#76097 - 09/03/08 05:39 PM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: islandboyatheart]
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Elfie68
Member
Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 45
Loc: Western Australia
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Thanks guys, I'll try and figure out how to put a comment on the site myself too (one day...)
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#76148 - 09/06/08 07:53 PM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: Elfie68]
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finley
Junior Member
Registered: 03/23/08
Posts: 35
Loc: Virginia, USA
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Wow! It's back to the USA and reality. How time flies (and how busy we are) once we get back. I was meaning to post this earlier, but school started, and I got really busy. Anyway, here's a partial trip report. We loved Taha'a and Vahine Island. After visiting FP 6 years ago and staying in OWBs the whole time, we were tempted not to stay in one this time. But, we decided to splurge in Taha'a. Well, this is the one place where an OWB was worth the money. They had coffee tables that lifted up. So, every night after dinner, we took extra bread and laid on our floor and fed the fish. The first night it was really, really windy and we saw 3 sharks swimming under our bungalow! They came around about a total of 10 times! Considering they were pretty large, and the water wasn't that deep, it was pretty creepy the next day snorkeling. Anyway, there were also tons of fish - day and night - under our bungalow. The room was beautiful, and had a great deck, which was wonderful for hanging out in the afternoon and getting sun. Also, there was a perfect sunset view of Bora Bora from our deck (except for the last day when the Maltese Falcon sailing yacht blocked our view). It was a $100 million sailing yacht - Google it and you'll see what it looked like. It was huge! It wasn't docked off our bungalow or anything, it was just between us and Bora Bora.
Anyway, we were the only Americans there. The food was excellent, and unlike the J. Prince book said, they didn't charge us for the breakfast and dinner. (It was weird - everywhere we went in FP we got free upgrades or discounts without asking.) My only complaint was that the water pressure in the shower was severly lacking - more like a few drips. But, the staff was very friendly. Beware - if you go out snorkeling with the "beach boy" - he will open urchins and clams, rinse them and give them to you to eat in the water. It was cool, but a little freaky at the time. We did only one excursion at the island, as we did several in Huahine. We went to the coral gardens. They take you by boat and drop you off on another motu. The snorkeling is okay. We actually found a couple of pieces of coral near the hotel that had interesting fish and an eel. I think I would save the coral gardens trip for another island. The water was very shallow, even for me at 5 feet tall. And, there weren't that many fish. I would recommend enjoying your time at Vahine and explore the snorkeling in front of the OWBs and try the canoes. It was so beautiful there, I don't know why you'd ever want to leave.
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#76150 - 09/07/08 02:42 AM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: finley]
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Elfie68
Member
Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 45
Loc: Western Australia
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Good stuff, Finley, sounds like you had a great time too. The people are so lovely, it really makes the trip so much better.
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#76151 - 09/07/08 06:21 AM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: Elfie68]
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DenverJoe
Expert Advisor
Registered: 09/10/02
Posts: 1878
Loc: Denver, Co.
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finley, could you elaborate on "and unlike the J. Prince book said, they didn't charge us for the breakfast and dinner." When we booked for this coming November, we were quoted a price for meals. Was your food already built into the price of your stay maybe? I know we got the stay 4/pay 3 rate, but the food was expensive.
_________________________
Nothing better than a Hinano in hand and toes in the sand.
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#76155 - 09/07/08 06:11 PM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: DenverJoe]
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Elfie68
Member
Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 45
Loc: Western Australia
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Good point Joe, I was wondering about that myself. We had the half board option for which we had to pay extra, although it was certainly very much worth it for the food we had. We also used the stay 4 pay 3 so we stayed 8 nights and only paid for 6.
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#76156 - 09/07/08 07:12 PM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: Elfie68]
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finley
Junior Member
Registered: 03/23/08
Posts: 35
Loc: Virginia, USA
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We booked through a travel agent. We stayed 4 nights. I don't know if we paid for 3 or 4 since it was through the travel agent. We did not think meals were included with our package, but maybe we were wrong. We were expecting to pay for breakfast and dinner when we checked out, but it turned out that we didn't have to. Maybe our travel package included meals and we didn't know it.
However, given our experience in FP this time, in hindsight, the price that Vahine Island charges for breakfast and dinner is very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the meals. We went to Le Meredien Bora Bora afterwards and paid almost as much just for breakfast there.
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#76158 - 09/07/08 07:42 PM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: finley]
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finley
Junior Member
Registered: 03/23/08
Posts: 35
Loc: Virginia, USA
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Another thing I forgot to mention. Going from Vahine Island to Le Meridien BB was like culture shock. It would definitely be better going the other way. Vahine Island has 9 bungalows, so the number of people on the island is limited. It is like Robinson Crusoe. NOT like that on BB.
Although when we arrived at BB, we had booked a lagoon bungalow. When we were there 6 years ago, we decided that the OWBs at Le Meridien were not worth it, since there was nothing but sand underneath them. Anyway, they put us in the bungalow that was next to the turtle sanctuary! It was essentially an OWB over the interior lagoon. We could walk down our deck and dive in and swim with the turtles. Frankly, last time we were there, I thought that was an OWB. I wondered, "Wow, who is lucky enough to stay in that bungalow?" And, this time, we got it without asking! It was really cool (after you got used to hearing people swimming and talking underneath the bungalow).
Anyway, I digress. Vahine Island is like Robinson Crusoe with a gourmet French chef.
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#76164 - 09/08/08 05:14 AM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: finley]
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DenverJoe
Expert Advisor
Registered: 09/10/02
Posts: 1878
Loc: Denver, Co.
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We are doing the half board also. I figure 2 meals a day are enough. And if we get hungry, we can always order some lunch or a snack.
_________________________
Nothing better than a Hinano in hand and toes in the sand.
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#76178 - 09/08/08 05:59 PM
Re: Vahine November 2007 Long Overdue
[Re: finley]
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Elfie68
Member
Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 45
Loc: Western Australia
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Finley, we did what you suggested, we stayed at Le Meridien BB first and then went on to Vahine. The culture shock was not so great that way but very pleasant either way. At Le Merid we actually stayed in the bungalow right next to the one you stayed in at the turtle sanctuary. Very lovely there. I totally agree with your "Robinson Crusoe with a gourmet French chef" description of Vahine, very much so. And yes, the prices at Le Meridien were much higher for food (especially a simple lunch) and the quality was no better than Vahine. There was a much better choice of lunch and better value than at Le Meridien, imo.
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