BORA BORA, Society Islands, French Polynesia

March 28, 2013

Bora Bora! … Need I say more? No other place in the world is quite like Bora Bora. A quiet and peaceful island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean surrounded by a huge lagoon with crystal clear and vibrant turquoise calm water and blue skies.

This is the most breathtaking place we have ever visited. From the moment we stepped off the plane (which landed only feet from the water), we knew we were in paradise. We had only to walk through the small terminal where the St Regis representative greeted us and led us to their luxury boat to transport us to their resort. Following a short ten-minute trip we were greeted at the St. Regis dock by our butler, Masa. First he escorted us on a tour of this beautiful resort. Then on to our even more beautiful villa, which was over the water.

Upon arrival at the bungalow, we felt as though we had entered a different world. This over-water bungalow had three good size rooms and a deck. There was a muted flat screen TV flashing and Tahitian music playing from the Bose speakers. The décor was stunning! We loved the double-sink, stand up open rain shower, and sunken tub. The King size bed was positioned just so in order to accommodate a perfect view of the water, horizon, and the most spectacular sunrise, which greeted us daily.

The resort itself is huge. We utilized the complimentary bikes daily and parked them at the door of our villa at night for us to ride in the morning to breakfast.  The restaurant was open and positioned for a gorgeous beach side view. Not crowded. Of course we were first to arrive as we were up early every morning to catch the sunrise. No photo op was missed. The buffet-style breakfast was included in our package. The food was awesome! There was a variety of foods to choose from, especially tasty French pastries. The service was outstanding.

The beach was never crowded. The finely manicured white sand beach was postcard perfect. The beach attendants were there to assist with the water “toys” and took care of everything else. They moved chairs, served drinks, food, and catered to our every need. It was very relaxing sitting on the beach reading my book.

I spent a lot of time taking photos and video with my Canon 5D camera. It was the first time I ever used my camera for video. Ann took photos and video with her camera as well. I have to admit, my video technique is less than perfect but the camera was great. For now I will focus mainly on what I’m good at, which is photography, and leave the video to Ann.

On our first evening in Bora Bora we had pre-arranged lagoon-side dinner reservations at the Jean Georges’ Lagoon Restaurant with a view of Mt. Otemanu and a beautiful sunset. I would recommend this experience to every honeymoon couple. It was quite romantic. The food and service was outstanding, not to mention the breathtaking view!

Excursions:

We experienced the Pure Snorkeling by Reef Discovery excursion with Fabien. Typically, I’m not totally comfortable in the water, but Fabien was sympathetic and helped me to relax and feel more comfortable. He basically, kept me from drowning. It was beautiful both above water in the lagoon and under water with the fish and coral. He took us to four different locations around Bora Bora. We virtually got a tour of the entire lagoon, which circles the main island.

Later we took the Sunset Dream Tour. Our guide told us the tour usually includes 3 or 4 couples (primarily honeymooners). But on this evening it was just the 2 of us on a romantic cruise, sipping champagne, watching the sunset and the beauty surrounding us, all while being photographed. It was our very own exclusive photo shoot :-).

We only made it to the main island once. Our dinner reservations were at the Mai Kai, a very nice restaurant right on the water. They featured International, French and Polynesian cuisine, which was excellent. We were unable to visit the main island on Sunday or Monday. Everything is usually closed on Sundays and was this Monday as well, due to the Easter holiday.  Ann said "We’ll just have to go back." :-).

What we enjoyed… Everything!!  I especially enjoyed the Tahitian beer (Hinano), the Tahitian people, the St Regis’s staff, the villa, the beach, the beach bar and most of all the photo opportunities. Sunrise, sunset, the lagoon, the resort shots at night.

As for the equipment I took. Not much. One Canon 5D mark II body, one 24-70 2.8 lens and a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. A much-needed item. I didn’t want to weigh myself down with too much equipment, as I was careful to observe the weight limits on the inner island flights. Turns out they didn’t even weigh my camera as I was holding it. I probably could have carried a second one with a different lens.

This was a trip that others only dream about. We enjoyed it immensely. Memories of this experience will last a lifetime! I would highly recommend this destination to any honeymoon couple. As Ann would say and I would agree. It is so romantic!

We are especially grateful to Jackie at Custom Tahiti for all she did to make our trip absolutely perfect! Every detail was taken care of by her and their staff. I would definitely recommend them for any Tahiti trip.

Copyright 2013 Larry Huffman Photography. All rights reserved.

MOOREA, Society Islands, French Polynesia

March 2013

Ann and I took a dream vacation to French Polynesia for 9 days. From LA, we flew on the midnight red eye flight via Air Tahiti into Papeete on the island of Tahiti. The flight took 7 ½ hours. We arrived at 5:30 am Tahiti time. At the airport we waited in line for about an hour to go through customs. There was no A/C and little airflow. I found it to be quite humid. Once we made it through customs we were greeted by our Custom Tahiti Travel representative, who gave us all our transfers and other necessary documents.  We were directed to the bus that was waiting to transfer us to the ferry that would then take us to the island of Moorea. I must say that Jackie at Custom Tahiti Travel did a fantastic job of arranging all the details for our trip. It is obvious that she is very experienced and professional. The transfers, hotel bookings, excursions and VIP dinner reservations and preferred seating (all part of their Complimentary Service) were flawlessly prearranged. We did not experience any problems.

We arrived at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort around 10:30 am. The resort staff members were all very friendly. Most were able to speak and understand English. Others spoke only French but smiled and nodded as if they understood. The resort was beautiful! Our garden bungalow was really nice. It had Polynesian decor (of course), and included a private patio and plunge pool. The beach was perfect. It was close to our bungalow and next to the pool. The restaurants and bars were strategically placed on or overlooking the beach as well, which is one of my favorite points. The beach was never crowded. There were plenty of kayaks, paddleboats and boards, snorkel equipment, etc. available at all times and all were complimentary to resort quests. The atmosphere was laid back and relaxing. The water was clear and calm. The breakfast buffet was included in our package. I am a very picky eater, so in my opinion the breakfast wasn’t fantastic.  But dinners were good. The chicken was the best I have ever tasted. Ann was quite happy with the food. During one of our meals we were entertained with an authentic Polynesian show.

I could write for days about how awesome Moorea is. But, I will touch on only a few highlights. We went on two organized excursions. The first was the Quad/ATV Guided Tour of Moorea. We followed our tour guide, Manuel to the center of the island and up to Belvedere Lookout Point for some breathtaking views. Then back down to the Agriculture School where we zipped around the pineapple plantations’ dirt tracks and admired tropical fruits and flowers. We stopped to taste homemade jams and fruity drinks prepared fresh while we watched. So yummy! The experience was educational as well as a lot of fun!

The second was the Comfort Circle Island Cruise & Picnic, which was an all-day excursion. Robert was our guide this time.  We circled the island of Moorea by boat, around it’s breathtaking lagoon. He took us on a journey through the history of Opunohu and Cook’s Bay. We snorkeled in the lagoon’s turquoise waters among the coral, tropical fish, sharks and stingrays. Wow! That was an awesome experience!! Then we stopped at an island for a lunchtime picnic where Robert prepared a Tahitian Salad called “Poisson Cru” and later demonstrated how to open a coconut and utilize every part of it. What an awesome day this was!

One evening we went into town for an enjoyable dinner at the Kaveka Restaurant. The food was very good and the entertainment rather enjoyable. Another evening we went to Rudy’s. Aside from that, we ate at the resort.

One more thing to mention… One day we approached the lobby area and asked a staff member how we might hire a cab to take us into town to get some grocery items. A gentleman named William, (who was with Albert Tours) waiting to pick up a guest (who never showed), overheard the request. He jumped in and offered to drive us into town and wherever we wanted to go at no charge. He was so nice and gave us an abundance of information and took us to the grocery store. We even stopped at his family’s black pearl jewelry store where Ann later bought some black pearl earrings. He was such a genuinely nice and generous guy!!

Moorea Paradise is all that! I would highly recommend this destination to all of my clients who may be planning a honeymoon.

Equipment used: Canon 5D Mark II with a 24/70 2.8 lens and a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod.

Copyright 2013 Larry Huffman Photography. All rights reserved.