#79672 - 03/22/09 08:41 PM
Planning honeymoon...
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stbWms
Junior Member
Registered: 03/22/09
Posts: 3
Loc: California
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Hello,
I was hoping someone might know the best way to plan a trip to Tahiti. My fiance and I plan to marry in Oct and honeymoon there. Most of the packages I've run across offer 5-7 nights between BB and Moorea. We are hoping to stay 14. We very active people, but also enjoy relaxing in the sun. Additionally we want to experience the people/culture. Is it best just to go through a travel agent? With 14 days (really 12 since 2 are travel) would you split your time bw just the 2 islands or try something different?
Any advice is appreciated.
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#79674 - 03/22/09 09:17 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: stbWms]
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Poehere
Expert Advisor
Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 2340
Loc: FP
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Depends on what you would like to get out of your vacation? Are you divers? 12 days would allow you to do 3 islands if you want (taking a air tahiti pass would save you money in that regard)
are you looking for high end resorts or small pension famille?
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* with sunshine *
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#79676 - 03/22/09 09:24 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: stbWms]
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Gary & Cath
Expert Advisor
Registered: 04/01/06
Posts: 1243
Loc: Wollongong, Australia
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Hi stbWms, and welcome to the forum. For 14 days, you could do multiple islands. You may want to check with Yves (who is a travel agent that runs this forum) to get a quote.
For 12 nights, I would definitely go at least Moorea and Bora Bora, and maybe even Le Taha'a (very expensive, though). But for your honeymoon, make sure you let which ever resort/s you stay at, that it is your honeymoon, as you will get all sorts of extras.
If you stay at the same chain resorts (eg Pearl or Intercontinental, Soffitel or Le Meridien), you will get an even better deal (maybe free breakfast and dinner and/or pay 5 stay 7).
If you are divers, then maybe the Tuamotos maybe the go (Rangiroa, Tikehau, Manihi, etc). If you like hiking, then maybe more time on Tahiti or Moorea, or Huahine or the Marquesas.
Try searching this forum for info on these islands, as there is ALOT more to French Polynesia than just Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, especially if you guys are "active people".
Hope I haven't made the choice more of a mess!
Sorry P, I must have responded at the same time as you. Good point of the Upmarket v Pensions.
It will all come down to cost.
Edited by Gary & Cath (03/22/09 09:32 PM)
_________________________
Is there anything better than a sipping a Tahitian Mai Tai on an Overwater Bungalow in FP?
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#79685 - 03/23/09 05:18 AM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: Gary & Cath]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2302
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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My advice is to read through the forums here to get a good idea of what the various islands are like and what they offer. Narrow it down to 2 or 3 islands (our first trip was 12 nights and we did 7 on Moorea followed by 5 on Bora Bora... I would suggest either that or 4/4/4 on 3 islands). Then investigate which resorts or pensions would suit your personality/budget. Finally, contact the travel company that hosts this site for a quote on a package for what you want. We tailored our first trip that way (figuring out islands, order of islands, resort, and even which bungalow we wanted) and it made the trip hugely enjoyable because it suited us and wasn't just a generic trip offered to all. Using a travel agent for your first trip (and subsequent ones, too, if you wish) is a really good idea because they'll arrange the transportation between airports and resorts and can communicate with those in FP (that's not always easy if you don't speak French yourself).
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#79697 - 03/23/09 04:10 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: Gary & Cath]
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stbWms
Junior Member
Registered: 03/22/09
Posts: 3
Loc: California
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Thank you all for your responses...I will continue my research and I'm sure I will have many more questions. I appreciate the input.
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#79758 - 03/26/09 02:55 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: stbWms]
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rodjune
Expert Advisor
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 1726
Loc: Kalama Valley, HI
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I'd recommend three islands. Mo'orea and BB are good bets and a Tuamotu experience is worthwhile as well. As you mentioned, please do continue your research as there's such a wide variety (and prices) of accomodations and experiences, and for a HM, it should be such that you get as close to perfect for your situation as possible. You definitely want some great memories. Good luck and congratulations. BTW, we did an Oct wedding and spent it on Mo'orea and BB for the HM and luckily got great weather the whole time.
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#79764 - 03/26/09 06:25 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: rodjune]
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Gitbox_dan
Member
Registered: 03/09/04
Posts: 103
Loc: Sacramento, CA
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stbWms - the wife & I married in Oct, as well. As fellow CA's we love traveling then for anniversaries... weather is great, less tourists, fewer children (back in school). You'll love it. Congrats.
Ditto rodjune's advice & Old Wife.
So much depends on lifestyle. Recommend you tailor (Ha! almost wrote Taylor - a guitar brand) to yours: adventure vs nightlife vs laid back, etc; high end vs low end; pampering vs self service; people vs solitude. You get the idea. But make sure to leave plenty of time for just relaxing w/ each other... avoid trying to do too much. Nothing better than downtime in FP.
So: 1] find the right islands (can't go wrong w/ any recommended here because there's so much good advice) 2] then right place (big resort, small hotel, B&B-style pension, etc - or combo, depending on island) 3] then activities based on 1 & 2.. & what you love to do.
Personally, the more we go, the further away from folks & big resorts we get. Started w/ big resort on Moorea one trip, then nice resort on Huahine, then small hotel back on Moorea, & last trip was away from it all on Tuomotu (Fakarava). We've done helicopters, scuba, 4x4's, jet ski's, snorkeling different passes, motu picnic's, shark feeding, etc, etc. But our favorite, because it's OUR style, is just being alone on a beach listening to waves, swimming, snorkeling & hiking.
It is paradise... & you will love it!
Man, got a bad case of the FP blues right now just thinking about it.
_________________________
Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination (Roy Goodman)
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#79887 - 04/03/09 10:45 AM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: ]
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2296
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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Yves please block this spam from Spain
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#79906 - 04/04/09 07:11 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: Gitbox_dan]
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stbWms
Junior Member
Registered: 03/22/09
Posts: 3
Loc: California
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It is so difficult to wade through all the information. When researching the hotels most of what comes up and is offered is the expensive places to stay..the resorts look amazing but the price quotes have been upwards of $5K per person. That seems very expensive...That is staying on Moorea and BB 14 nights/15days.
As a few of you said we should do it right on our HM. The over water bungalows look so fun, but are they really worth spending the extra thousand??
Like you, we enjoy swimming, laying on the beach,hiking, biking, running, snorkeling. Additionally my honey surfs and we both enjoy meeting other couples and even going out for drinks/dinner with others...
The other islands look great too but I don't travel that well and prefer to spend a lot of time in one place as opposed to packing all the time...I'm trying to talk him into a slightly longer stay, after all, it looks like paradise and we are traveling so far to get there!
Thanks for your input everyone, I appreciate it.
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#79907 - 04/04/09 07:32 PM
Re: Planning honeymoon...
[Re: stbWms]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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You don't have to stay in an OWB every night. You can stay in a regular room on Moorea, then stay in an OWB on Bora Bora. Or on Bora Bora you can stay in an OWB for only half your time. For financial reasons, many people stay 3-4 nights in a regular room and then move to an OWB for 3-4 nights. When we went to Bora Bora, we spent 5 nights in a regular room and only 2 nights in an OWB...just for the experience. Sure it's not quite the same as splurging on an OWB the entire time....but it fit out budget better.
It is a very expensive destination any way you slice it. Sometimes to make it work, you have to decide how much and where you want to make some sacrifices. It can be done...it just takes some creative planning.
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