Trying to find a somewhat affordable way to get to French Polynesia for my honeymoon in August, 2005. Looking for that clear, calm water, relaxtion with cocktails, water sports, etc.. Any information is appreciated. Thanks!

i have been to huahine, i would say if you are looking for a great beach there, you have to go to huahine iti and stay at this very basic hotel they have there right on a tranquil bay. the other beaches by hotels and in fare just aren't very good: windy, narrow, not what you describe at all. this other beach is...i cannot recall the hotel name but is had a nice outdoor area and seemed popular with familes.

the water was actually chilly in november, and even though the accommodation was 'cheap" ($230 a night no meals) the beach nearby was awful.

it's very expensive. Even eating at the cheapest place- the food truck- cost $8 a day and that was for sitting on a wobbly stool, and that was back when the usd was worth something.

another thought: you might want to visit a local travel agent who can assess your budget and suggest places even we geniuses here do not know about...

there are some lovely mexican/ central american resorts that will be a fraction of tahiti and just as romantic and exotic. ditto brazil, venezuela, aruba...the waters in islands: turqoise and little dix bay in virgin gorda are every bit as blue and they have popular honeymoon resorts.

you have enough time to really broaden your search at this stage, rather than trying to make square peg (expensive tahiti) fit in a round hole (budget vacation).

huahine is lovely but to this day i still remember how expensive it was. that's unusual for me.

congrats on the wedding! p.s. samoa is a great alternative if you want to go really basic.

sorry, my graph above about the place on the bad beach was referencing where i stayed, the sofitel huahine, and not the simple beach place on huahine iti.- sorry!

Huahine was wonderful and you get such an exotic and authentic feel to the island. We stayed at a place called the Vanilla Motel that was pretty reasonable. About $85. a few years ago. It was nice but there were no fans or AC. THe food and people were very nice there. We checked out another B&B where we wished we had stayed. Its called Pension Poetaina. I just checked their website and they have rooms staring at 80 euro=$100 so its not too bad and includes breakfast. They also have a pool. Do a search for Iaorana Pension Huahine. I have web saved on a file but I dont know the addess right now.
I respectfully disagree with kerikeri and I am sorry he /she didnt appreciate French Polynesia more. There is no way that you can possibly capture that exotic feel that you get in Tahiti(the islands) in Mexico or even the Caribbean. Since going to Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine,Raiatea, Taaha and Bora BOra, Ive been spoiled for life. Its so beautiful. THe mountains and lagoons are breathtaking. Maybe St Johns or St Lucia has a smidgin of resemblance to Polynesia but those places still cannot hold a candle. Go to Tahiti(the region)you wont be disappointed.
Eat at the trucks(roulotte with prepared foods-they are a bargain and wonderful) Buy snacks in grocery stores. Find places to stay that have a kitchenette to occasionally prepare some simple meals. But do see Moorea. Bora Bora was ok and I liked it a lot although it was my partners least favorite as it was the most touristy.
We stayed at a place there that was right on the beach called Chez Nono and it was so reasonable in 2002. They have 2 cabins right on the beach. Basic and clean as all can be but just fine.

Travelwoman: I found a pension on Point Matira in Bora Bora and I just have a few questions:
If you're familiar with it, how's the beach on Point Matira? Is it typically windy the beginning of August? Clear water? Places to have cocktails on the beach?

How close would we be to other restaurants, grocery stores? We want to be able to get up and go somewhere for breakfast or go to a local bar for happy hour and some appetizers in the evening. Is that possible in Bora Bora? Trying to get a feel for the island. We don't mind it a bit touristy. We enjoy a little socializing.

Definitely want to enjoy a day cruise with lunch on a motu, rent a scooter and do some siteseeing, etc.

Oh, and here's the link for the pension: http://www.temanuata.com/en/home_en.htm
If you don't mind taking a look and letting me know what you think, I'd greatly appreciate it!!!

Thank you both for all your help! Everyday I'm researching the helpful information I get from this message board!

Jesica -

I took a look at the temanuata.com website and thought I'd mention a couple of things about the aerial photo to put the location of this place in perspective.

1) The overwater units of the Intercontinental are clearly visible just to the left of the resorts' location.

2) The island at the bottom of the photo is the site of the Sofitel Motu resort (where the final scene of the spy movie "XXX" was filmed) and the overwater units of that resort are visible on the right side of that motu (island). The dark spot to the left of that motu is the "coral gardens" - usually considered to be the best snorkeling area of Bora Bora (we did a "helmet dive" there (walking on the bottom with a helmet on your head connected to a boat on the surface by an airhose)). That was WAY cool.

3) The very light colored area to the around the Intercontinental and off to the left (south) is the "walkable" area of waist/chest deep water. Water depth is deeper as the color is darker. Around the "coral garden" water depth is about 10/12 feet or so.

Though I obviously cannot tell you anthing about the condition of the resort, I can say that based on it's location (and assuming it's not a dump) the rates are a bargain for Bora Bora. Even the meal rates look good. At a large resort you need to figure on a minimum of $100 USD/pp/day for food alone (probably even a bit more).

Ken

PS -

A couple more comments about the location:

1)The Maitai Polynesia resort I mentioned in an earlier post (it has the least expensive OW units on Bora Bora) lies along the shore (with very dark blue (deep) water) just to the right of the Temanuata Beach resort.

2) The Hotel Bora Bora (one of the most famous and upscale resorts in the South Pacific) lies at the point of land just to the left of the Temanuata Iti resort.

Anyway, just wanted to put things into perspective about what else is in the general area.

Ken

Ken: Thank you for all your helpful information!! It definitely helped me put things in perspective. I noticed the overwater bungalows in some of the Temanuata pictures and thought it might be Intercontinental. Very close! Also, do the other resorts allow you to enjoy their beaches and/or restaurants? Also, the helmet dive sounds like a lot of fun! Gotta try it!

Thanks again!
Jessica

Though the beaches themselves (the sand) are technically private property and the owners have the right to chase you away (not sure that would really happen at Matira though as there are a lot of small "mom & pop" type places clustered in the area), the shallow waters are open to all, so at the very least you can always just wade offshore along the beach. Pretty sure you can visit the restaurants of other resorts (I know we did on Moorea).

Ken

Ken: Gotcha! Thanks! I'll call or e-mail the hotels to be sure about the restaurants. Also, I noticed at the Intercontinental it said from the airport you can only get to the resort via boat. I wonder if Temanuata is the same. And if so, do you know if it's difficult to find a boat, especially if we fly in late at night? Also, does that mean you can't rent a scooter/car and drive around the island from there? Sorry about all the questions!

Jessica

Ken: Okay, I answered one of my questions about the airport. Saw a picture of the entire island and where the airport is located. So yes, we'll be taking a boat. But still curious about boats over and the difficulty at different times. Thanks!!

Jesica -

Sounds like a plan.

Yes the airport at Bora Bora is out on one of the motus along the reef (the motus are the only places flat enough for a runway as Bora Bora is VERY mountainous). It was built by American SeaBees during WWII.

You might take a look here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor

In my Bora Bora album is an aerial photo (BoraBora01) that clearly shows the entire island and it's large collections of motus. That photo (looking south) shows the airport clearly (in the foreground). Matira Point is at far southern tip of the island. Because of the distance it does show very well though. The album also has a few photos taken during our helmet dive. If you have time you might take a peek at some of the other albums as well.

Ken

I see you were posting as I was writing.

Ken

Once you get from the airport to the main island you won't need to take a boat except to get out to the motus (very worthwhile) or back to the airport. There is a modern, high-speed ferry that runs from the main town to the airport several times a day (probably coordinated with flight times). Not sure how you'll get from town down to Matira Point (hotel can tell you that).

Ken

Ken: Those are AMAZING pictures!! If I wasn't sure about Bora Bora before, I definitely am now! Pearl Island Resort is amazing also. WOW!

Thanks for all your help!
Jessica

Ken: One more question...(as if it will be my last?!) What did you think of Moorea compared to Bora Bora? I was looking at the Sofitel...beach/water looks amazing there. I think it's a bit more affordable than Bora Bora...

Jessica

The ISLAND of Moorea is far more beautiful than the ISLAND of Bora Bora (parts of Bora Bora are a bit scruffy) whereas the LAGOON of Bora Bora is more spectacular than the LAGOON of Moorea. Does that make sense?

What I mean is that the ISLAND of Moorea is cleaner & more "manicured" looking - almost parklike in fact. It is in fact the most beautiful ISLAND I have ever seen and is generally regarded as probably the most beautiful island in the South Pacific. Arthur Frommer (the travel writer) rates it as #1 in beauty, followed by Bora Bora, then Rarotonga, then Aitutaki ( the last 2 in the Cooks). Other travel writers usually give similar ratings.

It is no doubt cheaper than Bora Bora and easier/cheaper to get to (15 minute plane ride or an hour or so on the fast-ferry). Parts of the island are near enough to Tahiti to serve as a upscale suburb to Papeete on Tahiti.

The Sofitel has a wonderful location in regards to views (it looks back across the "Sea of the Moon" (is that a romantic-sounding name or what?) towards Tahiti and the water conditions look terrific (generally regarded as one of the better beaches). I've heard mixed things about the service (NEVER a strong point in FP anyway) and (I think) the condition of the bungalows. You might want to do a search on this page for some other first-hand opinions as I'm really pretyy limited in my knowledge about the place.

BTW - If you do decide on this trip be aware that Tahiti itself offer inferior beaches when compared to Moorea, Bora Bora, or most of the other islands. That's why few knowledgable travelers stay on Tahiti itself. Papeete is interesting but not exactly the paradise you might envision, with lots of traffic, noise and people.

Ken

PS - Glad you like the photos. Nice as they are though, they don't begin to show just how beautiful it really is.

Just a thought -

You might consider addressing your Moorea qustion (in particular) to "ALF" - who's pretty knowledgable about FP (and the Cooks for that matter), especially in regards to finding less expensive options.

Ken

travel woman - no offense taken i am very glad you liked huahine.

i may have liked it more than i remember. at this stage i am so besotted with asutralia and samoa and new zealand that nothing compares.

jesica- i am sure you will have a wonderful honeymoon whereever you stay. i didn't mean to sound so negative, but i wanted you to be prepared for the costs ahead of time since your previous posts were about costs.

((thailand/ bali would be two other places i'd add to the list. there are some drop dead luxury beach locations at a fraction of the price (just twice as long to reach). ))

Keri: your opinion was helpful. I want to hear all the pros and cons of the islands. I'm actually leaning toward Bora Bora more now. Although, it is more expensive...so, I'll keep looking and may end up somewhere more affordable!! Such a tough decision!! Thanks again!!