#633 - 05/31/05 03:06 PM
Trip Report: Tahiti & Bora Bora - May 17-25, 2005
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ccLoeffler
Member
Registered: 07/10/04
Posts: 33
Loc: Colorado
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TRIP REPORT: Tahiti and Bora Bora: May 17-25, 2005.
Summary: We stayed at the Intercontinental “Beachcomber”, on Tahiti, for two days, and at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort for six days. Had great weather, and a generally good experience. Took the guided island circle tour on Tahiti and drove around Bora Bora island in a small rental car. Attended Polynesian dance show at both the Intercontinental Hotel and the BB Lagoon Resort. Went on the snorkeling & shark/ray feeding boat excursion on BB. Ate at hotel restaurants, and at several restaurants on Bora Bora, including Bloody Mary’s, Bamboo House, La Appetissarie (sp?), and Snack Matira. Travel was via United Airlines, Air Tahiti Nui, and Air Tahiti.
NOTE: We had a good vacation in FP, but my report is honest and straight forward, and includes both the good and negative. So, if you’re looking for a rosy report that assures you everything is perfect, you may want to skip it. Realize also that this report reflects the experience of two people on one trip, and is based on our own likes and dislikes, and comparisons to our previous experiences at other localities. Each person’s experiences and expectations are different and unique.
There is so much information I could pass on, but will try to keep the report brief. If anyone has any specific questions I’d be happy to answer them as best I can. Just post your questions on this forum, and I’ll try to answer any posts at least once each week through July.
TRAVEL:
We flew from Denver to LAX on United, then to Papeete on Air Tahiti Nui. Tahiti to Bora Bora on Air Tahiti. Reverse on the way back, of course. Travel there went pretty smoothly, but the trip home seemed longer, and had a few “glitches”. Our flight out of Papeete was delayed for unknown reason by about 45 minutes, and our luggage did not make the transfer to our United flight out of LAX to Denver. It caught up with us a day after we got back home. On the way to Tahiti we checked our luggage on each flight ourselves. On the way back, the Air Tahiti Nui check-in person checked our luggage through all the way to Denver, which was part of the reason for the delayed luggage. The ATN flight came in to LAX 45 minutes later than scheduled, and we already had a tight turn-around time between our flights (2 hours, now reduced to a little over 1 hour). So, after we went through customs and security, our bags were taken by security for transfer to United, but were put on a later flight than ours.
If you haven’t been through the check-in/customs/security process at LAX or Papeete before, it can be a bit confusing. When arriving at LAX on your domestic flight, you can either take a bus or walk from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. We walked, taking our bags on a small luggage cart, and it took less than ten minutes. We did have a little trouble finding where to check in to Air Tahiti Nui. You have to go up a couple of levels, as the level you arrive at when walking to the terminal is the arriving passenger level. Directional signs are not very good. Air Tahiti Nui check-in is at the far left end (as you stand facing the terminal) of the international terminal. Before checking in, however, you need to go through baggage screening, which is just to the right of the ATN check-in counter. After your checked luggage clears security you are NOT allowed to touch it, even though it’s still going through the check-in process with you at the counter. Let the attendant handle it. We found this out the hard way. After that, you still have to pass through another security check before going to the departure gate.
Ironically, the security process at Papeete was more meticulous than at LAX. My wife got “shaken down” both on the way in and at departure, once for a toenail clipper in her carry-on bag, and the second time for a small nail file she had forgotten was in her purse. Both of these items went through security in Denver and LAX without notice or question. Go figure!
Inter-island flight on Air Tahiti went well. We flew on a twin-engine turbo-prop. Unfortunately the time of our flights to and from Bora Bora had both been re-scheduled later than originally booked, and it was dark when we arrived and left. So, we didn’t get to see that beautiful island and lagoon from the air!
HOTELS:
We spent just two nights at the Intercontinental Beachcomber, on Tahiti. Overall, our experience was mostly good. We arrived late (11:30 PM), and got an upgraded room (“panoramic view”). The room was in one of the new buildings, some distance from the main lobby. It was very nice, and we figured it would be quiet. It was quiet, at night. However, we discovered that the room next door was being remodeled, for some reason, and there was hammering and power tool noise going on all day long. We were still tired from the trip, so asked to be moved to someplace quieter. They did accommodate us and moved us to an ocean-view room right next to the main hotel building. It was OK, but you could tell it was an older room, and in need of a little refurbishment. A couple of “quirky” things in the rooms, which we had never encountered before: Windows, allowing view from room in to the shower, and a slot for your door key-card just inside the door, which activates the room lights. You have to leave the card in the slot while in the room, or no lights.
We spent 6 nights at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort. It’s a beautiful location with beautiful grounds and views. Overall, a very nice place to spend six days. The reception on arrival was impressive, including a fresh coconut with straw to quench our thirst, and a personal tour of the hotel and grounds by the hotel manager.
We had over-water bungalow #304, which is next to the last bungalow on the far west “pontoon”, with a nice view of the sunset. The bungalows are quite nice and very spacious. Although, there were a couple of minor things that surprised me, for a hotel of this class. The sliding door to the deck was very hard to open. They either need to put better tracks on it, or repair the existing one. It took some muscle and leverage to get it open and closed. Also, the fresh water shower at the bottom of the stairs from the deck had a rusted through and broken off mounting bracket, and there were a couple of slats missing from one of the window louvers in the room. Both not big deals, but a little surprising in a world-class hotel. The only other disappointment regarding the room was that the water by our deck was very shallow (18-24”). It was too shallow for swimming (without hitting your knees on the rocks), and too rough and rocky for safe walking. So, we had to find our way under the pontoon, to the other side, where there was a deep and smooth enough path to access areas for snorkeling. Overall, however, the bungalow was very comfortable and enjoyable.
The BBLR has a very nice freshwater pool, and a nice little beach area. The only down side to the beach is that it faces all the over-water bungalows, vs. a nice open ocean view.
We had mixed experience with service. The staff was always friendly, but on some occasions not as attentive and available as one would expect. Our housekeeper was great, and we did “tip” her with some gifts (printed t-shirts, M&Ms, and some of those chemical light sticks, which someone on this forum said the kids over there love). She seemed very appreciative of the gifts. The service at the restaurant was sometimes good and sometimes not so good. There were a couple of things – like our complimentary anniversary cake – which we had to ask about a couple of times before we got it. The one most negative thing that we experienced at the BBLR was the “Fare Transit”, or Transit Room, which is supposed to be a facility where guests can clean up, shower, etc. after check-out, when waiting for a late departure. We had to check out at 11:00 AM, but our flight didn’t leave until almost 7:00 PM, so spent the afternoon lounging around the pool and beach – which was nice. However, when we tried to use the transit facility it was so crowded with departing guests that we never got to take our shower. The facility is totally inadequate for the number of guests who need to use it and for a hotel like the BBLR. They had no secure storage for the luggage, and everyone’s bags were piled in one room, to which everyone and anyone at the hotel had access. The transit room at the Intercontinental, on Tahiti, was better.
RESTAURANTS:
The “Otemanu” at BBLR is their upscale restaurant. We had dinner there one evening only, and it was very good. The ambiance and view at the Otemanu is excellent, and the service was good. Not a place you want to have dinner at every night, if you’re on a budget, however. Dinner for two can easily run $100+. The buffet breakfast at the Otemanu was good, but a bit disappointing in terms of variety for a restaurant of its status, and for the price – and the service wasn’t great. The buffet breakfast at the International Beachcomber was better. The food was just as good and the variety and selection better.
The “Café Fare” is BBLR’s casual restaurant. Less expensive than the Otemanu, and a plainer menu. We ate there several times during our stay, and both the food and service were good. We don’t eat big meals – especially for lunch – and a couple of times just split a sandwich at the Café Fare. The portions are ample.
We had dinner one night at Bloody Mary’s. It’s certainly a unique and busy place, and we enjoyed our dinner there. We each had a main course (mahi mahi and teriyaki chicken), and a pina colada. Cost for dinner was 7150 XPF, or just under $80.
We also had dinner one night at the Bamboo House, which is a small, open-air restaurant a little ways north of Bloody Mary’s. Again, the food and service were good, and we enjoyed our meals there (mahi mahi and glazed duck, and we split a dessert). Cost was 6130 XPF, or a little under $70.
We also had lunch on the main island a couple of times – once at La Appetiserie (spelling?) in Vaitape and once at Snack Matira. Both were good, but we were particularly impressed with Snack Matira. It’s nothing fancy, but they served a good mahi mahi sandwich with fries for a very reasonable price, for FP. I think we paid about 1500 XPF for two sandwiches and a Coke.
ACTIVITIES:
On Tahiti, the only paid activity we engaged in was the circle island tour. At first we had a little trouble finding a tour, as they will not do the tour until/unless they have at least four people interested. We did, finally, find one with Marama Tours (I think that’s the way it was spelled?). They picked us up at the hotel at 9:00 AM in a mini bus, and there were a total of eight people on the tour. The driver/guide was a Tahitian lady, who spoke fair English, but sometimes she was a little difficult to understand. The trip around the island, with several stops for sightseeing, photo taking, and lunch (not included) at the Gauguin Museum Restaurant, took about 5 hours. It was interesting, and OK, but compared to some guided tours we’ve taken in other places (Hawaii, for example) it wasn’t the best we’ve been on.
On Bora Bora we went on one of the snorkeling and shark/ray feeding tours. I don’t recall the name of the provider, but our boatman and guide was a pleasant and “colorful” Bora Bora native, named Sili (not sure if that’s the way it’s spelled). He introduced himself as “Sillyman”. We were picked up, along with six other BBLR guests, at the hotel beach in a large outrigger boat with a canopy cover. We went to the “coral gardens” out in the lagoon for snorkeling, and then down past Matira Point to a shallow area of the lagoon, where we got to observe the shark and ray feeding “up close and personal”, after that we made one more stop at a nice beach for a little swimming, and then back to the hotel. On the return trip, “Sili” provided us some fresh fruit and showed us how to neatly split a coconut with one whack with the back of a machete. He also provided us with some native music on the way back. It was a fun trip, and took about three hours.
We rented a “car” for about half a day and drove around Bora Bora, making several stops – mainly in the Matira area – for some shopping and for lunch. We tried to drive or walk in to the Hotel Bora Bora, just to see what it’s like, but the entrance at the highway was closed off with yellow tape or ribbon (reminded me of crime scene tape), and there was a guard seated at the entrance. Not sure if they just didn’t want any “looky-loos” or there was something else going on.
For car rental we opted for the least costly, which turned out to be a tiny car that reminded me of a go-cart with a compact car body. Don’t remember the brand name, but it had one forward gear, neutral, and reverse. It wasn’t a luxury ride but it got us there and back, and was actually kind of fun to drive in the nice weather. It did have a canvas top, which my wife had to hold on with one hand on the right corner to keep it from coming off, as the snaps on both sides were missing. We had a good day, and it’s a good way to see the island at your own pace.
One final comment regarding activities. We had looked forward to paddling our own outrigger canoe at the BBLR, which was supposedly available to guests at no charge, according to pictures in the BBLR brochure and information in Jan Prince’s Tahiti Guide. Well, we found out that’s not the case. We saw no outriggers for guest use, and were told there are none. All they had were some plastic kayaks and little paddle boats, which we couldn’t take out most of the time we were there because the hotel staff decided it was too windy to be safe – which I thought was not the case, most of the time, unless you ventured way out from the resort. Although we did manage to get a paddle boat for a little while one day, we were disappointed about missing out on the outrigger.
Well, there’s much more that I could write about, but this report is already long enough. In summary, we had a good time in Tahiti and Bora Bora, and certainly have no regrets about going. However, when considering all factors (location, cost, activities, etc.), I believe you can get as much, or more, “bang for your buck” at some locations closer to home (the long, tedious traveling and airport hassle was the only part of the trip we really didn’t enjoy). It all depends on what you’re looking for. We’ve been to Hawaii and Mexico (Cozumel), and had a great time there too. The things that, in my mind, make Tahiti/FP special are (1) the beautiful scenery; lush and plentiful vegetation, and the incomparable color of the water of Bora Bora lagoon, and (2) the opportunity to experience a unique and interesting culture – the music, the dancing, the traditions and people. If we do ever have the inclination, and money, to go back to FP, I’d want to go to one or two of the less developed, more remote locations.
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#634 - 06/01/05 10:54 AM
Re: Trip Report: Tahiti & Bora Bora - May 17-25, 2005
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rodjune
Expert Advisor
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 1726
Loc: Kalama Valley, HI
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Thank you for a nice, balanced report. Seems like you received the typical FP experience: some good and some average to less than good. Hope you will post pictures.
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#635 - 06/03/05 08:58 AM
Re: Trip Report: Tahiti & Bora Bora - May 17-25, 2005
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ccLoeffler
Member
Registered: 07/10/04
Posts: 33
Loc: Colorado
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Thanks, rodjune. Will try to post some pictures soon. I'm still processing and editing them.
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#636 - 06/18/05 01:49 PM
Re: Trip Report: Tahiti & Bora Bora - May 17-25, 2005
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gleff
Member
Registered: 05/16/04
Posts: 254
Loc: DCA
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Would love to see the photos!
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#637 - 06/19/05 06:26 PM
Re: Trip Report: Tahiti & Bora Bora - May 17-25, 2005
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ccLoeffler
Member
Registered: 07/10/04
Posts: 33
Loc: Colorado
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I'm trying to post some photos, but having a little difficulty. All my photos are in the 600 to 800 kb range, and the photo album page on this site requires posted photos to be compressed and no more than 60 kb. As soon as (if) I can figure out how to reduce the size of my photo files, I'll get some posted. If there are any computer gurus out there who can tell me an easy way to do that, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
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