5 Issues That Would Have Made My Journey to French Polynesia Even Higher

• Final August, Sonya Moore ticked French Polynesia off her journey bucket checklist.
• Regardless of plenty of planning earlier than the journey, wanting again, there are some things she’d have completed otherwise.
• She would have skipped Bora Bora and budgeted larger for meals and wine.

French Polynesia had been on my bucket checklist ever since I discovered of its existence, and final August, I lastly made it there.

My associate and I spent 16 days touring throughout this dreamy French abroad territory. Our itinerary included six islands within the Society Islands archipelago, a area that is a part of French Polynesia’s 118 Pacific islands.

We visited throughout the excessive season, nevertheless it by no means felt crowded.

The islands are as gorgeous as their repute, with pristine white-sand seashores and vivid turquoise lagoons. I beloved our journey to French Polynesia, however there are 5 issues I might have completed otherwise to make it even higher.

1. Analysis the easiest way to journey

I spent an excessive amount of time planning flights between islands once I ought to have first studied a map of the Society Islands to see which routes have been higher by ferry. I additionally ought to have ignored a lot of the choices on the cluttered Air Tahiti web site — its Ebook characteristic is all that is wanted for flight occasions and costs.

Ferries proved to be dependable, comfy, and less expensive for brief routes like Tahiti to Moorea and Huahine-Raiatea-Taha’a-Bora Bora. Understanding that earlier would have saved me plenty of planning time.

Some islands, like Taha’a, do not even have an airport. Sometimes called “Vanilla Island,” on account of its aromatic plantations, it is solely accessible by boat through Raiatea — both a 45-minute Apetahi Categorical ferry or a 30-minute water taxi.

We have been glad we made it there as a result of it is the place we had one in all our most magical experiences — swimming with six manta rays within the open ocean, fully alone.

For some routes, flights are the higher alternative. We took the Maupiti Categorical 2 ferry from Bora Bora to Maupiti since no flights match our schedule, however I would not do it once more. It is much less comfy, and the tough two-and-a-half-hour journey is just for the strongest stomachs.

Whether or not by airplane or ferry, checking schedules earlier than reserving lodging is vital. Ferries do not run day by day, and flight costs can fluctuate wildly — one ticket we noticed was $120 on Monday however $327 on Saturday.

Planning round these elements made a giant distinction in our journey.

2. Preserve the time change in thoughts

I received tripped up by the point change when flying east into Tahiti. Since we traveled via Australia and New Zealand, we basically went again in time, touchdown a day earlier than our departure date. The ultimate leg of our journey left Auckland on the afternoon of August 17 and arrived in Papeete on the night of August 16.

I mistakenly booked our lodge in Papeete for the unsuitable date, assuming we might arrive on the seventeenth. Fortuitously, this mix-up is so widespread that Reserving.com despatched a message double-checking the date, permitting me to right the error upfront.

3. Enhance the meals and wine funds

Meals and wine in French Polynesia aren’t low cost. We spent $17 for a hummus appetizer and about the identical for poisson cru, the native coconut milk ceviche. Principal dishes have been usually over $30.

French wine by the bottle ranged, on common, from $30 to $65 or extra. Had we splurged on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot in a restaurant, it might have set us again $146.

On the brilliant facet, every little thing was scrumptious.

4. Skip Bora Bora and spend extra time on Huahine

We fell head over heels in love with Huahine, and 4 nights there wasn’t sufficient.

We stayed in a $250-a-night Airbnb villa on a personal seashore going through a shocking lagoon, and the snorkeling was unimaginable. I might have beloved extra days in that paradise to easily loosen up in a hammock with guide.

Whereas Bora Bora was stunning, it was a lot much less memorable, and we would not have minded skipping it. Nevertheless, if $2,000 overwater bungalows had been in our funds, Bora Bora might have turn into my favourite island.

5. Pack some heat garments

French Polynesia would not expertise a lot variation in temperature all year long. The climate forecast for August, which falls within the cooler season, predicted highs of 82 levels Fahrenheit and lows of 73°F. Nevertheless, common highs for the remainder of the 12 months aren’t a lot totally different — round 86°F.

We thought we might be comfy in tropical apparel, however we did not notice how windy this a part of the world is. With the windchill issue, we discovered ourselves shivering at occasions and had to buy some long-sleeved shirts.

June to August can be the driest time of 12 months, though we did expertise occasional gentle showers and overcast skies.

French Polynesia is a fascinating a part of the world, and I hope to return, utilizing the teachings discovered from the primary journey to plan a fair higher go to.