The South Pacific…clear blue water…idyllic weather (usually)…it all adds up to one of the top bucket list destinations on the planet.  It certainly won’t disappoint for any life event – honeymoon, anniversary, milestone birthday – or just to mark it off the travel must-sees, French Polynesia (aka Tahiti) will provide life-long memories amid a picture postcard setting.

Getting to Tahiti (if starting from America) can be an adventure in and of itself, especially if not starting from the U.S. west coast.  Air Tahiti Nui offers daily flights from Los Angeles while United (departing from San Francisco) and Air France (LAX) fly 3-4 times a week.  There are also flights available from Hawaii which is a bit out of the way.  Flights from the mainland U.S. are around 8+ hours so if you need to get to the west coast first, you have a full day of flying ahead of you!

The international airport is located in Papeete, which is on the main island (called Tahiti).  It’s a relatively small airport, even with the wide bodies making daily stops, so customs can take a while to get through.  While there are nice resorts on Tahiti outside of Papeete, most visitors immediately connect to Bora Bora (BB for short going forward), Moorea, or other smaller islands in the FP archipelago.

Moorea is the second most popular outer island (behind BB) and can be reached by a 20 minute flight or 45 minute high-speed ferry (less expensive) from Papeete.  It has several “water bungalow” and traditional resort options to choose from similar to the “go-to” island of Bora Bora; however, the huts all extend off of the main island, versus an atoll.  There are several resorts available, almost all on the north side of the island, and a couple are close to towns providing other dining and shopping options away from the hotel.

When we travel, we like to choose accommodations where we can walk to other goings-on if possible (or a short drive if we have a car) so we can explore, gain experiences away from our resort, and enjoy the local culture.  If you prefer to stay at your hotel (perhaps on an all-inclusive plan) to unwind and enjoy the pool/beach, Moorea has great resorts, and most have more than one dining option.  Golf is also available on the island.  There are water-based excursions available although I suggest waiting for Bora Bora unless you are visiting primarily for diving or snorkeling.

High-end resorts including the Sofitel, Intercontinental, Hilton, Manava, and others all feature the popular water bungalow rooms in addition to cottages and rooms on land.

We stayed at what is now the Hotel Manava Beach Resort (formerly the Moorea Pearl Resort) which has water bungalows directly over a reef (great snorkeling) with beautiful views from the room of the waves crashing on the outer barrier reef, awesome sunsets, and the occasional local(s) passing by on their outrigger canoe.  Beneath the coffee table was also a glass window to see the reef under the hut. We could jump off our back deck and land right next to hundreds of tropical fish gathering around the reef and shade of the huts.  The small town of Maharepa is a five minute walk away and has a few restaurants, a grocery store, ATMs, and shopping.  A few local restaurants will also provide free transportation if a reservation is made.

While the water is clear (depending on where you stay, better marine life views and snorkeling may exist directly from your bungalow in Moorea as it has more natural coral reefs at resorts than BB), all bets are off if it rains.  If a storm hits, and they pop up in the tropical islands during the rainy season, all of the rain comes down the island hills to the ocean and may run off right into the hotel area.  There is no storm drainage system!  This will cloud the water (and bring down debris with it from the hillside) which usually takes a few hours to clear, so be ready to enjoy the pool!  But the tide will eventually flush it out, and the pristine clear waters return to normal after a while.  Don’t mean to scare you off from Moorea, especially if it’s not the rainy season, as it is a beautiful island with peaceful sunsets and mountain views. Check out these sunset pics!

Half hour flights are available to Bora Bora from Moorea (or 45 minutes from Papeete) providing access to one of the top islands in the world!  Try to sit on the left-hand side of the plane for great views of the island and atoll as you approach.  Upon arrival and luggage retrieval, a boat from your booked resort (every top resort will be there) will take you to the property. There are no roads connecting the airport to the main island.

Most of the 5-star resorts are located on the atoll with great views of the crystal-clear lagoon and island, and specifically Mt. Otemanu.  The Four Seasons, St. Regis, Intercontinental Thalasso, Le Meridien, and others are found here and are fairly close to the airport.  As the atoll is not connected to the mainland, boat transfers are required to cross the lagoon.  There are also a couple of high-end resorts on the other side of the island, the Le Bora Bora and the Conrad BB Nui. All offer water bungalows over the postcard lagoon or surrounding waters although there are few reefs on the properties (especially in the lagoon) so you’re primarily looking at the white sand bottom under or close to your huts.  Nothing wrong with that though as it’s one of the clearest water views in the world.  You can see a ray approaching from a hundred feet plus away!

Excursions abound for those wishing to leave their resort looking for things to do and a little adventure.  Snorkeling with hundreds of tropical fish, diving, swimming with rays and sharks (black-tips or reef which are harmless, although they are still sharks!), and other options are available.  Since the waters within the atoll are relatively shallow and visibility is unbelievable, the marine life is easily seen at the reefs close by.  The tour guides also know where the groups of rays and sharks are located for a brief snorkel.

There are a couple of high-end resorts connected to the mainland – the InterContinental Le Moana and the Sofitel Marara Beach.  We stayed at the former which provided direct walkable access to other restaurants close by plus a grocery store.  It too offered water bungalows although we opted for a beachfront villa on a gorgeous white sand beach.  Again, if you’re visiting BB for a once-in-a-lifetime event like a honeymoon for instance, I suggest staying out at one of the atoll resorts but if you’d like easier access to the island, consider one of the two locations mentioned previously.  Tip – the Sofitel also has a second rooming option: a private island (with water bungalows there too) with great snorkeling on the other side from the resort.  It’s where the paid excursions go so guests staying there might be able to snorkel without booking a tour!

Bonus Tip - if you are able to visit the world-famous Bloody Mary’s for lunch/dinner on the mainland, do it!  Tables are located on a sandy floor with an awesome atmosphere, great food, and local drinks. They offer a shuttle around the island. Perhaps a little touristy but one of those places you have to see if you make the trip.