Best place to buy vanilla beans if not on a tour?

[maygoddess]

Hi all! When I go to Tahiti, I want to stock up on some vanilla beans so I am wondering where the place to buy them will be. I see shorex's that include visits to vanilla plantations..but if we don;t wind up doing any shorexs that involve this..where could I go? Which islands would be best. We will have a few days pre cruise in papeete and a few days post cruise in moorea and have a few shorexs planned so far while on the TP..but not sure about some that include this!

 

Does the Marche in Papeete sell it and would it be a better deal from a plantation.

 

Thanks for any help in advance!

[jmike]

We purchased several bags of beans in Bora Bora in the building next to the tender dock. The lady charged $10 for a bag of 8 beans. This was the best price I found on the whole trip. We bought 3 bags in the morning and that was all she had left. We told her we would really like to buy several more. She told us to come back later in the day and she would have more. We did and she did. We bought ten more bags most of them for our CC friends on the cruise. Her beans were very fresh and needed to crue for several months after we got home. Mike

[laurieb]

we found a grocery store on Raietea, not far from the dock that had large bags of beans. I don't remember the cost but got two bags of very soft, fragrant beans. It was the best price I found.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm surprised there haven't been more responses to this question--I have been awaiting the answers, but can't wait much longer! Twice before I have bought beans from locals on the motu near Taha'a (the PG's private motu). Last time they were about a dollar a bean (I hear the price has gone up). They were very nice, fresh, plump, pliable. But I would love to hear from someone who has bought them in the Papeete marche, for instance. I'm looking to buy quite a few this time, since nothing beats them, and I want to stock up!

[laurieb]

I checked them out at the marche our last trip, and they were expensive and looked dried out. our first trip we bought them at a plantation on Ta'haa, they were the best! I am very happy with the ones we found on Raietea though. I brought home 20 or so.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks, Laurie, I guess I'll stick to Taha'a as well. We are only on Raiatea on Sunday, when almost all the shops are closed, so that's not an option.