#77193 - 10/20/08 01:49 PM
Back from paradise PART 2 - Fakarava, Huahine, Bora
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ninou
Junior Member
Registered: 01/09/08
Posts: 17
Loc: uk
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Fakarava
ACCOMODATION
We stayed at pension Havaiki and it was by far the best pension we went to. The beach bungalows are small but they come complete with a nice deck overlooking the lagoon and a bathroom (no hot water !). Breakfast was good and it is a buffet so there is plenty. Dinner was excellent, real Tahitian food, always very fresh.
We even had a local group playing for us and Rhum tasting on the Saturday night, although I doubt this is a regular thing.
ACTIVITIES
We were very unlucky with the weather so we couldn't do much. I was looking forward to seeing the south of the atoll and the pink sand beaches but unfortunately everything had to be cancelled because of a storm (we were stuck indoors for a whole day because of the heavy rain…). No diving either for beginners.
Joachim, the owner of the pension, felt bad about it so he organized for us to go snorkeling at the North pass on the 2d day.
Fakarava is beautiful and it really is a pity we could not do much because of the weather… I guess we'll have to go back !
Huahine
ACCOMODATION
We stayed at pension Mauarii at the south. I was expecting more of a pension type of accommodation but it really is a small hotel.
On the plus side, being a hotel, it offers a nice restaurant, a diving centre, bike-scooter-car renting and a small spa for massages. The restaurant was pretty good with enough options to have dinner there everyday. Breakfast was a buffet and you also got freshly baked croissant and bread.
I was a bit disappointed with the lack of privacy of the rooms. In the other pensions we stayed in individual bungalows, so it was very private. Here in pension Mauarii you have a room which is part of a big "fare" (traditional house), and because the wall don't go all the way up until the roof, you hear the neighbours pretty well… The only alternative is to stay in their individual beach bungalow, but it is obviously a more expensive option.
The location is secluded, on a beautiful beach. You do have some alternative options for dining as Chez Tara and Relais Mahana are a short walk away.
A great thing about the pension is they organize some "animations" every evening from 6 to 7pm. Depending on the day, you'll get to learn how to cook poisson cru, how to make a flower head crown, how to tie your pareo and how to dance on traditional music. On Saturday night they have a show with a local group.
ACTIVITIES
I had a dive using the hotel's diving centre. The instructor was friendly and professional, and I really enjoyed this second dive. He was very patient and took his time to explain everything to me. I felt a lot more confident with him than with the guy from Top Dive in Moorea.
We had a guided walk in the Marae of Maeva (north of the island). Our guide was Terii and I think he is the only professional guide on Huahine.
To be honest, after our fantastic experience on Moorea with Moorea Hiking, I was expecting to learn a lot about the traditions and beliefs in Polynesia but we were disappointed. Terii's explanations were not very clear and we did not learn much more than we knew on the marae. He is very "mystical" and would sometime stop for no reason, he seemed to be hearing some voices….
Although the explanations were poor, I don't see how we could have done this walk without a guide. The path is not marked too well and it seems easy to get lost.
You get a fantastic view of the east coast of Huahine once on the highest marae. The walk ends with the fish traps and the marae along lake maeva.
I do recommend the walk for its beauty but do not expect too much from the guide. And do remember to take some mosquito repellent with you !
Price was 4500 cpf + 500cpf for the transfer.
We rented a scooter trough pension Mauarii (4800 cpf). They are very efficient at helping you with your activity bookings and car/scooter rentings.
We had a horse ride with La Petite Ferme (7500 cpf per person for a 2 hour ride). The owners have changed during the summer and the new ones seem nice and they take good care of the horses.
We are complete beginners so the ride was at a slow pace with gentle horses.
Their 2 hour ride is not that good, You start on the road for about 15min, to get to the beach. The beach part is nice but only last for 20min. If you're lucky, you might see some whales just over the reef. We didn't but it seems quite frequent in September. You then proceed through a wood to the airport, ride along the airport and finish on the road again. They usually go to lake Maeva but the weather was not good enough for us to do it.
If you re an experienced rider, they offer day rides inside the island which are probably a lot better. But if you are a beginner like us, then you might consider choosing another activity.
Bora Bora
ACCOMODATION
We stayed at Intercontinental Thalasso and it was superb ! Rooms are splendid and brand new, view is magnificent, food is delicious and we loved the modern feel of the resort, especially the Bubble bar.
As the weather was still miserable at the beginning of our stay, we decided to treat ourselves with some spa treatments. They are quite expensive but you have free use of their fantastic facilities on the day of your treatment. Steam room and experience showers are the "typical" spa facilities, but you also have a phlebology water walk, a tea salon and a relaxing room with ocean views and best of all some private Jacuzzis with Bora Bora views ! The massage was divine. You feel pampered and the whole experience is pure luxury !
I would recommend it 100%.
We did get to see Le Moana, the sister resort in Bora, and the Beachcomber in Tahiti and they don't come anywhere close to the Thalasso. Also food in Tahiti was just average, there is so much difference from one Intercontinental to the other.
ACTIVITIES
Apart from the spa, we did the Jet Ski tout with Matira Jet Tour. We booked it direct which saved us a lot of money (through the hotel it was 24000 cpf, the price direct is 18000 !). It is practically next door to IC Moana, so it was really easy to go there by ourselves using the free shuttle from the Thalasso.
Tour was great, they let you go as fast as you want and you don't really feel part of a group at all. After about an hour on the jets we stopped on a motu to have some fruits. We actually used the quads to go to the ocean side, it was the perfect location for a pic-nic ! You do not usually get to use the quads for this price ( the combo jet-ski + quad is 21000) but the guide was trying to impress a young lady and his pulling technique included a quad tour so we all got to ride the quads !!!!
After reading so much about Bora Bora I was not expecting to love it so much !
People write the island is dirty and uninteresting and all the Polynesian we met during our stay told us one has to see Bora for its lagoon, but that we would be happy to leave it quickly.
The truth is we were completely blown away by the beauty of the lagoon and we loved our stay in Bora . The hotel choice contributed to a big part of the experience. We felt so well at the resort, it is quiet and clean and your villa is so nice you don't even feel the need to leave it !
I have to admit I didn't quite like the island itself. As soon as we left the Moana in Matira, we realized why some people might have a negative opinion of the island. It is indeed dirty and full of shops for tourist. We got to see Matira beach, probably one of the biggest white sand beach in Polynesia and we just went back to our hotel, there was no point in staying !!!
My advice for anybody who would like to go the Bora for the 1st time: get a nice room (or OWB if you can afford it) in one of the motu hotels (The Meridien is cheaper if can't afford one of the big resorts, and it is right next to the Thalasso so you get the same view) and don't bother visiting the island itself. Spoil yourself with a spa treatment and a jet-ski or boat tour around the island, and enjoy the experience.
I am so happy we decided to stay at small pensions during the rest of our trip. This way we got to see more of the Polynesian way of life and we learned about their culture.
Also in the other islands the resorts are nice, but nothing compares with a motu hotel like in Bora, where you get to see the island from your room.
We booked tons of activities on the other island and none in Bora, and I think that was the best decision we made.
Last day in Papeete
We left Bora with an evening flight. For the last night, we stayed at Hotel Tiare again and ate at the Roulottes.
The morning of our last day was dedicated to souvenir and gifts shopping.
Our flight back was a late evening one (11.30pm) and we didn't fancy spending the afternoon in Papeete so we decided to go to the IC Beachcomber. They have a Lunch+Swimming Pool package which was perfect for our last day, it was around 7700 cpf each. We had a 3 course lunch and spent the rest of the day at the swimming pool. We then waited till 9pm in the lounge upstairs before heading to the airport (taxi fare 1500 cpf, expensive for a 3min ride !!!). We even got to see a bit of their Saturday evening Tahitian show (starts at 8.30pm) before leaving.
It was the best way to wait for our evening flight, I don't know what we would have done in Papeete otherwise, it would have been depressing just waiting….
I know the Sheraton offers a similar package, they also have just the swimming pool entry fee if you don't want to have lunch. Both the Sheraton and the IC are close to the airport.
Thank you to all of you who helped us prepare this trip. We loved it and hope we'll be able to go back one day.
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#77202 - 10/20/08 06:35 PM
Re: Back from paradise PART 2 - Fakarava, Huahine, Bora
[Re: ninou]
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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Excellent report!
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#77206 - 10/20/08 07:14 PM
Re: Back from paradise PART 2 - Fakarava, Huahine, Bora
[Re: holte]
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vaitape
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/09/02
Posts: 1387
Loc: socal
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Terrific!! Thanks for taking the time.....and glad to hear that you had a great holiday.....
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#77218 - 10/20/08 11:46 PM
Re: Back from paradise PART 2 - Fakarava, Huahine, Bora
[Re: vaitape]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 920
Loc: ELA US of A
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We had bad weather in Jan 2008 still beautiful Maupiti/Pension Papahani Bora via Maupiti Express aka Vomit Express very rough seas fun but not fun Hotel Matira Huahine Pension Mauruii Fare Moana very nice beach ALWAYS A REASON TO GO BACK @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@FP4LIFE@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ GREAT REPORT///////
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#77223 - 10/21/08 05:18 AM
Re: Back from paradise PART 2 - Fakarava, Huahine, Bora
[Re: Suki (689)]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Thanks for sharing all the details about the small pensions -- not too many people review those! Glad to hear you finally had your honeymoon!
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#77226 - 10/21/08 07:14 AM
Re: Back from paradise PART 2 - Fakarava, Huahine, Bora
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2460
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Great report. Too bad about the weather on Fakarava....you will just have to return someday to do it right! :-)
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