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