Ia Orana McCoy Travel!
Vicki and I are back from our 10 day sojourn in South Pacific paradise, and I must say, Sue Michailidis planned our trip flawlessly. A day in Tahiti was sufficient as Vicki and I had just enough time to take a bus into Papeete and see its major sites. Of course, to be quite honest - for anyone reading this review - Papeete, in my opinion, wasn’t too dissimilar to a typical port of call with any major cruise line. I remember Cozumel looking very similar. So, in that regard, it wasn’t quite as exotic as I’d expected. But again, it’s the capital of Tahiti, so one must expect the appeal to tourism. Being only 8-10 miles from the town center, we stayed at the Intercontinental Resort, which had a terrific view of Moorea – our next stop.
Moorea, I think, was the friendliest of the three islands we'd visited. We stayed at the Pearl Resort - only a five minute walk from a grocery and a five minute drive from the idyllic Cook’s Bay. To anyone considering the French Polynesia as a future destination, I’d highly recommend renting a car or scooter. The island is less than fifty miles around, so the drive, with no stops, is a measly two hours. Of course, for the curious tourist, you’ll probably want to stop at Cook’s Bay, Jus De Fruits, the Lookout, Temae Beach, and perhaps some various Marae (ancient temples), which might push your trip back to six to eight hours. Of all the culinary stops we visited (La Mahogany and Te Honu Iti being two of the more distinguished places) our favorite was Rudy’s, where the shrimp curry was worth the price you pay (everything in the French Polynesia is expensive, so it’s nice to get food that tastes expensive. In reality, Rudy’s is no more expensive than the various other restaurants on the island). For lunch, we walked to Chez Luciano for some pizza. It was a reasonable priced meal, and the chef was quite entertaining as he would screech like a cat on occasion. One restaurant we didn’t try was Alfredo’s; our concierge advised against it, claiming that she’d received quite a bit of negative feedback about it, so Vicki and I took her word on it. Why shell out the money for bad food, right? And at Te honu Iti, I got to feed the stingrays, so I'd also recommend at least one trip there. One downside to all the good restaurants is that they are quickly dwindling. I had a 2007 printout of the Lonely Planet, and many of the restaurants listed are no longer in business.
Upon leaving Moorea, Vicki and I didn’t think it could get any better. The Moorea Pearl Resort had upgraded us, free of charge, to a premium overwater bungalow, so neither of us could have imagined any room for improvement; but, as Sue had so meticulously incorporated, Bora Bora would be all that and more; thus, she made it our last stop. Once again, the Pearl Resort upgraded us to a premium overwater bungalow, only this time, the view was nearly inconceivable. We were in bungalow 44, which was a direct view of the main island and its two peaks, an uninhibited view yielding the vast expanse of turquoise water and deep blue skies. I nearly fainted (if fainting weren’t so “dainty,” I might have!). Being that the resort was on a private motu, I was quite pleased that Sue had suggested the half board meal plan, which included breakfast and the three course dinners. We did, however, go into town to try the pre-eminent Bloody Mary’s; although, neither of us was as impressed as we’d hoped to be. The setting, of course, is original with sandy floors and coconut tables and stools – and even the food was good – but to describe it as a nearly god-like destination is a bit over the top in my opinion.
For the honeymooners out there, I’d suggest a private and professional photoshoot. Since it’s only the two of you, it’s often difficult getting pictures with both of you in them. Talk to your resort’s excursion desk to get the details. Vicki and I spent around 22000 pacific francs for forty pictures, and we were extremely pleased with them.
In short, it may be trying times economically, and although I was a little skittish shelling out the money for it, I’m glad I did. It’s not often a middle-class guy like me could say a vacation of that price was truly worth the money, but in this case – and this is just between you and me – I might have paid more.
Thanks again for the superb trip, or as they say in Tahiti, “Maururuu!”
Best wishes,
P. Adams
Madison, AL
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