1st Time to Bora Bora & Moorea - Questions
 

My husband and I have been wanting to go to Bora Bora and Moorea for a while and I think we may have the time next year. However, I don't know much about the area so I have concerns about the weather. We are thinking of going the first 2 weeks in May, is the weather good then? Also is it better to put together a travel package on our own or to work with a travel agent? Are there discount sites for trips to Bora Bora and Moorea? Right now I am thinking of staying at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort and Sheraton on Moorea. Are those good hotels? I am kind of picky about hotels, hubby could stay anywhere and not care. We aren't into nightlife or being entertained we just love the water and good beaches. We tend to just relax and do nothing on vacation and the islands look like a perfect place to just enjoy and slow things down. Any advice you all could offer would be very much appreciated. Thanks

May should be lovely - generally sunny and warm, with water temps fairly close to their peaks (probably a little over 80).

Stayed at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach back in March/April of 2000. It was great. Not been to the Moorea Sheraton, but I believe it is well known for good snorkeling.

Both islands are terrific. No nightlife to speak of - and service in French Polynesia is generally rather mediocre, but for sheer beauty and relaxation, probably nowhere on earth can beat it.

Ken

I think that you will be happy with the hotels you have chosen - as you have probably already determined, prices are at least 50% higher than comparable locations elsewhere. There are several sites that offer vacation packages to the Society Islands:

www.tahiti-tourisme.com
www.tahititravel.com
www.tahitinuitravel.com
www.tahitianexperience.com
www.flytahiti.com

You can sometimes save a substantial sum if you book a fly/hotel/activity package, but you need to compare package prices with individual bookings for flights and hotels.

As noted, the weather in May should be fine, and the beaches are indeed great.

Al F.

We have been in Moorea 7 years ago, we loved it. We like quiet places, beaches. We stayed in a cabin next to the water, I don't remember the name of the resort, something with "Garden ...". It was close to the Club Med.
The very important activity for us was to go to the "motu" every day, to swim and snorkel there. The resort gave the transport, many times daily. They had a good restorant, many more close by, other stores too.

Iaorana (Hello)Yellowdaisy!
,
Ken and Alf are "experts", but I can offer you my 2 cents as well! My husband and I were in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora this last May (May 7 to 21) and the weather was nothing but sunshine and HOT everyday! I had read many postings about the mosquitos and seriously, we couldn`t find one! It may have been the time of the year. I`ve been told that May to October was the best time of the year to go weather wise. We stayed at the Sheraton Moorea in a OWB. We loved it; expensive but worth to do at least once in your life! The water was extremely clear and snorkling was excellent. We had plan to do some activities, but we were so content with where we were that we didn`t budge! We enjoyed our time just swimming and taking in the sun. I had also read many postings on this hotel, both very good or very bad and I was a bit skeptical. We only have good things to say. The service was fantastic, friendly. The food was good despite some bad review. We had dinner one night at a local restaurant and I must say that the food was just as good at the hotel. The second week, we took the Paul Gauguin Cruise to Raiatea/Taha'a/Bora Bora, so we didn`t use a hotel on Bora Bora. Needless to say, it was a fantastic trip and we plan to go back in 2008. We spend 3 days in Tahiti, which I think you ought to do when you go for the first time. I booked the Sheraton on both Moorea and Tahiti directly with them through the internet; travel agencies couldn`t get me a better price. All went very smoothly. Hope you have a great trip! I envy you!!

Yellowdaisy, we stayed at Bora Bora Lagoon Resort a few years a go and loved it. I believe they now have a spa which was not finished when we were there. The rooms are incredible. The snorkeling from the rooms is excellent!!! We saw tons of fish (trigger fish, angel fish, large clams, and even an eel just to name a few). The water outside of the room, from the overwater bungalow, was mostly coral which made the snokeling great but it was a little difficult to just "hang out in the water". But we prefer the coral.

It is set up on it's own motu (island) across from the main city Vaitape. Bora Bora Peal Beach Resort is set up the same way, on the motu next to the one the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort is on. We saw it from a distance but did not go to that resort. From the pictures it looks very nice but it seem the rooms are built over sand versus coral. I don't know for sure, that's just how it looked.

I would definately recommend Bora Bora Lagoon Resort. They have a boat shuttle that takes you across the lagoon to Vaitape where you can go to different restaurants for dinner and do a little shopping. There isn't much to do but relax. It is definatly one of the most beautiful places we have been.

Also, on Bora Bora I would recommend doing the shark feeding tour. Even if you are afraid of the sharks (you don't have to go in the water if you don't want, although they are just small reef sharks and it wasn't scary at all). Along with this tour, they also stop so you can snorkel at another site. They take you all the way around the island and then stop for a barbeque lunch on a private motu on the beach. Then you get to swim with stingrays. It was awesome, I highly recommend it.

As far as Tahiti goes, we had to say one night at the Sheraton due to the time of our flights, I wouldn't recommend staying any longer. The town of Papeete is not very nice. The hotel was wonderful and their seafood buffet was honestly the best seafood we have ever eaten and we have all over the world.

I hope this helps--oh, there wasn't much of a beach at Lagoon Resort and we also are beach people--we didn't miss it at all. Your room, if you opt for the overwater bungalow, has a sundeck to lay out on.

I have stayed at Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort in July. It rained 3 days. What can I say. I ended up doing almost nothing.

The discount packages usually use the lowest grade bangalows unless you get overpriced honeymoon pakages. Upgrading rooms, if allowed, would bring you back closer to non discount prices.

I don't know your age. Be warned that Bora Bora, in general is a honeymoon and a cruise destination (Vaitape.) The majority of the guests at the Pearl Resort were honeymooners: Italian the majority, then Americans, then Japaneses. I saw one French family and 4 older couples.

You'll find that the it is a hassle to put together a package yourself; inter-island carrier, Air Tahiti, is hard to book yourself. Also the main international carrier to Papeete, Air Tahiti Nui, does't have cross ticketing or baggage handling agreement with most carriers so it is also a hassle. Air New Zealand and Air France connects better to other carriers but the arrival and departure times at Papeete are very inconvenient.

At the end, I had all the arrangement done by Sunspots international.

I have also stayed at Hotel Bora Bora. I think the Southern end of the island is prettier, if it is sunny, that is.

For just doing nothing, I like Rangiroa better. Gorgeous beaches, calm water, and "relatively" cheaper to stay than Bora Bora. The downside is that you have to contend with water rationing because it has no mountain water source like Moorea or Bora Bora.