Jump to content

Cook Islands Oct. 7th, 2017 Review


Wendy The Wanderer
 Share

Recommended Posts

Finally getting over the jetlag, so I think I can start to post. This won't be sequential, but anecdotal. As usual, I didn't keep notes, so some of the things that stuck out on this cruise I will have to dig out of my tired brain.

 

Executive Summary: Ship is in wonderful shape, and the staff were very much on their game. The kitchens were in fine form too, with most meals being very good to excellent. Logistically it was a bit of a mess. Itinerary had been changed and this was not apparent until boarding. New itinerary was plagued by bad weather. Despite this most passengers seemed ecstatically happy by the end of the cruise. We personally had terrific pre- and post-cruise experiences.

 

Little-known fact of the day: The Society Islands are named after the Royal Society in London. Sounds obvious once you hear it and know the history of discovery, but I had never thought of it!

 

Hotel Les Tipaniers, Moorea

So let me dispense with the pre-cruise first by saying that Les Tipaniers is the genuine article. While out on the Dolphin Watch tour with Michael Poole, we pointed to Les Tipes and he said, "how do you know Les Tipes?" We told him and he reiterated that this little resort is what Moorea used to be like before the big resorts came in.

 

It's a "barefoot" kind of resort, but with lovely civilized touches. There's no TV or turn-down service, little AC, and no OWBs. Rooms are individual bungalows, mostly with thatched roofs. The bungalows are single large rooms with a huge king-sized bed (a little hard for some tastes, but I found it good), a very large bathroom with plenty of hot water, screened windows on both sides so plenty of cross-draft and a big fan in the ceiling. Some of the bungalows have been replaced with newer ones with metal roofs--I didn't see inside one of them, but they are different in that they have AC. There is a phone, a safe and a fridge, but the fridge isn't stocked.There were a few mosquitoes but only a handful. Could not imagine staying in a place where I had to use a mosquito net. Been there, done that, didn't like it. We had a beach bungalow, right by the beach bar.

 

Weather was windy at times--there was one day when snorkeling was just not worthwhile because of the chop and the clouds. Other times it was very hot--especially during the mid-day hours. There is no pool, just that big ocean out there.

 

People staying there were mainly Aussies, Kiwis and French with Tahitians visiting during the day as well as other tourists--it was school holidays in NZ so lots of families, all beautiful, well-behaved children. All the staff we dealt with were charming and helpful.

 

The hotel has two restaurants, one of which is a bar open all day until 7 p.m. That beach restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch. I've posted pictures of this place before, but I may post a picture later when I get organized. The other restaurant is out by the main road, and is open for dinner. Like many places on Moorea they will pick you up from your hotel and bring you there. Very nice restaurant--we ate there every night. I had the best poisson cru of the trip in the beach restaurant--one of my favourite dishes in Tahiti, and this was absolutely the best.

 

We were very lazy on Moorea so we ate mainly at the hotel. Went into Maharepa one day (we had a car), and ate at Chez Didier, which we had done before, and had a nice lunch. Tried to have lunch another day at Snack Mahana but it has just gotten too popular--there were cars lined up on the main road so we didn't try. Le Petit Village was nearby so we could shop for water and drinks. Went on no excursions, just hung around recovering from jetlag, swimming and snorkeling a bit, eating and drinking. We're getting pretty boring in our old age, ha ha.

 

Despite the fact that we did no excursions, the possibilities are easy at this hotel--there is a dive shop and an excursion company right there, on the beach. A huge number of water excursions go by, heading for the large motu just to the west of the hotel. Plenty of divers, snorkelers, boarders coming and going during the day.

 

Yes, the Hilton is a beautiful resort, as are I'm sure the IC and the Sofitel. But give me a genuine Tahitian experience.

 

Le Meridien, Tahiti

 

For various reasons we decided to stay two nights post-cruise on Tahiti before flying back to L.A. on Air France, rather than flying back directly at cruise-end. We had spent one night at this hotel before. It's a very nice property with a lovely sand-bottom pool and modest off-shore snorkeling. No OWB's--the old ones are still there but closed up, apparently permanently There is a really nice bar and restaurant down by the water, and another bar and restaurant closer to the lobby of the hotel. Very quiet for the most part.

 

We got upgraded to a junior suite. Perhaps because we were returning guests, don't know. It was a really nice room with the standard balcony overlooking the pool and then a huge patio off to the side--with couches, lounge chairs and dining table and chairs. We spent most of our time there, although it was too hot at mid-day.

 

Another advantage to this property is that there was a shopping centre a 5 minute walk outside the hotel. Lots of shops, some clothing stores (although I didn't investigate), a large supermarket, three restaurants, a couple of bakeries, and ATM's. So we didn't eat much in the hotel, but bought baguettes, etc., and drinks and brought them back to the hotel. Food and drink prices at the hotel were horrendous. The Puna Bar had a happy hour every day at 5:30--a pina colada was $8.75, but they had reasonably-priced tapas which did for dinner.

 

They are also very close to the Museum of Tahiti--if I'd realized that we probably would have gone--I have very much enjoyed this museum in the past.

 

But comparing Le Meridien to Les Tipaniers, our total bill at the latter was about the same as for the former except we were at Les Tipes for 3 nights instead of 2, and we ate almost all of our meals there. And of course, we were on Moorea instead of Tahiti!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Note to PG and not noted on our comment sheet: Make sure the luggage tags can be written on by a normal ballpoint pen!

 

Taking the ferry to Moorea we met some people from our roll-call and some other folks who were doing a pre-cruise on Moorea. On the way back we reconnected, and they all had great times at their respective hotels--the IC and the Hilton.

 

Walking to the ship and boarding from the ferry terminal gave us our first instance of the staff going above and beyond for us. We had belated remembered our luggage tags and tried and failed to fill them out on the ferry--'Air and Sea' pax had theirs pre-filled, ours weren't, and the tags resisted every pen known to man. We decided to walk the "front" way, across the parking lot to the ship, and encountered some construction right in front of the ship, that prevented us from rolling our suitcases through barriers. A uniformed crewman saw us, and came and got our luggage for us. We explained the lack of luggage tags (of course our names were on the cases), and he just asked for our cabin number and said "no problem". The rest of check-in was seamless and pleasant as usual.

 

Our stewardess escorted us to our tiny, perfect cabin on deck 4. She was very sweet throughout the trip. I feel so bad for these men and women leaving their families behind in Manila. We immediately went to the pool bar and met Ricardo. We mentioned Elmo and Ricardo mentioned that his son was onboard, and another relative (cousin, nephew?) The beginning of a very nice relationship with these folks. Apparently many of the bar and restaurant staff are neighbours in Manila. I'm not very good with names, so you'll have to fill some of them in for me. It wasn't until my return to the cabin that I noticed the special paper on our pillow announcing the change in itinerary. Since many of us had booked private tours on the Cook Islands, this sent many into a tailspin and a flurry of emailing those vendors. More on that later.

 

There were three groups onboard one just an affinity group with a TA, but I must say the ship did not suffer for the groups except for a few loud types. The age demographic skewed a bit younger than normal. Many in their 40's and early 50's I'd say. Lots like us in their 60's and 70's as well, but definitely younger overall. Lots of Canadians, which I admit made us feel at home. French, Germans, Kiwis, Brits, Aussies, and of course lots of Americans. We had dinner with a pair of American women one night who said that, of course, "we" constituted most of the passengers in a rather arrogant, entitled manner I thought. Oh well. Most of the Americans we met were lovely, as usual.

 

 

Entertainment and Enrichment

I must say that the band, Santa Rosa, has certainly improved. Perhaps someone can remind me how many years they've been doing gigs on the ship. I remember a sad time after the loss of Siglo when the band was truly dreadful, but these guys, although not up to Siglo, are very good. We had a solo singer from England onboard, Jonny Ross, pop music, 80's 90's, 00's which suited the younger crowd. He was good, and very personable. We had a mentalist from Brazil who was fabulous, Gustavo Vierini. His shows tended to be entertaining, riveting and inexplicable, and he roamed the lounges sometimes in the evening doing extra stunts for people, like bending spoons. The lounge pianist, Alex, was personable and just okay as a pianist. We are spoiled in that regard. He did one awful music trivia where I frankly could not recognize the tunes he was playing, however familiar, by the florid way he played them. I suspect he's really a classical player, and on normal evenings was listenable. Claudine Carle was the CD, and she was very good I think. Low-keyed most of the time, although she did a singing show (we did not attend but apparently she was good.)

 

 

We had a plethora of Tahitian shows. Apart from the Gauguines and Gauguins themselves, who did at least one evening show, there was the afternoon 'Children of Huahine' show, 'Akirata', a local group from Rarotonga (really good, and different), one from Moorea (didn't go), and 'O Tahiti E' from Tahiti on the last night (excellent, better than ever--spellbinding.)

 

 

Mark Eddowes was onboard, and was his usual eccentric self. His first lecture dragged quite a bit, and I was worried that people would abandon him (perhaps he was jetlagged or hung over.) But lectures #2 and especially #3 were great, especially after we missed the port of Aitutaki and he was able to show us what we were missing (we were going to do his archaeological tour on that island.) And his 4th lecture, on theBligh and the Bounty, was well-received.

 

 

Denis Schneider from Bora Bora did his bit on the reef improvement programs in FP. His English has improved drasticallly so his talk was much better, I thought.

 

 

We had a Canadian marine biologist whose work is in Belize. He was very personable, although his presentations need some work. He needs to inject some more passion, some more humour, perhaps anecdotes, and get away from the rather academic platform of his slides. Just a bit dry, I think it was probably his first cruise gig, so he'll get better I'm sure. Nice guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Itinerary Debacle

 

As I mentioned above, when we boarded we were met with a letter placed on our pillows. Not the most conspicuous spot, it turns out. But soon there was lots of simmering angst onboard, as people realized that our itinerary had been switched around substantially. Apparently because of bad weather in the Cook Islands. So instead of going straight to Rarotonga from Huahine, we went to Taha'a, then Bora Bora, then the Cooks. This meant Taha'a was on the second day instead of late in the cruise. Oh well. It also meant that everyone who had booked private on BB or Cooks needed to reschedule. I proceeded to start doing this. Succeeded in Raro, but failed in Aitutaki, so I booked a ship's tour, with Mark Eddowes for later in the week.

 

As good intentioned as this new schedule was, it didn't quite work out the way the captain wished. We all had a lovely day in Taha'a, at Motu Mahana, praise be! After that, the weather deteriorated and it rained and was overcast off and on for the two days in Bora Bora. Some people managed to get in a successful snorkel trip, or a quick swim over at the motu, but not many I think. People were upset too because we were now scheduled to be in port with a behemoth the first day, Celebrity Solstice, so excursions that were lost could not be rebooked (this went for private ones too I expect.) So our booked sunset catamaran trip was lost, although as it turned out it was just as well.

 

Because Solstice was in port that day, Vaitape was at full tourist-mode. Shuttle buses and rental vehicles abounded. All the pearl and pareo stores were open. All we did in Bora Bora, in fact, was wander through town and admire all the fine jewellery et al., and I ended up buying myself another pearl solitaire. You can now get a nice quality pearl quite cheaply, one that's got a good layer of whatever that stuff is called on it, but not necessarily perfectly round, or with a little flaw in it. We started noticing this in quite a nice shop--single pearl for $100 or $5000? No problem. So we went over to Tahia, the merchant where I bought my last solitaire, and found a nice one, an orchid this time, for a very nice price. This made up for the fact that I forgot to bring my existing pearl solitaire and pearl studs with me on this trip.

 

I was going to go over to the motu both days, but it didn't work out. Apparently the last two hours of the second day were nice, and that's about it. People got over there in the pouring rain, stayed on the tender and came right back. I had a vision of being a drowned rat under an umbrella so I didn't even try. Too bad for the first-timers, since Bora Bora is so beautiful.

 

So people who were grumpy about the schedule change became a bit grumpier, despite being loosened up by Motu Mahana. Our sea day over to Rarotonga was fairly rough and windy too, as I remember. Can't recall if it rained. But it meant that the pool was unusable, and most of the time the pool deck, except fo the protected areas forward, like the pool bar. The Grill was closed for several days in this period, even for breakfast and lunch--they got moved to L'Etoile. The overall effect was to make the ship feel a bit more crowded than usual. But not bad. It was about this time that we started frequenting La Palette in the evening, listening to Santa Rosa, watching people dance, watching the ocean. It got to be a very popular place during the long sea days.

 

We were able to tender into Rarotonga, *barely*. The swells were several metres high I think. It was cool with some showers and wind, which was delightful once onshore, but made for a very interesting tender ride, and particularly tender embarkation/disembarkation. Most folks were basically lifted bodily off and on the ship.

 

Rarotonga was delightful. We had booked a private e-tuk-tuk tour. It cost us less than the ship's bus tour, and we got ours customized for us, with our own personal guide. Many of you will know what a tuk-tuk is; this one was electric, so quiet and smooth. This island is quite touristy, but laid back, unlike Bora Bora. A bit like Moorea, although not as high, so there's more places to go inland. Our guide took us right around the island, but through the back ways. We saw many residential areas, rural areas, went to a museum, saw churches. Sacred places, maraes, with our guide proudly telling us his Maori heritage. This was the island whence the migration to New Zealand began. Very nice day, lovely cool weather, pretty place, nice guide, and everybody spoke English! Apparently it's usually very hot at this time. We ended with a trip to the local brewery.

 

The Grill definitely was closed that night. The swells were getting serious. The forecast for the next day was bleak. Arrived at Aitutaki early, and the captain announced that we would not be stopping there at all, but proceeding directly to Moorea, after 2 sea days. This upset people a bit, because they couldn't get their head around why it would be two days instead of one. But the original schedule had us leaving Aititutaki at 5:30 pm and spending a day and two nights getting to Moorea. The new schedule meant two days and two nights, the difference being that arriving at Moorea in the middle of the night made no sense. We did arrive early in the morning.

 

So we started on two sea days, with heavy swells and intermittetn rain. Pool deck of little use most of the time, closed Grill. The pool bar remained open most of the time, but they spent a lot of time making sure the couch cushions stayed dry and didn't blow away. Staff scrambled to find new activities for everyone. Shuffleboard got very popular, as did the casino. We had a great time but there were some who had cabin fever. Morale remained good considering, really.

 

Somewhere in there was a small party for returning cruisers. There was a couple there who were on their 13th cruise. Another 9 I think, and another 6 or??? It was a small affair, just champagne and chit chat.

 

Also at some point there was a block party. It was fun. We had lots of good interactions with people on this cruise--it was a good group, which helped because we were together alot!

 

So we were all cautiously optimistic when we sailed into Opanohu Bay two days later. Although it was largely cloudy that day, with the threat of showers, most people got off successful excursions and the next day dawned quite bright and lovely (thank goodness!) So the impression that newcomers had overall was that Moorea is a wonderful place! And of course, we concur on that.

 

We did the catamaran snorkel tour the first day. It's kind of a premium ship's tour, there were only 8 of us. They had water noodles, which I loved, so I could snorkel happily in deep water for 30 minutes or so without wearing the ghastly flotation vest that I had brought from the ship. And so great to get back in the water. David saw a breaching whale, I did not. Many people apparently saw whales that day.

 

The second day we took another ship's tour, the Dolphin Watch with Michael Poole. This was our 4th time on this trip. We found a large pod of spinner dolphins and hung around oohing and awwing them for some time. Then Michael said that the whales had moved around in another direction so we went hunting. But we never found them, except some off in the distance. We'd given up and were headed back to spend some time with sharks and rays as a consolation prize when the battery on the boat gave up. A replacement battery could not bring the motor to life. There were two motors on the boat, but the big, fast motor could not be fixed. So we were taken back to a dock and then bussed to the ship. Very pleasant bus ride around pretty Moorea, so didn't feel too bad. Got to wave at our Les Tipes hotel a couple of times more!

 

Then it was packing, and goodbyes, and a final show, and a final sleep, wow, it was finished once again! We had a great time, and as returnees were probably affected less by the disappointing weather than newcomers. But many people came up to me on the last night and the last morning and told us what a great time they had and how impressed they were with the ship, its personnel and how it was run They really liked the product. Of course, we all missed Aititutaki, so perhaps we'll have to find a way of remedying that!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wendy, I am curious about your excursion on Rarotonga. I had looked into a Tuk-Tuk tour a couple of months ago, and the tour operator indicated they did not book with cruise customers. And, of course, I have also read that Rarotonga is more at risk for not being able to tender in. So, with that being said, obviously you were able to book a tour, was there any risk of losing your fee if the ship did not stop or did you get to pay that day?

 

 

Which company did you use for this tour? And, how much was it for a private tour? Currently, I have a car reserved but I am thinking this might be a better option with a guide.

 

 

Btw, good to hear that even with all the weather difficulties you and others still had a great time.

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Doug

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wendy, I am curious about your excursion on Rarotonga. I had looked into a Tuk-Tuk tour a couple of months ago, and the tour operator indicated they did not book with cruise customers. And, of course, I have also read that Rarotonga is more at risk for not being able to tender in. So, with that being said, obviously you were able to book a tour, was there any risk of losing your fee if the ship did not stop or did you get to pay that day?

 

 

Which company did you use for this tour? And, how much was it for a private tour? Currently, I have a car reserved but I am thinking this might be a better option with a guide.

 

 

Btw, good to hear that even with all the weather difficulties you and others still had a great time.

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Doug

 

Doug, I didn't worry about it because they didn't ask for a credit card nor a deposit. I had worried about that, but neither of the operators I had booked with collected financial info. These guys, Tik-e Tours, just took us by the office during the tour and swiped my card for payment. They are at: <Info@tik-etours.com>.

We paid NZD$160 per person for a four hour tour. We weren't sure what we wanted to see, but they will make suggestions. We wanted to focus on culture, not shopping particularly, and were interested in the sacred sites. We wandered around the back roads, and the guide talked about agriculture, religion, the economy. We visited the local museum, several marae, and culminated with a trip to the local brewery, which we requested. But if you're interested in hotels or resorts, shopping, beaches, restaurants, they will make suggestions and plot a route for you. The guide we had was Maori and very proud of his culture and history. I believe his name was Maata.

They also have e-bikes for the more adventurous I believe.

We did speak to one group of people who rented a car and they concurred that they spent considerable time being lost.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Wendy, I sent them an email. Have never done a Tuk-Tuk tour so this sounds fun and interesting to do a private half day tour and see the island.

 

Although, I also asked them about the electric bikes, but I wouldn't want to get lost, so am leaning toward the Tuk-Tuk tour.

 

 

Doug

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Wendy, I sent them an email. Have never done a Tuk-Tuk tour so this sounds fun and interesting to do a private half day tour and see the island.

 

Although, I also asked them about the electric bikes, but I wouldn't want to get lost, so am leaning toward the Tuk-Tuk tour.

 

 

Doug

 

Good! Let me know how you do. We had ridden tuk tuks before in Asia, so I knew what to expect, although this one was modern, comfortable and quiet, which none of them are in Asia, at least not ones that I've ridden!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... We weren't sure what we wanted to see, but they will make suggestions. We wanted to focus on culture, not shopping particularly, and were interested in the sacred sites. We wandered around the back roads, and the guide talked about agriculture, religion, the economy. We visited the local museum, several marae, and culminated with a trip to the local brewery, which we requested. ... The guide we had was Maori and very proud of his culture and history. I believe his name was Maata.

 

One standout for me on this tour was a visit to the bay where they launched the "canoes" to populate New Zealand. Our proud Maori guide was particularly proud of this part of their history. He actually got a bit emotional about it.

 

 

Their "canoes" were outriggers that contained about 75 people each, men, women, and children, plus the chickens and pigs, and the food plants that they planted when they arrived in NZ. In this case it was a whole fleet of these canoes.

 

And the lager at the brewery was outstanding!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One standout for me on this tour was a visit to the bay where they launched the "canoes" to populate New Zealand. Our proud Maori guide was particularly proud of this part of their history. He actually got a bit emotional about it.

 

 

Their "canoes" were outriggers that contained about 75 people each, men, women, and children, plus the chickens and pigs, and the food plants that they planted when they arrived in NZ. In this case it was a whole fleet of these canoes.

 

And the lager at the brewery was outstanding!

 

Seeing and listening about the culture is exactly what we would want to do. Not interested in shopping, would much rather see the natural beauty of the island. Maybe a stop at Muri Beach for a quick dip,

and closing out at the local Brewery sounds fabulous, we will be parched by that time:D.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Little known fact of the day: The Cook Islands are actually geologically part of the Australs, but got separated politically, presumably between the British and the French

 

I'm not sure what's left to say except to reiterate that the staff on the Paul Gauguin were absolutely excellent, as usual. That's the best part of the PG, for me, is the friendly, intimate atmosphere. Excellent service, yes, but not stiff or awkward, very relaxed but responsive. I would feel comfortable inviting those people into my home.

 

And the ship itself, considering it's almost 20 years old now, is in fine shape. The soft goods refit that happened, apparently, in June meant that everything fabric-oriented was fresh and new--carpets, upholstery, etc. And the beds, as usual, were to die for. I always lie there feeling the sheets and wondering where the heck I could buy such things!

 

And we met some fascinating and lovely people on this cruise, as always. So many of the newcomers came away with a very positive impression of the islands and the ship.

 

We are winding down our long-distance travel, having had a good run of it for seventeen years, starting with our first trip on the PG. But I admit that while still there, we were plotting how we might come back, just one last time! We always do that. Maybe not to risk the Cooks again, but would love to actually see Aitutaki! Every time I'm there I wish we could bring our son with us--who knows, maybe we'll do it (but don't tell him!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... I'm not sure what's left to say except to reiterate that the staff on the Paul Gauguin were absolutely excellent, as usual. That's the best part of the PG, for me, is the friendly, intimate atmosphere. Excellent service, yes, but not stiff or awkward, very relaxed but responsive. I would feel comfortable inviting those people into my home. ...

 

For newcomers, realise that tipping the staff is not required or expected. So the fantastic friendly service these folks provide is not an attempt to get more money out of you. If you like what the staff did for you, and you will, be sure to donate to the staff appreciation fund. It does things like parties, musical instruments down in the staff areas, etc. etc.

 

In fact, tipping is not expected in the Polynesian culture. I make an exception for tour guides who did a particularly nice job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, on the matter of tipping, we did not tip at all on this trip except for small amounts to our excursion guides. Restaurant meals tended to have a service charge added. Cabs don't expect it, so round up if you like.

 

BTW, we had an excellent cab driver this time coming off the ship, and to the plane. She spent time in the States and thus spoke excellent English. I have her contact info if anyone would like it.

 

I didn't talk about the ferry to and from Moorea. Last time we took one of the Aremiti's, the fast cat. This time we took Terevau, which is a cat also, but slightly slower. But the trip only takes about 35 minutes. Getting to the ferry dock by cab was no problem. Our cabbie, "Popo" directed us to the ticket booth--we had planned to take the 8:10 ferry, but we almost made the earlier boat--had to tell the guys not to put our luggage on the trolley because we hadn't bought our tickets yet. Once we bought our tickets and dumped our luggage at the intake place for the next trip, we went upstairs to the departure lounge. Very nice open-air cafe where we could have a bite and a sip while we waited. You depart from that level, which makes it all seamless. We met Brenda and Tom from our roll-call, along with Karen and her husband (sorry I've forgotten your name!). It was their first time, so we chatted for the near-hour it took until boarding. The boats themselves, at least the modern ones (can't speak for the larger car ferry), are like being on an airplane. You sit in a comfortable seat, and watch the ocean go by. There is also a cafe onboard.

 

Landing in Moorea is another matter--chaos!! There is a drive-through area for Terevau (I think a separate one for Aremiti), and all of the pre-arranged vehicles are there, jostling for space. First you have to make it over to the curb where the luggage appears and is distributed. Then you have to fight through a sea of holiday-makers, luggage, buses and vans to find the one that's yours. Since Albert's at times seems to monopolize the island, there were at least six vans and buses from that company. Finding ours was a bit tricky, and by that time it's hot.

 

The usual way in Moorea is for people to pre-book a taxi or van to their destination--there is no le truck or bus service, and the hotels do not run their own shuttles. So do arrange something in advance!

 

In our case we had rented a car and were being transported to the rental office. Others were being taken to hotels, sometimes in large groups (like the PGers who had booked through the ship). So if you're independent, be prepared to make a few stops. In our case, the rental office is opposite the former Pearl (Manava), so we got dropped off early in the process.

 

Car rental was seamless as it was last time. Not cheap, but not outrageous. Be prepared to pay more if you insist on an automatic. It took David about 5 minutes to re-adjust to a standard. The deal with gas was a full-tank on return. After 3 days of mainly lazing around, but driving to and fro we topped up the tank for about $8.

 

When we got to the hotel and checked in, we found that our room wouldn't be ready for about 2 hours. We had expected that. We weren't too jetlagged, having slept on flatbeds on the flight over, so decided to get our Belvedere drive out of the way. Not sure if this was a great idea since we were still pretty tired. I found the drive up and down more perilous than ever, not sure why. Those hairpin turns and narrow road with crumbling shoulders is not for the faint of heart. David had no problem with it, but here I was looking out over the right side of the car, shuddering and closing my eyes.

 

The view was as stunning as ever. I took very few photographs on this trip. I did a lot of people-watching. People have started leaving locks on the fence at the viewpoint. This means eventually they will have to tear it down like they've had to do in Paris, too bad. Great chickens and roosters as always, plus a few mosquitoes--I got several bites, my repellant still in the suitcase.

 

Then on to the wonderful Les Tipaniers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here in Canada we have a dollar coin, gold coloured, called a Loonie. In FP they have a 100 franc coin which is exactly the same size and colour, and about the same value. I tried to pay for a loaf of bread with one today. I made the sales person read the coin so that she'd know where it was from :cool:.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... We weren't too jetlagged, having slept on flatbeds on the flight over, so decided to get our Belvedere drive out of the way. Not sure if this was a great idea since we were still pretty tired. I found the drive up and down more perilous than ever, not sure why. Those hairpin turns and narrow road with crumbling shoulders is not for the faint of heart. David had no problem with it, but here I was looking out over the right side of the car, shuddering and closing my eyes. ...

 

If you are driving a car up to the Belvedere and are nervous about those steep drop-offs, do what I did: close your eyes. ;p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Wendy,

 

“BTW, we had an excellent cab driver this time coming off the ship, and to the plane. She spent time in the States and thus spoke excellent English. I have her contact info if anyone would like it.”

 

 

Can you kindly share this information for the cab driver, as we need a cab ride from our hotel on Tahiti (Manava Suite Resort) to the port where PG departs and then from the ship to the domestic airport to catch a flight to Bora Bora after our cruise.

 

 

Any idea of how much we should expect to pay approx. for each of those rides? Can you pay in US dollars or is it in local currency?

 

 

I guess that she is there to meet you with a sign so that you can connect?

 

 

Many thanks for your help!

 

 

:) Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Wendy,

 

“BTW, we had an excellent cab driver this time coming off the ship, and to the plane. She spent time in the States and thus spoke excellent English. I have her contact info if anyone would like it.”

 

 

Can you kindly share this information for the cab driver, as we need a cab ride from our hotel on Tahiti (Manava Suite Resort) to the port where PG departs and then from the ship to the domestic airport to catch a flight to Bora Bora after our cruise.

 

 

Any idea of how much we should expect to pay approx. for each of those rides? Can you pay in US dollars or is it in local currency?

 

 

I guess that she is there to meet you with a sign so that you can connect?

 

 

Many thanks for your help!

 

 

:) Lisa

 

Oh golly Lisa, I've forgotten already how much we paid during the day, but I think in the morning to the airport from the Meridien it might have been about 35 francs (it's further away I believe.) The rate is higher when it's dark, and they charge an extra bit for luggage. We paid in francs, many cab drivers apparently will take USD, but the exchange rate will be poor.

 

We got her randomly from the ship (arranged by them), and then arranged to have her pick us up in the morning from the hotel. She shouldn't need a sign, the hotels are small after all, and she will alert the front desk I'm sure. If you call her from the ship then yes, she'd probably have a sign, or some other arrangement. Her English is quite fluent.

 

I just realized I don't have an email for her, just her phone #, so you'd have to phone her from the hotel. Here it is, for what it's worth. Of course the front desk will be happy to connect with a cab driver for you:

Happy Taxi, "Popo"

+689 87 71 17 77

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In September the taxi fare was 2000 cfp from Manava to the airport daytime.I think it's another 500 cfp night time.

I forgot to add that Manava have a shuttle into town at 3pm daily.Drops you off across the road from the ship,leaving a maximum five minute walk.Cost will be on their website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forgot to add that Manava have a shuttle into town at 3pm daily.Drops you off across the road from the ship,leaving a maximum five minute walk.Cost will be on their website.

 

Many thanks Kiwirick and Wendy for the information much appreciated! Great to know about Manava’s shuttle as well.

:) Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wendy,

 

I heard back on the tuk-tuk tour and I was somewhat surprised by how much this tour costs. When I read your post above I missed that it was a per person quote versus a per vehicle. So, my question is, was it worth the $320 for a half day tour in your opinion? My options are to just rent a car for about $75 or rent two of their electric bikes for a little over $100, obviously the down side is no tour guide or experiencing the tuk-tuk. The other option is doing the PG excursion hike with Pa.

 

Thanks for any input,

 

Doug

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...