cristine27

Hello! I would like opinions from people who've been to both places. What's the main difference?
From Europe it's much much easier to visit Maldives and i was wondering if French Polynesia as beautiful as it may be, is really worth the 32hrs flight.

welltraveledbrit

cristine,
I haven't been to either but we have booked a trip to the Maldives in May...I have seen a discussion of Bora Bora vs. Maldives on the Maldives forum at Tripadvisor and several people who have visited both places posted.

There wasn't a consensus but the opinions suggested the landscape (mountains etc) in Bora Bora were more spectacular but that resorts in the Maldives were, depending on where you stayed, more isolated. Everyone agreed that French Polynesia is VERY expensive. The ease of getting to either depends on your location

StanKase

Having been to both I would say Bora Bora wins out except if you are a very avid diver and snorkeler. Then it comes down to the hotel you select for the better island resorts in the Maldives i.e. One & Only, Four Seasons food is better than most of the hotel or free standing Bora Bira restaurants.
The waters of the Maldives are exceptionally beautiful but the beauty of the land masss of Bora Bora is wonderful. While it does not equal Bali and other parts of Indonesia and Thailand it is spectacular.
As for cost, the Maldives are 25% more costly than Bora Bora for over-the-water cottages.Also from the East Coast of US it is 12 hours door to door shorter to Bora Bora. I would not visit Moorea or Riatea but 3 days on Huahine, 6 on Bora Bora and 3 on Tahiti would make a very nice trip. Since you are coming so far I would add 4 days in the Cook Islands which is a more primitive experience yet you can get nice small resort with 30-50 villa with A/C, interesting culture and food worth experimenting. An early morning flight from Tahiti can get you to your resort in the Cook Islands for a 2 PM lunch.
The night rate at the Hotel Bora Bora with meals on or off-site in a over the water cottage based on time of year can run $750-$850USD. At the One and Only it is with meals the rate for comparable accommodations will run $1000-$1300/day.

TC

I have not been to Maldives, but have been to FP. I can not imagine how much better it would have to be to justify 32 hrs. flying. I <u>adored</u> FP (although Bora Bora was our least favorite), however it just couldn't possibly be worth that much fly time. I will say that we sailed the islands rather than staying in the OW bungalows -- a much more economical way to see FP. We did stop at several of the big resorts and had a snorkel near the OWB -- there was nothing to see. The water was quite dirty and barren. One would always need a boat to get out to the really fantastic snorkel/dive spots. We were underwhelmed with most restaurants we found -- by that I mean they were good local food, but even the &quot;best&quot; of Bora Bora was nothing to write home about. We caught tons of fresh fish and grilled wonderful things onboard our boat. I would go back to FP in a heartbeat -- but then its not 32 hrs. flying from my home.

Kathie

I've not been to the Maldives, but spent time on Bora Bora (and elsewhere in French Polynesia) a number of years ago. We stayed at the Hotel Bora Bora, which was wonderful. The snorkeling right out in front of the bungalows was wonderful. The water was very clear. and the fish were unafraid of snorkelers. Certainly there was stunning snorkeling a short boat trip away, but we were very satisfied with the snorkeling right in front of the hotel.

As others have mentioned, the above-water landscape on Bora Bora is stunningly beautiful. All the photos I've seen of the Maldives struck me as barren, especially in contrast to Bora Bora.

Ericka

I've been to both. IMO, they are equally expensive, but both worth it. The beaches and water were equally stunning as well.

In the Maldives, each resort is on its own private island so that is where the &quot;isolation&quot; part comes in. The islands are flat, low-lying, and have simple palm trees dotting the landscape.

Bora Bora is technically one big island so you can drive around, hike, shop a little, go to restaurants, etc. It is more lush and mountainous than the Maldives.

Snorkeling and diving is spectacular at both (Maldives gets a slight nod for having more species of fish than anywhere else.)

I don't know if this helps. They are both a dream! It's really just your personal preference.

Ericka

Oh, and I agree wholeheartedly with Kathie. If you are looking for a place where you can snorkel right off your bungalow, look no further than Hotel Bora Bora. There are so many species of colorful fish at Hotel Bora Bora that literally come running (swimming) as soon as you jump in the water. They are used to being fed and are very very friendly. Also, the manta rays come to the pier each night to feed on plankton attracted by the lights. This creates a whole feeding frenzy of small fish, big fish, sharks. Amazing! We're going back next year for our 10th anniversary.

cristine27

Thanks so much for your replies!
I'm hoping that someday we'll visit both but French Polynesia is VERY expensive,especially the airfare from Greece!!
We had decided on a hawaii honeymoon but now we're looking into Bora Bora but the prices are up up up!! (We would go to Maldives but August-September is not a good time i've heard...)

Tim_and_Liz

Have you looked into the Seychelles? I am not sure how prices compare, but I believe there are nonstop flights from Paris.

cristine27

There are flights from Greece with Emirates to Seychelles and they look stunning as well, but the weather will not be very good. Rough seas apparently. Also the cost of the trip to Seychelles for one week will be similar to the cost of Hawaii for 2 weeks!! What would you choose? ;-)

Kathie

Hawaii is lovely.

welltraveledbrit

Hawaii is lovely personally I like Kauai and would choose it far above Maui but it's all a matter of personal preference. If I were going for a honeymoon I would try to go to in September, you won't want to be there with all the school children, I'd advise going after the Labor Day holiday.

I don't think the beaches in Hawaii are comparable to FP or the Maldives, but Aug/Sept isn't a great time for much of the Caribbean either.

W9London

We've been to both Maldives and Seychelles--I would consider going back to the former but not the latter. Costs are approximately the same, but I found marine life and ambiance/service at the hotel to be far superior at the Maldives. We snorkelled straight from our hotel (no boat dropoffs), saw baby sharks, turtles, rays without going too far out/diving.

I haven't been to FP but am curious to see if marine life is as good as Maldives for divers/snorkellers.

simpsonc510

I've been to FP. It's EXPENSIVE.

Guenmai

I vote for Hawaii! Smiles. Happy Travels!

hawaiiantraveler

&quot;I don't think the beaches in Hawaii are comparable to FP or the Maldives&quot;

Ever been to Hawaii? Lots of beautiful beaches besides Waikiki, some which are perennially voted the best beaches in the US and in the world for that matter

Aloha!

Kathie

shhhhh... don't tell

twofortheroad

Hawaiian Traveler (or anyone else)--we're going to be in Honolulu for 3 nights before our 5 week trip to Japan/China. Tell me-- Tell me the beaches

hawaiiantraveler

try Kailua beach or Lanikai on Oahu. There are some pristine beaches out Wailua way.....

http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/kailua.html


Aloha!

welltraveledbrit

Yes, I have been to Hawaii multiple times and to several islands.