The Gem of the South Pacific
Happy New Year everyone! Since I am now back and settled into real life again (ugh!) I figured it was time to let everyone know how our holiday trip to French Polynesia was! Let me start by saying that French Polynesia is absolutely amazing. There is no shortage of luxurious resorts to stay in, staffed by wonderful people and surrounded by incredible scenery. Given the chance, I would return in a heartbeat.
After spending two nights in LA, Michael and I boarded our Air France flight to Papeete, the main city in Tahiti and the only international airport in French Polynesia. Once we landed there, we boarded our inter-island flight to the island of Raiatea, via Air Tahiti. Initially, I was terrified at the idea of taking a small, propeller plane over the ocean, but it was very safe feeling and incredibly smooth. We landed in Raiatea in about an hour and a half, and then boarded our 40 minute boat ride to paradise...
Once we arrived at Le Taha'a, we knew we had found paradise. Le Taha'a is a private island resort situated on a little motu off of the island of Taha'a. Since Taha'a is not accessible by plane, it's only populated by local people, most of which work at the resort or on the pearl farms and vanilla plantations. The resort is incredible secluded, so you really feel as though you're on an abandoned island that just happens to host a luxurious resort. Le Taha'a is owned by Relais & Chateaux, so we knew the service was going to be top notch--we we're not wrong.
We were promptly escorted to our over-water bungalow and could not stop gazing at the turquoise water that surrounded you everywhere you looked. The rooms are very spacious and the decks are even bigger! That was one major thing that I researched a lot on before we booked: the size of the outdoor space. Given the weather and the atmosphere, you're going to be spending a lot of time outside and you want to be comfortable.
The resort has one main pool next to the lunch restaurant/bar, and one main restaurant above the lobby. Everything at the resort is open-air, aside from your room, so don't count on AC being available.
The resort supplied kayaks, paddle-boards, snorkeling equipment, jet skis, etc. to keep you entertained. They also house the famous Coral Garden, which is very well known throughout French Polynesia. It's a section of the reef right off of the resort that has a very strong current--strong enough to just carry you down as you snorkel. My husband is definitely more of the snorkeler, but I did enjoy seeing all of the fish--and there were tons!
Breakfast and dinner were both served in Le Vanile, the main restaurant above the lobby. This would probably be my only "complaint" about this place--the lack of variety. I'm a pretty picky eater, so I would have liked more options. However, the food was by no means bad and it was kind of nice to not have to worry about choosing a restaurant or making reservations. We were there during New Years, so the resort put on a fantastic buffet with a fire show and fireworks display. This was just one of the many ways in which you could see top-tier service.
One thing that is a definite must is the canoe breakfast--this is literally what it sounds like. Someone from the resort paddles up to the back of your bungalow in a canoe, delivering your breakfast! It sounds kind of cheesy, but it's really cool and a fun experience. It's something you can really only do in a place like this, so I would highly recommend it.
After seven glorious nights at Le Taha'a, we said goodbye to our new friends and those amazing sunsets. Because of the flight schedules, we had to stay in Papeete for two nights before heading back to the U.S.
We spent our two nights at the Le Meridien, mainly because of our SPG status. The resort was perfectly fine, but it felt way more congested and a lot less tranquil than Le Taha'a--as to be expected. was excited to experience another part of French Polynesia, but my expectations were low after coming from such an amazing place.
The city of Papeete is just that: a city. It was way more congested than I expected, but overall, not too bad. I don't know that I would be dying to spend time there again, but it was a worthwhile experience. One must while in Papeete is to spend a morning at the marche. Every morning the marche opens up and local people flood in to sell their produce, meats, touristy trinkets, and tons of other little goodies. It's vastly different from any other farmers market in the U.S., so it's definitely worth a stroll.
For our flight back from LA, Michael and I decided to splurge a little and try JetBlue Mint Class--boy, was this awesome. We've flown business class in many airlines before, so we were excited to see how this stacked up. We've been JetBlue fans for a long time, so when they rolled out Mint, my 6'5'' husband was tickled pink. Once you board, you're handed a signature beverage, which is absolutely amazing. I specifically chose seats 2A and 2F for us, since they're the suite seats--see pictures below. This would allow Michael to have the most space possible, and me to not hear his snoring--ha! I forced myself to stay awake on the red-eye so I could try and food, and I'm glad I did. It was not only plentiful, but delicious--probably some of the best airline food I've had. It was such an enjoyable experience that I was disappointed when the pilot said our flight was arriving to Boston early.
Overall, this entire trip was a dream. Everything we experienced was top notch and absolutely incredible. If it was not for my adorable lab puppy waiting for me at home, I may have stayed forever...