French overseas islands that are known to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Located very remotely in the Pacific Ocean. Bora Bora is probably the name you have heard of as being a dream honeymoon destination. And yes, it has been a long dream of mine to visit too. However, there is much more to French Polynesia than just Bora Bora (even thought, from islands I visited, yes, it is the most beautiful one). There are actually many islands you can explore, to be specific - 121. We chose to visit Moorea and Bora Bora.
Why French Polynesia? Great beaches, diving, hiking.
Top Things to see - Bora Bora and Moorea islands.
Best time to visit - June to August is dry season, however for cheaper prices December to February are good months.
Safety - Safe.
Costs - Expensive.
The official language in French Polynesia is French, however, English is also widely spoken. Interestingly, there are many local Polynesian languages also used in the islands, however none of them are the official languages.
Local currency is CFP Franc that has fixed exchange rate with EUR. USD and EUR are also accepted in some places. We used ATMs to withdraw cash (they are widely available in the islands and also at the Tahiti PPT airport. The currency exchange place in Tahiti airport charged EUR 7 in addition to currency exchange rate so this is something to bare in mind. Credit cards are also widely accepted.
French Polynesia has the typical tropical climate consisting of dry and wet season. December to February being the rainy season with the most humidity and June to August being the dry season which is also high tourism season due to more bearable weather conditions. All year round temperatures are around +30C, however this heat is more bearable during dry season. We visited Bora Bora end of March which is a shoulder season and considerably cheaper than the high season. Even though it did rain every other day, it was mostly for an hour or two and I did not feel like the rain impacted our time in French Polynesia.
The islands are very developed, clean and modern. In most places, drinking tap water is also safe, but check with your local hotel.
HOW TO GET THERE
To get to French Polynesia you will need to firstly arrive at the only international airport Tahiti Faa'a (PPT) that is connected with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tokyo. Some airports are only served seasonally. We flew to Tahiti with Delta from Los Angeles (LAX) and the flight was 8.5 hrs.
Tahiti is the main island in French Polynesia and main hub to get to other, smaller islands such as Moorea or Bora Bora. You can either take a ferry or hop on one of short flights. Most people only spend a layover night at Tahiti, however there are many things to see from volcanic beaches to waterfalls. We only stayed in Tahiti one night after long haul flight as we only had a week and wanted to get to smaller islands.
FLY
There are two local airlines that serve French Polynesia - Air Tahiti and Air Moana, the latest being established only a few years ago. Moorea is only 15min flight away and is 7th shortest flight in the world. You can actually see from Moorea plane taking off and landing in Tahiti - that is how close both airports are. Bora Bora is 50min flight away from Tahiti/Moorea. I flew from Moorea to Bora Bora with Air Moana (MOZ-BOB) and back from Bora Bora to Tahiti (BOB-PPT) with Air Tahiti. Once you arrive in Bora Bora both airlines have free ferries to the main island (Vaitape) that takes about 15min. Air Moana had much smaller boat and it felt more ‘private’, whilst Air Tahiti had a large ferry. In order to get back to the airport, you will need to take the same ferry from Vaitape. Both ferries are free of charge. It is recommended to take a ferry 1h30min before your departure time. Bora Bora (BOB) airport is tiny - it has 2 gates, so no need to worry about long queues. Flight prices are relatively similar, Air Tahiti being marginally more expensive. Ticket prices also do not change much whether you book them in advance or last minute. On average, ticket price one way between islands is £150 and includes check-in bag. Both airlines also serve a complimentary snack and a drink. When you fly to Bora Bora, it is recommended to sit on the left side when flying to the island and right side departing.
Air Moana
Airline only owns 2 airplanes - ATR-72. I found Air Moana to be much nicer and newer than Air Tahiti. Seat allocation is prior to the flight at the check in desk.
Air Tahiti
Also operating ATR-72 propeller aircraft, I found Air Tahiti to be much older. There is no seat allocation, so as you board you can chose wherever you like to sit.
FERRY
There are two companies operating ferry services between Tahiti and Moora/Bora Bora - Terevau and Aremiti. Ferry between Tahiti and Moorea is only 30min and costs £20 - you can prebook tickets online or buy them at the port. We got tickets on the day, an hour before departure (12:30). Terevau ferry was broken at the time so we took Aremiti. Recommended to sit on the left side to see views of Moorea. Ferry to Bora Bora is around 7-8 hours.
Ferry port in Tahiti is about 15min taxi ride away from the airport. We stayed at ‘Kon Tiki Cabins’ that were opposite to the ferry port for the convenience. Taxi cost £15 between the airport and ferry port.
COSTS
You might have heard that French Polynesia is expensive. And yes, it is true - being so remote from everything, majority of the things have to be imported. However, it is doable on a ‘budget' and I will tell you how. But first, let’s talk about costs in French Polynesia.
ACCOMODATION
From the three islands we visited, Tahiti is the cheapest and Bora Bora the most expensive one. Accommodation costs vary on what you are looking for. We stayed in a cabin in Tahiti that I found to be very good and for one night perfect - costing £80/night. In Moorea we opted for self-catering 3* hotels with kitchen costing around £120/night. The downside was that neither of those hotels had a pool or direct beach access, however by having our own kitchen we saved a lot on food costs. In Bora Bora it is similar situation to Moorea - you can stay in self-catering accommodation that will not have beach access, but may have a pool or opt for a more pricey option - a hotel. In Bora Bora you have the main island that has only 3 hotels (with direct beach access) and offer packages with free breakfast - Intercontinental, Royal Bora Bora and Maitai Bora Bora. We stayed at Royal Bora Bora for around £220/night. To get the ‘famous' view of the main island, you will need to stay on one of the Motu’s (small islands around main Bora Bora island). There are only a handful of hotels on those Motus such as Intercontinental, Four Seasons and St. Regis. They all are expensive! Very expensive. Prices start from around £1000 per night for a standard garden bungalow without meals included. You can get a day pass in those hotels emailing them 3 days in advance, however when we went there they were all fully booked and declined a day pass that would have cost around £150-190 including lunch.
FOOD
Food is not cheap in French Polynesia. A meal in a restaurant will cost you from £30 above. However, if you opt for a self-catering accommodation you can buy groceries in a local supermarket. But even then, it is not very cheap. 1kg of rice costs around £4, paprika £4, 6 eggs £4. Nevertheless, you will save by cooking some meals yourself vs eating out. We only had 2 meals out during the whole trip - breakfast in Tahiti costing £20 per person and lunch in Bora Bora for £25 each per burger/sandwich.
TRANSPORT
The cheapest way around is to rent a scooter. There are local buses, however I did not see many and I am not sure of the frequency or routes. Alternatively, you can hire a car. Scooter costs around £50/day and car £100/day in Moorea. In Bora Bora scooter price was £50 per 4 hours. Taxis are very expensive. As mentioned earlier, 15min taxi ride in Tahiti cost £20. In Bora Bora it was similar - from the ferry port to our hotel it was around £25 for 15min journey in a private hotel shuttle.
In Moorea, there are local buses waiting at the ferry port terminal that cost only £3 per person and goes both directions. They look like school buses.
HOW TO SAVE ON COSTS?
Stay in a self-catering accommodation
Cook meals yourself
Use ferries instead of flights to travel between islands
Use public transport on islands instead of taxi
Rent a scooter/car to see the islands
Stay on mainland in Bora Bora and book a day pass in one of the expensive hotels or chose a boat/snorkelling/diving tour to admire beautiful views of Mt.Otemanu
MOOREA
Moorea is a sister island to Tahiti located only 30min ferry ride away. We stayed there 3 nights and explored island by scooter.
THINGS TO SEE
Much smaller than Tahiti, sister island Moorea is very scenic and much cheaper than Bora Bora. The best way to see the island is by renting a scooter or a car. There is pretty much just one road going around the island and is 65km long. It will take no more than 2 hours by scooter to drive around the island. Road is well paved and max speed limit is 65km/h. The only other place you can visit by driving is Belvedere outlook - overlooking Cook's and Oponohu Bay - two symmetrical bays creating the shape of the heart. Cook’s Bay is known to be one of the most scenic places on the island and, yes, I can say it definitely is. The other area I found to be scenic was Tamae Beach near the airport. You can go hiking to Mount Rotui, opt for snorkelling, diving or kayaking. If you do not want to hire a scooter or a car to see the island, you can also book a Quad/ATV/Jeep tour. The opportunities are out there or you can also have a relaxing time by the beach admiring the beauty of this volcanic mountainous island with white sand beaches.
There are a few international hotel brands such as Hilton and Sofitel having presence there, however we opted to stay in self catering accommodation. Pros - they are much more affordable and we could cook our own meals, cons - none of them had pool or direct beach access. We stayed 2 nights near Cook's Bay and a night near Tamae Beach close to the airport. Unfortunately, the closest public beach to Cook's Bay is 20min away with the scooter called ‘Taahia Manu Beach’. I personally much preferred our second stay near the airport as we could walk to Tamae Beach within 10min and I found it to be the most scenic beach on the island. Do not be put off by staying by the airport - it is not one of your busy international airports that will have aircraft noise all day long. It is so small and has around 5 flights per day.
BORA BORA
After 3 days in Moorea, we finally arrived in this paradise island - Bora Bora, located 260km away from Tahiti. I have dreamt about visiting this beautiful island for a very long time and even though I travel a lot, I could not believe I am seeing it, when I first had a glimpse from the airplane window to this beautiful island. What makes it so beautiful to me is combination of things I absolutely love - mountains, jungle feel, palm trees, clear blue water and white sand beaches. Yes, hotel water bungalows add this luxury feel to the island but is definitely not the reason I wanted to visit this island.
As you will arrive in Bora Bora whether by Air Moana or Air Tahiti, you can use free ferry to the main island and capital Vaitape. We were not asked for an airplane ticket, but also there is nothing else on the island where the airport is located so everyone would have arrived there by the air. If you are staying in one of the luxury hotels on the private island called ‘motu' you will have your own private transfer. Interestingly, Bora Bora airport is ex USA air military base.
THINGS TO DO
For a small island that Bora Bora is, there are plenty of activities you can do. Again, same as in Moorea, there is one road going around the island and you can rent a scooter, car or a bike to get around 32km road - so half of the size of Moorea. We were planning to rent a scooter but ended up not doing so. Cycling would be something I would definitely loved to do, however we visited Bora Bora in the shoulder season so the climate was pretty challenging for any physical activities. Same goes for hiking - you can do many hikes in Bora Bora including hiking steep Mount Otemanu (727m), but I felt the heat and humidity would have made it very challenging. There is also quite a bit of World War II history to be found on the island, if that is what interests you. USA chose Bora Bora as their South Pacific Military Base.
Very popular activities similar to Moorea are water activities from snorkelling and diving to jet skiing and sunset boat sails. French Polynesia has one of the world’s clearest waters and best snorkelling/diving opportunities. We went snorkelling and I was able to swim with the close proximity to sting rays and black tip reef sharks, which was memorable experience. A tiny bit scary though. Reef sharks are known to not be dangerous but I still felt a little bit uneasy. We also went to a place where manta rays are present and after some time of searching for them we saw one deep in the South Pacific Ocean. It was probably highlight of my day. During the snorkelling tour we also had lunch on Thalasso motu (where the Intercontinental hotel is located) and were able to admire beautiful views of Mt. Otemanu. Snorkelling tour costs £130 per person with lunch and we were conveniently picked up from the beach in our hotel. My partner also went diving that cost £200 for 2 dives.
The most beautiful beach in mainland Bora Bora is ‘Matira beach’. Our guide on snorkelling tour told us why it is the most beautiful beach? Because it is the only public beach. A little bit of humour here.
Another interesting thing we came across was abandoned Sofitel that closed during Covid 2020. Our hotel was located next to it and from the distance it looked like operating hotel. It was sad seeing those water bungalows completely abandoned. We saw many local children and teenager spending time in the hotel territory. I wonder if someone will ever renovate those bungalows.
Here is our itinerary for a week in French Polynesia
DAY 1 - Landed in Tahiti and had a relaxing evening
DAY 2 - Took Aremiti ferry from Tahiti to Moorea. Relaxing day on the island
DAY 3 - Rented a scooter and explored the island - Cook’s and Oponohu Bay, Belvedere outlook. Relaxing time at ‘Taahia Manu Beach’
DAY 4 - Moved to a bungalow near Tamae Beach and had relaxing time chilling by the beach
DAY 5 - Took a midday flight from Moorea to Bora Bora. Had relaxing afternoon by the beach
DAY 6 - My partner went diving and I had a relaxing day by the beach
DAY 7 - Full day snorkelling tour, swimming with rays, manta rays and reef sharks
DAY 8 - Flew back to Tahiti and LA in the evening
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