My Travel Tips + FAQ for Bora Bora, Tahiti & Moorea

My Travel Tips + FAQ for Bora Bora, Tahiti & Moorea

Have you ever been to French Polynesia? French Polynesia (especially Bora Bora) was many years long the number 1 on my bucket list. Hence, I was super excited that my dream became finally true πŸ™‚

We took advantage of the fact that there is a new direct flight from Honolulu to TAHITI (with Hawaiian Airlines). It was quite cheap, lasted only five hours and is definitely recommendable. I heard beforehand from friends that Tahiti is not that beautiful and that we should rather immediately fly to Moorea or Bora Bora. At the end I was a bit sad that we didn’t really got to spend time in Tahiti πŸ™ Because we arrived quite late in the evening in Papeete (the capital and airport location of Tahiti) we only spent one night there and took an early morning flight to our first destination:Β MOOREA πŸ™‚

Directly located at the airport and reachable by foot is the Tahiti Airport Motel which I can definitely recommend! Besides that there are also other good hotels in the vicinity of the airport such as the Hotel Sarah Nui which offers a free shuttle from and to the airport. Because the Tahiti Airport Motel was fully booked during our time we stayed one night at Hotel Sarah Nui which was totally fine. (You can book the Tahiti Airport Motel here and the Hotel Sarah Nui here).

The next day we flew with Air Tahiti toΒ Moorea. The flight from Papeete lasted only 15 (!!!) minutes as you can already see Moorea from Tahiti. The flight costed us only 25€ per person including luggage. We found out later that there is also a ferrry from Tahiti to Moorea and back. It lasts approx. one hour and is even cheaper than the flight. We tested the ferry on our way back which was also fine. However, if you arrive with the airplane and want to go to Moorea directly I recommend you to book a flight. Otherwise you have to first take a taxi to the harbour which is in the end not cheaper. Furthermore, the ferry is not suitable for people who get easily seasick πŸ˜›

So our first stop after Tahiti was Moorea. Beforehand we heard that the hotels on Moorea are not that great or luxurious like on Bora Bora but the nature on Moorea is really breath-taking. And that’s exactly how we perceived it. Our hotel on Moorea was the Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort. It is in my opinion not comparable to our hotel on Bora Bora: The Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora. Nevertheless, Moorea as an island has much to offer and it is definitely worth spending a few nights there. For instance you can dive or swim with manta rays and sharks on Moorea. There are also amazing mountains for you to go hiking on.

Even though we thought Moorea was really beautiful I would try to spend more time on BORA BORA. Because Bora Bora really took our breath away πŸ˜€ What is waiting for you there is true paradise!

We have for instance never seen in our lives such an amazing underwater world like on Bora Bora. The water there is crystal clear like in the Maldives only that there are stunning mountains (and THE famous mountain) on Bora Bora πŸ˜€

Furthermore, the hotels on Bora Bora are a dream! Like mentioned before we stayed at the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora which has become to one of our favorite hotels or maybe THE favorite resort ever! Basically there is nothing that can be improved. A separate hotel review will follow πŸ™‚

Really wonderful are also the people on Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. For instance a Tahitian lady gave me this flower crown… just because. Have you already watched the Disney movie “Moana”? Funnily French Polynesia is really like in the movie πŸ˜€ Just out of this world!

Furthermore, French Polynesia is just pure paradise and in my opinion the long flight from Europe is definitely worth it as you should be there at least once in your lifetime. Even though French Polynesia is not cheap (especially due to the expensive flight from Europe) I would definitly come back anytime! On our way home we flew directly from Papeete to Europe because I received an important job offer in France. Thus, we had to shorten our stay in Bora Bora. Our return flight was with Air Tahiti Nui via Los Angeles to Paris. We both liked the flight and the airline but I need to warn you: The leg room on our Air Tahiti Nui flight was really small so we were glad that my boyfriend got an emergency seat on the second leg. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him being over 1,90m tall πŸ˜› Besides that we thought the service and food was really good. Hence, if you are rather small Air Tahiti Nui is definitely recommendable, especially because the flight was not too expensive.

On Instagram and Facebook I received a few Questions about Bora Bora & Moorea from you guys that I wanna answer here now:

1) When is the best Travel Time for Bora Bora and Moorea?

Because I was not completely sure about this question myself I checked online when the best travel time for French Polynesia is. We had in June were beautiful weather. It was not too hot, almost never cloudy and it rained only once during the night πŸ™‚

Source: Travelklima.de

2) What is better: Maldives or Bora Bora?

A separate blog post will follow soon (also in comparison to Seychelles and Mauritius) so stay tuned πŸ˜‰

3) Is Bora Bora more suitable for couples or families?

In my opinion Bora Bora is more suitable for couples as it is a super romantic place and the water villas are not really harmless for kids. If you have older kids this shouldn’t be a problem. Almost all resorts also offer in addition to the water villas some nice beach villas which are also suitable for smaller children. Furthermore, most hotels offer a variety of activities (also for kids) so even the little ones should not get bored. The only problem with Bora Bora is the long flight from Europe so I can recommend European families with small children to rather book a vacation in the Maldives.

4) Which activities are offered on Bora Bora and Moorea?

In French Polynesia there are tons of activities offered: For divers French Polynesia is pure paradise! Unfortunately my boyfriend and I are not divers (yet) but already snorkling with sharks and sting rays was incredible! We did it both on Moorea and Bora Bora which was our favorite experience during the entire trip πŸ™‚ In addition to exploring the underwater world of Moorea and Bora Bora you can also go hiking on both islands. There is also a variety of watersports offered such as kayaking or stand up paddle boarding πŸ™‚

5) Is it very expensive to travel to French Polynesia?

Yes, unfortunately French Polynesia is not really cheap. This is firstly related to the fact that the flights from Europe are really long and usually expensive (depending where you live this point may not be valid) and secondly to the fact that the hotels in French Polynesia are usually not very cheap. The hotels on Moorea are usually not as pricy as the ones on Bora Bora so if you are on a budget it might make sense to combine both islands in order to save costs. If you are looking for the best offers I can recommend you to check Booking.com where I book most of my private trips πŸ™‚

Have you ever been to French Polynesia or have you dreamed about visiting it? If you have any further questions feel free to write them here in the comments πŸ™‚

Xoxo

Maddi

P.s: There is also a video about our trip coming up which I cannot wait to show you guys real soon πŸ™‚

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13 Comments
  • lola
    Posted at 21:10h, 16 June Reply

    Yes!! French Polynesia has been my dream for as long as I can remember ???? Was your trip a collab with the hotels or did you organise it privately ? Also, did you use any thing to edit your beautiful photos?

  • paula
    Posted at 23:02h, 16 June Reply

    hi madeleine. love ur blogs. find them very useful, especially now, when im about to book my honeymoon this august for my marriage in august 2018 , and i have always wanted to go maldives. until ive been seeing your photos from bora bora, and now my fiance and i are wondering where to go. the only thing with maldives is that the only places beside is singapore, dubai and sri lanka which we are not very keen on visiting. so we thought of doing bora bora , hawai….
    you’ve been to many places, where do you recommend we go
    for our 3/4 week honeymoon?? thankyou

  • Maria Pettersson
    Posted at 20:51h, 17 June Reply

    Great post! I can not wait to visit Bora Bora in the future!

  • Natia Mamaiashvili
    Posted at 15:54h, 21 June Reply

    I’ve been to Tahiti and Moorea!!! I spent almost a month in French Polynesia, spent time with locals, did many outdoor activities, learned tahitian dance and felt like local from day one.
    Moorea Is spectacular, it has my heart and can’t wait to go back! did you go see the Belvedere lookout? It’s incredible! I’ve been to amazing Kauai but there something so special about French Polynesia????????
    I’m glad you had such a wonderful time!
    P.S the flower crowns smell ahhhhmazing!!

    Xoxo
    ❀️

    • Madeleine Schneider-Weiffenbach
      Posted at 15:35h, 22 June Reply

      Wow… where did you stay while you were there? That’s a dream spending a whole month in French Polynesia πŸ˜€ And no, unfortunately we didn’t make it there but have it on our list for our next Tahiti trip πŸ™‚

  • josef
    Posted at 11:36h, 28 June Reply

    Hey Maddi! Can you do a travel gear blog where you tell us about the cameras you use?

  • Marta
    Posted at 22:03h, 29 June Reply

    Wow, it really is a paradise. Great post and photos. Just want to ask for your future travel plans. Will you visit Canada in the near future? Vancouver, Rocky Mountains, Quebec, Niagara Falls etc? It is my dream destination. Would be nice to visit Canada in summertime though.

  • Ellynne Citron-Greenbaum
    Posted at 00:59h, 26 April Reply

    Great post! If you had to choose one island (like I have too) would you choose Bora Bora or Moorea? Going on a girls trip for 6 nights.

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