TAHITI
Australia & South Pacific Destinations:
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Spread across five archipelagos in the South Pacific’s French Polynesia, the islands of Tahiti are truly paradisiacal—the romance is off the scale.
- Sand islets and coral atolls dot the intensely blue, transparent waters, and the islands are verdant with palms and forests, vanilla farms and tropical blooms.
- Thatched-roof overwater bungalows (farés) propped on stilts are the signature accommodations here—and many of them feature tropical-luxe furnishings and glass cutouts in their floors to watch the undersea life below.
- New five-star resorts coming: The Four Seasons Bora Bora is set to open in 2008, and the Brando, a long-awaited eco-hotel, remains a work in progress on Tetiaroa, the island once owned by Marlon Brando.
- Gauguin’s isles are easier for East Coasters to access since Air Tahiti Nui inaugurated a 12-hour New York–Papeete nonstop flight.
- Good buys: black pearls, vanilla beans, pareus, Monoi coconut oil scented with tiaré, aphrodisiacal noni juice—and tattoos!
WHEN TO GO
There's no high season, though the best, slightly cooler weather is during the May-to-October dry season. Bargains are rare, but newly opened resorts may offer introductory rates.
LE LOTUS
Intercontinental Resort Tahiti
Point Tahiti
Papeete, Tahiti
tahiti.intercontinental.com
This classic, romantic, overwater thatched-roof restaurant is in a secluded position at the end of the resort, with views toward Moorea. The unusual menu mixes local dishes with those from Alsace, where Le Lotus has an association with Auberge de l'Ill, which has three Michelin stars. From Wednesday to Sunday, a piano player tickles the ivories during dinner.
LES ROULOTTES
Vaiete Square
Papeete, Tahiti
These family-run rolling food carts exist on every island, but nowhere is there more of a nightly scene than on Papeete's wharf, where the cruise ships dock. Not only is the whole experience fun and perfectly authentic—some locals dine here every night—but the food, ranging from fruit salad to chow mein, Peking duck to French crêpes, pizza to poisson cru, is amazingly good.
LE TIPANIE
Le Méridien Bora Bora
Motu Tape, Bora Bora
Tel: 689-605-151
lemeridien.com
Both à la carte and themed buffet dinners are offered here, along with gorgeous views of the floodlit interior lagoon. Have a pre-dinner cocktail at the nearby Miki Miki bar, which is shaped like the prow of a ship and points toward Mount Otemanu.
BLOODY MARY'S
Tiipoto, Bora Bora
Tel: 689-677-286
boraboraisland.com/bloodymarys
Yes, the bar-restaurant named after a character in James Michener's 1948 novel, Tales of the South Pacific, is full of tourists—but yacht folks, locals and the odd celebrity all come here for the down-home festive ambiance. The food is better than you'd think, from the daily catch to one of the island's better burgers.
TE HONU ITI
Cook's Bay, Moorea
Tel: 689-561-984
resthonuiti.com
The name of this charming lagoon-side restaurant translates to "the little turtle." On an intimate 50-seat terrace, diners enjoy Tahitian and French specialties, from mahimahi with vanilla crème sauce to crêpes suzette flambé. Floodlights illuminate the crystal-clear waters below, and guests are invited to toss freshly baked bread to a well-fed bunch of local stingrays.
LE BELVÉDÈRE
Fare Ape Valley above Papeete, Tahiti
Tel: 689-427-344
From this French restaurant's 2,000-foot perch, guests soak up panoramic views of Papeete, the coastline and the lagoon. Fortunately, the restaurant provides round-trip transportation up the treacherous one-way road that leads to its lofty location. There are two dinner services here—opt for the early one to see a breathtaking sunset over the ocean, or make a later reservation for a moonlight dinner, served under the stars.
L’ O A LA BOUCHE
Passage Cardella, Papeete, Tahiti
Tel: 689-452-976
After some souvenir shopping at the nearby Centre Vaima, fans of French fare make their way to this must-try gourmet hideaway. There's plenty of fresh fish on this menu, but the restaurant is known for its continental specialties, like Provençal lamb and magret of duck.
HOTEL BORA BORA
Pointe Raititi
Nunue, Bora Bora
Tel: 689-604-460
amanresorts.com
One of the first places to open overwater villas, this established property remains the favorite of many, with quality in every detail and an exceptional staff. The 54 thatched farés aren't all perched over the lagoon, and the hotel also features an array of private beaches, gardens with hammocks, and decks with plunge pools. And there's no need to snorkel anywhere else—some of the best underwater sightseeing is at this resort.
BORA BORA LAGOON RESORT & SPA
Motu Toopua
Vaitape, Bora Bora
Tel: 689-604-000
orient-expresshotels.com
A private island in the Bora Bora lagoon, this has landlocked motus (thatched-roof bungalows) as well as the requisite overwater villas, complete with lagoon-peeping, illuminated glass-bottom coffee tables. The six secluded "end of pontoon" huts are favorites for honeymooners. For fun, there’s the Marù spa, two bars and two restaurants—and the more formal of the two offers twice-weekly traditional Polynesian dinner shows.
BORA BORA NUI RESORT AND SPA
Motu Toopua
Nunue, Bora Bora
Tel: 689-603-300
luxurycollection.com
Starwood's version of the deluxe overwater suite—of which there are a whopping 82—feature lots of space. There are also plenty of landlubbers' suites, hillside or beachside, not to mention a half-mile beach, as well as a fabulous infinity pool. Spa suites high on the hill (the place is very spread out) come with free treatments.
BORA BORA CRUISES
BP 40186, Fare Tony-Vaiete
Papeete, Tahiti
Tel: 689-544-505
boraboracruises.com
The Tu Moana and Ti'a Moana resemble those gin-palace yachts you'd see moored in Saint-Tropez. Commissioned by an exacting billionaire, the 30 cabins in each boat have Philippe Starck bathroom fittings, flat-screen TVs, tropical hardwood paneling and coolly contemporary funky-deco design. Some nights are spent on board in and out of the on-deck Jacuzzi, and others feature dinner on deserted beaches, with a movie projected onto a sail strung between two palm trees.
MOOREA PEARL RESORT & SPA
Temahe, Moorea
Tel: 689-551-750
pearlresorts.com
A white-sand beach (less common than you think in French Polynesia) two miles from Cook's Bay is the setting for these 95 bungalows. The best ones to book are the nine on the beach and the 28 over the water. Their holistic Manea spa uses local potions and techniques and has many couples treatments.
LE TAHA'A
Taha'a Road
Taha'a
Tel: 689-608-400
letahaa.com
This 60-suite resort on a coral reef off Taha'a is probably the most deluxe one of all, with full-frontal Bora Bora views across the ocean and a superb all-natural spa with lots of couples treatments. All 12 beach villas have private pools in rock-walled tropical gardens and air-conditioning in the bedrooms. The rest are overwater, with big decks, fabulous bathrooms with deep, boatlike tubs and tropical-natural decor that still manages to look luxe.
ST. REGIS RESORT, BORA BORA
Motu Ome'e BP 506
Bora Bora
Tel: 689-607-888
starwoodhotels.com
This all-suite resort features butler service and beachfront, poolside and overwater villas in varying degrees of lavishness. Some of the finest rooms include plunging pools suspended over the lagoon, and all guests can enjoy the central pool, which features a swim-up bar. Sporty honeymooners will enjoy playing tennis on a court surrounded by turquoise waters, before heading to the Miri Miri Spa for a sumptuous treatment, like the pearl-powder body scrub.
INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT AND THALASSO SPA
Motu Piti Aau
Bora Bora
Tel: 689-607-600
boraboraspa.intercontinental.com
The 80 overwater villas at this five-star resort are equipped with glass-bottom coffee tables and are cooled with an eco-friendly air-conditioning system that uses deep-sea water. Guests can keep busy aboard the hotel's pedal boats and kayaks, on the tennis and volleyball courts, and in the fitness center—or unwind in the Thalasso Spa. If you make a reservation here, be sure to mention that you'll be honeymooning, and you'll find fresh flowers and champagne in your room upon arrival.
LE MARCHÉ
Collette Street and François Cardella Street
Papeete, Tahiti
A couple of blocks from the docks, this 150-year-old market is truly the heart of the city. If you can, visit on Sunday morning (5 a.m. to 9 a.m.; open other days 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.), when local families shop for produce. Stock up on souvenirs like woven hats and baskets, oils and soaps, vanilla, shell jewelry and pareus—they're all better and cheaper here than on most other islands—plus tropical fruit and flowers for your room. Don't worry about haggling: It's not done here.
THE AQUASCOPE
Vaitape
Bora Bora
Tel: 689-676-192, or cell: 689-782-792
boraboraisland.com/aquascope
Jean-Marie and Annie Pequignot's semisubmersible watercraft, designed by a close associate of Jacques Cousteau, is a one-of-a-kind experience. It can hold up to six people under the water in a glass bowl, like a reverse aquarium in which the butterfly, parrot and trigger fish, bluefin trevaillies, morays and spotted rays peer right back at you. Finally, a way to experience scuba without getting wet!
ALBERT TRANSPORT
Maharepa
Moorea
Tel: 689-552-110
albert-transport.net
Over the past 40 years, Albert and his crew have pretty much cornered the market in quality tours, from lagoon sunset cruises to 4x4 Jeep safaris—and there's no point resisting. Having him customize something for just the two of you is the best idea.
VAIPOE PEARLFARM AND TOURS
Haamene
Taha'a
Tel: 689-656-083
raiatea.com/tosee/sights.html
Taha'a is the black-pearl capital, and this is one of three pearl farms open for touring. It's well worth it—you learn how oysters switch gender partway through their lives and other arcane bivalve facts. And, of course, you will see their beautiful fruits, which you can buy at wholesale prices.
RAANUI SHARK-FEEDING TOURS
Bora Bora
Tel: 689-794-314
boraboraisland.com/todo/maevas/raanui.html
Adventure-seeking couples get right on board with this tour company that offers shark and stingray feedings. The tour company picks up fearless visitors anywhere on Bora Bora in an outrigger canoe and supervises as they plunge into the water in close proximity to four-foot reef sharks. The snorklers are protected by a single rope, which the sharks apparently perceive as a dangerous net.
JAMES NORMAN HALL HOME
Arue (three miles east of Papeete, Tahiti)
Tel: 689-500-160
jamesnormanhallhome.pf
James Norman Hall, adventurer, author, essayist and poet, wrote his most famous works, Mutiny on the Bounty and The Hurricane, in Arue, Tahiti—his home from 1920 until the end of his life in1951. This small museum is an exact reproduction of Hall's island retreat, and it's filled with family heirlooms, like his original manuscripts and typewriter.
PAUL GAUGUIN MUSEUM
PK 51, 2 Papeari
Taravao, Tahiti
Tel: 689-571-058
This museum is less of an art gallery and more of a tribute to the life of the French artist Paul Gauguin, who lived and worked in Tahiti from 1891 through 1893. The exhibitions chronicle his life on the island, and the gift shop offers prints of his work. Don't miss the museum's next-door neighbor, the Harrison W. Smith Botanic Gardens, home to tropical plants from around the world.
