Tahiti Travel Journal

I've been very fortunate to have been able to travel to the islands of French Polynesia three times now. I can't even begin to explain what this means to me. Growing up in the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area, all I ever dreamed about was visiting little tropical islands in faraway places. Plotting a move to a remote Pacific island was all I ever thought about. As a teen, my bedroom walls were not covered with images of pop stars but with magazine cut-outs of Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia, Samoa, Bali, and the Cook Islands. As soon as I could, I left California and moved to Maui. Soon after that, I slowly starting checking these faraway places off my list.

Let me introduce you to Moorea...

Tahiti Travel Tips!

How do we get there?

Hawaiian Airlines via Honolulu ( only one flight a week on Saturdays ) Air Tahiti Nui also flies from the US Mainland. For inter-island transfers, we take the Aremiti Ferry out of Papeete ( to Moorea ). You can also take a quick flight from the Faa’a Airport on Tahiti Island to Moorea but we’ve never done this. Air Tahiti flies to all the out islands including the Tuamotus. 

Transportation on Moorea. We’ve always rented a car. A lot of people will think this is not needed, but we love the freedom a car provides. We have only rented a car on Moorea though ( not on Tahiti island ). We book our cars in advance though Avis which is located near the ferry docks on Moorea. Mopeds are also available, but many people strongly warn against them so I can’t recommend them. I have to say though, a lot of the potholes around Moorea have been filled over the years so a moped seems more viable in the future ( for us ). We are super comfortable on mopeds in Indonesia and Indo, the traffic is literally a thousand times worse than anything you’ll find in Tahiti. On tiny Bora Bora, a bike was all I needed. 

Where have we stayed?

Recently, we’ve stayed at Le Meridien on Tahiti Island and The Hotel Hibiscus on Moorea as well as multiple Airbnbs on Tahiti Island. I also stayed at the Novotel on Bora Bora back in 2005 but I do not believe they are open any longer.

Island Activities

I don't like doing any "planned" excursions on vacation. I don't know, that's just me. Maybe I've watched way too many tourists over the years on Maui jam-pack their vacations with too many planned and expensive excursions? 

When we go to Tahiti, we just bring a bunch of books, our snorkel sets, and our surfboards ( sometimes ). We use our surfboards to surf ( obviously ) and to get to the outer Motus ( small islands in the lagoon ) instead of using a boat. WARNING: I wouldn't recommend this to everyone. I dealt with some of the strongest currents ever in Tahiti, more than all my years of surfing and paddling in Hawaii. Please be comfortable and very familiar with the ocean before attempting something like this. Besides the strong currents there are sharks ( only saw some reef sharks about 4' to 6' but there were a lot of them ) big eels, HUGE barracudas, stonefish and fire coral, so be sure to be mindful of your surroundings. We also rented standup paddleboards a few times which can be a lot of fun if the currents aren’t too strong.

Dining

Okay, I have to admit, being plant-based is challenging in Tahiti. Unless you want to eat nothing but fruit ( which I should ) you’ll most likely have to make some adjustments at most restaurants. I seem to eat a lot of “heavy” food in Tahiti. Not my first choice since I’m living in a bikini down there, but you gotta do what you gotta do. And let’s be real, I’m on vacation. When I’m in Tahiti I eat tons of French baguettes, veggie pasta, and cheese-less, veggie pizzas. I try and order a salad with everything but they tend to be small and extremely simple ( usually just they’re just greens and oil + vinegar for dressing ). Like I’ve always preached, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with carbohydrates, but back home I tend to eat mostly whole, unprocessed carbs like sweet potatoes and quinoa with tons of greens and hardly any gluten. I’m not complaining because everything in Tahiti is usually delicious, but I can feel it after a week or two. Haha!

In the future, I think we will start staying in places with well-equipped kitchens instead. There are two, well-stocked grocery stores on Moorea where I can get fresh veggies, fruit, rice, potatoes, and my stand-by Asia condiments. I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of my weekly staples were cheaper on Moorea than back home on Maui!? This will not only save us a ton of money, but we’ll also feel a lot better too. 

Current Recommended Restaurants on Tahiti Island and Moorea

Les Tipaniers- spectacular view, great pasta, salads, and fish dishes. Went there almost every morning for coffee and baguettes. Serves breakfast and lunch.

Le Sunset - Wonderful pizzas and pasta. Serves breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Snack Mahana - Carlos thinks they serve the best Poisson Cru on the planet. Everything thing here looked wonderful. Not much for vegetarians/vegans though. I would usually just order a glass of rose and pick at Carlos’ fries. Prices were really good considering how big the portions were! Serves lunch and is cash only!

Le Mayflower- Some vegetarian options, Le Mayflower is famous for their Lobster Ravioli and decadent Profiteroles. Small and crowded. Reservations needed!! Serves lunch and dinner. $$$

Le Lizard Janue Cafe and Allo Pizza - We have not tried either one of these restaurants but they come highly recommended on Trip Advisor. Worth a try!

Le Carre - This is located at The Sofitel on Tahiti Island. This uber-romantic restaurant overlooks the lagoon and over-the-water bungalows. This was hands down the best dining experience of the entire trip. The menu is heavily Asian influenced and had some of the most incredible gourmet vegan dishes I have ever had. 

L’ Alpha B - Long story short, we got stuck in a gnarly rainstorm on our last day on our last trip to Tahiti. We were staying at an Airbnb in downtown Papeete and had a redeye flight out of town that night. We were having a lot of issues trying to get an airport pick-up from our hard to find an apartment, so we were getting pressed on what to do. The Alpha B ( bar and bistro ) was located just down the street from where we were staying and the owner and bartender were kind enough to call in our airport taxi and even let us store our luggage while we waited. The Alpha B serves typical French cuisine ( heavy on the cheese and charcuterie ) and the lively bistro seems to be extremely popular with locals for after-work drinks as well as late dinners. The staff was so sweet and threw together a veggie vegan pizza for me while my husband took full advantage of their warm, decadent triple creme cheeses and charcuterie boards.

Random Tips

Bring bug spray! Mosquitoes were a problem on all my trips down to French Polynesia. There was a Dengue Fever outbreak on Moorea, Tahiti, and Fakarava when we were there the second time. There is no medicine or shot you can get to prevent this Malaria like a virus so bug spray, coils, and mosquito nets are a must. I've found that screen doors and screened windows are very rare in French Polynesia.

Bring cash - We order about Polynesian Francs for petty cash before we leave Maui ( I had it delivered to my bank ). Many places don’t accept credit cards for purchases under $20. The ATMs on Moorea run out of money often, especially over the weekend and the exchange is always horrible at the ATMs. That being said, having a credit card with NO INTERNATIONAL fees is the best way to go for everything else. I found that I got the absolute best exchange rate this way ( close to the bank rates ).

No need to dress up.....Seriously. I knew this from the last 2 trips. I didn't bring any heels this last time and just paired my cotton maxi dresses ( brought 2 ) with flip flops and newly purchased Tahitian pearls for dinner. I kept make-up to an absolute minimum. Just mascara, bronzer and lip gloss. I didn't blow dry my hair once. Lucky for me, packing for this trip was super easy. Tahiti's climate is similar to Hawaii so my suitcase was full of the same things I wear at home. I brought 6 bikinis and used every item of clothing I brought. This was nice for a change.

Tahitian Pearls - Wow. Do some research before you go but the prices and quality of the Tahitian Pearl in Tahitian shops are like nothing I've seen before. The luster, size, and colors of these pearls are just off the charts.

French language - In case you didn't already figure this out, French Polynesia is very French. Like, you’re literally in France when you are in Tahiti. I am grateful that I was able to remember as much high school French as I did because it came in handy. Especially dining out as a vegan! English is widely spoken but not everywhere. Study up or bring a dictionary. LOL

Tahiti is very expensive ( duh ) - Yes, even compared to Maui. We know what we’re getting into before we book our trips so we always plan and save up for it. We knew we could have gone to Bali or Central America for a fraction of the price but, I have a serious weak spot for the islands of the South Pacific.

Māuruuru and Nānā!