Tahiti Bound girls

Do you think we can get away with 9 days in just Moorea? Is Bora Bora much better?
I heard they are kind of the same, just bora bora is more exclusive.
If anyone has gotten any quotes yet, please let me know too :)
Thanks!

Hi! That was my original plan... Moorea only. But, since we probably will never have the time or money to go back we figured why fly ALL the way there and not see bora bora?! Most people say the lagoons in bora bora do not compare and it is not to be missed!!

We are trying to figure out how to go for 10 days w/in our budget, but it is hard. The good thing is they just started a new non-stop flight from NY. The rates are coming out slowly for June so we are trying to get some quotes and see who is the least expensive. Oh check out costco.com for travel itineraries to tahiti... they have some great deals, but it's the 2005 rates. I called them and they said mid-sept for June '06 rates.

Anything else please let me know b/c i'm chock full of info on french polynesia right now, since we are hoping to book soon!

Jess

I am trying to decide this myself.

I am thinking of flying direct to Tahiti and stay our first night there. Then either:

Go to Bora Bora for the remainder of the trip

OR

Go to Moorea for 4 nights and Bora Bora for 4 nights.

I am leaning towards staying on Bora Bora. Mostly b.c the last two days we're there will be shot b/c FH is planning on getting a tattoo, and we're holding that off until the end of the trip so we can enjoy the trip!

I was all about Hawaii until I got this rate for a Tahitian Cruise: 10 day cruise to these islands.

Papeete, Tahiti -2 days
Huahine, French Polynesia- 1/2 day
Rarotonga, Cook Islands -1/2 day
Raiatea, French Polynesia -2 days
Bora Bora, French Polynesia-2 days
Moorea, French Polynesia -1/2 day
back to Papeete, Tahiti.

OCeanview Cabin $6128.40 and Balcoy Cabin
$6628.30
This cruise includes the food and entertainment which elimnates the expense spent for food.
Im still debating on what we may do. Such a hard decision. I also have not heard anyone that has been on this cruise or reviews. I think it does help on getting around all the islands and experiencing it all. Im so confused!

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Posted by DCSAAB06

I was all about Hawaii until I got this rate for a Tahitian Cruise: 10 day cruise to these islands.

Papeete, Tahiti -2 days
Huahine, French Polynesia- 1/2 day
Rarotonga, Cook Islands -1/2 day
Raiatea, French Polynesia -2 days
Bora Bora, French Polynesia-2 days
Moorea, French Polynesia -1/2 day
back to Papeete, Tahiti.

OCeanview Cabin $6128.40 and Balcoy Cabin
$6628.30
This cruise includes the food and entertainment which elimnates the expense spent for food.
Im still debating on what we may do. Such a hard decision. I also have not heard anyone that has been on this cruise or reviews. I think it does help on getting around all the islands and experiencing it all. Im so confused!

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Check out the tahiti-explorer.com forums!

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Posted by cantwait2bewed

i just got a quote from Mark from IN and out Travel for tahit and moorea 7 night vaca for 6220.00 includes air fare and hotel stay. 3 nights over the water bungalow in Bora Bora and garden bungalow in Moorea for 4 nights. I am going to book with him. Doesnt include meals though because he said that its only a prefix menu if u include the meals so u are limited by your choices. I really dont want to be limited on my honeymoon. I will take the money we get from the wedding and use some for the honeymoon for food, excursions etc.

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Is that air from NY or LAX? Which hotels?

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Posted by cantwait2bewed

Its from JFK then transfer at LAX, Pearl Beach Resort hotels on both islands.

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Ooh sounds great! We are going to stay at the pearl resorts also. I'm actually waiting for a quote from In & Out!

Is that per person or for both of you??

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Posted by cantwait2bewed

i just got a quote from Mark from IN and out Travel for tahit and moorea 7 night vaca for 6220.00 includes air fare and hotel stay. 3 nights over the water bungalow in Bora Bora and garden bungalow in Moorea for 4 nights. I am going to book with him. Doesnt include meals though because he said that its only a prefix menu if u include the meals so u are limited by your choices. I QUOTE]

I like to peruse the message boards at tripadvisor.com. We are considering a cruise vs land trip to the south pacific. Here is some info I found helpful:

(cut and paste below)

If you decide on a cruise in FP, consider Radisson's Paul Gauguin . They have 7, 10, and even 14-day cruises in the August/September 2006 time frame. It is more expensive than Princess, but I think it is worth it. The ship is beautiful, and the food and service are great. We did a b2b in 2003 and are going back in February. Also, even during the 7-day cruise, you are at Bora Bora and Moorea for essentially 2 days each (the islands on the 7-day itineraries are relatively close to one another). We debated on whether to stay on land instead of the b2b, but the land accommodations are very high and the food and service in general is not supposed to as good as the ship's. Also, the Gauguin dress code is completely country club casual throughout the cruise.

I would suggest the new Tahiti Intercon (which is due to open in early 2006 I believe).

Meal plans are offered by the resort. I suggest getting breakfast only. Fillet of mahi mahi in vanilla sauce (and other fares offered at the resorts), while nice at first, gets repetitive after a while. For lunch and dinner, explore. Some very interesting restaurants on main island of Bora Bora (Bloody Mary's is an absolute must), and other islands have at least a few worthy spots with local flavor. Also, make sure to buy some wines beforehand. Wine price at the resort is high, and the selection is strangely limited despite its seemingly wine-loving clientele. Packing some food is not a bad idea either - sometimes you just want some junk food. We packed some food, brought some wine, and probably saved ourselves about a thousand dollars, and also a potential overdose from tuna/wahoo/mahi mahi in vanilla sauce

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Posted by jspoons

Anyone have any new quotes/packages to French Polynesia?

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Do you have an itinerary in mind? What is your budget? We have a relatively low budget for FP, but we really did our research and are hopefully going to book today or monday!!!!!!!

Here is our itinerary:

Non-stop air from NY
1 night Tahiti Intercontinental (garden room)
4 nights Moorea Pearl (beach bungalow)
4 nights Bora Bora Pearl (2 nights garden pool bungalow & 2 nights overwater bungalow!)

Jess

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Posted by jspoons

What was your price for that? I am just trying to compare everything. Thanks

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You have FM!!