Tahiti, French Polynesia
I had the opportunity to visit Tahiti and many of the other islands of French Polynesia. I traveled with a group of travel agents and the trip was arranged by Tahiti Legends. We visited 15 resorts on the islands of Tahiti, Tikehau, Moorea, Taha'a, and Bora Bora. The islands are so authentically beautiful, not at all overbuilt and touristy, and the people of French Polynesia are so friendly.
Tahiti's Faa'a Airport is under 8 hours by air from Los Angeles airport. South of the equator, Tahiti is halfway between California and Australia, on the same side of the International Date Line as North America, and in the same time zone as Hawaii - (only three hours behind California April-October and two hours behind California November-March).
The island of Tahiti is located in the Society Islands, which includes the high-rising islands of Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a, and Bora Bora.
For U.S. citizens a valid passport and a roundtrip or return ticket are required for all visitors entering Tahiti. Visas are not required for North American citizens for stays of less than one month.
Tahiti is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations and is also a wonderful destination for any romantic escape.
I will break down the resorts I visited by island, starting with Tahiti.
TAHITI ~ We arrived on the island of Tahiti in the evening, having flown non stop from Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui. The service on this airline was extraordinary. We were offered wine, beer, and champagne and had a hot meal for lunch and dinner. Always available are soup, coffee, and water. Our flight attendants brought us candy, pillows, blankets, eye covers, ear plugs, etc. We had a variety of movies and games available on our individual tv screens.
We stayed overnight at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort which is just a few minutes from the airport. We had arrived late because of a storm delay so we missed our dinner and show which we were supposed to see. However, the manager had put cold plates of fruit, cheese, and cold cuts in our rooms for us. The hotel was fine for the night, a bit dated but clean, comfortable, and welcoming.
We also visited the Manava Suite Resort which I loved. Only about a 10 minute ride from the airport, this is a modern resort with an Asian influence. This is a four-star resort made up of five separate buildings, with the first building being composed of the reception area, restaurant, meetings rooms and 12 guest rooms, and the additional four housing 109 guest rooms between two floors. All rooms are suites and are very roomy and all but the superior rooms have a kitchen and terrace. The furniture has beautiful inlaid pearl and abalone.
The bar and restaurant are open until midnight. There is another bar by the pool, which is the largest infinity pool on Tahiti island, and the pool faces Moorea Island. I highly recommend this resort.
