#53346 - 01/21/07 05:43 AM
Moorea versus Huahine
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Belenvega
Junior Member
Registered: 01/21/07
Posts: 7
Loc: Madrid (Spain)
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Hello,
please advise: with a total of 11 nights for visiting, arriving directly from Europe:
1) Is it a good time distribution 5 nights at Moorea (Les Tipaniers) and 4 at Huahine (Villas Bougainville)? Or should we rather take longer at Moorea?
2) We arrive to Papeete at 1.15 am. Any advise on if and where to sleep for a few hours before taking the plane for Moorea (first one at 6pm, maybe better to stay sleeping somehwere until mid-morning?)?
We are a family of 4 with two sons in their late tweens.
Thanks a lot,
Belenvega
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#53347 - 01/21/07 08:10 AM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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Well, those questions depend on what type of person you are. I'm not much for sleeping , so I would take something like a 9 AM flight to Moorea. Your rooms may not be ready, but if you have a swim suit on, you can start enjoying the island right away. It depends on what kind of activities you like. At the Villas Bougainville you will have a boat and a car, so you can go wherever you want, when you want to. Raphael has fishing equipment on his boats, so if you like that, you can do that. Also, with the boats you can go to all kinds of interesting snorkeling locations. What is your family interested in?
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#53348 - 01/21/07 09:26 AM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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Belenvega
Junior Member
Registered: 01/21/07
Posts: 7
Loc: Madrid (Spain)
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Thank you so much, Holte.
And from 1.15 to 9 sleep on the airport floor if permitted (??).
Or from 1.15 to 6 rather?
That is also what the sons sugest.
I would say we are people interested both on cultural/archeological issues and sport. We go there because of the beaches, the fish, the alledged beauty....
The boys are restless very active people, no wonder at their age.
Everybody practises some sport or another regularly (judo, football, etc.).
We all enjoy swiming and snorkelling.
My older son likes sailing very much, from a catamaran to whatever. We plan also to do a bit of diving if possible, but on this we are basically novice. The whole family likes to hike as well.
To give you an idea, for us the best vacations are often a mixture of some cultural/historical interest and beach: for instance once, together with a similar family, we rented a van in Yucatn and combined Maya ruins with Carabbean beaches, organizing everything by ourselves.
What else can I say? We are from Spain, which usually means a strong tendency to enjoy night life......But I have warned the boys that I understand you should forget about that in french Polynesia.
Thank you o much for your attention.
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#53349 - 01/21/07 10:23 AM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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There is not really nightlife and amazingly, you are tired at night from all of the outdoor activites and want to go to bed early, which I fight because I love every minute there. We took our 13 year old (then) grandson to Huahine last year and he enjoyed it. He was stuck with his grandparents (us) so it is good that you have the two sons to enjoy activities together. If you want to leave at 6 AM, I would do that. We are going in February to Huahine and are scheduled to go to Huahine on the 6 AM flight. We will be staying at the Villas Bougainville again. Since you have a car in Huahine, there are many places to snorkel-you can just jump in. My grandson took an archaelogical tour there and enjoyed it. We did not go. There is much interesting information from the tour guide. Fare Potee is the cultural center in Huahine, and it has not been open when we've been there, but I have heard it opens when a cruise ship is in. The cruise ships moor in the bay by the Villas so you will know. The cruise ship is not an issue and does not affect your stay at the Villas. We love to go with the boat to different snorkeling areas, and it is interesting to see the island from the water. But you must be careful of the shallow water and watch for Coral heads. Stay away from the very light blue water as that is what is shallow. We had planned on sailing last year, but there were no boats available. There is a sailing excursion which might be of interest and it was not that expensive, but we chose not to go. We have been to Huahine quite a few times so we know some of the good areas for snorkeling by boat, but we hope to expand our knowledge even more. There are also hikes to the marae in Huahine that go through the "jungle"-no poisonous creatures of any kind. My husband and I did not do the hike, but one year my son and his friends did the hike and enjoyed it. There are also the sacred eels in Faie. You can purchase mackeral in a can right at a booth there or you can purchase it at the grocery store in Fare. My grandson enjoyed feeding the eels. There is all kinds of food available in the grocery store in Fare ,and there is a market everyday with fruits, vegetables and baked goods in the street. I feel that the fruits are very reasonably priced. There may be other activities in Huahine. I advise that your children take advantage, if there are. One year there was a many island boxing match. Sometimes there are movies shown in a hotel. These things are listed on posters at the grocery store-the Super Fare Nui. It is very safe and if you do not feel like taking an activity, your children could go on their own. One year we were there for Chinese New Year. Huahine is like going back in time 50 years. The Lagoonarium in Moorea is interesting as the fish are all captured in a small area. There is also a rope that you can hold onto and see interesting coral. A guide goes with you. Moorea has many, many more restaurantsthan Huahine. We went to the Riviera Maya last year. My son and daughter-in-law speak Spanish. They lived in Chile for a year. It was nice to have Spanish speakers on the trip. When they were with us in Huahine one year, there was a family from Mexico in the town "Fare" and they were so excited to be able to converse with my son in Spanish. The beauty in Polynesia is astounding and you will be amazed at the snorkeling. On Huahine Iti there is Aruuria camping (I don't know if I have the correct spelling) ,but they have a garden there with the traditional medicines. We love Moorea, but we love Huahine more because it is not as touristy. But Moorea is hardly touristy either. We like that Huahine has a little town and you can sit at the Chez Guynette and have breakfast or lunch and watch the town activities. The town is very tiny. The Villas have wide slot toasters so you can toast the French bread which is very inexpensive. I imagine with such activie children, you will need lots of food. If you have any questions about Huahine, just ask. Someone may know an answer. You could just stay in the airport until your flight leaves as people do sleep there. There is a motel right by the airport which you could easily get to if you wish to catch some sleep. You would have to bring you suitcases up some steep stairs to reach the motel. There is no place to put them if you arrive at 1:00 AM, I don't think. I think the suitcase storage area closes at midnight, but you may wish to check for sure on the Tahiti airport website. Have a wonderful time.
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#53350 - 01/21/07 01:07 PM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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Belenvega
Junior Member
Registered: 01/21/07
Posts: 7
Loc: Madrid (Spain)
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Thank you so much, Holte.
We appreciate how kind you are. This is most useful and detailed information. Huahine sounds very interesting: we will keep then the time distribution planned with 4 nights there. We will also follow your tips.
I hope you too have a wonderful trip.
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#53351 - 01/21/07 05:08 PM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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Tikiintahiti1
Member
Registered: 01/07/07
Posts: 85
Loc: San Luis Obispo
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I would suggest that you stay at the airport until dawn. THere is 2 open cafes at night time. One is causal downstairs, the other upstairs with better food and air conditioning. Personally I enjoy taking the ferry over to Moorea. It's cheaper and more fun. The view of Moorea from the ferry is incredible. Their will be a Le Truck at the ferry wharf that will take you to your hotel for 2 bucks USD each.
Early in the morning on Tahiti (6 am) you can grab a Le Truck at the ariport that will take you the the ferry.
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#53352 - 01/21/07 05:54 PM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2319
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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Here is a web site for a new pension for the first night
http://www.fare-suisse.com
They will pick you up at the airport and will take you to the ferry dock in the morning. You can sleep on the floor at the airport if you wish but why not get a good nights sleep before going to Moorea. For any first time visit to FP take the ferry as the views coming into the ferry dock on Moorea are something not to be missed.
For ferry schedules go to http://www.tahiti1.com
You can take the LeTruck to Les Tips and I'm sure that your fare will be ready.
I live part time on Moorea so know the islands in FP very well.
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#53353 - 01/21/07 06:52 PM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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The ferry is a great idea, but you have to admit that the plane ride from Papeete to Moorea is an experience in itself. With the money saved by taking a beautiful ferry ride however, the rest of the night would be spent well in a bed. I have to say, though, that we love the Papeete airport. Not because it has anyplace comfortable to sleep or food that is inexpensive, but we enjoy the music and the people arriving and leaving. The ferry is an excellent idea.
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#53354 - 01/21/07 07:27 PM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2319
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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Years ago before Moorea had an airport they flew a small Ampibian from the lagoon in Papeete to Cook's Bay.
That was a real experience as in those days the ferry took almost all day. What was the restaurant "La Bateau" was then the ferry.
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#53355 - 01/22/07 06:11 AM
Re: Moorea versus Huahine
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Belenvega
Junior Member
Registered: 01/21/07
Posts: 7
Loc: Madrid (Spain)
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Thank you very much to you all.
It sounds very interesting this idea of the ferry, we will try it.
This has opened up the possibility of doing some other parts of the trip inter-islands by boat.
Any comments about this? Do you advise against it?
Our itinerary is: Papeete-> Moorea (5 nights) -> Huahine (4 nights) -> Bora Bora (3 nights) -> Papetee
Are some of these transferts advisable/doable by boat? For instance from Huahine to Bora Bora it seems rather close. Any sugestions? Does it exists anything alike to a boat-pass?
I donīt even know where to look for boat time-tables of good combination fares, but this seems as something that could be a lot of fun.
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