When landing in Papeete, the capital city of French Polynesia, you become aware that even on a relatively small island way out in the Pacific Ocean there are large cities bustling with activity and commerce. Most goods must be imported so the port is always busy with ships coming in and out. We decided to take a taxi to our first Hotel and to our surprise, most of the taxi's were brand new Mercedes Benz. Small bonus! Most of the locals speak English, French and Tahitian, so communication is fairly easy. Upon arrival at our Bungalow Hotel, we were greeted with a colorful Lei and fruity drink. The first thing that will amaze you is looking at the ocean. The water is so clear it looks like a swimming pool. We went on a snorkeling tour and looked down to what we though was around 10' deep that turned out to be over 30', so be careful when trying to reach the bottom. Its a lot further than you think. The water was a little rough but I tried my hand at water skiing just so I could say I skied in Tahiti!
After a few days in Tahiti, we decided to take the short trip to the beautiful island of Moorea. Now this is what you think of when you imagine an island paradise. Moorea is smaller than Tahiti and less populated which the way we like it. The water is crystal clear and you can see all the coral reef pods where all the colorful fish hang out. Be careful when snorkeling over the coral because that's where stone fish and Moorea eels like to hang out too. Another thing to watch out for is the sun. It is very intense there and you can get really sunburn fast if you don't cover up or wear lots of sunscreen. There are many options for hotels in Moorea which you can view online. Your options range from a modest beachfront bungalow at the Pension Motu Iti with rates around $100. USD per night all the way up to an over the water private bungalow at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon starting at $1,000. USD per night. We took a stroll through the grounds of our garden hotel and picked grapefruit, bananas, coconut and mangos. WOW talk about home grown breakfast! Getting around the island is easy in a car, motor scooter, bicycle or on foot. There are lots of great places to explore like jungles, water falls, beaches and villages where you can shop for souvenirs. At many hotels the locals will offer handmade items for purchase. Don't waste your money on trinkets from China, invest in handmade authentic items such as wood carvings, pareo's, local artwork, vanilla and of course Black Tahitian Pearl Jewelry.
