Hello Fodorites,

I wanted to give you a little trip report from our recent trip to French Polynesia.
My hubby and I are both in our 40s, world travelers and wanted to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in what we hoped would be the most beautiful tropical paradise destinations in the world. Moorea and Bora Bora didn't disappoint.

We went through www.easytahiti.com and Christophe Dalat, the travel consultant was very helpful. We took a domestic flight to LAX and bought a bottle of dark rum at the duty free shop, which came in handy to mix with juice for a cocktail or two. We took Air Tahiti Nui to Tahiti. Unlike our crappy domestic carriers that offer you a bag of peanuts on a 4.5 hour flight, Air Tahiti Nui was very roomy, clean and offered you two meals....complete with menus for dinner and breakfast. Every inter-island flight, transfer between the hotel and airports went absolutely seamless.

In Moorea, we stayed 4 nights at the Sofitel Ia Ora in Moorea in a luxury beach bungalow about 60 feet from the most clear, calm, gorgeous water and white sandy beach. We took a 4x4 scenic tour with Albert Tours with our guide Blanc Blanc which took us to Cook Bay, Opanohu Bay, Belvedere Point, some pineapple and fruit farms. It was definitely worthwhile. We used the same tour company to do the stingray and shark feeding tour, which was the highlight of the trip. To have these prehistoric looking, gentle and soft stingrays come right up to you and look you in the eyes was great. Also, to be surrounded by 3-5 foot black fin sharks and not be afraid, was amazing too....you figure they're not going to put 30 tourists in the water with aggressive creatures, so you had a sense of security. We then had a picnic with yummy food at the motu (island). We had dinners at Rudy's and Mahogany, both very good food.....we especially liked Rudy's. We rented a car and drove the 36 miles around the island....something to do, but not a must.

In Bora Bora, we stayed three nights in our over the water bungalow at the Intercontinental Le Moana. It was gorgeous, a little flatter, and more laid back and relaxing to us than Moorea. On both islands, there was free pick up and drop off by the restaurants there. Our favorite restaurant was KAINA HUT - I had the fillet of snapper in filo dough, surrounded by a medley of fresh veggies and potato wedges with a bernaise white wine sauce....YUM! I also had a wickedly great passion fruit/banana crumble with a small scoop of coconut ice cream melting on it. We also went to Bloody Mary's wondering if it was a an overrated tourist trap and we were happily surprised to find that it had delicious food, a nice ambiance and the prices were the same as any other decent restaurant....we definitely recommend both those restaurants.

Both hotels were beautifully appointed. The rooms had beautiful woods and bamboo and great beds. The infinity pools were gorgeous, as were the picturesque settings. Breakfasts were included each morning in our package and offered a variety fresh fruit, chocolate croissant, bacon, pancakes, cheeses, omelets and lots more. The Polynesian people could not have been more kind or friendly....we loved them. I left my vouchers at the reception desk and someone kindly brought them to the airport for me. About 60-70% of the couples we met there were honeymooners from all over the world.

This 9 day trip (including 2 days of flights) cost us about $10k.....much more than we normally spend for a trip....but worth it for a special celebration. We ate well, did some excursions, snorkeled a lot, and just relaxed looking at what magnificent scenery lied infront of us. I would definitely recommend doing BOTH islands....Moorea was as beautiful as Bora Bora or even moreso.

Marruru (thank you!) and Nana (goodbye) for now!

Allison