Blogs from French Polynesia, Oceania - page 38

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 our view of the bar pool and the Pacific Ocean. What a wonderful way to start our day. After brekkie, we caught "Le Truck" (an open air bus, which looks more like a truck) into ... read more

(These island computers don’t move as fast the NYC ones.) Things I learned: 1) Always pays to have an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) and an American Express Starwood Card. 2) Splitting doesn’t only save money, but it also is a bit healthier. 3) Also, whenever possible, tell the hotel it is your honeymoon. You might get a dessert tray and a bottle of cheap champagne (in our case, Lanson) - which on a backpacker’s budget is like winning the lottery. 4) By signing up for an American Express Starwood Card, one gets 10,000 free points (which is equivalent to about two to three nights in an above-average hotel or one night in a mega Ritz-y joint). In a bind, it helps to talk your family and friends into signing up for the card and gifting ... read more

French Polynesia was beautiful! We arrived in Tahiti in the dark after a very long journey from Paris, and awoke to a stunning view of Moorea - the island where our overwater bungalow awaited. We took the ferry across to Moorea, and drove around the coast to Cooks Bay. Our bungalow was perfect, with a wonderful deck and steps down into the crystal clear lagoon. There was also a claw foot bath, and a fantastic glass panel in the floor, directly over a little bit of reef. Beautiful tropical fish swam around underneath all day and night (it was lit up at night) - and Sandra took to getting out of bed in the middle of the night just to see what was swimming underneath! The island of Moorea was dramatic and beautiful - all towering ... read more

French Polynesia is a set of archipelagos in the South Pacific; a dependent country controlled from Paris. France's power over this remote nation provided the basis for extensive nuclear testing over the last few decades of the twentieth century. This has now at last ceased, under extreme international pressure. The most famous islands here are Tahiti and Bora Bora. After an uneventful evening in an uninspiring motel in Pape'ete, French Polynesia's (and Tahiti's) capital, we set about planning the least expensive itinerary possible. Only by increasing our daily budget to one hundred pounds a day would we stand a fighting chance! We booked flight tickets to nearby Huahine in the Leeward islands, and grabbed a beach bungalow. The Lonely Planet wasn't kidding when it said 'isolated location', and we soon realised the impracticality and expense of ... read more

Hey all, This time Rebecca and her new husband Daniel had invited me to tag along to Tahiti in the French Polynesian. From what I've heard, it is in the middle of the Pacific - this is my first time visiting the famous ocean. We started out in Los Angeles, then landed in Tahitian capital Papeete, then ended up for a couple of days in famous Bora bora. Although I've seen the Caribbean turquois water, nothing can be compared with Tahiti's water - it's a paradise on earth. We had a wonderful time, and saw many beautiful scenery. Signing off for now, -Cy ... read more