Alfie2005

Hello,

I am planning a Honeymoon in September to the French Polynesia. We would like to spend 2 weeks (12-14 days) there and from reading posts here, we want to stay at least in Moorea and Bora Bora. Also I was thinking Intercontinental for Moorea, and over water bungalo in Bora Bora (not sure which hotel, this would be the splurger, any recommendations? probably most interested in being on the nicest part of the lagoon). Would 2 weeks be too long to spend on these 2 islands? Is there another can't miss island of the FP that we should add? Also, I see most packages on tahiti legends, tahiti vacations, etc. are for 8-10 days. Is it easy to extend the stay with these companies?

Thanks!

nickn

Whether two weeks on two islands is too long has much to do with your style of travel.

I have been to Moorea twice and Bora Bora three times. I start to get anxious to see other islands after four days.

You might consider adding an atoll destination such as Rangiroa. It has a different feeling compared to island-lagoon combination destinations like Moorea or Bora Bora.

If you do add Rangiroa, the Air Tahiti routing definitely favors visiting Rangiroa right after Bora Bora. The flight is not bi-directional.

Alfie2005

nickn-

Thank you for your detailed response! It sounds like you have been many times, do you think these islands are good for honeymooners? We are looking for beautiful beaches, romantic activities, and just an overall great, memorable time. Also, are there any resorts that you suggest? We want to stay in nice places, with the big splurge being an OWB in Bora Bora. Lastly, since we know nothing about the FP, should we def book a package through a travel agent, and just extend it from 10 days to 14 days? Any suggestions on which travel agent/company to use? Thanks so much! We are getting really excited about this trip!

nickn

Good for honeymooners? hmm... seemed like most of the visitors to Bora Bora were honeymooners -- mostly Italian, then Japanese and Americans.

One portion that is sort of pain to arrange, if you do on your own, is inter-island air portion. The monopoly airline Air Tahiti cannot be booked by usual online booking system.

What I did not like about pre packaged deals, beside choice of destinations, were that they seemed to have split into two directions - bargain packages using low price hotels and honeymoon packages using highend rooms, but also throw in all sort of additional unexciting tours.

Regarding Bora Bora: I was there last July. It seemed like there were two types of visitors - honeymooners and cruise folks. I think it was Monday, there were two huge cruise ships docked at Vaitape. The ships eventually left the island by Wednesday. You might want to check the cruise schedule so you do not have to be around Vaitape area on dock days.

If you want to go for OWB, you probably want the upper end ones. OWBs come in several grades. The lower end ones are usually near the shore and surrounded by other OWBs.

The beaches in FP are made of crushed coral, not white sand. While in the pictures, light turquoise water seem nice, it is rather boring if you want to snorkel - there are less aquatic life in these areas. The Hotel Bora Bora OWB, for example, are in the middle of coral formations and you are treated with abundance of pretty fish. They also charge high fee for this. Definitely a splurge.

I have stayed at Hotel Bora Bora and Pearl Beach resorts. The Matira area, where Hotel Bora Bora is located, is clearly the prettier location of the two. There are many other hotels in the Matira area - both on island and on Motu.

Each hotel offer activities provided by outside providers. Hotels have web site describing their current offering and the prices. Prepare for a sticker shock. Note advance reservation requirements on celebration type of activities.

Travcarib

Bora Bora and Moorea are the perfect place for a honeymoon. It is so romantic there and the islands are really beautiful. Two weeks is a great amount of time too. I am not sure where you are from but it takes a long time to get there so it is worth it to make the most of your time there!

We went to FP in 2002 and are going back this year. Last time we went we were in Moorea and Bora Bora. I would say those 2 islands are great for a first visit to FP. The Sheraton in Moorea is really great. They have really nice snorkeling off the bungalows and is in a good location too. The IC moorea in our opinion was too big and spread out and if I am not mistaken doesn't have full OWB there.
Definitely get an OWB! It is a fantastic experience. If you can only do it in one place make sure it is in Bora Bora. The lagoon there is breathtaking! We stayed at the Le Meridien Bora Bora and loved it. Really amazing views from the motu over to Mt Otemanu. There has been more resorts since we went last so this time we are staying at the IC Thalasso which is supposed to be nicer. There are several nice upscale resorts in Bora Bora- just depends on what you are looking for... ie being on main island, snorkeling, tahitian feel, etc

We booked with an agent both times since it is so hard to coordinate all the flight details, interisland details and meet and greet etc. It would be worth it for you to go through a TA especially since it is your first trip and you would want it to go perfect!

angelah861

Hi -

We went to FP for our honeymoon in Oct. 2002. We spent 3 weeks there, about 1 week each in BB, Moorea and Tahiti. Three weeks was a bit long for us because we like to be active on our vacations. We snorkeled, dove, hiked, and even rented a car on Moorea to drive around the island.

We used points to stay at the Sheraton Moorea and Tahiti. We splurged and stayed at an OWB at Hotel Bora Bora. Despite the cost of the OWB, it was, in our opinion, worth every single penny. Like Nickn said, the OWB at HBB are the best. The corals and fish are literally right off the bungalows. We saw the most amazing aquatic life off the shores of HBB. (A bit of history - just in case you didn't know....HBB built the first OWB in Bora Bora, so they had the pick of location. The new resorts that offer OWB are not the same because the bungalows built over sand and coral that was placed there by man.)

We booked our inter-island flights and lodging at HBB with Tahiti Legends. They were very professional and we did not have any problems.

One last word...if you can, go to BB last. BB is truly paradise. We went to Moorea after BB and it just wasn't the same.

We also went snorkeling with a wonderful French local in BB. We were able to see manta rays and schools of fish like we've never seen before. If you are interested, I can try to find his name for you.

Travcarib

I agree if you are going to a couple of islands do Bora Bora last. We did Moorea after Bora Bora and although we did like it, BB would have been a better end to the honeymoon since it was so beautiful!