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