Moorea & Bora Bora OR Carribbean
 

I need help choosing between going to Moorea & Bora Bora or the Carribean for my honeymoon in April 2004. Our budget is around $6,000 - so do we go to an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean OR go to FP and be more conservative with our spending -- I heard it was very expensive there? It's our honeymoon so we want to: relax, have fun together, see beautiful beaches.. you know the normal honeymoon stuff. Please let me know which you recommend...and if it's the Carribbean, let me know which resort is the best!

We just saw "Whale Rider" last night which is a movie that was filmed in New Zealand--the scenery was gorgeous, so my pick would be a romantic honeymoon anywhere in the South Pacific!
Otherwise, closer to the U.S. I would recommend the Eden Rock Hotel in St. Barts but it certainly is not inexpensive.

FP pros are: much more exotic and beautiful than anything in the Caribbean, very low density tourism, very unique accommodation options with the overwater bungalows which you won't find in the Caribbean or Hawaii, peaceful, romantic, unbeatable snorkelling with warm/quiet water in lagoons and great marine life.
FP cons are: travel time (another 4 -5 hours past Hawaii), limited variety of food, food generally more expensive than Caribbean, very quiet (no nightlife in Bora Bora, don't bother with Tahiti), not much retail outside Papeete.

All inclusives in the Caribbean can be pretty soulless IMO, and the proponents of AI's tout the simplicity, no worries, no cash set up. All very true.
With the resorts on Bora Bora you can also get meal inclusive plans, but the bonus is that you have a truly exotic setting without many other people around. Bora Bora is very different from Hawaii and the Caribbean, in large part due to geographic issues. The towering green volcano with protected lagoons and abundant marine life isn't found anywhere in the Caribe or HI. The Caribbean is an all-purpose destination with something for most everyone's taste. Bora Bora is tailor made for honeymoons. If you can find a package that fits your budget, I'd go that direction.

Where are you flying from and how long do you intend to stay. You will lose 3-4 days in travel time.

An over water bungalow will cost you 65000 XFP converted in USD = approx $630.00 per night. If you're going to fly literally half way around the world, you have to stay in an over the water bungalow, since there is no other accommodations like that anywhere! It would be like going to France and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Airfare is also time consuming considering that even if you live in Australia, it's a long flight. I would take into consideration how much time you have for your honeymoon. I think you have to be realistic here $6000.00 isn't going to get you to Bora Bora. Airfare will cost at least $3000.00.

The best places for a caribbean honeymoon, IMHO would be St. Barths, Anguilla or Peter Island (BVI). There are not All inclusives on St. Barths or Anguilla, Peter island is an upscale "all iclusive". I do not recommend going the Sandals route as you can get so much more for your money and have a great caribbean experience. Do a little research as to what may interest you. Bora Bora looks beautiful, but you will need to expand your budget.

We go to the Caribbean every year, but we spent our honeymoon in Bora Bora and Moorea. These islands were the most romantic islands we have ever visited and while the food is expensive and limited and the flight is long it is definitely worth it and it really doesn't matter......you are truly in paradise. I agree with travelis. Find a package that fits your budget and go! Congratulations.

Sorry I read you budget as $9,000 not $6,000. SandyFeet is absolutely right. You really can't do it on $6,000. If you can, take her suggestion and try to expand your budget, if not I concur with Anguilla or St. Barts. Have never been to Peter Island, but heard it is wonderful. Also, have heard that St. John is wonderful for a honeymoon. Good Luck!

I'm not so sure about the 6 thousand budget - I'd check because I think it can be done. While overwater is nice, it's not the only way to go. We've been 3 times to Moorea and have always stayed in garden bungalows and never felt like we missed a thing. We'd sit on our porch and look at the water which was quite close. Being over the water, while I'm sure it's fantastic, isn't worth lots of extra money to me. Just my opinion. We had a great time. Check out package deals. By the way - it's a 7 or 7 and 1/2 hour flight from Los Angeles.

I really think you should strongly consider Fiji. It is very beautiful, the people are exceptionally friendly and the dolloar is strong. In 2001 we were there and dinner in town for 3 was $50.00. And these were very nice places. Food is outrageous in FP. Breakfast can be $30.00 pp and there are stories all over about the $20.00 hamburger. If it must be FP then consider Club Med because of the food.

A good way to do cheaper meals - we'd stop at the grocery or road side stand and buy fresh pineapple and croissants or french bread. That made a wonderful =and relatively cheap - breakfast. Club Med on Moorea is no more. There is one, however, on Bora Bora.

Dee2
Its a 9 hour flight (Air new Zealand)or 8 1/2 hrs (quantas) from LAX. It also costs $2000.00 r/t from LAX for this leg of the trip. Since we don't know where they are flying from $2000.00 is already one third of their budget, and they still have to get to LA and pay for hotel/food etc...

ChelJosh
The other option for you for Bora Bora is a cruise on the Radisson Paul Gauguin. It will fit your budget and it includes everything - air fare will be lower due to a cruise booking. There are often specials which include upgrades to business class too! It is a beautiful very high rated cruise and many find this a very affordable option for an unforgettable honeymoon.

check it out: www.rscc.com

Be sure to check out Costco travel for air/hotel packages. Summer/ fall rates for 7 nights R/T air from LA and hotel to Fiji begin at $1589.00 and for FP (Moorea) at $1679.00.

We did Club Med on Bora Bora for $2400 each for 9 nights - ocean front including air for LAX. It was wonderful. Don't book directly with Club Med though, there are travel agents that will give you a 10-12% discount on Club Med because they give you back part of their commission. Bora Bora was absolutely fantastic. Extrememly laid back & exotic. A good resource for Tahiti is www.tahiti-explorer.com

On Jamaica, I've checked with allinclusive.com and they have some great rates on Couples Swept Away beach front including air that may fit into your budget. I've read only great reviews on Couples resorts.

Good Luck!

I ditto the sentiment expressed by others that if you are traveling from the US, your 6 grand will buy a lot more in the Caribbean than in the So. Pacific. Having said that, who hasn't dreamt of sleeping in a hamock next to one of those beautiful Bora Bora atolls? I sure have and I haven't been able to make that dream 'happen'.

If you go the Bora Bora route, check out travel consolidators, such as www.tahitivacation.com
www.islandsinthesun.com

They have specials of $999 per person including airfare and 5 nights in Bora Bora. That sure beats paying the 2 grand for airfare alone! Good luck and let us know what you do.

The Shangri-La Hotels include a beautiful resort in Fiji--Shangri-La.com, click on "Fiji". The rates are quite good with companies such as General Tours. I really don't know about the weather in April--it may be on the fringe of the rainy season.

I believe you can HM in FP in style (incl O/W bungalows) for $6,000 or less. Travelzoo and tahiti-explorer posted an incredible deal of 5 nights in Bora Bora at the Le Maitai including R/T air from LAX for only $999 per person!!!

A NY cousin hm'd there last year and got a special deal on the Windstar cruise.

In addition to the excellent advice from the above posters, check out the deals from air tahiti-nui (generally the most affordable air carrier) as well as pleasant holidays and the other consolidators (eg islands in the sun). And definitely check out tahiti-explorer.com!

You can't get the turquoise lagoons anywhere else (except maybe Aitutaki in the Cooks).

Personally I'd do the Caribbean (Jamaica is our favorite) for 2-3 weeks insead of a week in the SP. But not an all-inclusive, I'd probably do a villa (with cook) and/or small hotel (try different restaurants).

Blue Lagoon (yeah, where they made the movie) on the northeast coast of Jamaica in Portland has beautiful villas built on the water with sundecks and such way out over it.

Sandyfeet - I meant for them to look at air-hotel packages. Those are usually much cheaper than buying air and hotel as separtes.

Before we get ChelJosh's hopes up they should know that there are restrictions on some of these deals. For Example, the $999 from Travel Zoo does not include taxes or government fees,the trip must be booked and paid in full by October 8 and it is for travel between Nov 1 - Dec 4, 2003, and Jan 1 - March 25, 2004, There honeymoon is April.

I suggest finding a travel agent. Our TA found us a great package through Islands in the Sun. BTW, our flight from LA was 8 hours!

I went to Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti for my honeymoon. I thought the islands were beautiful but the accomodations and food were just too expensive! I later found an upscale cruise line that has small ships that go to the islands and stay at each island for more than one day. It would have been less to book a balcony room on this ship and would have seen more islands and would have been half the cost! You can't do the South Pacific and stay at a decent place for $6000. If you are on the west coast it will be more conveinient to just go to Hawaii. If you are on the East coast - caribbean will be easier.

To Carstem: You can do the SP reasonably but not Tahiti. Read up on Fiji. The dollar is strong there. Good dinners for 3 for $50.00. We were there and did that in 2001.

Where will you be flying from? If you're on the west coast, FP isn't really any farther. It's about an 8 hour non-stop from LAX. When I head to the Caribbean I usually have to make a stop somewhere and it ends up being longer than 8 hours of travel. Fares are normally around the $800+ range for LAX-PPT.

You may want to check out the auctions on luxurylink.com as they occasionally have packages for overwater bungalows. Make sure the package is valid for your time of travel. The cruise is a good idea too but the atmosphere will be totally different than staying on the island.

I would look into the Radisson Seven Seas cruise on the Paul Gauguin. It cruises around the FP islands for a week, including a 2 day stay in Bora Bora and a 2 day stay in Moorea. It is a beautiful, luxurious and small ship where your meals and some alcohol is included. My friends went on it and they absolutely loved it. Radisson includes airfare from major US cities and you can also extend your stay before or after the cruise and stay in an overwater bungalow for a couple days if you like. I would definitely look into it, I saw prices start from $2,500 a person depending on the season. Good luck!

It is very possible to visit the South Pacific for 2 full weeks (or more) for under $6000. We spent 3 full weeks in the Cooks (2 weeks in rental houses on Rarotonga, and 1 week at a resort on Aitutaki) for around $7000 - including all food & spending money, accomodations and airfare from Seattle to LA to Raro to Aitutaki and back, plus a brief stay in LA visiting Disneyland for the day. This was for absolute beachfront accomodations the whole time down there. Rental houses and/or beach bungalows can be found in the Cooks for around $100/night USD or so. Motel type places can be found there for much, much less. There are even hostel type places where you can stay for as little as $12/night USD, if you are into backpack traveling.

It is also possible to vist French Polynesia for a lot less than that $6000 USD. All of the big main resorts in FP are very, very pricey, but there ARE smaller, "mom & pop" type places that are much more reasonable. The accomodations won't be as upscale, but many of these places are still directly on the beach and apparently pretty decent. Take a look here:

http://www.fare-maeva.com/

and here:

http://www.tahiti-tekuratravel.com/t...ion/cgbor.html

and here:

http://www.pacific-communication.pf/...a/pensions.htm

or this great-looking place:

http://www.mauarii.com/accueilA.htm

or, do a search on "Bora Bora Pension" or "French Polynesia Pension" or "Tahiti Rental" or similar phrases.

You do have to be a bit bolder and be sort of an adventurous spirit to head to these "non-mainstream" hotels, but there are there, and they are much, much cheaper than the big resorts. There are even campgrounds on some of the islands of FP. Food is admittedly still fairly expensive no matter what, but you CAN eat a whole lot cheaper than what it would cost you to dine at a fancy resort if you seek out places where the locals eat or buy groceries and do your own cooking.

Ken

Thanks for all the helpful information! We will be flying out of Los Angeles.

I think we pretty much decided that we're going to Moorea for 4 nights and Bora Bora for 3 nights. Now we just need to find the right package. Some friends and other posters have told us that we can get good fruit and wine from local markets that is much less expensive than meals through hotels or restaurants. Also, they mentioned that they brought a lot of their own booze in one of their suitcases. Our next question is . . . should we be in a RUSH to book something soon, or can we wait a little longer? For instance, Costco says they won't have rates out for next April until next month.

Although our original budget was $6000, we are strongly considering this package for $5500 which includes: RT airfare on Air Tahiti Nui from LAX to Tahiti; all inter-island transfers; all taxes & insurance; 4 nights at Moorea Pearl Resort (Garden View Room) & 3 nights at Bora Bora Pearl Resort (Beach Bungalow). Estimating from most other responses, we'll still need to come up with another $1500-$2000 for food & beverages.

Any thoughts?

Once again, thanks for all your input! It has been extremely helpful.

I would advise to wait for Costco for their prices. Actually I am surprised they are not yet available as in the past I have received prices from them for vacations beyond the prices seen in their seasonal catalogs. Anyway try to find out what date the new prices come out and call that day if possible. Their prices are good but it seems to me they do have a limited block and sell out fairly fast. And congrats on you marriage! Cheers, Larry.

HiChelJosh,
Sounds as if you are getting too many opinions already but here's mine. I have been on Radisson's Paul Gauguin and I thought it was great. I was not on my honeymoon so I was on the go all the time. Excursions are extra but everything else is included--meals, nightly entertainment, etc. Our room had a balcony which was great. I have just discovered on this site that you can sometimes get a discount on radisson by contacting www.brownandkeenetravel.com. or call at 1-800-856-1155. Also go to rssc.com and look at this cruise to see where it goes. As far as the Carribbean, my daughter recommends Cap Jaluca on Anguilla. It is expensive but in April you might get a better price. Barbados is good also. I stayed at Sandy Lane but that has been before the renovation and price increase so I don't know how expensive that is. My daughter stayed at Glitter Bay and liked that. Anyway, good luck with your plans and much happiness to you.

I just want to "second" the last reply. We took back-top-back cruises on the Paul Gauguin in February, and it was incomparable. The cabins were beautiful, the service was wonderful, the food was terrific. Also, the band on the ship was great. We used the same travel agency mentioned in the previous post (ask for Linda Litteken). The cruise is a very laid-back experience, no fancy dressing for dinner. All beer and wine included at lunch and dinner, in addition to bar set-ups in the cabin. All water and soft drinks complimentary. No tipping. It's a wonderful way to see the islands. There were honeymooners on the ship. (Only holds 320 passengers.) It may be close to the upper limit of your budget--though they sometimes include airfare. Give it careful consideration. Some
think this is the best cruise experience in the world!

ChelJosh,

You must check out the special they have at Turtle Island resort in Fiji that includes business class air from LA.

This place is so over the top all-inclusive you can't beat it.

I do think this is the place that the movie Blue Lagoon was filmed?

http://www.turtleislandfiji.com/

Donna

Ooops, business class is extra. Standard is free.

Donna

wow what great response Chel..and heres my 2cents....i just went thru your delema but im flying out to Toronto,Canada...definatly do as Patty says and check out Luxurylink.com amazing prices for auction and the best resorts,,but before you get bidding call the resorts and make sure theres availability,,,usually they make sure there is ,,, I'm leaving for Palm Island in the Grenadines in 2weeks for my honeymoon, booked thru LL and recieved it at half the book price..so good luck and Congrats

Ok, sorry did more then an Ooops! Thought it was to good to be true? Missed the Per/Person! Guess that's over budget!

To sailor: Wasn't "blue lagoon" filmed in Jamaica? I think so. "Castaway" with Tom Hanks was Fiji for sure.

Cast Away: Monuriki, Fiji

Blue Lagoon: Port Antonio, Jamaica
Nanuya Levu Island, Fiji
Turtle Island, Fiji

(From internet movie database)

If you decide on honeymooning in the Caribbean, I highly recommend St. John, USVI as one of the other posters mentioned.

It is truly a gorgeous island with lots to do. Caneel Bay resort is their highend resort. Only other resort is the Westin.

The other option is to rent one of the many stunning villas on St. John. We did that and are so glad we did. Having your own villa, total privacy every evening. A pool and spa to watch the sunsets from each evening made it even more romantic.

This all can be done for under your budget and then some.

St. John has so beautiful beautiful beaches. Water is so crystal clear. They have a lovely downtown area called Cruz Bay with great shopingping,restaurants from highend to casual. I would rate St. John on a par with "Bermuda" which is another gorgeous safe romantic island.

You get a lot more for your money though on St. John.. It is 2/3 protected by a National Park. Rockefellor once owned this gorgeous island. It will never be overrun with Casinos, highrises like Aruba and many other islands.....

Again, we found this to be a fabulous island especially for weddings and honeymoons.

USVI online forum has fantastic advice.

Good luck in wherever you choose....

vsa,
I'm also thinking about bidding on the Palm Island auction. Could you please email me when you get back at [email protected]? I'd like to hear what you thought of it. Also are you flying through Barbados and onto Union Island? I live in LA so it would be a very long travel day/night and I want to make sure it's worth the 3 flights and a boat ride! :)

"The Blue Lagoon' starring Brooke Shields was filmed in Fiji. I know this because I interviewed the director, Randall Klieser, and the script supervisor, Marilyn Guardino-Zych, once for my newspaper. They were on location for three months and Marilyn shared her pictures with me. She said it was beautiful but that the set and housing for the movie company were located in a very remote place - not on one of the main islands as I remember.

Also, IMHO Moorea and Bora Bora are two of the most spectacular places on the planet. Have a great time wherever you go!

Patty i will definatly be posting a report when i get back ,,,have to help with all the help i've gotten....plus we have 3 flights too,,,about the same distance,,and yes we are going via Barbados,,were staying there for 2 days then helding over...plus LL just finished an auction for PI and went cheaper,,bummerr...lol..good luck