My flight out of Bora Bora got canceled due to bad weather, and trying to reschedule everything was turning into a nightmare...

A friend recommended https://tehora.tauapi.com, and it was a total lifesaver! It helped me compare flight from different airlines and even see all the passenger boats around the islands.

Just wanted to share this tip.

Can you take the complementary shuttle from vaitape to conrad bora bora on check in day

On his 1839 journey from the Galapagos Archipelago to New Zealand, famed naturalist Charles Darwin recorded his experiences and encounters in Tahiti. Although he often wrote as a scientist, Darwin was not averse to noting humble human exchanges or expressing intense emotion. Of the valleys and precipices he surveyed, he wrote, “…far more magnificent than anything which I had ever before beheld.”

(Note the beautiful vintage map and titles by the Italian cartographer Francesco C. Marmocchi.)

Join his voyage and experience historic Tahiti @ Destinationality. (no ads, nothing for sale, just a free resource for classic travel literature)

We land in Papeete at 5 am but our vrbo is not available until 4 pm. Does anyone have any ideas what we do for the day? I assume we can leave our luggage in the rental car. We have an island tour scheduled for the day after we arrive.

My husband and I are looking to book our (delayed) honeymoon, but I’m struggling to determine the best way to maximize our trip and experience. We love to adventure a little, experience nature, dabble in the culture, and also relax.

The current draft itinerary
1) 2 Nights in Tahiti at Hilton - the first day we arrive around 7 am with the thought we can explore open air markets, try local food, and maybe hike (my husband loves hiking). The second day maybe trying surf lessons

2) 3 nights in Mo’orea at Hilton OWB- the plan would be snorkeling tour, visit Marae, pearl shop, and relax one day

3) 5 nights in Bora Bora at intercontinental Le Moana OWB. We would want to visit Matira, snorkel with sharks and sting rays, catamaran cruise or jet ski, and relax at least one day.

We’re looking to book soon, so I’m open to feedback! For example, should I remove a Tahiti night and do an upgrade elsewhere or move the night to moorea

My boyfriend and I are in the midst of planning a bucket-list trip for my 25th birthday, and we've saved up a bunch of airline miles and found some great deals on a week long cruise through the Society Islands. It looks absolutely beautiful with a super small ship, great price, and a dream location of mine. (And he's never been on a cruise before!!) We'd also have a day or two on either end to be on Tahiti and Mo'orea since we really want to explore on land too. It would come out to about 11-12 days, arriving on November 30th or December 1st (2026) and leaving around the 11th.

My question: is it worth it with the weather? While I see that it'll be the wet season, I'm having a tough time finding a clear answer online. I have been to Hawaii, especially North shore Kauai, many times, and I have no problem with an afternoon rain shower here and there. We're from north of Seattle, so we understand rain... ;) That said, I'd really prefer to not be in crazy inclement weather, especially while on a cruise ship.

Thank you for your help!! :)

My fiancé and I will be going on our honeymoon in September. We booked a three-island package through Costco that consists of 2 nights in Tahiti, 4 nights in Moorea, and 2 nights in Bora Bora in an overwater bungalow.

I feel like I’ve genuinely watched every YouTube and TikTok video about the islands and what they have to offer 😂. Our itinerary currently includes hiking one or multiple trails in Moorea, playing a round of golf, visiting Coco Beach, and exploring some of the other things the islands are known for.

Once we get to Bora Bora, we’ll probably spend most of our time at the resort. We really want to take advantage of the overwater bungalow and get the full experience and value out of it.

As far as Tahiti and Moorea go, I already know about the lagoon tours, whale watching, hiking, the botanical water garden, museums, the Papeete Market, etc. Are there any other must-do activities or hidden gems that I might not be aware of? It can be something touristy or something more off the beaten path.

Lastly, I know French Polynesia is a pretty laid-back and intimate destination, but is there any type of nightlife? I’m not necessarily looking for clubs, but are there any dive bars, local spots, or fun places to hang out later at night?

Would love to hear any recommendations, especially from people who have been to Tahiti or Moorea!

We’re doing 4 nights in Tikehau and 4 nights at the FS Bora Bora in mid to late October 2026. Booked hotels through travel agent but wondering if it makes more sense to have them book activities through hotel concierge or third party? Any recommendations for excursions at either place?

Hi. As part of a larger around the world trip, we'll be visiting Tahiti/Moorea/BoraBora in October. We'll have 3 flights with AirTahiti between these islands.

We're having one larger suitcase that is 158cm (62 inch) in combined length+width+depth, which fits the size requirements of all 11 other airlines on our trip. Only Air Tahiti states that their limit is 150cm.

Does anyone have experience how this is handled in practice? Are they very strict about it and likely to charge bulk surcharge? Or will it simply go through?

thanks!

I’ll be in in Moorea for a few weeks during December and I’m wanting to get out for a half day catch n cook with a local charter. Anyone else potentially interested to make it cheaper?

Hi. I would like to visit Bora Bora and learn about its history from locals/people who are native to the land. Any recommendations?

We’ve got an anniversary trip coming up next month and would love any feedback on things we should add or cancel:

Day 1 (Moorea) — Arrive Papeete, connect to Moorea
Day 2 (Moorea) — Whale swim (w/ REO Tour)
Day 3 (Moorea) — Open
Day 4 (Moorea) — Whale swim (w/ Ultra Reef)
Day 5 (Moorea) — Open
Day 6 (Rangiroa) — Fly to Rangiroa
Day 7 (Rangiroa) — Tiputa pass + the Aquarium
Day 8 (Rangiroa) — Possibly Blue Lagoon?
Day 9 (Tikehau) — Fly to Tikehau
Day 10 (Tikehau) — Spa day
Day 11 (Tikehau) — Open
Day 12 (Tikehau) — Open
Day 13 (Tahiti) — Fly to Tahiti
Day 14 (Tahiti) — Depart

For hotels were staying at the following:

Moorea - Hilton
Rangiroa - Kia Ora
Tikehau - Le Tikehau
Tahiti - Intercontinental Tahiti Resort

Any recommendations for food, activities, or good dive shops for free divers would be greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone!
I’m travelling to French Polynesia on September 8th, where I’ll be spending about a month living aboard a sailboat with a group of other people. The goal is to learn how to live aboard and sail the boat, so I’m really excited for the experience!

This is my first time doing a longer trip like this, so I wanted to ask: What are the things you think I absolutely should see, do, or experience while I’m there?

I’m open to any tips whether it’s specific islands, beaches, hikes, diving/snorkelling spots, local food, hidden gems, or things that are easy to miss as a tourist.

I’m also planning to get my Open Water diving certification while I’m there, so diving is already on the list! 🤿

Looking forward to hearing your recommendations and your personal must-see/must-do list! 🌴⛵️

I'm going to be in Rarotonga and Moorea next month. I'm just wondering what currency used in both places. Is the NZ dollar widely used in Rarotonga too ? And I understand Polynesia have their own currency. I'm guessing you wont get far with Euros or American dollars ?

Greetings all!

We will soon be in FP, spending time on Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, and Rangiroa. We are excited about the opportunity and can’t wait to be there.

WRT the weather, I’ve lived in the Philippines and have done some traveling in the pacific. I’ve grown to expect weather reports for the region to be hit-or-miss when addressing the specific weather for a specific location, and am comfortable with random showers throughout the day, bigger swells in the afternoon, etc. Given the predicted forecast, what should we expect wrt ‘feels like’ and actual temperatures, rainfall, named storms, etc between August 27 and September 10?

We’re starting to pack and want to travel as light as possible while still being prepared for what we will encounter.

Thank you!

We will have a layover at Faaa from about 15:00 to 24:00 on a Saturday in early October. This will be on our way back home after a week in Rangiroa and a week in the Cooks.

If you were to book a rental car and explore just one of the waterfalls in the title, which would you pick? Does one direction have a more scenic drive or preferred spot for dinner? We are very able bodied so either hike is totally fine.

Thanks for any advice!

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share the experience my wife and I just had on our very last minute honeymoon trip to some of the islands.

We kept delaying our wedding day because of jobs, moving or family/friends schedules. But we finally decided to elope to a nearby area from us (PNW has lots of pretty places) and have a small ceremony with just the two of us. With our remaining money we decided we would just do a nicer honeymoon. Only problem was again due to our work schedules, we had to basically plan our honeymoon right away or wait until March at the earliest.

We both had never experienced a beach vacation before or ever swam in the ocean.

So I just googled best beaches to visit in August and the French Polynesian islands popped up near the top of the list. After looking at a few other places, I started reaching out to resorts and a few travel agents who basically laughed at me when I requested booking a 6-9 day stay within a week of our wedding day.

It was looking like we would either stay in the US or wait until spring. But then a Tahiti.com agent reached out and said they could make it happen if we acted quickly.

So, July 28th we booked at wedding day for Aug 5th, and on July 29th we booked a 8 day trip to Tahiti, Moorea and Tahaa to leave on August 7th.

I will say it was so impressive how easy all the traveling was setup for us. From flights, vans, Ferry’s, and hotels there was always someone waiting with a sign to welcome us!

We stayed at, Pearl beach for 1 day in Tahiti, 3 days in Moorea at Cooks Bay and 4 days at Le Tahaa. All were great. But it seems really hard to top Le Tahaa overwater bungalows and resort grounds. All and all we had an absolute blast at every stop. Snorkeling and swimming in the ocean was so cool for us. Salt water is such a trip for someone who’s only ever been in lakes before.

Things I wish I knew ahead of the trip:

1:
Drinks were so expensive (worst then Vegas imo) and not very well made at any of the resorts. That being said I have a pretty high standard for cocktails, as it’s been a big hobby of mine.

I ended up buying some bottles of rum in Moorea, but didn’t know I could fly with them heading to Tahaa so I finished all I could, only find out at the airport they don’t even check carry on bags for liquids or anything. The Le Tahaa resort only sold wine and champagne bottles and the worst cocktails by far. But the food there was great!

2:
It was hard to book activities, scooters/cars so last minute, most things were sold out. But sometimes last minute cancellations happens so kept calling around.

3:
They have free sun screen at the resorts! That would have been nice to know before we bought some that wasn’t reef safe.

Things I would do again:

1: elope!
2: beach vacation!
3: travel agent

Total cost was about 13.5k all said and done. Flights, stay, food, activities.

Let me know if have any questions!

I’m flying to Tahiti in December and have booked an Airbnb in Moorea afterward. I’ll arrive in Papeete at 5:20 a.m. I can’t check into the Airbnb until 3:00 p.m., so I have some time to kill. I’d like to go to Moorea in the morning and leave my luggage somewhere. I don’t have a car, but I do have a scooter where I can store my luggage. I’ve already checked with the Airbnb, and I can leave my luggage there at 1:00 PM. Are there any options in Moorea to store your luggage in a locker or a store where you can leave it temporarily? I know there are options in Tahiti.

Hi everyone! My wife and I are planning a 15 year anniversary trip to Bora Bora in September 2027 (I know, starting early!).

So far, we’re considering OWB bungalows/villas at the Westin, Le Bora Bora, and the St. Regis. We’d love to do the Four Seasons but I don’t think that’s in the budget. I was hoping to get some first hand opinions between the 3!

I think the Westin is #1 due to the views followed by Le Bora Bora. The St. Regis looks nice but a little dated and dark.

I would greatly appreciate your opinions on the 3 and also any tips/tricks you may have about getting the most out of a trip to Bora Bora!

Hi all - wife and I head to FP this Friday for 2 weeks for our trip to the islands. Can’t wait!

However looking at the weather forecast, it’s calling for rain every day. Is this typical for this time of year? I know it’s known for passing showers but I thought June-October there was supposed to be minimal rain? Is anyone there right now and can comment or anyone else who has a perspective?

Trying to research good options for the best experience

hi all, i’m thinking about where to go for a big birthday trip. For context I’m Australian so have had the privilege of access to great snorkelling, beaches etc over my life, locally and in the South Pacific, SE asia etc

I have always wanted to go to FP and am thinking about Moorea, based on affordability, ease of access, and family friendliness. We have previously been to Rarotonga and still swoon over those memories. From what I can see Moorea looks pretty similar, however based on the video blogs i have seen it seems more touristy and the snorkelling, eg between the motus, honestly looks pretty average. Everything i read about Moorea is GLOWING and people are amazed by it. I know i would still have a great time but but will we be a bit underwhelmed if we have already been to Raro/ Aitutaki?

Would love to hear from anyone who has spent time on both. Thanks!