Bora Bora and Moorea (1 Viewer)

[Maik Jeaunz]

I'm heading out to Bora Bora and Moorea in about a month for my honeymoon. (insert obligatory nomarriage.com reference here) we'll be spending half the time in each place.

for the people that have been there, are there any things that are absolutely "must see"? the trip itself isn't cheap, especially when adding in dinners, alcohol, and shopping, but I'm willing to pony up for some excursions that are top notch.

the only 2 things I know I want to do for sure so far are taking a jeep safari around Moorea, and getting a tattoo on Bora Bora. what else is a must?

 

[miphin]

On Bora Bora Bloody Mary's restaurant is a fun place to dine.

Also, I would encourage you to take the tours that most resorts seem to offer. i.e. shark and sting ray feeding, etc..

What resorts are you staying at?

On Moorea definitely visit the village that is setup for tourists. I forget what it is called...Tiki Village I think.

It is a village dedicated to the tradionals Tahitian way of living, you can purchase their local art, see the fire dances and enjoy some authentic Tahitian cooking, which is actually quite tasty.

Also, on Moorea if you scuba dive, there is a shart feeding dive with Philip Milleau (sp?) if he is still around that is top notch. He was one of the first divers to actively swim with sharks years ago. When I went 8 years ago, I swam with literally over 100 black tips and saw some lemon sharks too. Exciting stuff.

I just remembered one other item on Moorea...swimming with the dolphins at one of the hotels was fun, too.

For our trip Bora Bora it was more of a relaxing time, snorkelling around our bungalow, eating alot, casually touring of the island. Whereas, Moorea was more of checking out the touristy things to do.

Have fun and enjoy the experiences, I keep waiting for the day that I can go back!

 

[Balance]

Please give us an update when you get back.

I have assloads of Starwood points and looking at the Westin/Sheratons @ Bora Bora and Moorea, would be awesome if you can give a report on the area.

 

[-jb-]

I'm heading out to Bora Bora and Moorea in about a month for my honeymoon. (insert obligatory nomarriage.com reference here) we'll be spending half the time in each place.for the people that have been there, are there any things that are absolutely "must see"? the trip itself isn't cheap, especially when adding in dinners, alcohol, and shopping, but I'm willing to pony up for some excursions that are top notch.the only 2 things I know I want to do for sure so far are taking a jeep safari around Moorea, and getting a tattoo on Bora Bora. what else is a must?

Did the same trip for our Honeymoon. Which island are you going to first? We went to Moorea first...and glad we did. While beautiful, Moorea doesn't hold Bora Bora's jock. We're talking about going back, but only to Bora Bora this time. That's not to say Moorea isn't any good. It's incredible. It's just a testament to Bora Bora. BTW, you gotta do the overwater bungalow in Bora Bora. You can also do it in Moorea, but not the same experience (different waterscape, more rocky than sandy). We wound up getting a beachfront bungalow on Moorea with our own little beach and hammock.We did the jeep safari on both islands. Pretty cool vantage points. You also get to see "true" island life. The contrast of immense beauty and immense poverty is something else. Very cool to see the old turret guns and such from the war. You'll be forced to do the Tahitian Pearl tour. It's semi-interesting, but I was bored within a few minutes.FOOD - I was not a fan of any of the "luau" type events. Tahiti is not known for great food, generally-speaking, so a food-based event didn't bowl me over. There were a few gems, though. TIP - bring some snacks and some booze with you. You will get tired of eating pineapple and mango every effing day, and the snacks you know and love aren't very available. I do recommend the Poisson Cru (Tahitian salad) that is universally available there. Ahi, cocunut milk, lime juice, cucumber. Real good.MOOREALinareva - Was OK, a bit overpriced, but neat experience. Mayflower - Pretty good. Can't remember too much about it, though.BORA BORABloody Mary's - Outstanding. Owned by an ex-pat that has been there for like 30 years. Very cool guy, and great experience at the restaurant. There are seatings at two time slots each night (like 6:30 and 8:30). The owner brings you to a huge table filled with fish that was caught that day. What they serve can/will be different every night. You choose how it's prepared, which is the only constant (I recommend just saying chef's choice - he treats you right and you usually get something tasty and out of the ordinary).Kaina Hut - Very good, especially by Tahitian standards. Better than anything on Moorea...but not Bloody Mary's.ACTIVITIES - Watersports, watersports, watersports. Outside of doing the safari, there's not much going on landside. I'm a big diver, so did a lot of that (diveops: Moorea - Bathy's, BoraBora - TopDive).MOOREA- Snorkeling in "the lagoon." There's a little shack of a place on an island out there that has the Poisson Cru stuff...very tasty. - Shark feeding. Little black tips. Kinda cool.- "Snuba." - if you don't dive, this is fun. they give you a Jacques Cousteau helmet (weigh about 50lbs) and you can walk around at the bottom the lagoon. tons of fish.BORA BORA- Sting Ray feeding - stingers removed so no Croc Hunter incidents.- Sunset cruise- Hang out at Matira beach, catch sunset.Other than that, you'll be doing a lot of humping, eating, drinking, and nothing. there are a few "nightlife" spots, but we honestly didn't even bother. We met a few couples that we wound up hanging out with and drinking with on occasion. Congratulations...you're in for an amazing experience. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[T Bell]

Crazy timing. I was just reading about Bora Bora on Wiki last night to pass the time. That place looks beautiful.

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

thanks for all the recommendations, guys. this is what I was looking for. here are a few more details...

going to Moorea first, then BB. we looked into staying at the Sheraton Moorea and Bora Bora Nui (both Starwood), but in the end chose to stay at the Pearl resorts because we got a little better deal. plus, our bungalow at the Moorea Pearl has a private pool. at the BB Pearl, I went ahead and splurged for the best overwater bungalow available; staying in an overwater bungalow is one of the main reasons I chose this as the honeymoon spot in the first place.

the safaris, tiki village, and spas all sound cool, so we'll check those out. I'm a little wary of the shark and ray feeding stuff. first of all, the whole Croc Hunter deal. second, the only thing that I am afraid of ON THIS PLANET is sharks. if I do man up and jump in the water with sharks, I will most likely be peeing myself the whole time. hopefully sharks don't like pee.

daily breakfast is included in our deal, so that's a positive. I've read some stuff about stocking up at the local grocery stores for lunches and alcohol, so I'll probably do that. and I've heard that the local restaurants are usually cheaper than the resort restaurants, so we'll probably explore a bit for dinner. we'll have to give Bloody Mary's a shot.

I'm just really looking forward to relaxing, drinking myself stupid, having lots of crazy sex, and then rolling off the deck into the water. I already know it will be the trip of a lifetime.

 

[flapgreen]

I have to go to this place one day.

 

[Lehigh98]

Was there for my honeymoon in October of 2002 so would think my info is out of date.

We stayed at the Sofitels on both Moorea and Bora Bora in overwater bungalows.

(Sofitel Motu was awesome, a tiny island just off of Bora Bora, super secluded)

Things I didn't see mentioned yet were the juice factory (on Moorea I think) with free shots.

There was a cool little restaurant in an old marooned boat calle Le Beatex or something (again Moorea I think).

Also, we have a good dinner at Top Dive's restaurant as well (BB I think)

Bloody Mary's is great.

At the luau we went to the food wasn't good and there were roaches crawling around.

The show was fun so may be worth trying for the experience (eat first) but I won't be going back.

I got a lot of info from this forum specific to Tahiti, check it out...

Tahiti Travel Forum

 

[The Doctor]

dam big money up in here

 

[Momohater]

Did our honeymoon on Moorea back in 2003 with an overwater bungalow after a week in Tahoe skiing , was absolutely fantastic. Will likely go back in the future, but I was inclined to try Bora Bora for the reasons mentioned. There isn't much to do other than what is covered above. We rented a dune buggy thing to drive around the island instead of a jeep, it was cool. There is really only 1 road that runs around the whole island and it has the water on one side and the mountain on the other, just absolutely beautiful. We got a few staples from the local grocery store, figured out breakfast was cheaper to get at the hotel out at the bar near the bungalows vs. the restaurant and that dinner was cheaper out on the island vs. the hotel. I think all the local eateries pick up for dinner and drop off, just be sure to tip. I think beers at the local "Mexican" restaurant were cheaper on one night a week. Expect to pay a lot for food and booze and you'll be fine. It is absolutely the best vacation I ever have been on, and I have traveled about everywhere.

 

[The Doctor]

they filmed couples retreat at bora bora. ever since i saw that i wanted to go

but the price tag per person is outrageous

 

[Momohater]

they filmed couples retreat at bora bora. ever since i saw that i wanted to gobut the price tag per person is outrageous

Yeah, I agree it was the most expensive trip I have ever taken and that includes flying on miles RT for free. I couldn't get it done with hotel miles and had to pay out of pocket for the OWB, but it was worth every penny. Save up and do it, you'll be satisfied. If not that I hear a cruise through the south pacific is pretty fantastic too, but hard to beat the OWB.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Wife wants to go French Polynesia for our 10th anniversary next year. So far the only requirement is that we get one of those nice huts over the water.

Looking for any suggestions/tips.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Bump for the Friday crowd

 

[-jb-]

Bump for the Friday crowd

i shared some stuff above, but if you have specific questions let me know.

 

[Copeman]

Bora Bora is nice. Tora Bora not so much.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

you going/been buddy? wife and i are kicking this idea around as well for our 10th

 

[Raider Nation]

Norm wanted to set sail for Bora Bora but ended up hiding out in Sammy's office instead.

 

[fantasycurse42]

they filmed couples retreat at bora bora. ever since i saw that i wanted to gobut the price tag per person is outrageous

If you're going from the east coast you're talking about 24 hours travel time each way. Traveling that far means you need at least two weeks vacation. Over the water bungalows, fine dining, etc etc this added up to $35-$40kish (and that was flying coach) all in for the vacation. I just couldn't pull the trigger.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

i'm west coast and it would end up somewhere around 8-10k for a week. :X

 

[fantasycurse42]

i'm west coast and it would end up somewhere around 8-10k for a week. :X

I'm looking now... With over the water bungalows could prob get it done for $25-$30kish for two weeks.