#84520 - 02/22/10 02:52 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: becky & troy]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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There are ways to save a bit on meals....especially lunches and breakfasts. Get some croissants at a local market, some fruit juice, yogurt, and fresh fruit and you can have a great breakfast for 2 at your bungalow for maybe $15. They have fabulous french baguettes there for around 60 cents. Get a hunk of great French cheese, maybe some lunch meat some fruit and a bottle of wine (or other , drinks) and you can have a great lunch for not too much.
Bring ziploc bags...both sizes, they will come in very handy. Also a small knife (pack it in your checked luggage) for cutting fruit or cheese. I also pack a few paper plates and plastic spoons and forks for any meals I might be eating in my room. I just wipe them clean and re-use them. And...a couple plastic cups for drinks. Most of the mini fridges in the hotels do not keep food very cold...they just keep it cool. So if you want things to be kept cold, it doesn't hurt to bring a collapsible cooler and fill it with ice at the hotel.
There are a couple small local snaks and restaurants on the islands that are not that expensive....or get a Pizza, or a whole roasted chicken. You don't have to eat PB&J or ramen noodles to eat cheaply. Once you start eating those baguettes, you will think you died and went to heaven.
Another good way to save some money is not go overboard buying drinks there....especially at your hotel. They can add up very quickly.
Also, if you are not real big eaters....by having a large lunch later in the afternoon....you may not too hungry for dinner, so you can order just a couple appetizers for dinner.
Buy some alcohol from LAX duty free, buy some fruit juices there and make your own drinks.
Going on the shark/ray feeding Motu picnic tour is also a great way to save money. You get to do the trip, plus they feed you lunch! So you don't have to worry about buying lunch that day...and if you eat enough, you'll only want a light dinner that day!
And lastly....for return visits....you can do it cheaper...but you just don't stay in fancy hotels. There are many great less expensive places to stay. But obviously for your honeymoon, you want to do it up right.
Where are you staying on Moorea and Bora Bora?
Edited by Patti. (02/22/10 02:55 PM)
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#84521 - 02/22/10 03:27 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: Patti.]
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becky & troy
Junior Member
Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 37
Loc: san diego
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thanks for all of the great ideas..
I think our travel agent set us up with complimentary breakfast for each day so that will help. I heard the baguettes and cheeses are wonderful, so I will definitely be getting that.
that's a great idea about bringing silverware, baggies and a cooler. I didn't even think about that. Do you know if the pearl resort bungalows come with kitchens? If so we can do a lot with that...pasta, soups, pizzas, etc.
Yeah we are going to try to smuggle as much alcohol as we can because you're right the drinks can really add up and we like to drink :)
Great idea about the shark/ray feeding picnic tour...we already decided on that. That's actually a really good deal.
we are staying for one night at the Manava suite resort and then in Moorea we are staying at the pearl garden pool bungalow for 3 days and then we decided to splurge for the last 4 days at the pearl premium overwater bungalow :) I can't wait.
thanks so much for answering my questions!!
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#84522 - 02/22/10 03:45 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: becky & troy]
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Gary & Cath
Expert Advisor
Registered: 04/01/06
Posts: 1243
Loc: Wollongong, Australia
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Hi becktroy. The Pearl rooms definitely DO NOT have kitchens, but a quick trip to the market will tie you over for lunch (cheese and crackers work for us). Can you get half board included (breakfast and dinner only)? That way, your hand hardly ever goes for the wallet. You know what the cost of your stay is going to be before you go and you don't have that credit card debt that takes a million years to pay off when you get back to reality.
_________________________
Is there anything better than a sipping a Tahitian Mai Tai on an Overwater Bungalow in FP?
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#84523 - 02/22/10 04:15 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: becky & troy]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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I'm pretty sure the Pearl Resorts only have a mini fridge in them. But the Manava does have a kitchen...but for just one night, that won't help you much.
Great that you have the breakfasts included. That will help a lot with food costs.
The Pearl on Moorea is very close to markets and restaurants...easy to cut costs there. One nearby that is great for lunch is Carmalines. They have wonderful crepes along with several other dishes at reasonable prices. Also the Ma Poulet chicken roulotte (mobile wagon) is in the nearby village most weekday afternoons. You can get roasted chicken and potatoes for a great price. Pizza is near by too. And no need to eat all your meals at your hotel....there are plenty of great restaurants on Moorea that pick you up for free. Some are fairly well priced.
For the paper/plastic plates and forks and stuff. I just bring 4 of each and wash them after each use. That way of one set breaks or gets messed up, you still have a second set to use. They take up very little room (or weight) in your luggage. The knife comes in very handy for the baguettes, cheese, or fruits...and the ziploc baggies are a life saver....you can use them for a ton of different things. Bring some quart size and gallon size.
For the second part of your trip in the over water...is that still at the Moorea Pearl or on Bora Bora?
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#84529 - 02/22/10 04:46 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: Patti.]
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becky & troy
Junior Member
Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 37
Loc: san diego
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Gary & Cath ~ unfortunately we can't change anything with our travel agent since we are leaving in a week but good thinking. Yeah we will be paying off that card for a while unfortunately.
Patti...yeah we get to our first hotel at 11pm so that kinda sucks having the kitchen and not being able to use it. I'm sure check out time is pretty early.
Thanks for all of the restaurant suggestions, I will write them all down and try some of them.
The last part of the trip is the OTW bungalows in Bora Bora. Have you been in one of those before?
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#84531 - 02/22/10 05:07 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: becky & troy]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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I have not stayed at the Pearl....but I have stayed in an overwater.....a fantastic experience to be sure! The Pearl on Bora does have a shuttle that takes you to the main island and then a transport to take you into the main town (Vaitape). There are a few small places to eat lunch for very reasonable prices. Plus there are a couple markets in town to buy some food items.
Honestly, you will not need to eat PB$J and Ramen noodles! LOL!
Just be careful what time of day to decide to go to the market. Most close for a couple hours in the afternoon. And many close early on the weekends. AND the markets don't sell alcohol on Sundays.
And many restaurants will also pick you up at the Pearl drop off on the main island for dinner.
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#84532 - 02/22/10 05:35 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: Patti.]
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becky & troy
Junior Member
Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 37
Loc: san diego
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very good to know about the stores closing and no alcohol on Sundays...guess we'll have to stock up ~ lol
any suggestions on activities? we want to do the shark/ray feeding tour, maybe parasailing, fishing, aqua safari tour, scuba diving and the bora bora lagoonarium.
Also any good sushi places?
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#84535 - 02/22/10 08:27 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: becky & troy]
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Poehere
Expert Advisor
Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 2340
Loc: FP
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Hi Beck & Troy... both Pearls on Moorea and BB have a tiny fridge just check when cleaning it out to put in your own stuff that they won't charge you!
Just a word of caution if I may: there's nothing worse for house keeping in such resorts than cleaning up self "cooked/prepared" dinner leftovers in a room... and should they come in late, a leftover chicken or other foods from the night before at tropical temperatures don't smell like Chanel n° 5...
In Moorea you can easily eat out at a roulotte (like a diner) at night but street lights are so so when walking over... taxi's are expensive. Most resto's will pick you up foc, a good one near the Pearl is Mahogany, reasonably priced too or Ruben's steak house.
In BB the same, only "hassle" is that you need to take a shuttle boat (fixed hours) that will take you to the hotel's land base and from there either a taxi to Vaitape (main village) where you have diners too but in the end you'll pay the same as eating at the hotel when adding up the cost of taxi and a cheap meal.
In BB there are several resto's that will pick you up foc also like Kaina hut, Fare Manuia, Bloody Mary's. Only sushi place is at the St Regis which is presently closed due to renovations.
Concerning the weather, yes its raining right now all over, but just think all that falls out of the sky today won't fall out tomorrow and besides the sunshine comes from within...!
Enjoy and have a wonderful stay!
_________________________
* with sunshine *
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#84536 - 02/22/10 09:12 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: Poehere]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 890
Loc: ELA US of A
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Poehere iz our hero Patti too! Hinanos 4 all my Tahitian bruddas n sisters ********FP4LIFE********
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#84543 - 02/22/10 09:55 PM
Re: Honeymoon just around the corner!!
[Re: Suki (689)]
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becky & troy
Junior Member
Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 37
Loc: san diego
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hi there Poehere...that's good to know about the fridges..thank you. Trust me with my husband around the house keepers wont have anything to clean up. My husband is OCD and likes to keep the place spotless even at hotels...we always leave them in the same condition when we come in ~ lol.
So it looks like PB&J for us and restaurants for dinner. Which is fine with me. :)
I heard we have to go to Bloody Mary's at least once.
thanks for all of the good tips!
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