After eight years of planning and researching, we finally made it to French Polynesia! Our trip has been wonderful, thanks to the advice and recommendations I gleaned from people that shared online. In turn, I want to share with you some recommendations from our trip to French Polynesia that will hopefully be helpful to you.
General Information
French Polynesia is my dream destination. However, not everything was as dreamy as I had imagined. Check out my other post regarding traveling to French Polynesia during COVID.
Weather
Everywhere I researched, May to September was the best time to come because it is the dry season. I didn’t want to risk the rainy weather, hence I decided to pay extra for high tourist season and come in July. I was not expecting all the rain (and strong wind) when we arrived. In talking with VRBO hosts, tour guides, and locals we met, July is still a rainy month. Some even went so far to say one of the most rainy. According to some, March and November were better months. Since I can only speak from my experience, and I have only been to French Polynesia mid-July, all I can say is expect rain at least some of the time. As for the wind, I brought my drone but was only able to use it two out of the eleven days.
French Language
It is “French” Polynesia after all. I started learning French on Duolingo about 6 months before coming, because other than “Oui” and “Bonjour,” I didn’t know any French. Duolingo helped with some basic words and I could more or less read a menu. Unless you are in a very touristic place, most of the people only knew a little English. Multiple times during our stay, the person I was speaking with would turn to someone else nearby to try to better help us communicate. If you don’t know any French, I would recommend Duolingo or trying to learn some basic French.
Creatures
I should have realized when there were roosters as we were leaving the airport, that roosters rule the island. Kind of neat, except at 3:30 in the morning. My recommendation: bring earplugs.
There are lots of dogs and cats roaming freely. Be advised if you are driving that you may find them lounging in the street. You find them on the beach, and although the ones we encountered were friendly, we were told to be cautious. We also had some begging at a few restaurants (including our over-water bungalow resort).
In paradise, you may not picture insects, but be advised that it is likely you will meet some! In some places, mosquitos were plentiful (such as hiking in the mountains). By the ocean there weren’t as many, but in the evenings there are more. If there is a good breeze, mosquitos are not as noticeable. We also saw a cockroach or two at a couple of the places we stayed. What can I say, bugs like the tropics too. Recommendations: Bring mosquito repellent or buy mosquito coils at the store; keep your food well sealed (bring extra zip-lock bags).
Utilities
Electrical devices from the USA need an adapter. The adapter we brought was the wrong kind! No need to worry, adapters are fairly easy to find (we bought ours at the grocery store) for a very reasonable price (approximately $1.50 each). If you have a lot of devices, I recommend getting multiple. It is a pain having to wait to charge devices one at a time.
The water is safe to drink at some locations, but not at others. Some places provide bottle water, and others you need to buy your own. Ask ahead of time. Speaking about water, I found that some accommodations “hot” water is actually more tepid. On a hot day, you might not miss the hot water, but in the cool of the morning or evening, tepid water might not feel so inviting.
Internet is sketchy at most places. It will work well, and then nothing. We rented our own hotspot, which was helpful, but not fool-proof. If the internet at our accommodation faded out, we could switch over to our hotspot. We did not have data to make calls from our cell phones, but it would have been helpful to call establishments beforehand. I recommend getting the hotspot, AND also purchase cell phone data.
Open for Business
I discovered that not all places are open when you expect them to be. Some places I researched that I wanted to check out closed permanently. Other places listed hours online, but when I went during those hours, I found that their website incorrect. One place we went for lunch had a long wait, so we decided to go back later. They told us they were open until 3:00. We arrived at 2:30, but their kitchen closed at 2:00. A lot of restaurants only open during certain hours, and many close on specific days.
It is also important to realize that many tours, especially if they are related to the water, may cancel if the weather isn’t cooperating. We learned this the hard way as we drove all the way to Teahupoo at the south end of Tahiti. I recommend calling the establishments first to make sure they are open.
Go with the Flow
Flexibility and a positive attitude is key! Even though I did a lot of planning, some things are beyond control. When we couldn’t do our tour in Teahupoo, we decided to go back and complete a hike that we didn’t finish the day before, and it ended up being one of our favorite days. Recommendation: Embrace the island life, and go with the flow.
Money Tips
Saving $$$ before you go.
You may think that French Polynesia is too expensive or not affordable, but with some planning, you could make it happen! I opened a savings account dedicated for my French Polynesia trip. I aimed to put in $50 a week, or $250 per month. Although I did not always reach my month goal, it kept me focused on saving. Theoretically, with this method, in 12 months you will have saved up $3000.
Spend Wisely
Airfare
Airfare from Los Angeles (LAX) to Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) averages approximately $1000 per person. I used airfarewatchdog.com and skyscanner.com to help me track the cost of flights. I have found airfare as low as $650 per person, but only for specific dates. In general, airfare $800 or less is pretty good. I have noticed that due to COVID, there has been some really good deals on airfare. Also, if you want to travel to multiple islands, it is cheaper to buy a multi-island pass on Air Tahiti versus buying individual tickets. You can ferry from Tahiti to Moorea for approximately $30 round trip per person.
Accommodations
Accommodations range from simple AirBnb/VRBO for under $50 all the way to luxury overwater bungalows for over $1000 per night. You need to choose what you are looking for. Since we came for our anniversary, I wanted to have accommodations that had a pleasant ambiance and in the general area I wanted. In Tahiti we had a simple yet functional VRBO for approximately $65 a night. In Bora Bora, we splurged on a private motu for $600 a night (still well below the resort over-water bungalows). On Moorea, we stayed the first few nights at mid-range VRBO for approximately $200. We splurged again for the last few nights in Moorea in an over-water bungalow about $700 a night (considerably less than those in Bora Bora). Our last night in Tahiti we again had a mid-range AirBnb. There are lots of options to choose from, so choose what works for you!
Activities
There are again, so many activities to choose from ranging from free to big bucks! Most of the activities we chose were free: hiking, snorkeling, kayaking (available from our VRBO hosts), paddle boarding and outrigger canoe (available at our resort). We rented bikes on Bora Bora for a total of $30 for the day for both my husband and I. Our splurge outing was a private Ocean Adventure on Moorea for $520. Of course the activities we chose fit our interests, so choose those that fit yours: scuba diving, sea doos, 4×4 tours, and a host of other activities.
Food
I had heard that food in French Polynesia was very expensive. I brought pre-packaged food from the United States to help off-set food cost. We still ate out approximately one meal a day. Most of the places that we ate were road-side food trucks, or smaller hole-in-the walls (which were delicious) for approximately $10 per plate. We did eat at few “regular” restaurants, and the prices were significantly more. Although I enjoy good food, I am not a “foodie” so this was an area that I saved money on.
It is worth it!
I hope that some of these recommendations will help you with planning a trip to beautiful French Polynesia. A magical place to connect with the beauty in God’s nature, to explore and have amazing adventures, and to make incredible memories.
Stayed tuned for more posts regarding specifics of what we did on Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea.