Trip Report: Back from Honeymoon in Rangiroa, Moorea and Bora Bora!
Oct 8th, 2003, 09:12 AM
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Trip Report: Back from Honeymoon in Rangiroa, Moorea and Bora Bora!
We spent our honeymoon in paradise, that's for sure! Wanted to post a trip report as there isn't always a ton of information on these islands- especially Rangi.
Flew from Seattle to LAX then on to Papeete Tahiti on Air Tahiti Nui. Great airline, pretty decent seats, entertainment systems and food.
Papeete to Rangiroa. Wow! Rangi is so secluded and not inundated by tourists yet. It's in a seperate chain called the Tuamotus and is about a 45 flight from Tahiti.
Stayed 2 nights at the Kia Ora in a beach bungalow. Sooo nice! comfy beds, a/c, amazing bathroom, jucuzzi in deck, etc. The grounds are lush and wonderful! Food at the restaurant was ok. We also ate near town at Le Kai Kai which was good too. Stay away from the Rangi wine, overpriced and underdeveloped! The pool at the Kia Ora is beautiful and there is a Top Dive just down the beach- walk on the beach to get there. Snorkled the pass which can only be done in the morning. Fantastic visibility of 80 to 100 feet. Sharks, eels, barracuda, trigger fish, etc!
From there we went to Kia Ora Sauvage. It's an hour boat ride across the lagoon. You leave some bags at the Kia Ora and just take what you need. This secluded motu was so dramatically beautiful I almost cried when we pulled up to it. No electricity, beach bungalows are amazing, mosquito netted beds, sand floor bathrooms, Coleman lanterns for light. Only 12 people max and our guests didn't speak english so it was very rustic, private, amazing! We were taken to other private motus to explore, snorkled, fed sharks and lounged about enjoying the peace, quiet and beauty. 2 nights was not long enough! We will plan on 3 next time.
Boat back to Kia Ora for the day then plane to Moorea.
Stayed 4 nights at the Sheraton Moorea. This is an amazing resort. Much nicer than the IC and possibly the best location on the island. O/W bungalow had awesome views of the mountains and the horizan. Tons of fish and coral right under us for daily snorkling. Huge bathroom with claw foot tub, shower, pillow menu (oh yeah!), class top coffee table for fish viewing, 2 tiered deck, fresh water shower on lower deck, etc.
Food at the restaurant was not worth it (time or money) but the beach cafe for lunch was perfect. Top Dive is on sight. Great diving. Also rented a car for the day and drove around on our own. Perfect and relaxing. This island is incredibly beautiful. Many fantastic restaurants- Le Mahogony, Huno ito ( spelled that wrong but it means the little turtle) and Alfredo's. The spa at the Sheraton is great also!
Plane from Moorea to Bora Bora. Stayed 4 nights at the Pearl Beach in a Garden Bungalow. Really nice resort but definately not as service oriented as the others we stayed at. Our bungalow was large and really neat with a plunge pool on the deck, outside shower, A/C and 7 ft. high fence around making privacy a non issue.
We went on a Land Rover tour which was very fun and also went sailing at sunset which was beautiful. Wonderful dinner at Top Dive although the portions are very small. Also ate at Bloody Marys which we thought was like an Outback steakhouse. Not impressed! The Bamboo House was another great place!
Diving was great, saw a Manta Ray at 110 feet! And of course sharks!
All in all Bora Bora was the most touristy and "american" of the islands. We liked it but the other islands were better for us.
Truely a fantastic trip!!! We look forward to exploring more of these islands!
Flew from Seattle to LAX then on to Papeete Tahiti on Air Tahiti Nui. Great airline, pretty decent seats, entertainment systems and food.
Papeete to Rangiroa. Wow! Rangi is so secluded and not inundated by tourists yet. It's in a seperate chain called the Tuamotus and is about a 45 flight from Tahiti.
Stayed 2 nights at the Kia Ora in a beach bungalow. Sooo nice! comfy beds, a/c, amazing bathroom, jucuzzi in deck, etc. The grounds are lush and wonderful! Food at the restaurant was ok. We also ate near town at Le Kai Kai which was good too. Stay away from the Rangi wine, overpriced and underdeveloped! The pool at the Kia Ora is beautiful and there is a Top Dive just down the beach- walk on the beach to get there. Snorkled the pass which can only be done in the morning. Fantastic visibility of 80 to 100 feet. Sharks, eels, barracuda, trigger fish, etc!
From there we went to Kia Ora Sauvage. It's an hour boat ride across the lagoon. You leave some bags at the Kia Ora and just take what you need. This secluded motu was so dramatically beautiful I almost cried when we pulled up to it. No electricity, beach bungalows are amazing, mosquito netted beds, sand floor bathrooms, Coleman lanterns for light. Only 12 people max and our guests didn't speak english so it was very rustic, private, amazing! We were taken to other private motus to explore, snorkled, fed sharks and lounged about enjoying the peace, quiet and beauty. 2 nights was not long enough! We will plan on 3 next time.
Boat back to Kia Ora for the day then plane to Moorea.
Stayed 4 nights at the Sheraton Moorea. This is an amazing resort. Much nicer than the IC and possibly the best location on the island. O/W bungalow had awesome views of the mountains and the horizan. Tons of fish and coral right under us for daily snorkling. Huge bathroom with claw foot tub, shower, pillow menu (oh yeah!), class top coffee table for fish viewing, 2 tiered deck, fresh water shower on lower deck, etc.
Food at the restaurant was not worth it (time or money) but the beach cafe for lunch was perfect. Top Dive is on sight. Great diving. Also rented a car for the day and drove around on our own. Perfect and relaxing. This island is incredibly beautiful. Many fantastic restaurants- Le Mahogony, Huno ito ( spelled that wrong but it means the little turtle) and Alfredo's. The spa at the Sheraton is great also!
Plane from Moorea to Bora Bora. Stayed 4 nights at the Pearl Beach in a Garden Bungalow. Really nice resort but definately not as service oriented as the others we stayed at. Our bungalow was large and really neat with a plunge pool on the deck, outside shower, A/C and 7 ft. high fence around making privacy a non issue.
We went on a Land Rover tour which was very fun and also went sailing at sunset which was beautiful. Wonderful dinner at Top Dive although the portions are very small. Also ate at Bloody Marys which we thought was like an Outback steakhouse. Not impressed! The Bamboo House was another great place!
Diving was great, saw a Manta Ray at 110 feet! And of course sharks!
All in all Bora Bora was the most touristy and "american" of the islands. We liked it but the other islands were better for us.
Truely a fantastic trip!!! We look forward to exploring more of these islands!
Oct 12th, 2003, 10:02 AM
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Thanks for the trip report Wendy!
I gotta say, for a return trip to paradise, I've got to stay at the KOS on Rangiroa! Was that your fav island for snorkeling?
I agree with your comments re the PB garden bungalows on Bora Bora. The private, rustic charm is quite appealling but the service could have been better. Logically, service is skewed towards the more exp O/W's.
Glad to hear Top Dive is still good. Chock the small portions to the French, but better to have quality vs quantity.
Once again, MAURURU for reporting back!
I gotta say, for a return trip to paradise, I've got to stay at the KOS on Rangiroa! Was that your fav island for snorkeling?
I agree with your comments re the PB garden bungalows on Bora Bora. The private, rustic charm is quite appealling but the service could have been better. Logically, service is skewed towards the more exp O/W's.
Glad to hear Top Dive is still good. Chock the small portions to the French, but better to have quality vs quantity.
Once again, MAURURU for reporting back!
Oct 13th, 2003, 05:14 PM
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Hi Wendi,
I'm glad to hear you had such a great time. How are the beaches here? We are interested in going but are curious as to what the beaches are. Is is white sand white with blue clear water? Are the beaches similiar to the Caribbean or more like Hawaii?? Please let us know
I'm glad to hear you had such a great time. How are the beaches here? We are interested in going but are curious as to what the beaches are. Is is white sand white with blue clear water? Are the beaches similiar to the Caribbean or more like Hawaii?? Please let us know
Oct 14th, 2003, 08:19 AM
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I highy recommend Rangi. And even though Kia Ora is the only resort there are lots of pensions that Top Dive or other dive centers can recommend.
bluefan- Kia Ora Sauvage was our favorite because we just felt like we were the only ones there most of the time. The snorkling was good and our shark feeding was amazing.
Victoria- each island had very different beaches. On Rangiroa the beach is mainly coarse sand and smooth coral pieces. I wore reef walkers as it was a bit bumpy but also it's HOT!
On Moorea we had an OWB so we didn't do the beach thing. The Sheraton had a nice beach that they raked each morning, and we visited the Sofitel which is next to "the nicest beach on the island" the locals say. It looked nice, nothing amazing.
Bora Bora Pearl Beach had a small, nice beach that the also kept raked. I don't think these destinations can be compared to either Hawaii or the Caribbean although my time on the latter was from a ship so I don't have as much info. These islands are really great for diving, if you are snorkling or just in the lagoons you need to wear reef walkers as there is tons of coral and fish everywhere (Bora Bora PB had the least), otherwise you mainly hang by the pool or on lawn chairs that the hotel puts on their beach. Hope this helps a bit.
bluefan- Kia Ora Sauvage was our favorite because we just felt like we were the only ones there most of the time. The snorkling was good and our shark feeding was amazing.
Victoria- each island had very different beaches. On Rangiroa the beach is mainly coarse sand and smooth coral pieces. I wore reef walkers as it was a bit bumpy but also it's HOT!
On Moorea we had an OWB so we didn't do the beach thing. The Sheraton had a nice beach that they raked each morning, and we visited the Sofitel which is next to "the nicest beach on the island" the locals say. It looked nice, nothing amazing.
Bora Bora Pearl Beach had a small, nice beach that the also kept raked. I don't think these destinations can be compared to either Hawaii or the Caribbean although my time on the latter was from a ship so I don't have as much info. These islands are really great for diving, if you are snorkling or just in the lagoons you need to wear reef walkers as there is tons of coral and fish everywhere (Bora Bora PB had the least), otherwise you mainly hang by the pool or on lawn chairs that the hotel puts on their beach. Hope this helps a bit.
Oct 20th, 2003, 10:35 AM
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Wendy, did the Sheraton give you the room you had reserved? My fiance and I are also looking at the Sheraton in Moorea but read some reviews where people ranted about getting downgraded from their reserved otw bungalow to a lesser room. The reviews also complained about the service problems there, but you didn't note any problems. Would you wholeheartedly recommend this place to other honeymooners? Any other advice for the Moorea area?
Oct 20th, 2003, 10:50 AM
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Wendy, also, do you know about the different otw bungalow classifications at the Sheraton? For example, I know about the "horizon view" otw bungalow. But what does that mean exactly? What other types do they have? What is considered the "best"? The Sheraton website does not explain this at all.
Nov 10th, 2003, 07:47 AM
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Kate,
I've been out of town so I'm just seeing your questions.
We had no problems with the Sheraton. In fact we purchased our trip thru Costco and the room at the Sheraton was for an o/w bungalow but not the horizon view. I emailed asking for the 2 best o/w units and although we didn't get either of them they did upgrade us to a horizan view. This means that you are looking out instead of back to the beach and the resort. You have more privacy but we thought that most of the Sheratons bungalow locations were much better than those we saw at the PB on Bora Bora.
I would absolutely recommend Moorea if you are looking for a laid back, do your own thing island. We loved the restuarants and diving here and the beauty of it.
Also I would apply for a Sheraton points card or whatever it is called. We were there in Sept. which is the end of the busy season so maybe that helped also.
Last but not least. All the islands are beautiful but they are very quiet. More than 3 or 4 days on any one island would be a waste we felt. The islands are so close and it's easy to hop around and they are all really different. I would absolutely do at least 2 different islands.
Wendy
I've been out of town so I'm just seeing your questions.
We had no problems with the Sheraton. In fact we purchased our trip thru Costco and the room at the Sheraton was for an o/w bungalow but not the horizon view. I emailed asking for the 2 best o/w units and although we didn't get either of them they did upgrade us to a horizan view. This means that you are looking out instead of back to the beach and the resort. You have more privacy but we thought that most of the Sheratons bungalow locations were much better than those we saw at the PB on Bora Bora.
I would absolutely recommend Moorea if you are looking for a laid back, do your own thing island. We loved the restuarants and diving here and the beauty of it.
Also I would apply for a Sheraton points card or whatever it is called. We were there in Sept. which is the end of the busy season so maybe that helped also.
Last but not least. All the islands are beautiful but they are very quiet. More than 3 or 4 days on any one island would be a waste we felt. The islands are so close and it's easy to hop around and they are all really different. I would absolutely do at least 2 different islands.
Wendy
Nov 10th, 2003, 01:17 PM
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Wendy, thanks so much for your report. And glad you mentioned the Bora Bora is the most American and touristy of the islands.
You did it just right by going to the out island at Rangiroa and choosing Moorea.
Loved the comment about the wine "overpriced and underdeveloped".
You did it just right by going to the out island at Rangiroa and choosing Moorea.
Loved the comment about the wine "overpriced and underdeveloped".
Nov 11th, 2003, 03:45 PM
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Wendy, I really enjoyed reading your trip report, and gazing off remembering our own great time on Rangiroa. I'm glad you enjoyed Rangi. We intend to get back there in a year or so.
I am curious. Did you shoot the pass with Pascal and Cosetta? This was the couple that took us out and we kept in contact for a while. Just wondering if they are still there.
Congratulations!
I am curious. Did you shoot the pass with Pascal and Cosetta? This was the couple that took us out and we kept in contact for a while. Just wondering if they are still there.
Congratulations!
Nov 13th, 2003, 02:03 PM
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Wendy, you mention that you booked your trip through Costco...any problems with them? I'm planning my honeymoon now, and for the SAME EXACT itinerary as one of the travel agents I've been talking to, I can save $2400. I'm just nervous that I'll get screwed in the end. Any thoughts?
Nov 13th, 2003, 03:19 PM
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Littegroo -
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth.
We used Costco Travel to book a trip to Puerto Vallarta and all went super smooth. Although they are not South Pacific specialists, they are very professional and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use them on another trip. Keep in mind that Costco Travel is not really a part of Costco. They are an independent travel outfit that has contracted with Costco to provide that service. Needless to say, Costco has a whole lot of members thereby creating a huge economy of scale (and therefor very good prices). In addition, there is a great incentive for the travel outfit to provide good service. Too many complaints to Costco could mean the loss of this huge chunk of business for the above mentioned travel company.
Ken
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth.
We used Costco Travel to book a trip to Puerto Vallarta and all went super smooth. Although they are not South Pacific specialists, they are very professional and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use them on another trip. Keep in mind that Costco Travel is not really a part of Costco. They are an independent travel outfit that has contracted with Costco to provide that service. Needless to say, Costco has a whole lot of members thereby creating a huge economy of scale (and therefor very good prices). In addition, there is a great incentive for the travel outfit to provide good service. Too many complaints to Costco could mean the loss of this huge chunk of business for the above mentioned travel company.
Ken
Nov 13th, 2003, 07:28 PM
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We used Costco Travel last spring on a trip to Cook Islands. Excellent results, and I know we saved $$$. One tip, you need to tell them specifically what you want to do. I mean what schedule, # of days on each island, which hotel, and one or two alternates. Like Lord Balfor says, they are not South Pacific experts. My contact had never been there. But I knew exactly what I wanted, they delivered the package in excellent fashion. I will use them again.
Nov 18th, 2003, 12:54 PM
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As Bill and Lord replyed the main thing with Costco travel is that they book trips for you, they don't advise on your travels. You need to do the research yourself and decide where you want to go and stay. We had no problems once we understood that. They beat everyone by thousands (literaly). I also was able to get Starwood points at the Sheraton.
Jan 29th, 2005, 07:52 AM
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Wendy - we've been to French Polynesia four times but never to Rangi and are thinking about going this May. The Sauvage looks great but can you comment on the food? And it sounds like you'd recommend splitting time between the Sauvage and the Kia Ora proper - am I correct or would just staying at the Sauvage for a few days be the right thing to do?
