Getting to Tahiti isn’t really all that much different than getting to Hawaii. It’s an 8 hour flight from LAX (vs. 5 hours to Hawaii) and the best option is probably the red-eye on Air France. We sprung for Air France’s version of premium economy seats. First class is about 3x more expensive and since you sleep most of the way (pack your Ambient), there isn’t a huge difference in experience. Certainly not worth $4,000.
Once we got to the main island, it’s just a short taxi to the ferry terminal and a ride to Moorea. We’d read a few other blogs and most people said not to bother booking a seat on the ferry ahead of time. We tried to book online a few days before, but couldn’t register with on the ferry’s online portal. Turns out the blogs were right. Plenty of seats, no hassle, easy process overall. We did book a ride service to the hotel ahead of time, which was important, given the size of our group (4) and the quantity of luggage (6 large bags), which included one bag dedicated to snorkel/scuba gear and one bag for wine (www.thewinecheck.com).
The first leg of our adventure is the island of Moorea, less than 10 miles from the main island of Tahiti. Moorea’s got a laid back vibe with plenty to do and without the extra price point for Bora Bora. This is our second visit, so we also had a pretty good lay of the land. Another treat for us on this trip is the over-the-water bungalow. There are only a few places where this is really a thing and Tahiti is definitely one of them. The Sofitel (where we are staying) has bungalows right over the reef, which allows for super easy access to snorkeling. Our group is all avid snorkelers, so this was worth the extra surcharge, for sure. It helped that we’d been here before and knew exactly what to ask for.
Our only complaint about the hotel is the late(ish) check in. By taking the red-eye (which is common) and the early ferry, you get to the hotel by 9:00am. Rooms aren’t ready until 2:00pm, so there is a lot of time to kill. Not sure how cleaning might be grouped or prioritized, but the 5 hours seemed longer, given that we had been on a plane and/or in transit for the better part of a day. Either way, a small price to pay for a great room: reef access, large room and bed, lounge deck, rain shower, the works.
After a day at the pool, we were ready for a shower and a nice dinner. Our favorite place on the island is Moorea Beach Cafe. Perfect location for sunset, amazing food and wine list, friendly staff and the owner, Bruno Jamais, is a the best. We highly recommend MCB to anyone visiting Moorea. It’s a can’t miss! (mooreabeachcafe.com).
After dinner we are running on fumes. Too little sleep on the red-eye and too many drinks by the pool equals and early night. Ready to crash, sleep in and enjoy our first full day in the morning!