HAYLEYANDSTEVE's extensive French Polynesia Review!!!! with over 100 pictures!

A Camacho-esque review of our honeymoon to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora!

Our Itinerary:
1 night Tahiti
3 nights Moorea
6 nights Bora Bora

Our Resorts:
Sheraton Tahiti
-garden view room #215
Moorea Pearl Resort
-premium beach bungalow #305
Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort
-overwater bungalow #3

Transportation:
Air Tahiti Nui –non-stop from NY
Air Moorea – Tahiti to Moorea
Air Tahiti – Moorea to Bora Bora and Bora Bora to Tahiti

Activities:
Scooter Rental – Moorea
4x4 Jeep Tour – Moorea
Canoe Breakfast – Bora Bora
Shark and Ray Tour – Bora Bora


Restaurants outside of our hotels:
Le Mahogony – Moorea (dinner)
Villa Mahana –Bora Bora (dinner)
Bloody Mary’s – Bora Bora (dinner)


DAY ONE – July 16, 2007

Our flight on Air Tahiti Nui to Tahiti was delayed a little bit… but we didn’t mind! We were just so excited about going on our honeymoon! The flight was LONG… and felt it – but we occupied our time with books, magazines, and movies…. And Steve luckily was able to sleep.
We got in around 1am, and took a shuttle bus to our hotel, the Sheraton Tahiti. They gave us leis at the airport which was a cute touch :)











DAY TWO – July 17, 2007

We were able to sleep for a few hours… and had the breakfast buffet at the hotel in the morning after watching the beautiful sunrise. We walked around the hotel a little bit and took some pictures, and before we knew it, it was time to head over to the airport for our flight to Moorea.















The plane was TINY! You could see the pilot and all of his controls. I have to admit, I was a bit scared during the flight – I had never flown on a propeller plane before! But the flight was only about 10 or 15 minutes long, so it was bearable! The views were gorgeous too!












When we got to the Moorea Pearl Resort, they handed out leis and fresh fruit juice (it was delish!) We loved our beach bungalow!! The bed was decorated with flowers, and we had a gorgeous view of the water.





















Steve couldn't wait to get into the water!



We ate lunch at the hotel restaurant. Steve tried the “Poisson Cru” which he fell in love with! He ate it almost every single day during our honeymoon!






We rented a scooter and drove around the whole island of Moorea which took us about 2 hours. We stopped for pictures and so that Steve could climb this huge tree! He looked like a monkey!

DAY THREE – July 18, 2007

Steve got up early every morning to watch the sunrise. I’m a late sleeper though, so I made sure he took lots of pictures for me ;)

We decided to do the 4x4 Jeep tour. Our tour guide was very nice and so funny! He was constantly making jokes and he made the tour so much fun!












We saw some BEAUTIFUL views, and we also met so many nice couples! We ended up seeing most of these couples again, and it was nice to see people around that we knew. We got to see the pineapple farms too... the baby pineapples were so adorable! Our tour guide took fresh grapefruit and pineapple from the farms, and cut it up for us. It was so delicious and so fresh!

















We watched the sunset that night, and headed over to Le Mahogony. The food was good, but nothing special IMO! It was nice to go somewhere where the local people dined though, and we enjoyed the food.





DAY FOUR – July 19, 2007

This was a lazy day for us. We just hung out on the beach and went kayaking around the hotel. We saw a bunch of hermit crabs too!









DAY FIVE – July 20, 2007

We took another plane (a larger one!) over to Bora Bora. Then we had to take a boat to the Bora Bora Pearl. Again, they gave us leis and fruit juice and we got a chance to see the beautiful hotel!














We stayed in OWB #3 which wasn't too far in, which we liked!







I feel like this never gets old! I always crack up from these pictures.... through the coffee table!









Steve loved the water. He hasn't been able to do any exercise since his accident, but swimming was a great low-impact way for him to get a little exercise.







We took the boat back to the main island, and rented a car. We drove around the whole island, and found that there weren't too many people where we wanted to stop. We did check out the little shops around the island, and went into the market for some food to bring back to the hotel.













We went to the seafood buffet at the hotel restaurant that night, which was VERY pricey!

DAY FIVE – July 21, 2007

Our travel agent arranged a free canoe breakfast for us. I got so excited when I saw them coming in the canoe! It was a great little breakfast. It was pretty much a continental breakfast, but it was just made a little more fun by having the canoe bring it!









We used the leftover breads to feed the fishies! Some huge ones came out...



I blew up my raft and tried to sit on it... but I ended up falling in! That was the last time I used the raft!















Steve tried windsurfing at the hotel too... he had fun!
We spent the rest of the day just relaxing.







This is what they use to knock on the door.. I thought it was cute! Also, the flower symbol means everything is okay. There's also a pillow for when you're sleeping/do not disturb... and a broom for when you'd like them to clean the room.



We ate at the hotel that night for dinner.





DAY SIX -- July 22, 2007

We had another lazy day. We just walked around the hotel, hung out by our bungalow, and just relaxed!











We ate dinner that night at Fare Ambrosia, which is an italian restaurant at the hotel. It was our FAVORITE restaurant in the hotel, and the food was just delicious!










DAY SEVEN – July 23, 2007

We went on the shark and sting ray tour. There were LOTS of sharks, and we got to snorkel and swim with them! We also got to snorkel in the coral nursery which was beautiful! There were a ton of fish to see and lots of coral. The sting rays were a little scary at first, but they were friendly! They swam all around us and we got to touch them, and even kiss them! We also met a bunch of nice couples on the tour, and then went over to a more private part of the hotel’s island for some fresh fruit.





















Steve played with some of the stray dogs on the island... which were all very friendly and loved to play!



That night we ate the BEST FOOD we have ever eaten in our lives! VILLA MAHANA. IMO, its one restaurant that lives up to the hype! On the way there, we met Liz and Steve (naps714 and her husband). The whole restaurant has only 6 tables... and the chef Damien comes out to take your order. It was seriously the best food we've ever had.. and although pricey, it's a MUST!

We had the best seats in the house at the top of the restaurant in a secluded area. Steve had an ahi tuna appetizer, I had a salad with truffle oil dressing.... For dinner I had the lobster and shrimp risotta which was amazing, and Steve had the snapper special. For dessert.... we shared the chocolate souffle which was TO DIE FOR!

DAY EIGHT -- July 24, 2007

We had another lazy day just laying in the sun.. and Steve took the kayak under the bungalow! That night, we went to Bloody Mary's for dinner. They don't have a regular menu, just all of the fish that you get to look out and pick from. The food was pretty good, but I think it's just more of a tourist attraction (like a Hard Rock Cafe type place that more of an attraction than it is a real dining experience).









DAYS NINE and TEN -- July 25 and 26, 2007

We spent our last two days just relaxing around the hotel.

























We got home on July 27th, around 3pm.


MY TIPS/ADVICE/COMMENTS:

-- bring a small travel alarm clock. None of our hotel rooms had clocks, and I’m the type of person that NEEDS a clock! I always need to check the time during the night/morning because it helps me sleep later!

--in Moorea and Bora Bora…. Go to their markets to buy some breakfast food (cereal, juice). It saves you at least $60 a day on the breakfast buffets!

--we brought the coppertone continuous spray sunscreen in 15 and 30 and completely finished both bottles. The spray made it SO much easier to apply and reapply, which you’ll definitely need to do in the strong sun!

--we only used our water shoes in Moorea…. In Bora Bora, the sand in the water by our bungalows was nice and smooth so we didn’t need it!

--people had suggested bringing the pool floats, but I only attempted to use mine that one time so I felt like it was unnecessary (not really a waste of money though at only $2!)

--bring an underwater camera! Some of our favorite pictures were from our underwater camera

--bring A LOT of books! In previous reviews, people had suggested not to bring too many books… I only brought 3 books and I finished them ALL in moorea! So when I was sitting in the sun in Bora Bora I’d often get a little bored….

--I think that staying 6 nights in Bora Bora was a long time. It was beautiful, but a lot of the activities were VERY expensive and we didn’t want to go overboard. I think I could have standed one or nights less in Bora Bora, and maybe try another island instead.

--bring snacks! We brought a bunch of our own snacks and we ate them all!

--I read a ton of reviews before our trip, but I felt like I didn’t know that you had to take a boat to and from your hotel in Bora Bora… so keep that in mind. It was a little bit of a hassle to stay on a time schedule all of them time through the honeymoon

--just so you know…. A lot of the women who vacationed in Tahiti and her islands tanned topless and/or in thong bathing suits.

--bring BUG SPRAY! I used a ton of it, but they still ate me up! It was pretty uncomfortable… so remember to also bring something to put on in case you do get bitten!

--I think I packed perfectly… I didn’t really bring any clothes that I didn’t wear. For during the day, I suggest pretty much only bringing shorts/tanks and/or bathing suit cover-ups. I wore mostly light cotton dresses at night.. and brought just 2 pairs of sandals. It was perfect, and our luggage wasn’t overweight.

--We didn’t go in the pools at our hotels at all! We had so much fun just staying in the water by our bungalows!

--In Bora Bora, we ate lunch everyday at the same restaurant in the hotel. It was delicious and there was such a large selection of food that we never had to order the same thing twice!

--bring your own snorkel equipment! We used it almost everyday.

--If you do the shark and ray tour, bring a TOWEL! We didn’t realize that we had to bring our own, and were shivering after swimming with the sharks!



That’s all folks.
I hope you liked my looooong review!

Great review Hayley!!!!

Looks like you guys had an amazing time and I loved looking at all your pics. I want to go back so badly!

im glad u had a blast! best of luck to you two!

Great review!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved seeing your pictures!!!! I am going to write one eventually!!!!!!!

How's Cali?????

Great Review

great reveiw! I'm glad you had a wonderful time!

My Dh and I were talking yesterday.....I think we are going to try and go back again in a year or two!

Gorgeous pics!!

I WANT TO GO BACK!!!!

WOW!!! What a perfect couple on the perfect honeymoon!!!

Everything looked absolutely fabulous! i wish you guys all the best!

wow!! great review Hayley!! your pics came out great!
i soooo want to go back!

Great review and amazing pictures...so glad you had such a great honeymoon.
Don't you dream of going back again? We do!