John

My wife and I want to celebrate our anniversary with a once in a lifetime trip. We want to stay in an overwater bungalow in French Polynesia, but which resort? We like to snorkel, I am an amateur sailor, we are fair skinned so beach activities need shade for us. We also like to hike. Which island should we go to? Bora Bora, Moorea, or ? <BR>Thanks.

gigi

For a once in a lifetime trip, definitely go for an overwater bungalow. It's worth it. Quite frankly, you won't want to leave! For great snorkeling and hiking, look into Huahine and Moorea. I found that Huahine had everthing to offer, similar to Bora Bora and Moorea, but without the crowds. The island itself was very lush and beautiful The people on Huahine were the friendliest (probably because of the fewer tourists). We stayed at the Te Tiare Beach Resort. The hotel was beautiful, the bungalows were huge and air-conditioned. We will definitly be back.

Debi

We went to both those islands and stayed in OW bungalows. I would recommend that you split your trip and stay at both - they're quite different, and each fabulous in a different way. In Moorea, we stayed at the Beachcomber ParkRoyal. The room wasn't over the water - but the deck was. I loved it! Thousands of fish swimming under and around your deck, nice breezes and beautiful water. You could go down the steps on the deck and swim or visit with the eel that happened to live under our deck. In Bora Bora, we stayed at Le Meridian. Brand new place - beyond gorgeous. The floor in the center of the room was glass. You could also walk off that deck and go swimming. The new places don't have all the coral and the fish that the older places do. I've heard that the 2 best places in BB were the Hotel Bora Bora (it was closed for refurb when we were there) and the Lagoonarium. But Le Meridien was gorgeous and there was some good snorkeling close by. It was the trip of a lifetime - pricey, but well worth it. If you have any specific questions, you can email me and I can dig through some of the literature I have.

Sharon

We just returned from Manihi,Rangoria,Bora Bora,Moorea and Tahiti. The pearl beach resort on Manihi and BoraBora was awesome!! The one on BB, is on an outer island, looking in at BB. What a view. They have continous boat service over to the main island,BB. The ow bunglows are great,and the beach bunglows are great. You have a little more privacy on a beach bungalow. We had a private deck and hot tub. In Moorea, we stayed at the Beachcomber Parkroyal. Lots to do,more people,not as relaxing, older rooms w/no AC. Not my first choice of spots to return. I recommend staying at the newer hotel, or newly remodeled. The Sofitel hotels cater more to the french. But everywhere we went, the people were great. <BR> <BR>

C&J

Having just spent three weeks in FP, we visited Tahiti, Morea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Tahaa and Rangiroa. The first two have particular things to see or do, but are a bit too busy. Bora Bora was very nice, though it's true, many people. Hotel BB was great and the staff was as pleasant as could be. I agree with someone below, that Huahine is a nice place. We stayed at the Te Tiare, which has nice people and better food than expected, but the rooms was too pre-fab. Anyway, Huahine has hiking and great water without the crowds. The best snorkeling seems to be in front of the Relais Mahana, though other locations can be good as well. We did a three hour tour of the little island on Jetski, which included snorkely, which was fun. On the downside, I don't recall seeing sailboats for rent. <BR> <BR>There are more possibilities, but it depends how much time you have and what else you want. Do you want lots to do and lots of people or more seclusion? If you don't mind more people, go with Bora Bora. If you want fewer people, Huahine or Riatea/Tahaa are good choices.