Tahiti beta

[ski_trader]

Anyone been there? I'm considering making my first trip in early september. any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the summer.

[4matic]

I spent 19 says in Tahiti on a college training trip. I hated it.. Hot, tropical, small, not a lot to do. I guess if you like scuba it's pretty good. We also went to Morea which was cool but it's really just a small tropical island resort.

If you have some money and like resort style vacations there are some cool resorts. I stayed in a HS dorm..

Good cheap beer there.. Hinano and Wahine.

You can get pretty isolated up in the mountains away from town.

[upallnight]

if you go, do not stay on the main island (pape'ete, i believe).

if you're looking for a laid-back experience, go chill in moorea or bora bora.

expect a beach-type/forget-what-day-it-is type of experience vs major adventure.

the main island is not the image of what pops up in peoples' minds when you say 'tahiti'.

[cj001f]

I've been looking at going. I've found
a)tahiti/papeete suck dog balls
b)It's a bloody fortune - even if you don't stay at the ultrapremium resorts
c)many people say French Polynesia's not as nice as just about every other island in the s. pacific - Fiji, Cook Islands, etc.

[PassTheDutchie]

Uh, I have been to the airport... Any reason Tahiti in specific? There are some very, very cool islands in the general vacinity that are fairly easy to get to, just as pretty, and don't have the tourist traffic and uber-development (I hate using "uber" but that is the only way to describe it). --Not knocking Tahiti if that's the kind of gig you want, just curious.

[girlski0912]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ghlight=Tahiti

Was there for 2 weeks last summer with my then boytoy who grew up there. The TR gives you an idea of what it is like. Beautiful, yes. Expensive, remote, poverty stricken, yes. I wouldn't discourage you from going, but if you do, don't spend alot of time on Tahiti. Didn't hit Moorea, but have heard awesome things. Huahine is an excellent option, remote and beautiful and not the tourist trap. Bora is awesome, and Maupiti would be a great one as well if you are looking to get off of the beaten path. Raiatea was where I spent a majority of my time and it's really cool there. There aren't alot of real extremo physical activites, other than surfing, because Tahitians just aren't into it. Which means that if you can find some of the good hikes you will have the whole place to yourself. The Tahitians will like you more because you are American rather than being French, but you are still white and that can be problematic. My trip was amazing because I was there with a local and never really got the reverse discrimination vibe.

[Hutch]

Moorea is sick, so is Bora Bora. Mrs Pope won a sales contest a couple years ago and we spent 10 days in the resorts, windsurfing, snorkeling, reading, etc.

I have no idea what that trip cost, but I know we couldn't have afforded it. We stayed at Le MEridian in Bora, and it was spectacular. Food was meh, but other than that, it was great.

[scarlet begonias]

I have been to Fiji and it was AMAZING! Nice people, good food, beautiful, beautiful scenery. Really an amazing place. I felt like I was in the one place on earth that hadn't been destroyed by the hand of man yet. Get there before it happens.

My vote is for Fiji, but then again I have never been to Tahiti. I am sure they are both pretty freaking amazing.

Oh the plane ride is like 15 hours. Shitty but worth it (get Dr. to prescrib you anti anxiety meds that knock you out!)

[bagtagley]

Just had my honeymoon on Moorea in June and it was fuckin' awesome. Part of it was a wedding gift from the folks and we saved our asses off, so we tried to do it right. We stayed at the Moorea Pearl which was damn nice. There are other resorts on the island that get the 5th star, but after touring them I think we made the right decision. It's a small island, but there are plenty of things to do. I typically shy away from the touristy stuff, but we did do a shark/ray feeding, which was really cool. Also, I've never been much of a snorkler, but the snorkling was amazing.

We ended up hanging out w/ the tattoo artist that worked at the resort. He took us to some of the local spots, scored us some green and showed us a great time. It was really cool seeing the island from a local's perspective and it was great getting an unwashed perspective of French Polynesia, the government, etc.

There were a few negatives. Food in general was expensive, and food at the resort was ridiculously expensive and not especially good. We bought the breakfast plan, which was worth it, but anything else would have been a waste. Fortunately, we were walking distance from a grocery store, so mixers and sandwich stuff could be had for relatively cheap. Also, there are plenty of "reasonably" priced restaurants on the island that do free pick-ups (Maria Tapas es muy bueno). The layed back culture takes some getting used to. The staff and waiters were all very helpful, but you have to ask for everything. If you wait for a server to come and see if you need anything, you'll be waiting forever, but if you get their attention they're on it. Sounds picky, I know, but I guess it's something you get used to in The States. Once you learn to lay back and take your time, it's actually kind of nice not to be bothered. (hmm, just read that and it makes me sound like a whiney American. Honestly, I was having such a good time doing mostly nothing and not working, it didn't really matter. As long as I had a beer or girly drink within reach, I was content.)

Check out the TripAdvisor forums for more detailed info about Moorea and the other islands. I've heard that Huahini is much less touristy and great for relaxing. Bora Bora is sort of the opposite, more big resorts and more expensive. Keep in mind that the further you get from Papeete, the more you'll spend on transportation. Also, get your booze at the Duty Free before you leave the States.

[kneedropper]

I honeymooned there a few years ago and can agree with the other folks who stayed at the resorts. They were incredible beautiful and incredibly pricy. I'd love to go back but we'd probably try to charter a small sailboat with another couple or small group rather than drop the coin on the resorts.

[jSki]

I just got back from Fiji a few days ago, and it was unreal. There are lots of different things to do; jungle hikes, waterfalls with pools and rope swings, chill on the beach, river rafting... It was also super cheap, $950 airfare to get there from LA, and cheap to stay there. Our favorite place was a small island (20 min walk around it) and it was only 20 fiji a day with 3 (good) meals included. 20 fiji is about 12 US. I highly recommend Fiji, really good people and a beautiful place.

[cranked]

Moorea is unreal. Spent 14 days in one of those overwater bungalows at the Sheraton Moorea Lagoon last year. The food on the Island, if you are willing to drop coin, is fuggin amazing (I live in SF, and we have excellent eats - the best Moorea restaurants were on par with the best SF restaruants). We were on a honeymoon, so price was not a factor...we wanted to do whatever regardless of cost.

I know people that have been to Moorea/Bora Bora and Fiji, and they say Fiji doesn't compare. Truly the most beautiful place I have ever been to...something really cool about brushing your teeth and seeing octupi and sting rays thru your floor.

If you are looking to get housed everynight, not the best place. Definitely more chill, less party.

[ski_trader]

thanks for all the information. we will charter a nice catamaran with a skipper and try to visit the best spots in french polynesia in about 10 days. Moorea sounds like it should be one of them.

[verbier61]

fiji, moorea, bora-bora and papeete share a common problem. They have big mountains that stop the clouds, so you frequently have a lot of rain... na din fact I've been to fiji and society islands, and they were nice but also too much rainy. In atoll islands like rangiroa, on the contrary, there are no mountains and the rain is much less a problem.