#92801 - 01/16/12 02:57 PM
Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
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marshamouse
Advisor
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 529
Loc: Boise, Idaho
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Ia Orana - Tahiti friends. It's been a long time since I've been on the forum. Since our last trip to Tahiti (2004) both of my elderly parents have passed and I had to stay close to home. We are now free to travel and have been doing some - mostly long road trips to see our kids and enjoy the slow pace and not having to be on call in emergencies. We took a trip to La Paz, MX (Isla Espiritu Santo) for a sea kayaking trip last Nov; went to Hawaii for 3 wks. in March. But getting back to Tahiti is our big dream. Haven't been there since 2004. Next fall we want to spend 2 weeks in FP (1 wk at Huahine, 1 wk at Fakarava) AND 2 weeks in the Cook Islands (1 wk. Raro, 1 wk Aitutaki).
My travel question for you is this - have any of you done a trip like this? Where should I start? Should I use a travel agent to help me or could Yves on this website help even tho' part of it isn't in FP?
I saw the $899 Air Tahiti Nui special last week. Was tempting, but the window was not big enough for us. We want to be gone for a long while - blow the cobwebs out of our heads and get the South Pacific mentality going again.
Snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez (MX) and Hawaii in no way compared to our experiences in FP. I think we need to quit looking in other places and just get back to our first love.
Any help anyone can offer us will be greatly appreciated. Have really missed keeping up with all the interesting chatter here on the Tahiti forum and will try to get it back into my routine.
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#92804 - 01/16/12 04:22 PM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: marshamouse]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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Hi, marshamouse, I remember you! Our first trip to FP was in 2003, I think. Sorry to hear about your parents. It's such a sad thing to go through.
You can try booking with Yves, especially if you're staying in a resort on either Huahine or Fakarava (we tried booking airfare with him years ago without a stay at a 'resort', but that didn't work out, though I think someone here has done it since).
Have you figured out where you want to stay on Huahine and Fakarava? If not, what kind of experience are you looking for? I know a few posters here have been to the Cook Islands (I think Barbi was the most recent, but there might have been one since).
Yes, that $899 ATN special looks great until you see how few days it's for. I can't imagine flying all the way to FP for just a few days.
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#92815 - 01/17/12 04:55 AM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: Old Wife]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Welcome back to the forum, MarshaMouse! We have missed you... Condolences on the loss of your parents; I know how difficult that is to go through.
You can definitely contact Yves for your travel to Huahine and Fakarava, and he may be able to also book you on Air Tahiti to Rarotonga and then back to Tahiti, and perhaps also on the interisland flights from Raro to Aitutaki on Air Rarotonga as well. (We did this "trip within a trip" to the Cooks from Tahiti last year.) Perhaps he can also get you a hotel package in the Cooks; it's worth a try!
It's nice to see you here again!
There's lots for you to catch up on. I guess the biggest changes are the lack of a currency exchange at the Papeete airport now, and the limit of one free 50 lb. checked bag (instead of two) on Air Tahiti Nui now (and also to start soon on Air France as well).
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#92827 - 01/17/12 09:12 AM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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YosemiteGirl2
Member
Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 373
Loc: California
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Marshamouse!! I'm so glad to see you again. I'm very sorry to hear about your parents. There are no words for that kind of loss. It sounds like you are in need of a good, long stint in the south pacific.
Definitely call up Yves. He is so nice! The last time I spoke with him, he didn't book Raimiti, but I'm sure he'd help you get to Fakarava even if you were going to stay in a pension.
One other big piece of news is that the Te Tiare is up for sale. Someone went really recently and still had a great experience. I was there in September, just before it was put up for sale, for our first trip there, and it was awesome (although it does need a little cosmetic refreshment here and there, just tiny stuff). If you book there make sure you get a guarantee of some kind, in case it changes hands. There is also a beautiful, brand-new hotel on Huahine called the Maitai Lapita Village. We checked it out while we were there -- it's _gorgeous_ but all the rooms are inland, on a little pond. It's a 10-15 minute walk at most from the big grocery store.
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#92833 - 01/17/12 12:22 PM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: YosemiteGirl2]
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hello
Member
Registered: 01/04/12
Posts: 75
Loc: Minnesota
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Condolences to you. There are no words .
If you are of the age, a good thing to get while you are in Tahiti is the Marama card. You have to be 60 to get it. You have to get it at an Air Tahiti Nui office-not at the airport.
I got mine on Huahine. It took about a week to get it so you have to be in one place for awhile. I don't know how it works at ATN in Tahiti. I don't know if you can get it right away. I think you need 2 passport photos. It entitles you to 50% off on flights and at least 10 or 30 percent on ones that do not offer 50 percent.
Air Tahiti offers specials. Right now there is one for 3 days in Fakarava at the White Sands resort that costs 486 p/p from PPT. They also have specials listed to the cooks in the schedule.
LaPita is gorgeous. The beach is great. The pool is great. The rooms are fabulous. And it's close to town .
We tried other places as well-Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico. All good, but we have been to the gold standard-FP, so nothing else works.
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#92835 - 01/17/12 01:23 PM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: YosemiteGirl2]
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marshamouse
Advisor
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 529
Loc: Boise, Idaho
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Wow, such great responses from you all! Thanks for the welcome back and the condolences. Having to stick closer to home finally got us to Hawaii and we had fun discovering her islands. It's lovely there, but it's not FP.
We're looking at Relais Mahana on Huahine and Raimiti on Fakarava. We've never been to Huahine before but we have been to Fakarava once (2004) where we stayed at Pension Havaiki. We both liked being near the village of Rotoava, but we also want to see the other end of the atoll. I've been enchanted by the reports of Raimiti, drifting the pass and just the general feel of being out in the middle of nowhere. We've been to Kia Ora Savage on Rangiroa - what a extraordinary experience that was. Raimiti looks like something similar.
I will contact Yves. Have just done a little research on my own and it looks like more than I want to bite off. I really feel like my TA here in Boise doesn't even know as much as I know when it comes to the South Pacific. Yves will be 100 times more knowledgeable. Thanks for the encouragement to call him.
Re: the baggage fees. We usually try to only take one checked bag each. I think last time we traveled to Tahiti our bags had to be 40 lbs. or less (does that sound right?), so the extra 10 lbs. will be helpful, especially when we have snorkel stuff with us.
We aren't big resort-type travelers. The most luxurious place we've stayed is Kia Ora Village and an overwater bungalow at the old Hotel Bali Hai on Moorea (now the Pearl). So probably wouldn't stay at Te Tiare ever. And we definitely have to be on the beach, so the new place on Huahine wouldn't interest us. But thanks for the info. It's amazing that a new place has opened in this economy. I'm sure some have closed also.
Barbi - I'm so excited that you have done this same trip. We were sort of hoping to go to the Cooks first, but if it doesn't turn out that way, it's not a big deal. I know it's a bit cooler in the Cooks. Does last half of Sept/first half of Oct sound like a good time frame?
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#92916 - 01/24/12 11:00 AM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: marshamouse]
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marshamouse
Advisor
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 529
Loc: Boise, Idaho
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Barbi - have you heard recently from Lord Balfor? I remember he was a Cook Islands "expert" and I had some questions for him.
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#92920 - 01/24/12 12:29 PM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: marshamouse]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Marsha,
We visited the Cooks in mid August and it was hotter than FP. I think Sept/October would be great.
Have not seen Lord Balfour around in awhile, but you might want to check out the Cook Island forums on Trip Advisor which were very helpful for us in planning our trip! http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294328-i2626-Cook_Islands.html
The regular poster named "Shully" is a Destination Expert for both FP and the Cooks, and she's very knowledgeable!
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#92925 - 01/24/12 02:22 PM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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travelintom
Member
Registered: 05/06/04
Posts: 469
Loc: california
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Hi Marsha!!!!
glad to see you and Paul back on the forum.....
just got back from 38 days in central Mexico.
not FP, but at least south with lots of warmth
and sunshine.I hope to visit boise this summer
see ya
Thom
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#92934 - 01/24/12 11:15 PM
Re: Getting back in touch with my Tahiti friends.....
[Re: travelintom]
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hello
Member
Registered: 01/04/12
Posts: 75
Loc: Minnesota
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Right now, Relais Mahana needs new roofs on the bungalows. Unless they are repaired, it is not a good choice.
LaPita is right on the beach. It's true that your room will not be on the beach, but you can sit on the beautiful deck by the pool next to the beach.
Plus, LaPita is right by town so it's convenient to everything
MAJOR CORRECTION-THE MARAMA CARD IS THROUGH AIR TAHITI,NOT ATN
Edited by hello (01/24/12 11:17 PM)
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