Tahiti and Australia trip report 2014
Trip arrangements - I tried to book a Trafalgar Tour of Australia through my usual travel agency (AffordableTours.com) , but they could not confirm the only tour that I wanted, did not have a quote for the internal air fares, and really could not handle a stop in Tahiti to my satisfaction. So I ended up booking through Pacific Holidays. They did an outstanding job with the Tahiti part and a pretty good job on the Australia part. I have been to Australia before, so I did not need a lot of help for that. The only big surprise was having to pay a $128 US baggage charge for two bags by Virgin Australia. They said our ticket was for only carryon bags. I was not happy about that.

Money and Prices - I used the local currency for smaller items, US dollars (once), and a credit card most of the time. I found an ATM in the airport and one in town on Bora Bora, but there were not many ATMS. I had read lots of comments that prices were high in Tahiti. Drinks were expensive, but I did not find the prices excessive. A main dish might cost $30 but that includes taxes and they do not tip in Tahiti, so you have to take that in consideration. I advised my credit card I was going to Tahiti. That worked well, but I did get a fraud alert when I made two charges for pearls at Baldinis about 30 minutes apart. I just texted back that the charges were valid.

Internet - Every hotel we stayed at had wireless internet. Sometimes it was only available in the restaurant or lobby, and at Maitai in Bora Bora we had to pay $10 for each account. We found receiving email to be quick. Sending was slow.

Mar 11 - Our trip was booked through Pacific Holidays using Air Tahiti Nui starting from LAX. To break up the flight, I booked round trip via Southwest and spent the day before the trip and the day back at the Holiday Inn Express at the LAX airport. That worked pretty well. We got to LAX from BWI in time to have dinner with a friend in West Hollywood.

Mar 12 - The flight from LAX was not until 11:25 pm, so we rented a car and toured Hollywood, had lunch on the Santa Monica Pier, and visited Venice Beach.

Mar 13 - We got into Papeete at 5:00 am and were booked on a Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora at 7:45. It was a little confusing, but a representative from Paradise Tours was very helpful in getting us checked in. Paradise Tours were not supposed to help us until later in the trip, not here, but the help was greatly appreciated. We had to pay Air Tahiti an extra $70 baggage charge that covered our three inter-island flights. It was cheaper to pay for all the flights at once. It was not clear what to do when we got to Bora Bora, but everyone was very helpful and pointed us the way to the boat that would take us to the mainland. From there a shuttle was ready to take us to le Maitai Hotel. We were hungry, but go there just a little too late for the breakfast which ended at 10 am. The food was good at the hotel restaurant, but nothing special. While most of the staff spoke English, my wife's first language is French and she was better able to connect with the people when speaking French. By the time we got to the desk to book a circle island tour, they had already left. However, one of the women at the desk was able to hook us up with a 4x4 Vantu tour that we joined in progress. Tamara was our tour guide and she did an outstanding job showing us the island. I highly recommend using them.

Later in the afternoon, I did some snorkeling from our Over Water Bungalow (OWB). The water was quite shallow (2-3 feet) so we could see and feed the fish right from our lanai or climb into the water from our platform. I snorkeled out to deeper water, but the sun was going down so I could not see too much. While I did that, my wife saw a ray glide right past our OWB. I would recommend the Maitai Hotel. It is not as fancy as the Intercontinental, but the staff was really helpful and the OWBs seemed better placed than the ones we saw at the Intercontinental. It is also on the main island if you want to go into town. It also has a small beach but it was too rainy for us to use that. We paid $200 per night to upgrade to the OWB with the travel agent, but people we met who had just booked a garden unit where offer an upgrade for only $100 per night. You might not get that in high season, but this was low season, so the hotel was not full.

Mar 14 - In between the rain, we were able snorkel from our OWB in the morning. After watching the heavy rain from our OWB, we took a short walk to a pizza - crepes place for lunch. It was well worth the price of about $10-15. We then took the hotel shuttle into town to look for Black Pearls. There were three pearl shops right next to each other, so we were able to compare prices and try to match items. For our anniversary in October I told my wife her present would be black pearls. She went back and forth between the three stores and got a ring and earrings at Baldinis and a necklace nest door at Bora Bora Pearl Selection. The staff at both stores were really helpful. We did this while dodging heavy rains and got back for the 4:00 shuttle. That night we had the desk arrange a dinner reservation and pick up at the famous Bloody Mary's Restaurant. This was the first restaurant in Bora Bora established in 1979. The food was very good but expensive. They actually show you the available raw fish and meat, and you pick your dinner before you even get to your table.

Mar 15 - More rain. We could not do a snorkeling excursion, so we took a 10 minute walk to the Intercontinental Hotel. Right next to that hotel is the Matira Beach. It is supposed to be the best public beach in Bora Bora. It was cloudy and windy, so no one was on the beach. On the way back we stopped at The Lucky House Fare Manuia restaurant. It is on the main street just to the left of the road that leads back to the Intercontinental Hotel. Another good restaurant that was cheaper than the hotel. Later we bought some French food at the grocery store near the Maitai. That night we walked back to the Intercontinental Hotel for a buffet dinner and Tahitian dance show. Due to the off season schedule, that was the only show we were able to see during our six nights in Tahiti. Half way back to the hotel it started to rain heavy, so we got soaked as there was no place to get out of the rain until we got back to the Maitai. But it was a warm rain.

Mar 16 - It was Sunday, so all the stores were closed. More rain, but it was time to leave Bora Bora. Took the hotel shuttle to town, then the boat to the airport. Arrived in Moorea at 1:20 pm and took the shuttle to the Intercontinental Moorea. The person that met us at the airport arranged for a 4x4 tour for the next day. It was late, but we were able to get a lunch at the hotel restaurant. We had time to tour the grounds and watch the dolphins in their pens. Josiane at the Concierge was really helpful in setting up restaurants and activities for us. That night she suggested the Mayflower restaurant. The food was very good but we had to pay for the taxi ride.

Mar 17 - Our driver picked us up at 8:45 am for our half-day Safari 4x4 island tour by Torea Nui Transports. We took some really steep and difficult roads to Magic Mountain and Belvedere. I was the only non-French speaking person in the group, but it did not matter as the driver hardly said anything. I liked the destinations, but it seems like the driver was learning the roads and he was not a guide at all. At least it did not rain. In the afternoon, the sun finally came out and we spent a few hours at the beach at the Hotel. That night Josiane suggested the Coco d'Isle restaurant. This time the ride was free, the prices were less expensive, and it was the best food we had on the entire trip.

Mar 18 - Our pick up time for the flight to Papeete was 2:00pm and the weather was good, so Josiane set us up with a excursion with 3 other people to swim with the sharks and rays at 10:00. You just stand in about 4 feet of water and feed to sting rays and toss food to the sharks. I was holding a piece of food up to toss when a sea gull came from behind and took it right out of my hand. We later stopped at a motu and then three of us snorkeled in channel. That was a nice excursion, and we still had time to sit on the beach before using a transit room to shower and change for our flight to Papeete. Short flight got us to the Intercontinental Hotel Papeete at 4:30pm. We just had time to tour the grounds and have dinner.

On to Australia