Since the age of explorers Wallis, Bougainville, and Cook, legendary Tahiti has tickled imaginations worldwide. More recently, Tahiti became the most famous Polynesian island of all when Clark Gable (1935), Marlon Brando (1962), and Mel Gibson (1984) played the role of Fletcher Christian in three blockbuster Mutiny on the Bounty films. Even the horrendous French nuclear testing program from 1966-1996 did little to dampen this image. For the modern traveler, there’s no getting around the fact that French Polynesia is expensive. Bora Bora is easily the most upscale tourist destination i [View Full Entry]

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The sun shines brightly on our balcony this morning, now this is the French Polynesian weather that we know and love. Alan and I eat breakfast while catching a last glimpse of Moorea. A brown ribbon of river water colors the lagoon, the only evidence of yesterday’s heavy rains. Today, Mariner sails from Moorea to Papeete, a short two-hour ride. We’ve been invited to a special party for frequent Regent customers. So, as the ship sails from here to there, Alan and I sit near the rail on the back deck of Horizon Lounge. The caviar and champagne flow while we [View Full Entry]

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When American author, Thomas Wolfe, wrote his book, You Can’t Go Home Again, I doubt that he meant a cruise excursion in Moorea. Alan and I may not be “going home again,” but, today, we’re repeating one of our favorite experiences, the Lagoon Discovery with Snorkeling excursion. Will it be as special this time? Storm clouds hang outside Moorea’s reef as we take the tender for an 8:00 am rendezvous with our tour boat. Because of the threatening weather, we leave our cameras behind, which we later regret. On the excursion boat, two guides introdu [View Full Entry]

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When you’re visiting an island famous for its beautiful lagoon, it would be a crime not to get in the water. And, since Alan and I have hauled our snorkeling gear through airports, around New Zealand and across the Pacific Ocean, we’re determined to use it. So, even though clouds threaten rain, we take the tender to shore and the beginning of our “Stingray Ballet and Snorkel Safari.” We board a covered boat that has two rows of long benches facing each other. Placing our gear underneath the seat, Alan and I wait for fellow cruisers to select from a large [View Full Entry]

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Although I knew that Tahiti was French, I wasn't prepared for how French it actually is. With the French language, food, and cafes, it feels a lot like a tropical France. It is interesting how much France still plays a role in Tahiti. They give quite a bit of finacial support here, with one side effect making Tahiti a very expensive place to travel to and live in. It seems many people are well off here, but that's not to say that there still aren't many social problems like poverty similar to other Pacific Islands. Luckily, Al knows a bit of [View Full Entry]

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So here we are on a tropical island. Tropical in the sense of never-ending torrential rain that is. Apparently rainy season started the day we arrived. Being outside is like having a shower with lots of other people (avec clothing naturelement!). We spent the first day wandering around the waterfront area of Papeete (in the rain - did I mention the rain?). We stopped for a spot of lunch and Bill accidentally spent $20 on some apple juice. Nice juice, but a little overpriced we thought. My schoolgirl French is not getting us far but I did manage to say Je [View Full Entry]

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Ok, never did I ever actually think I would be in Tahiti!!! Nope… never…. But let me tell you, those 26 hours that I was there was much needed, and very much amazing. My on the beach bungalow had an enormous bed, with a walk in closet. I front door view of the ocean. I patio with two launge chairs. And the bathroom was probably my favorite part. Imagine an entire bathroom with doors that lead to the shower, so basically I got to shower outside!!! Awesome!! My entire bungalow screamed romantic getaway. And the ocean water was completely transparent no [View Full Entry]

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English translation: a little further down as usual... Meine Zeit in Französisch Polynesien war recht kurz. Dementsprechend erlebte ich auch nicht viel, was jedoch auch daran gelegen hat dass ich vor allem eines tat: Meine Füsse hochlagern und ein gutes Buch lesen welches ich von einem Schweizer auf den Osterinseln geschenkt bekommen habe. Aber erst der Reihe nach: Die Frau von Josef (siehe letzten Eintrag) flog per Zufall am genau gleichen Tag wie ich nach Tahiti. Da ich von anderen Travelern gehört habe dass in Papeete (wo ich um 12Uhr Nachts ankam, ideale Zeit um eine Bleibe zu suchen [View Full Entry]

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Kristina & Zach are off to Paris for a couple of days after spending 3 days here in London with me. Paris hotels, as most European hotels, are notorious for their small rooms but, probably not in comparison with my flat's bedroom that they had to stay in prior to boarding a Eurostar train to Paris this morning. Why else would Kristina think that their hotel room is quite good? :) Reading her travel blog inspired me to start my own as no matter how great travel experiences are, they are even better when shared with friends, even if not in [View Full Entry]

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We arrived late in the evening to the island of Papeete, Tahiti. Living in Montreal had been an advantage for us, as Tahiti is in French Polynesia, hence the official language is French. This location is our relaxation and splurge. We had booked three nights at the intercontinental hotel Tahiti, two of those in the garden room and one in the overwater bungalow. Due to a mistake by the hotel we ended up with two nights in the overwater bungalow - bonus. The hotel was absolute luxury! We woke early the following morning and relaxed out on the balcony looking at [View Full Entry]

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