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A slice of Paradise

February 25, 2020 by Ann Petronio

Meagan and Cameron were looking for a unique honeymoon experience. Something they would remember forever, outdoorsy, and intimate. I knew the perfect slice of paradise for them: Moorea. A French Polynesian Island with stunning jungles and world-class snorkeling. Being able to swim with turtles from the balcony of their overwater bungalow at Manava Beach Resort all week was just the start of their unforgettable adventure in paradise!

Here’s their trip report:

HI Ann! I know you said I could keep it short, but there is SO much to say lol. Thank you for everything 🙂 🙂 we absolutely LOVED our trip!! Moorea is the definition of Paradise! The lush vegetation and the crystal clear lagoon had me staring at the views in awe every single day.

I must have said a million times that the views just do not get old! We knew that it was their rainy season with rain expected daily, which we didn’t care at all, you are still in paradise. We learned that the mornings are the best for activities with sunshine and the rains come later in the afternoon/overnight.

sunrise off the deck of an over water bungalow in Moorea

We were up at sunrise daily and took advantage of the deck off of the bungalow to get a morning snorkel in.

We saw and swam with the same couple of turtles and sharks right off our bungalow each morning! We brought our own underwater cameras for all of the wildlife and kayaked out into the lagoon to see everything around us.

There were two Polynesian themed nights as well with a buffet dinner (oops we really wanted to explore the area and check out local restaurants and skipped this). The food is amazing! Expensive like we heard, but SO good and they give you large portions.

Cameron surprised me with a chartered boat from Moorea Ocean Adventures and I can happily say he made one of my lifelong bucket list dreams come true!

We swam with dolphins in the wild, along with sharks, rays, turtles and a TON of other fish. They were INCREDIBLE. It’s a private charter and they send you a captain and a marine biologist. They bring snorkel gear, beverages, and take a video of the entire experience–in the boat and underwater.
They edit the video for you too, we got it back a week later and I can honestly say it was better than some of the wedding videos I have seen!! It was more exciting to receive too lol.
They are so incredibly knowledgeable about the area, and the species, and you can tell they take pride in their work. They asked us our main goals and expectations for the day before we took off and were SO eager to find dolphins with us.
You could tell they loved and appreciated the sea and its creatures! I couldn’t say enough positive things about our experience with that company, even the communication Cameron had before and after with them. 5 stars for sure!

Biggest suggestions for people considering Moorea:
-If you go during the rainy season (November-February) be sure to be active morning people-the resort had umbrellas for everyone throughout the stay and we could walk to town so that was great!
– Rent a car and drive the island–it takes 90 minutes, there is one road around it, and the speed limit is either 60km or 35km if you are driving through a town or school zone.

-There really is no nightlife so don’t expect any nightclubs, bars, or anything like that, besides what the resorts offer in their lounges and bars.

Find the waterfall and hike to it!

– Directions [for the waterfall] are in various reviews on trip advisor, don’t listen to the reviews that say its an easy 20 min walk. It’s a decent hike
-Gratuity really isn’t part of their culture, you are told it’s not expected but can be provided for exemplary service. You find a line to leave it on the checks at the resorts, which we did of course, but at the local restaurants you just pay your bill at a counter and that’s it. We were uncomfortable with this at first and didn’t know what to do, but when one of our shuttle drivers taught us local lingo, told us the history about the various sites we were driving by, stopped at certain spot “that we had to see and take a photo at” and just made us feel SO welcomed, you knew that was someone you gave a gratuity to. We had a bunch of shuttle drivers throughout our transit between Tahiti and Moorea, you could tell this guy (Maui was his name!)was really proud of his island and happy to have us there.

– Rudy’s!! Eat there!  It will not disappoint!! Read the reviews and believe every single one you read about the parrotfish.  I read them afterward and was so glad we happened to find it.  We were supposed to go back a second night, but my nap took a little longer than I had expected ;( 
-Food and drinks are expensive on and off the resorts – but omg sooo good
–Belvedere lookout – go here!  People leave locks on the fence, but you can tell they get removed.  We saw a BUNCH in a photo before we went and there were only a few there when we arrived.

– 1 week is the perfect amount of time to see everything on the island, we saw some things twice!  We even rented a car twice and made it to other restaurants and locations.  I understand why many people spend more time and island-hop between Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora – but that sounds exhausting to us and we decided to spend our 10 year anniversary in Bora Bora instead to check it out 😉
– Get a black Tahitian pearl 😊 we have a few now!

WELL, I think that covers it…

enjoying the ocean view from over water balcony

can we go back now, please?!?!

Thank you SO much for everything, can’t wait to plan the next one!
– Meagan and Cameron

Paradise is closer than you think (and more affordable than ever)

December 16, 2018 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

I just got back from ten days in Tahiti, and this trip has really changed how I think about the destination.

As a honeymoon specialist, I’m well aware of the lure of the overwater bungalow. Clients will come to me looking for something exotic, remote, and Instagrammable…with visions of Bora Bora dancing in their heads. They know it’s far away, and that those OWBs can cost upwards of $1000 per night, but they don’t care, because this is a “once in a lifetime” trip. And that’s fabulous. But I’m here to tell you that Tahiti does not need to be a one and done vacation. And it can be done more economically than the typical honeymoon, if need be. In fact, it can even work for {gasp} families.

Hilton Moorea overwater bungalows

Overwater Bungalows at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui

Let me explain.

French Polynesia includes more than 100 islands in the South Pacific.The best known and most-visited are Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, but there are dozens more, spread across more than 2,000 kilometers of ocean, and there is literally something for everyone. You can stay in a local guest house, a 3-, 4- or 5-star resort, or even an airbnb. You can cruise from island to island on ships from Paul Gauguin or Aranui, or you can charter your own boat (bareboat or crewed). If this is a honeymoon splurge, by all means let’s include some time in a luxurious and romantic overwater bungalow. But if you’re trying to be more budget-friendly, we can get creative and do charming little garden bungalows, or some time in a guest house, to meet the locals.

Beach Bungalow at the Bora Bora Pearl

Ah, but what about how FAR away it is? In reality, it’s two hours further than Hawaii, and most Americans are more than willing to fly there for a week’s vacation. For me, coming from the East Coast, it was a six-hour flight from Boston to Los Angeles, followed by an eight-hour flight from LA to Papeete. One long day of travel, but I arrived before midnight, fell into bed in a nearby hotel, and woke up in paradise.

Sunrise, beachfront views

While we’re talking about flights, there’s some good news on that front. Air Tahiti Nui, which used to have a lock on the US-Tahiti routes now has some competition from Air France and United Airlines (which is flying from San Francisco). A low-cost French carrier (French Bee) has recently joined them as well, with round trip fares starting in the $700 range!

Okay, so it’s not as far away or as expensive as you thought, but what’s the allure of Tahiti? Well, beyond the gorgeous blue water and white (and black) sand beaches, and the bragging rights (“you’re going where?”) the islands offer so much more than I ever knew.

White sand beach at the Sofitel in Moorea

Black sand beach at the Tahiti Pearl

They are uncrowded and unspoiled (Tahiti receives as many visitors in one year as Hawaii receives in one WEEK). They are very safe and have very little crime (Moorea does not even have a jail). The people are warm and welcoming, and you’ll be greeted by smiles and “Ia Orana” everywhere you go. Getting around is super easy – ferries run between Tahiti and Moorea, and the other islands are connected by quick flights through tiny little open-air airports (no long lines, no security checks). You can easily rent a car and explore on your own on the larger islands like Tahiti and Moorea. And if you are a nature-lover,you’ll be in heaven. There is surfing, sailing, kayaking, hiking, biking, whale-watching,jet skis, snorkeling, diving, and swimming with sharks/rays/dolphins/whales/etc We toured pineapple and vanilla farms, learned about Tahitian pearls, shopped in local markets, dined on gourmet French cuisine(and at casual food trucks) and watched Polynesian fire dancers. The whole experience was absolutely amazing.

Learning about fruits and flowers on Moorea

Our guide from Moana Adventures, en route to a party at Bloody Mary’s

Pearl farm on Taha’a

On this trip, we visited four different islands (Tahiti, Moorea, BoraBora and Tahaa). I met with dozens of local suppliers (hoteliers, tour operators, cruise lines and more), toured ten resorts,enjoyed three evenings of Polynesian song/dance (all totally different), and ate at least a half a dozen different versions of “poisson cru” (the delicious national dish of French Polynesia). I rode in a four-by-four on steep mountain roads, and sailed silently across the lagoon on a solar-powered catamaran. I stayed in a garden bungalow, a beach bungalow, a lagoon-view hotel room, and two absolutely stunning overwater bungalows. I showered outdoors, took a dip in my private plunge pool, watched fish swim underneath my bed, stargazed on my deck, and snorkeled in a coral garden. And this was a business trip!! Imagine what you could do on vacation 😊

Poisson Cru

Marquesian dancers

When you’re ready to make your own trip to paradise, let me know. I feel like an “evangelist” spreading the gospel of Tahiti, and I would be more than happy to put my newfound knowledge to good use.

And if you’d like to see photos of the various hotels I toured, here are the links:

Manava Suites Tahiti

Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora

Hilton Moorea

Intercontinental Tahiti

Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort and Spa

Conrad Bora Bora Nui

Le Taha’a Island Resort

A heavenly honeymoon in French Polynesia

December 29, 2015 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Lots of honeymooners come to me with visions of overwater bungalows dancing in their heads. Too often, they end up abandoning those dreams because of time limitations (it’s not really worth flying all the way across the world if you only have a week’s vacation) or budget constraints (those bungalows don’t come cheap!)

Nick and Kristi are among the fortunate few who were able to make the dream a reality. They had two key things in their favor…they live in California (a shorter “commute” than for us East Coasters) and they were travelling during “shoulder season”, in November, when room rates dip a little bit. The end result, as you can see below, was a honeymoon to remember! Scroll all the way down for their detailed feedback about the islands that they visited.

a honeymoon couple on the beach in Tahiti

Hi Ann-

We are just getting back into the swing of normal life after the wedding and amazing honeymoon. Here are some notes about our trip! Overall it was incredible and we cannot thank you enough for all of your help.

Moorea was gorgeous and we had a great time, but we were not necessarily blown away by the accommodations at the Hilton. Our room was nice, but the AC was a bit of an issue…the electricity in the garden villa was controlled by our room key, so when we left our room and didn’t come back for hours, the room got incredibly hot and took a very long time for the AC to kick in and cool off the space. We ordered room service the first night and it was average, but other than that we ate out around the island, which was fun and had very good food. It was very nice that the restaurants offsite would come pick you up to dine with them…very nice touch. It was a great first stop on our trip. We rented a car and drove around the island which was fun and also participated in Albert’s Snorkel adventure where we swam with sting rays, black fin sharks and then ended with a traditional Polynesian BBQ feast. While this was a fun adventure, it was very touristy and there were so many people around the sting rays and sharks, it didn’t feel very natural and we felt as if the sharks and sting rays had been a bit domesticated….snorkeling around the Hilton was nice and it was great that the hotel provides the snorkel gear as well. We met a lot of other honeymoon couples at the Hilton which was fun.

Bora Bora was absolutely gorgeous. There is nothing like getting off the airplane and seeing the gorgeous teal lagoon. The Four Seasons was so incredibly luxurious…this was by far our favorite place and we honestly never wanted to leave. The bungalow was amazing and the restaurants on the property were fantastic. In fact we never left the resort. We participated in a jet ski tour around the island through the Four Seasons and that was a blast. We also went on a Pure Snorkel tour and that was incredible…a much more natural snorkeling experience…we had the opportunity to swim with manta rays, sting rays, sharks and saw the gorgeous coral gardens in Bora Bora. We had a very hard time leaving…

LeTahaa was great as well and definitely had a more authentic Polynesian luxury feel. Our bungalow was very nice and we loved that the patio was on the side of the room, it was like having an outdoor private living room with a breathtaking view. We spent a lot of time relaxing there. We indulged in the French dining experience at LeTahaa which was very nice and a great way to end our trip. The spa was authentic, nice and relaxing. It does not have the american luxury feel but it does makes up for it by being remote, intimate and has a unique Polynesian charm . We did the snorkel tour offered through the hotel here as well and it was unforgettable, we got up close and personal with the sting rays and sharks, our tour guides were authentic and sang to us while on the boat as well as created a Polynesian picnic in the middle of the lagoon for us. The offered fresh coconut, pineapple, mango, bananas and beer for us to enjoy after a morning of swimming.

Timing was perfect and we had left just in time as rainy season was coming upon French Polynesia.

Our honeymoon was hands down one of the best and most memorable trips we have ever been on. The only thing I think that we would have changed (if possible) was to do LeTahaa as the second stop and finished the trip in Bora Bora, other than that we had an incredible time and are so happy that we found you to help us plan our amazing adventure.

Hope this helps, thank you again for everything!

Kristi and Nick

A slice of Paradise

Paradise is closer than you think (and more affordable than ever)

A heavenly honeymoon in French Polynesia

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