Anyone not like French polynesia?

Hi

It has been a lifelong dream to go to FP and we are going this year. Read so many positive reviews and seen so many repeat customers, just wondered if anyone was disappointed and thought it wasn't what they expected.

We've always wanted to go to FP as well, including staying in an OWB, so we're doing a Fall 2015 Pacific Princess cruise followed by an OWB stay for our 40th.

I've done tons of reading about the cruise, ship, ports, hotels, etc. and so far I've not read of anyone not loving it. Perhaps the occassional "went in rainy seaaon so it rained" or "went inland and had some mosquitoes" and the often-stated "everything is so expensive especially the hotels, meals, and drinks" but planning ahead and knowing it's expensive to be in paradice prepares for that.

I'll be eager to read what responses your question brings.

I loved FP, we had 3 stops on our cruise, Papeete, Bora Bora and Moorea. Papeete as a city is a bit meh, it's old and dirty but I was expecting that. Outside the city the island is lovely. Bora bora and Moorea where more than I was expecting, they were just stunning. Being from Australia I'm spoilt by beautiful scenery, but here, the water colour alone blew me away. The coral snorkeling wasn't as good as at home but the Great Barrier Reef is some of the best coral in the world so I wasn't expecting it to be better.

Well, they speak French, the price level is sky high, their capital is a small slightly seedy and traffic choked town, they are on island time, it's hot and steamy in their summer ... other than that, the landscape is spectacular and the water is an incredible turquoise. I fell in the love the moment I set foot on the islands. :)

We're going back for the fourth time - needless to say, we can't get enough of it. If you travel away from the tourist area, some locals can be rude if you don't speak French.

Papeete isn't the prettiest of capitals, but if you take a moment to see it through the eyes of a traveler and not a tourist, I think you won't hate what you see there.

It is expensive, but the food is fabulous, the people, for the most part, couldn't be nicer, and the scenery - incroyable! For me, November can't get here fast enough.

We were on Oceania Marina 1/4/15 to 1/14/15 and loved every minute. I had been to FP 40+ years ago so wasn't totally excited about going again, but my husband wanted to go for his 70th birthday.

We both loved our cruise and I would even like to go again! We lucked out with great weather, no Chikungunya, fabulous food, fun excursions and our new underwater camera took great photos.

Only thing to complain about was the flight to and from.:mad:

Did not care for mosquitoes nor bees ...got stung by one ...major ouch

Bring repellent ..deep woods off and skin so soft worked

However French Polynesia is beyond Gorgeous ..Awesome...beautiful...wonderful

Go you will love it

Cannot wait to return

Michele

From the reviews I have read those that don't like the region probably did not do their homework. It is very pricey. If it is going to make your life uncomfortable spending $20 for a frozen cocktail or potentially $50-$75 per person for dinner (you can easily do this for less) then you won't be happy. If you do your research in advance and know what to expect and you can modify your expectations to the reality you will be fine.

We have not experienced poor interactions with the "locals". From our research we knew that the island of Tahiti was not what we wanted and we did not stay there.

Mmmm . . . not many people willing to slag off French Polynesia, are there? And I'm not going to because it's a fabulous place. And being European, like the original poster here, I don't buy the expensive thing either because FP is on the same price level as most places, except perhaps the USA and because the $ is very strong against the Euro FP might be a bit cheaper at the moment. I'e just returned from 4 bliss-out days in Venice (Italy) where prices are similar to FP. So is Paris, London . . . and so too are other resort areas like the Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius. Hotels easily run to $1000 a night minimum and dinners of more than $200 are commonplace. I think it's just a case of . . . if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Of course, there are hotels/pensions at all price levels . . . you don't have to splurge on a OWB at the Four Seasons. Personally, I dislike OWBs for all sorts of reasons and always chose a beach bungalow. Also, explore the remoter island groups, such as the Australs and you get a more authentic experience. And don't dismiss the island of Tahiti. It is stunningly beautiful and the capital, Papeete, has a busy vibe.

Hi

 

It has been a lifelong dream to go to FP and we are going this year. Read so many positive reviews and seen so many repeat customers, just wondered if anyone was disappointed and thought it wasn't what they expected.

I write a following travel blog (http://roscoesseafever.blogspot.co.nz )

and if you are interested the following is Tahiti

http://roscoesseafever.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/the-black-pearl-has-lost-its-lustre.html

and then the next blog was written the next day after an opposite experience in moorea

http://roscoesseafever.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/tahitian-paradise-moorea_22.html

written slightly tongue in cheek, I'm sure you have a great time.

regards Roscoe

Interested in seing the rest of your blog ...please post

Our experience in French Polynesia gave me some of the best days of my life: ATV ride through the interior of Moorea: unforgettable; Lagoon snorkeling tour in Bora Bora with Patrick's Maohi Nui company with the stingrays, blue tipped sharks, coral gardens, fish, lunch sitting at picnic tables in the water: indescribable; staying in an over water bungalow: bucket list item and worth every penny!

After having been there and savoring every minute, we will probably not go again. It's very expensive and there is so much of the world yet to see. It is, though, a trip of a lifetime.

I'm plotting my way back there, but bringing the kids if I can so that they can experience the beauty and the people. I've found several relatively affordable places to stay and there is affordable food if you get away from the resorts. The hard pill to swallow is the airfare to get there. It's nearly $8,000 for the four of us before we even step off the plane in Papeete. :eek:

Interested in seing the rest of your blog ...please post

its the "roscoes sea fever" url on the bottom of my signature, the other one is for the Worldie coming up .... thanks roscoe

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. Everyone seems to love it. Apart from our cruise next month we have booked a future cruise next year with a couple of Tahiti stops. Some people have said but what if you don't like it this year (bearing in mind in the UK our money is non refundable) and I have replied I will be in the minority if that is the case. Also taking into account that people on this forum are quite often the first to say that something's/somewhere is not great I feel very enthusiastic. So thank you everyone.

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. Everyone seems to love it. Apart from our cruise next month we have booked a future cruise next year with a couple of Tahiti stops. Some people have said but what if you don't like it this year (bearing in mind in the UK our money is non refundable) and I have replied I will be in the minority if that is the case. Also taking into account that people on this forum are quite often the first to say that something's/somewhere is not great I feel very enthusiastic. So thank you everyone.

You'll have a fabulous time, it is pretty exotic compared to the UK., the islands of french polynesia are very different from the capital of Papeete, which is not a typical example of the area.

Have a great trip and welcome to the Pacific.

regards Roscoe

Delondin - If you are cruising in the South Pacific it's best to choose the smallest ship you can find or afford. The smaller the ship, the more expensive it will be but an expedition cruise ship such as the Caledonian Sky or the Silver Discoverer, each with about 100 passengers, will give you a much better, more intense experience. You will get right off the beaten track and forget all that tedious tendering stuff with a thousand passengers. I recommend the route which goes from Tahiti to Easter Island (or vice versa) calling at the Marquesas, various Tuamotus, the Pitcairn group.

roscoe,

I love the way your write, great style, full of humor!

roscoe,

I love the way your write, great style, full of humor!

lol...aw shux thanks....book out next year, I'll put you down for a dozen copies.:D

Great report Roscoe. Hope we have better luck with Easter Island in April :)

Great report Roscoe. Hope we have better luck with Easter Island in April :)

wow thanks...its still a pretty interesting island, the lectures and talks are pretty informative but take binoculas and report back to us. You'll have a great time...roscoe

delondin,

Your Oceania Marina itinerary looks great. I wish I was going.

The only thing I would possible suggest is staying on a few nights in FP after the cruise. I really like Moorea - your only have a few hours port stop there. After your cruise, you could take the ferry over to Moorea and spend a few days.

I'm sure you will have a great time. Be sure to post a trip report and let us know whether you like FP.

Sorry for the delay but straight back to work the day after travelling for 40 hours, busy time at work and family funeral. Anyway we loved it.

We had amazing weather. We were expecting torrential rain and cyclones but were so lucky. We had some torrential rain in fiji but it was short lived and didn't impact on our enjoyment.

In Bora Bora we did Patrick's half day tour, arrianged privately through CC, which I would highly recommend. We swam with sharks in 50 foot open Ocean, which considering I had never snorkelled before, don't like swimming in the sea, am scared of fish, was amazing. Even my family can't believe I did it even though they have seen the photos. The guide on board the ship didn't recommend swimming here because of the chance of encountering lemon sharks, but we risked it and were glad we did. The stingrays were hysterical/terrifying. So friendly - too friendly, but we had such fun and the coral garden was beautiful. The weather the first day was sunny, high 80's and cloudy high 80's the second day.

On the second day in Bora we caught the shuttle bus to Mantira beach for $5 per person, about 15-20 mins away and enquired at the Intercontinental for a day pass. They quoted $65 per person for lunch and use of the facilities. I have to say they were not very welcoming and we would not be allowed to use their pool or pontoon. We said we would think about it and they said well you have two minutes to decide! Needless to say we didn't stay there. We had a very pleasant day on the beach with a nice lunch in a local cafe for a lot less money.

In Moorea which started very overcast and hot we did a ship's tour, which in my opinion was overpriced and not well described. We made the best of it and had a lovely day swimming with more sharks, although smaller than Bora, and more stingrays which was fun. There were too many boats at the same time which made it crowded and the current was very strong so getting back on the boat was difficult. We were again lucky with the weather and the sun shone for our snorkelling and picnic lunch, only starting to rain on our return tender to the ship. I would not have wanted to stay in Moorea post cruise at this time of year as the weather it too unpredictable and there didn't seem to be a lot to do in the rain, unless honeymooning! This was our last stop before disembarking the next day and hadn't really thought through packing wet costumes etc.

Definitely recommend water shoes for all these trips.

When we arrived in Papeete to disembark it was very hot, early 90's but unbelievable rain, bouncing off the sea. We were dreading getting off with our luggage etc but luckily the rain stopped just in time for that. By mid afternoon it was brilliant sunshine but there was one point when out of nowhere the rain came down heavily but just as quickly stopped. Bear in mind if in Pappete on a Sunday nothing is open. I could go into detail re post cruise arrangements but that is probably best left to the Oceania board.

I did not like French Polynesia. I found it less expensive than I had expected, it was beautiful, the weather was as expected, but we got stood up by both of the private tour operators we had written confirmations with, our rooms at the IC were not in the best shape, there were a number of issues on our cruise, and we found that we had traveled a long way for so-so food, so-so experiences, and just so-so everything. I highly doubt we'd go back. Too many other parts of the world to explore.

Some folks go to French Polynesia, enjoy it more or less, find it beautiful in some respects, but then check it off their list and have no desire to go back.

Others find that part of the world fascinating and begin a love-affair with the area. I am one of those latter. They call it the Polynesian Flu. I'm in remission right now, after visiting last September. But I'm already booked again for more than 18 months from now.