doing later in the week. Interestingly, the beach by our bungalow was better than the main hotel beach (which very few utilized). The only issue we had with our room was the A/C, but that was quickly corrected by maintenance.
View from Patio
View from Beach
The hotel provided free rentals of kayaks. We did this later in the week. Kayaking over the clear waters was a great activity on the hotel grounds. We saw plenty of fish while doing this as well as an eel. The hotel also provided snorkeling equipment, but I heard some of it was ill fitting, so I would recommend doing what we did and bring your own snorkeling equipment.
On the grounds, you'll also find a dolphin center, which we took advantage of later as well as a turtle rehab facility. Both facilities are out in the open so you can walk by and view the creatures at any time.
Finally, all hotels have a concierge desk. USE THE HOTEL CONCEIRGE. It's a completely free and invaluable service! I had them book dinners for us, confirm pickup times and just answer general questions. They did it quickly with a smile and would provide reminders to our rooms.
The next stops I had on my agenda were just across from our hotel. We made the short trek to the hotel entrance and walked across the street. Here, you will find a small market and Albert's Rental Cars. I finalized a Shark/Ray Snorkeling Excursion with Alberts and booked a car for Monday. We then went to the market to stock up on water and supplement the snacks we brought from home. It's a good idea to bring snacks to eat during the day, especially on excursions. Most days we ate only breakfast (included in our package) and dinner with snacks in between. We grabbed a loaf of French bread from the market as well, which was excellent.
Meals
Since it was included in our package, we had the American breakfast buffet at the hotel every morning. The buffet was huge and very good. I was impressed.
As I said above, most lunches were snacks in our room, so those will be omitted from this list.
One other note, I am not a big Coke drinker, but the Coke in Tahiti was the best I have ever had. It was somewhat similar to the taste of Mexican Coke, but better.
All other meals we had were outside of the hotel. Most nearby restaurants offer a pickup service, which I scheduled at the concierge desk at the hotel. Reservations are encouraged at most restaurants regardless.
The number one restaurant I wanted to eat at was Rudy's, but they did not offer pickup at my hotel and I was not going to be able to get there on my rental car day. From everyone I talked to, I missed out on the best meal on the island. The other place I wanted to eat at was Bus Stop. Unfortunately, my reservation was cancelled because everyone that worked there called in sick
The first night in Moorea (Friday) we ate at La Plantation. Plantation is a Cajun style restaurant. They have a large wine list and live music on the weekends. During the week they have a pretty good soundtrack playing as well. They offer free pickup from area hotels. The food was good. Obviously the seafood dishes are recommended. My wife's shrimp with coconut curry sauce was good, not as spicy as she would have liked. My Cajun tilapia was standard Cajun fare. Their special plantation cake was an ok dessert. My Apple Tart desert was excellent. All of the dishes were arranged very nicely. The service was terrible. Our dinner (2 entrees and 2 desserts) took 2 hours to complete. It was a task to get our waitress in this not very busy restaurant to acknowledge us. Also, their website advertises hospitality. I did not experience any from our server that night. The prices were on the higher end and the bill came to $92USD.
Saturday night, we attended the Tiki Village for dinner and the show. I'll cover this in the next section as a whole, but the food was fairly good and definitely plentiful. It's more about the experience though.
On Sunday, we had lunch on a Motu during our Shark and Ray Snorkeling excursion. Once again, I'll cover this activity next, but I thought the food was very good.
Sunday night we went to Les Tipaniers for dinner. They are another restaurant that offer free shuttle service from nearby hotels. They have 2 restaurants onsite (they are a hotel as well), but their roadside restaurant is the only one open for dinner. The restaurant was nice and service was much better than we experienced at Plantation. As most restaurants do, they offer a tourist menu that allows you to order multiple "local" dishes from a set menu. I opted for this. My appetizer was Poisson Cru (raw fish), which I'd heard a lot about. I thought it was very good. My second dish was a smothered steak featuring the worst beef I have ever eaten. Over the next few days we learned that you do NOT order beef in Moorea. My wife had the Roasted Lamb with goat cheese. She absolutely loved it. Our meal (2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 1 dessert) came to $95USD.
On Monday we had a car and drove the island. For lunch we ate at a rouloutte nearby. It's called A L'Heure du Sud and it sits in front of Le Petit Village shopping center. Prices were great and the service was fast. Nearly every table was full and we got our food in about 15 minutes. I ordered a fish sandwich. It was good, but very messy. My wife ordered a burger because she wanted to see what their burgers taste like (we are hamburger connoisseurs). The hamburger was not good. Once again, stay away from the beef. The Paninis come highly recommended. That meal came out to about $15USD total.
Dinner was at Pizza Daniel which is located on west coast of the island. A car is a must to get to this place. The restaurant is basically on the owner's back porch. He has an oven setup, a bar to eat at and a cooler with drinks. It's really geared towards the locals. Honestly, this was my favorite meal on the island. We had a ham and pineapple pizza and it was excellent. Daniel was super nice and had the best smile on the island. Unfortunately, he did not speak much English, though he tried very hard. It was a fun experience. Tip: If you see "Tomato" on the menu, it means tomato sauce. A miscommunication ended up with the sauce on top of the pizza and a finished product jokingly called "Pizza Houston." It's ok though, I'd recommend the Pizza Houston. The meal came out to about $20USD as well.
Daniel making dinner
Activites
On Friday, we basically toured the hotel and then did some snorkeling at our room. It was good.
On Saturday, we had a packed day. We did a 4 hour 4X4 tour in the morning and the 4 hour Tiki Village Show and dinner at night.
Our 4X4 tour was through Torea Nui and our guide was Tiare. Tiare was awesome and we were glad we went on the tour. The tour took us around the island to spots we would not otherwise see. We started off on Magic Mountain and a beautiful view of the Northwest side of the island. We also visited local farms (a goat farm, pineapple and vanilla plantations and the agricultural school). Belvedere was one of the popular destinations as was the fruit juice factory. I was disappointed that we did not get a tour of the actual factory, we were just shown to the store, though offered free samples. Free samples of jams were also given at the Agricultural School. We enjoyed the tastings. A few of the other stops were educational. We got some history at a Marae and stopped at Opunaho Bay and a couple of passes for our guide to point out features of the island and to identify local trees and vegetation. It was a good way to spend a morning. Unfortunately, it was drizzly on the day we went, but I was glad it wasn't cancelled.
The "road"
Our 4X4 Vehicle
Magic Mountain
Our guide teaching about pineapples
In the afternoon, we went and viewed the turtles at the hotel rehab center. It was ok, just some injured turtles splashing around in shallow water. There was a large turtle swimming around the larger pool. We also took a double kayak out to explore the hotel from the water, it was a leisurely way to spend our time. I enjoy kayaking. The boats are given out for 2 hours starting in the morning and all equipment must be returned by 4:30
The Tiki Village was a fun experience, though a little too long. We were offered demonstrations on how dinner was prepared, different ways to wear a Pareo and how to open a coconut. Dinner was good, though lengthy. Luckily we sat with a couple from L.A. that we had met previously. Everyone else at our table was speaking French so we were glad we had a couple to talk to. After dinner was the dance show. It began with some dancing demonstrations and lessons. The men and women were separately called out in large groups to the middle to dance. It was fun. Other members of the audience were called out individually through the night. Don't sit in the front row if you do not want to be picked on. The dance performance was interesting, though I did not get the story they explained beforehand. They had several different dances, but the fire performances were obviously the crowd favorite. I think this part could have been a little bit shorter, but I have little complaint about our evening. We got back to our hotel just after 10:00PM, which in French Polynesia is super late. Walking back to our bungalows was nice though, I have never seen as many stars as I did in the black sky that night.
Tiki Village Dancer
On Sunday we took the Albert's Tour that I booked at the Albert's desk by the supermarket a few days before. The Tour included shark and ray feeding and lunch on a motu. Our guide, Siki was a great guide and a ton of laughs. We got some nice views of the island from the water as we approached our first stop. Our first stop was a sandy portion of the lagoon, about 4 feet deep, not very many fish around. There, Siki and the other crewmembers fed the rays and introduced us to them. We were able to pet them and swim around with them for a while. It was great to see the creatures up close and observe their graceful nature hands on. Soon, the crew began throwing some meat out and the sharks came. We weren't petting these guys, just watching them swim around the lagoon. We also swam out to some coral to see if we could find any eels. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful on this. We swam around this area for a while. I do not know how long we were at this stop, but it was a while. We enjoyed every minute though. The next stop was a motu for lunch. Lunch was pretty good. After lunch, we snorkeled around the motu, observing coral and fish. Siki demonstated to us how to open a coconut and we shared the milk and meat inside. The entire trip was about 5 hours long and very enjoyable. I was expecting more stops on the trip then just the two (especially in 5 hours), but I had no complaints. There was more to this than just the snorkeling. Though I enjoyed the straight forward snorkeling we did later in Bora Bora much more.
Siki, our guide
A view back to Opunohu Bay from the boat
Swimming with Sharks/Rays
Monday morning, 8AM, I rented a car from Alberts, it was a little cheaper than the desk at the hotel. You could rent the car for 4 hours for about $70, 8 hours for about $80 and a full day at about $90. We did the full day. We took the car out in the morning and did some shopping. We hit the Le Petit Village just west of our hotel. There were some ok shops there, and really the only ones in close proximity to the hotel, but if you have a car, I suggest you skip it. We stopped for a few photo ops on our way to Maharepa Shopping Center; took pictures of some churces, the bay, etc. We stopped at a supermarket along the way for drinks and also found a great little shop off by itself between the bays. It's not in my guidebook or on the internet, it's either called Honu Iti or Promenade (the two charges on my credit card statement I couldn't picture). We grabbed several things there, the best single shop that we stopped at. We browsed a few more places along the way
When we arrived at Maharepa, we found the best shopping we saw on the island for things like Pareos and souvenirs for friends. There is a large number of different types of shops. We got a few things here ( we actually found some final souvenirs at the end of the week at the airport - vanilla and jams made great gifts).
A feature at shops across the island are the famous black pearls. There were a few premier pearl shops around Maharepa, most notably Eva Perles and Ann Simon. Eva was great and had some really nice merchandise and good info. She is definitely deserving of the high praise she receives in guidebooks and on the internet. Ron Hall's Island Fashion was a short drive from the shopping center and another shop that receives high praise. Ron Hall immediately welcomed us into his shop and began talking to us. We went to "Pearl School" and learned a little bit more about them. We had both done research before leaving, but he was able to supplement that. We ended up finding a real nice pearl pendant in our price range and bought it from Ron.
We stopped at a few other places, nothing noteworthy. Maison Blanche was a waste of time in my opinion.
Just after lunch we had to return to our hotel for our reservation at the dolphin center. We were signed up for the Romance Package and we enjoyed it. We and 2 other couples were taught about the 3 dolphins they have on site. Then we got in the water with one. We were taught about how they train them and about their anatomy up close. We pet the dolphins for a while and then got to take a few pictures. My wife said it was a childhood dream of hers to hug a dolphin, so she loved it! We then moved to another dolphin and got to see her do some tricks while we were in the pool, watching above and below the surface. It was fun, a bit pricey, but the pictures we got with the dolphins are priceless.
Afterwards, we got back in the car and drove around the entire perimeter of the island. We stopped on the east side of the island, near the Sofitel at Toetea Lookout. It gave us a few photo ops. It looks back across to Tahiti. The point is clearly marked at the top of the hill before the Sofitel.
Lookout Point looking toward Tahiti
Another destination nearby is Temae Beach. After the hill, just before the Sofitel, you'll see a dirt road to the left. It's a bit of a way back there, but you'll find a nice public beach. When we were there, it was mainly locals. We swam around and did some pretty good snorkeling. We swam out pretty far and it's to be noted that there is a stronger current here than we found in other parts of the lagoon.
Temae Beach
The waters of Temae Beach
As we navigated the southside of the island, we got a different view of the island. The southside is more about the villagers with very little geared toward the tourists. It was getting late in the afternoon, so we did not stop at any sites on the southside like the waterfalls and marae. I've heard the waterfalls are rather lame anyway.
A final stop was on the Westside. As we explored, I noticed a great lookout point, not marked, but with a perfect view west. As the sun began to set, I circled back around and parked and got a good view of the sunset on our last night on the island. This point was not marked, but there was a gravel shoulder off of the road that we parked at.
The next day we flew out. Our flight had to go through Tahiti, where we had a layover. Then to Bora Bora. Wireless internet at the airport kept me occupied during the layover.
Bora Bora
We stayed at the Hilton Nui in Bora Bora. We were transported by boat from the airport (which is on its own island) on a Hilton boat where we were given water and they took our info down to expedite the check-in process. The hotel itself is also located on its own island, away from the mainland. The Hilton was gorgeous! The grounds were immaculate and our overwater bungalow was luxurious. It was roomy and had a glorious shower.
Back deck of bungalow
A few annoyances: Check In Was at 2:00, we got to the hotel at 12:30, but we were unable to get to our room until 2:30. The Porters took another hour to bring our luggage even after several requests. The other downside was limited access to the mainland. There was a ferry from the hotel to Vaitape, the main city, but it was infrequent and there was a charge during peak hours. We weren't too concerned with getting to the main island, we only went once for dinner. So this was a minor inconvenience.
The beach area was beautiful, the restaurants were good, the water was stunning! Snorkeling from our bungalow was excellent. On the hotel grounds, there is a short hike to the top of the hill with the chapel and the spa where you will find a view that cannot be beat! You're simply looking down on paradise.
This is the only hotel we visited that had a "library" that offered PCs that had free internet.
Hilton grounds
View from Spa
Activities
We spent most of the time onsite at the hotel. Most of that time was snorkeling from our bungalow. We swam around exploring the world near the bungalows, viewing coral formations and fish of every color. It was amazing. We also spotted an octopus jumping around the coral and an eel peaking out of a formation. We stayed out for hours on end.
Jumping from my bungalow
Snorkeling from our room
The other activity we did was a last minute excursion that I planned through email the day before we left Houston. We went out on the 3 hour Shark and Ray tour led by Moana Tours. It was definitely the best excursion we did. The cost was $146 for both of us. It was a different type of tour than the one we did in Moorea. This was all about the snorkeling. I don't even know the guides name. We were transported directly to a part of the lagoon that had more fish than I had ever seen! We snorkeled around there for a while, gazing upon brightly colored fish and tons of coral. The next stop was a more shallow area where we got up close with some more rays. The final stop was outside of the lagoon in water that was about 35 feet deep. More black tip sharks swam around us and we also viewed a few huge lemon sharks 30 feet below us. In addition, we saw some new fish that we had not seen in our other swimming. We both agreed that this was the best activity we did. We'd done the touristy stuff, this was no nonsense.
First Stop Lots of Fish and Coral
Second Stop Ray Petting
Third Stop Swimming with sharks in the deep blue ocean.
Meals
Breakfast each morning was at the hotel's beach restaurant. We had the American Breakfast buffet there. The food was higher quality than we had in Moorea, but selection was more limited.
We had dinner on our first night at the upscale hotel restaurant, Iriatai. It was excellent and service was impeccable. My wife ordered a chicken dish which she liked. I had Vanilla Infused Tiger Prawns and they were extraordinary. Dessert was just as good. She ordered a plate called the "Chocolate Trio" which she enjoyed. I had the other "trio" dessert. I can recall what it was called, but it was just as good. As we ate, a father/son band was playing some soft tunes (John Meyer, Radiohead, etc). They were really good.
The following night we ate at the iconic restaurant, Bloody Mary's. This required being taxied over to the mainland by the ferry. There, we were met by a van that took us to the restaurant. This is another place that is more about the experience. Famous visitor names were displayed at the entrance to the restaurant. Upon entering, you are greeted at the host stand and you are introduced to tonight's spread. The fresh selections are laid out for your choosing. Pick your meat and tell them how to cook it and you'll be taken across the sandy dining room to your table. It was interesting (and appetizing) way to choose dinner. My appetizer was the calamari steak which I loved. My entre was the chef's special Mahi Mahi which was good. My wife started with a crab salad, which she loved and her entre was a steak (don't worry, it was imported from New Zealand) and she said it was good as well. Dessert was a crme brulee and cheesecake. Both were scrumptious. Visit the bathroom before you leave. It's interesting
The Spread at Bloody Mary's
General Recommendation
-Change your money at the Tahiti Airport
-Bring small snacks (cereal bars, peanuts, etc) and/or stock up at a local supermarket.
-Buy water at the local market, it's much cheaper than what you'll find at the hotel and some tap water is undrinkable.
-Use the Hotel Concierge. They make getting reservations, coordinating activities and soothing your worries a breeze!
-Bring your own snorkeling equipment
-Bring Sunscreen and wear it.
-Bring reef walking shoes. This is a must. Wear them anytime you are in the water. We got ours from Academy and Sports Authority.
-Pack Lightly, the Tahitian airlines limit your luggage on interisland flights
-Bring a couple of light raincoats or ponchos, it rains for short spurts
-You'll need converters for your 120v only appliances (check your voltage, most are ok on the 220V in French Polynesia). I used this one ($6.50): Converter
-You'll need adaptors to fit the plugs. I ordered 6 of these for just a few bucks: Adaptors
-If you need a travel credit card, use Capital One they have no fees for international transactions.
-Go on the Moana Shark and Ray tour in Bora Bora seriously
-Do some studying on black pearls before you head to Tahiti if interested.
-Try hard to not have to stay overnight in Tahiti
-If you see something you want to buy, buy it. Don't wait. We ran into this a few times. They had some wood carvings for sale at our hotel the first day we were in Moorea. We liked them, but said "we'll get them later this week." They never returned. The same goes for shops, you may run out of time before you can make it back or find an item at a different shop.
-Plan what you want to do and book excursions before you leave home, but leave time to explore or do activities that strike your fancy when you are on the island.
-Don't order beef (at most places) in Moorea
-If you want a quicker meal, order all of your courses at once and ask for the bill before you are done eating.
-Even if you aren't a Coke drinker, try a local Coke
-I heard from MANY people that the Dance performances at the hotels are lame.
-I liked our plan, go-go-go in Moorea for a few days and end in Bora Bora for some relaxing. If you're going immediately after a honeymoon, I would suggest the inverse. Recover in Bora Bora for the first few days.
-I recommend both the Hilton Nui and the Intercontinental Moorea. I can't compare them to the other hotels, but these were great.
-Use TripAdvisor's forums to gather info about your trip. It's a great resource: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294338-i867-French_Polynesia.html
-Reply to this thread or email me (cdub121283 at gmail) or PM me if you have any questions. I'll be glad to help.
EDIT: Fixed Broken Pictures
[This message has been edited by CDub06 (edited 3/29/2014 10:54a).]
Pretrip:
In the beginning, planning the trip seemed overwhelming. With the different islands I wanted to visit and no prior knowledge of the transportation system, I did something I swore I would never do in the Age of the Internet. I used a travel agent. After comparing prices between agents to packages online and an estimated cost of manually booking the trip myself, I found an agent that offered me the best deal. The agent I went with was Shaman Mullick and he was excellent. He had a great knowledge of the area and understood what I wanted. He was located right here in Houston, so that was a plus. If you want his contact info, shoot me an email at cdub121283 at gmail
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, so I gave Shaman specifics and he made a few suggestions to supplement my requests. He was in contact with me up until the week of the trip. The entire trip/transfers/reservations all went smoothly. Travel Agencies dominate French Polynesian travel, they have it down to a science.
I did add on a few more activities directly last minute once I had some more research done and a firm grasp on my schedule.
Flight:
The day of the trip arrived and we flew Southwest from Houston Hobby to LAX. LAX offers a direct flight to Tahiti through Air Tahiti. The flight from LAX to Tahiti Faa'a International Airport was only about 8 hours.
We exchanged our USD for Francs at the airport, they offer one of the best exchange rates around (definitely better than the counters at the hotels or at LAX) Unrelated matter I always use my Capital One credit card when I travel overseas as they do not charge any fees to use it. Most everywhere we visited took credit cards. There were a few places that required 1000xpf purchase for the credit card though.
Tahiti:
We stayed overnight in Tahiti before flying to Moorea the next morning. I had planned on walking to some nearby roulettes for dinner. Head right as you leave the hotel to find them. We skipped dinner though as we were wiped out from lack of sleep the night before. Unfortunately we were staying at the Intercontinental Tahiti and did not find a hotel room geared toward a good night's sleep.
The room was old and outdated. In addition, it was hot. The A/C did little more than circulate the warm air. The TV did not work and would not turn off once it was powered on. The front desk sent a technician that basically told us to wait 20 minutes and the AC would be fixed. That didn't work. He was also unable to fix the TV. I ended up unplugging it. To make matters worse, there was a Tahitian show going on at the hotel beach complete with loud drums. The drums pounded through the thin walls and persisted for a couple of hours of the miserable night.
The next morning, we found the grounds very nice and breakfast average. Next we hopped on a flight to Moorea.
The airports on the islands are somewhat like a bus system. It's easy to hop on a plane and get where you need to be. For one flight, we arrived 5 minutes before takeoff and had no issue getting on the plane. Try that in America.
We tried to take a bus to Papeete on our return flight at the end of our trip. I had some sights mapped out and a restaurant picked. Butthe bus never came. I'm told the public transportation is not very dependable later in the day. We ended up just milling around the airport. There's nothing to see in this part of town. If I had a do-over, I would have tried to rent a car for a few hours to get a quick tour of Papeete.
Moorea
The flight from Tahiti was less than 15 minutes. There is also the option of traveling between the two islands by ferry. It's cheaper, offers nice scenery, but does take longer. The Moorea airport makes the Tahiti airport look like O'Hare.
We were quickly transported from the tiny airport to the opposite side of the island to our hotel, the Intercontinental Moorea. This hotel was so much better than the Tahiti property, it was ridiculous. Recent renovations were complete and the hotel grounds were beautiful. It's a large property so we were transported to our Beach Bungalow by cart. Our bungalow was nice, sat on the beach on the east end of the property. We had a nice patio facing the water. We did some snorkeling in the waters and it was fairly decent. A nice intro to the snorkeling we'd be doing later in the week. Interestingly, the beach by our bungalow was better than the main hotel beach (which very few utilized). The only issue we had with our room was the A/C, but that was quickly corrected by maintenance.
View from Patio
View from Beach
The hotel provided free rentals of kayaks. We did this later in the week. Kayaking over the clear waters was a great activity on the hotel grounds. We saw plenty of fish while doing this as well as an eel. The hotel also provided snorkeling equipment, but I heard some of it was ill fitting, so I would recommend doing what we did and bring your own snorkeling equipment.
On the grounds, you'll also find a dolphin center, which we took advantage of later as well as a turtle rehab facility. Both facilities are out in the open so you can walk by and view the creatures at any time.
Finally, all hotels have a concierge desk. USE THE HOTEL CONCEIRGE. It's a completely free and invaluable service! I had them book dinners for us, confirm pickup times and just answer general questions. They did it quickly with a smile and would provide reminders to our rooms.
The next stops I had on my agenda were just across from our hotel. We made the short trek to the hotel entrance and walked across the street. Here, you will find a small market and Albert's Rental Cars. I finalized a Shark/Ray Snorkeling Excursion with Alberts and booked a car for Monday. We then went to the market to stock up on water and supplement the snacks we brought from home. It's a good idea to bring snacks to eat during the day, especially on excursions. Most days we ate only breakfast (included in our package) and dinner with snacks in between. We grabbed a loaf of French bread from the market as well, which was excellent.
Meals
Since it was included in our package, we had the American breakfast buffet at the hotel every morning. The buffet was huge and very good. I was impressed.
As I said above, most lunches were snacks in our room, so those will be omitted from this list.
One other note, I am not a big Coke drinker, but the Coke in Tahiti was the best I have ever had. It was somewhat similar to the taste of Mexican Coke, but better.
All other meals we had were outside of the hotel. Most nearby restaurants offer a pickup service, which I scheduled at the concierge desk at the hotel. Reservations are encouraged at most restaurants regardless.
The number one restaurant I wanted to eat at was Rudy's, but they did not offer pickup at my hotel and I was not going to be able to get there on my rental car day. From everyone I talked to, I missed out on the best meal on the island. The other place I wanted to eat at was Bus Stop. Unfortunately, my reservation was cancelled because everyone that worked there called in sick
The first night in Moorea (Friday) we ate at La Plantation. Plantation is a Cajun style restaurant. They have a large wine list and live music on the weekends. During the week they have a pretty good soundtrack playing as well. They offer free pickup from area hotels. The food was good. Obviously the seafood dishes are recommended. My wife's shrimp with coconut curry sauce was good, not as spicy as she would have liked. My Cajun tilapia was standard Cajun fare. Their special plantation cake was an ok dessert. My Apple Tart desert was excellent. All of the dishes were arranged very nicely. The service was terrible. Our dinner (2 entrees and 2 desserts) took 2 hours to complete. It was a task to get our waitress in this not very busy restaurant to acknowledge us. Also, their website advertises hospitality. I did not experience any from our server that night. The prices were on the higher end and the bill came to $92USD.
Saturday night, we attended the Tiki Village for dinner and the show. I'll cover this in the next section as a whole, but the food was fairly good and definitely plentiful. It's more about the experience though.
On Sunday, we had lunch on a Motu during our Shark and Ray Snorkeling excursion. Once again, I'll cover this activity next, but I thought the food was very good.
Sunday night we went to Les Tipaniers for dinner. They are another restaurant that offer free shuttle service from nearby hotels. They have 2 restaurants onsite (they are a hotel as well), but their roadside restaurant is the only one open for dinner. The restaurant was nice and service was much better than we experienced at Plantation. As most restaurants do, they offer a tourist menu that allows you to order multiple "local" dishes from a set menu. I opted for this. My appetizer was Poisson Cru (raw fish), which I'd heard a lot about. I thought it was very good. My second dish was a smothered steak featuring the worst beef I have ever eaten. Over the next few days we learned that you do NOT order beef in Moorea. My wife had the Roasted Lamb with goat cheese. She absolutely loved it. Our meal (2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 1 dessert) came to $95USD.
On Monday we had a car and drove the island. For lunch we ate at a rouloutte nearby. It's called A L'Heure du Sud and it sits in front of Le Petit Village shopping center. Prices were great and the service was fast. Nearly every table was full and we got our food in about 15 minutes. I ordered a fish sandwich. It was good, but very messy. My wife ordered a burger because she wanted to see what their burgers taste like (we are hamburger connoisseurs). The hamburger was not good. Once again, stay away from the beef. The Paninis come highly recommended. That meal came out to about $15USD total.
Dinner was at Pizza Daniel which is located on west coast of the island. A car is a must to get to this place. The restaurant is basically on the owner's back porch. He has an oven setup, a bar to eat at and a cooler with drinks. It's really geared towards the locals. Honestly, this was my favorite meal on the island. We had a ham and pineapple pizza and it was excellent. Daniel was super nice and had the best smile on the island. Unfortunately, he did not speak much English, though he tried very hard. It was a fun experience. Tip: If you see "Tomato" on the menu, it means tomato sauce. A miscommunication ended up with the sauce on top of the pizza and a finished product jokingly called "Pizza Houston." It's ok though, I'd recommend the Pizza Houston. The meal came out to about $20USD as well.
Daniel making dinner
Activites
On Friday, we basically toured the hotel and then did some snorkeling at our room. It was good.
On Saturday, we had a packed day. We did a 4 hour 4X4 tour in the morning and the 4 hour Tiki Village Show and dinner at night.
Our 4X4 tour was through Torea Nui and our guide was Tiare. Tiare was awesome and we were glad we went on the tour. The tour took us around the island to spots we would not otherwise see. We started off on Magic Mountain and a beautiful view of the Northwest side of the island. We also visited local farms (a goat farm, pineapple and vanilla plantations and the agricultural school). Belvedere was one of the popular destinations as was the fruit juice factory. I was disappointed that we did not get a tour of the actual factory, we were just shown to the store, though offered free samples. Free samples of jams were also given at the Agricultural School. We enjoyed the tastings. A few of the other stops were educational. We got some history at a Marae and stopped at Opunaho Bay and a couple of passes for our guide to point out features of the island and to identify local trees and vegetation. It was a good way to spend a morning. Unfortunately, it was drizzly on the day we went, but I was glad it wasn't cancelled.
The "road"
Our 4X4 Vehicle
Magic Mountain
Our guide teaching about pineapples
In the afternoon, we went and viewed the turtles at the hotel rehab center. It was ok, just some injured turtles splashing around in shallow water. There was a large turtle swimming around the larger pool. We also took a double kayak out to explore the hotel from the water, it was a leisurely way to spend our time. I enjoy kayaking. The boats are given out for 2 hours starting in the morning and all equipment must be returned by 4:30
The Tiki Village was a fun experience, though a little too long. We were offered demonstrations on how dinner was prepared, different ways to wear a Pareo and how to open a coconut. Dinner was good, though lengthy. Luckily we sat with a couple from L.A. that we had met previously. Everyone else at our table was speaking French so we were glad we had a couple to talk to. After dinner was the dance show. It began with some dancing demonstrations and lessons. The men and women were separately called out in large groups to the middle to dance. It was fun. Other members of the audience were called out individually through the night. Don't sit in the front row if you do not want to be picked on. The dance performance was interesting, though I did not get the story they explained beforehand. They had several different dances, but the fire performances were obviously the crowd favorite. I think this part could have been a little bit shorter, but I have little complaint about our evening. We got back to our hotel just after 10:00PM, which in French Polynesia is super late. Walking back to our bungalows was nice though, I have never seen as many stars as I did in the black sky that night.
Tiki Village Dancer
On Sunday we took the Albert's Tour that I booked at the Albert's desk by the supermarket a few days before. The Tour included shark and ray feeding and lunch on a motu. Our guide, Siki was a great guide and a ton of laughs. We got some nice views of the island from the water as we approached our first stop. Our first stop was a sandy portion of the lagoon, about 4 feet deep, not very many fish around. There, Siki and the other crewmembers fed the rays and introduced us to them. We were able to pet them and swim around with them for a while. It was great to see the creatures up close and observe their graceful nature hands on. Soon, the crew began throwing some meat out and the sharks came. We weren't petting these guys, just watching them swim around the lagoon. We also swam out to some coral to see if we could find any eels. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful on this. We swam around this area for a while. I do not know how long we were at this stop, but it was a while. We enjoyed every minute though. The next stop was a motu for lunch. Lunch was pretty good. After lunch, we snorkeled around the motu, observing coral and fish. Siki demonstated to us how to open a coconut and we shared the milk and meat inside. The entire trip was about 5 hours long and very enjoyable. I was expecting more stops on the trip then just the two (especially in 5 hours), but I had no complaints. There was more to this than just the snorkeling. Though I enjoyed the straight forward snorkeling we did later in Bora Bora much more.
Siki, our guide
A view back to Opunohu Bay from the boat
Swimming with Sharks/Rays
Monday morning, 8AM, I rented a car from Alberts, it was a little cheaper than the desk at the hotel. You could rent the car for 4 hours for about $70, 8 hours for about $80 and a full day at about $90. We did the full day. We took the car out in the morning and did some shopping. We hit the Le Petit Village just west of our hotel. There were some ok shops there, and really the only ones in close proximity to the hotel, but if you have a car, I suggest you skip it. We stopped for a few photo ops on our way to Maharepa Shopping Center; took pictures of some churces, the bay, etc. We stopped at a supermarket along the way for drinks and also found a great little shop off by itself between the bays. It's not in my guidebook or on the internet, it's either called Honu Iti or Promenade (the two charges on my credit card statement I couldn't picture). We grabbed several things there, the best single shop that we stopped at. We browsed a few more places along the way
When we arrived at Maharepa, we found the best shopping we saw on the island for things like Pareos and souvenirs for friends. There is a large number of different types of shops. We got a few things here ( we actually found some final souvenirs at the end of the week at the airport - vanilla and jams made great gifts).
A feature at shops across the island are the famous black pearls. There were a few premier pearl shops around Maharepa, most notably Eva Perles and Ann Simon. Eva was great and had some really nice merchandise and good info. She is definitely deserving of the high praise she receives in guidebooks and on the internet. Ron Hall's Island Fashion was a short drive from the shopping center and another shop that receives high praise. Ron Hall immediately welcomed us into his shop and began talking to us. We went to "Pearl School" and learned a little bit more about them. We had both done research before leaving, but he was able to supplement that. We ended up finding a real nice pearl pendant in our price range and bought it from Ron.
We stopped at a few other places, nothing noteworthy. Maison Blanche was a waste of time in my opinion.
Just after lunch we had to return to our hotel for our reservation at the dolphin center. We were signed up for the Romance Package and we enjoyed it. We and 2 other couples were taught about the 3 dolphins they have on site. Then we got in the water with one. We were taught about how they train them and about their anatomy up close. We pet the dolphins for a while and then got to take a few pictures. My wife said it was a childhood dream of hers to hug a dolphin, so she loved it! We then moved to another dolphin and got to see her do some tricks while we were in the pool, watching above and below the surface. It was fun, a bit pricey, but the pictures we got with the dolphins are priceless.
Afterwards, we got back in the car and drove around the entire perimeter of the island. We stopped on the east side of the island, near the Sofitel at Toetea Lookout. It gave us a few photo ops. It looks back across to Tahiti. The point is clearly marked at the top of the hill before the Sofitel.
Lookout Point looking toward Tahiti
Another destination nearby is Temae Beach. After the hill, just before the Sofitel, you'll see a dirt road to the left. It's a bit of a way back there, but you'll find a nice public beach. When we were there, it was mainly locals. We swam around and did some pretty good snorkeling. We swam out pretty far and it's to be noted that there is a stronger current here than we found in other parts of the lagoon.
Temae Beach
The waters of Temae Beach
As we navigated the southside of the island, we got a different view of the island. The southside is more about the villagers with very little geared toward the tourists. It was getting late in the afternoon, so we did not stop at any sites on the southside like the waterfalls and marae. I've heard the waterfalls are rather lame anyway.
A final stop was on the Westside. As we explored, I noticed a great lookout point, not marked, but with a perfect view west. As the sun began to set, I circled back around and parked and got a good view of the sunset on our last night on the island. This point was not marked, but there was a gravel shoulder off of the road that we parked at.
The next day we flew out. Our flight had to go through Tahiti, where we had a layover. Then to Bora Bora. Wireless internet at the airport kept me occupied during the layover.
Bora Bora
We stayed at the Hilton Nui in Bora Bora. We were transported by boat from the airport (which is on its own island) on a Hilton boat where we were given water and they took our info down to expedite the check-in process. The hotel itself is also located on its own island, away from the mainland. The Hilton was gorgeous! The grounds were immaculate and our overwater bungalow was luxurious. It was roomy and had a glorious shower.
Back deck of bungalow
A few annoyances: Check In Was at 2:00, we got to the hotel at 12:30, but we were unable to get to our room until 2:30. The Porters took another hour to bring our luggage even after several requests. The other downside was limited access to the mainland. There was a ferry from the hotel to Vaitape, the main city, but it was infrequent and there was a charge during peak hours. We weren't too concerned with getting to the main island, we only went once for dinner. So this was a minor inconvenience.
The beach area was beautiful, the restaurants were good, the water was stunning! Snorkeling from our bungalow was excellent. On the hotel grounds, there is a short hike to the top of the hill with the chapel and the spa where you will find a view that cannot be beat! You're simply looking down on paradise.
This is the only hotel we visited that had a "library" that offered PCs that had free internet.
Hilton grounds
View from Spa
Activities
We spent most of the time onsite at the hotel. Most of that time was snorkeling from our bungalow. We swam around exploring the world near the bungalows, viewing coral formations and fish of every color. It was amazing. We also spotted an octopus jumping around the coral and an eel peaking out of a formation. We stayed out for hours on end.
Jumping from my bungalow
Snorkeling from our room
The other activity we did was a last minute excursion that I planned through email the day before we left Houston. We went out on the 3 hour Shark and Ray tour led by Moana Tours. It was definitely the best excursion we did. The cost was $146 for both of us. It was a different type of tour than the one we did in Moorea. This was all about the snorkeling. I don't even know the guides name. We were transported directly to a part of the lagoon that had more fish than I had ever seen! We snorkeled around there for a while, gazing upon brightly colored fish and tons of coral. The next stop was a more shallow area where we got up close with some more rays. The final stop was outside of the lagoon in water that was about 35 feet deep. More black tip sharks swam around us and we also viewed a few huge lemon sharks 30 feet below us. In addition, we saw some new fish that we had not seen in our other swimming. We both agreed that this was the best activity we did. We'd done the touristy stuff, this was no nonsense.
First Stop Lots of Fish and Coral
Second Stop Ray Petting
Third Stop Swimming with sharks in the deep blue ocean.
Meals
Breakfast each morning was at the hotel's beach restaurant. We had the American Breakfast buffet there. The food was higher quality than we had in Moorea, but selection was more limited.
We had dinner on our first night at the upscale hotel restaurant, Iriatai. It was excellent and service was impeccable. My wife ordered a chicken dish which she liked. I had Vanilla Infused Tiger Prawns and they were extraordinary. Dessert was just as good. She ordered a plate called the "Chocolate Trio" which she enjoyed. I had the other "trio" dessert. I can recall what it was called, but it was just as good. As we ate, a father/son band was playing some soft tunes (John Meyer, Radiohead, etc). They were really good.
The following night we ate at the iconic restaurant, Bloody Mary's. This required being taxied over to the mainland by the ferry. There, we were met by a van that took us to the restaurant. This is another place that is more about the experience. Famous visitor names were displayed at the entrance to the restaurant. Upon entering, you are greeted at the host stand and you are introduced to tonight's spread. The fresh selections are laid out for your choosing. Pick your meat and tell them how to cook it and you'll be taken across the sandy dining room to your table. It was interesting (and appetizing) way to choose dinner. My appetizer was the calamari steak which I loved. My entre was the chef's special Mahi Mahi which was good. My wife started with a crab salad, which she loved and her entre was a steak (don't worry, it was imported from New Zealand) and she said it was good as well. Dessert was a crme brulee and cheesecake. Both were scrumptious. Visit the bathroom before you leave. It's interesting
The Spread at Bloody Mary's
General Recommendation
-Change your money at the Tahiti Airport
-Bring small snacks (cereal bars, peanuts, etc) and/or stock up at a local supermarket.
-Buy water at the local market, it's much cheaper than what you'll find at the hotel and some tap water is undrinkable.
-Use the Hotel Concierge. They make getting reservations, coordinating activities and soothing your worries a breeze!
-Bring your own snorkeling equipment
-Bring Sunscreen and wear it.
-Bring reef walking shoes. This is a must. Wear them anytime you are in the water. We got ours from Academy and Sports Authority.
-Pack Lightly, the Tahitian airlines limit your luggage on interisland flights
-Bring a couple of light raincoats or ponchos, it rains for short spurts
-You'll need converters for your 120v only appliances (check your voltage, most are ok on the 220V in French Polynesia). I used this one ($6.50): Converter
-You'll need adaptors to fit the plugs. I ordered 6 of these for just a few bucks: Adaptors
-If you need a travel credit card, use Capital One they have no fees for international transactions.
-Go on the Moana Shark and Ray tour in Bora Bora seriously
-Do some studying on black pearls before you head to Tahiti if interested.
-Try hard to not have to stay overnight in Tahiti
-If you see something you want to buy, buy it. Don't wait. We ran into this a few times. They had some wood carvings for sale at our hotel the first day we were in Moorea. We liked them, but said "we'll get them later this week." They never returned. The same goes for shops, you may run out of time before you can make it back or find an item at a different shop.
-Plan what you want to do and book excursions before you leave home, but leave time to explore or do activities that strike your fancy when you are on the island.
-Don't order beef (at most places) in Moorea
-If you want a quicker meal, order all of your courses at once and ask for the bill before you are done eating.
-Even if you aren't a Coke drinker, try a local Coke
-I heard from MANY people that the Dance performances at the hotels are lame.
-I liked our plan, go-go-go in Moorea for a few days and end in Bora Bora for some relaxing. If you're going immediately after a honeymoon, I would suggest the inverse. Recover in Bora Bora for the first few days.
-I recommend both the Hilton Nui and the Intercontinental Moorea. I can't compare them to the other hotels, but these were great.
-Use TripAdvisor's forums to gather info about your trip. It's a great resource: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294338-i867-French_Polynesia.html
-Reply to this thread or email me (cdub121283 at gmail) or PM me if you have any questions. I'll be glad to help.
EDIT: Fixed Broken Pictures
[This message has been edited by CDub06 (edited 3/29/2014 10:54a).]