# More Beautiful than Hawaii?



## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

I know that many of us on the Marriott TUG board love Maui Ocean Club, Waiohai, and the other MVC Hawaii resorts. My wife and I have long considered Hawaii our "Happy Place" and consider it one of the most amazing spots we have ever visited on the planet. Well, after our just-completed visit to French Polynesia, with a seven-night cruise on the m/s Paul Gauguin and a post-cruise stay at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort, Hawaii has some competition.

We still think Hawaii wins out on the variety of activities, the great restaurants, the golf, and the great resorts, but nothing we've ever seen compares to French Polynesia for sheer beauty. Bora Bora's lagoon is the most incredible place I've ever seen - I snorkeled alongside blacktip reef sharks and lemon sharks, interacted one-on-one with affectionate stingrays, and snorkeled with so many fish it felt like I was inside an aquarium - and that lagoon water has such an incredible variety of colors of blue.

I post this because I know so many Marriott owners love Hawaii, and I think you all would also love French Polynesia. Below is a link to a review I posted in CruiseCritic (the TUG for cruising). 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2673306-our-june-8-paul-gauguin-cruise/

A lot of people call French Polynesia "Hawaii Unplugged" and that title fits. It's sort of what people who have never been to Hawaii probably picture Hawaii to be, and what Hawaii probably was like 80-100 years ago.

We'll continue to go to Hawaii at least every other year, but we're probably going to have to figure out how to work Tahiti and Bora Bora into our rotation at least once more as well. Maybe a week or two in Hawaii followed by another Paul Gauguin cruise.


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## DaveNV (Jun 22, 2019)

Tahiti has been on my bucket list since I was a little kid.  I want to do exactly what you did. Sounds like a fantastic trip. 

Dave


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## mjm1 (Jun 22, 2019)

Thanks for sharing. Hawaii is our happy place too. Your experience in Tahiti and Bora Bora sounds great and something we will have to consider in the future.

Best regards.

Mike


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 22, 2019)

Did a week on tradewinds in FP, then sent some time at some other islands, and a few days at an overwater in Bora Bora.  It was stunning.

I am off to Fiji in September for a comparison.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

Sandy VDH said:


> Did a week on tradewinds in FP, then sent some time at some other islands, and a few days at an overwater in Bora Bora.  It was stunning.
> 
> I am off to Fiji in September for a comparison.



We did the overwater bungalow post-cruise on Moorea at the Hilton. We wanted to do one on Bora Bora like you did, but it was much easier to just hop the ferry from Tahiti, 30 minutes over to Moorea versus a fairly expensive inter-island flight to Bora Bora. You are so right, it is stunning.


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 22, 2019)

view from my bed at sunrise.


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 22, 2019)

don't know why it won't post picture in first post.   strange.


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 22, 2019)

Tikehau beach unit was great too.  (never had this much problem with picture before, maybe I am posting before it is fully loaded).  Weird.


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 22, 2019)




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## Steve Fatula (Jun 22, 2019)

The world is big, there are many great spots other than Hawaii. We loved Thailand, and Fiji. The Momi Bay resort in Fiji was very very nice and the people the nicest we have seen anywhere. A different sort of adventure was Iguasu Falls, that was a great trip too but no ocean. I am sure there are many others. Hawaii is not on the top of our list at least but is nice of course. I would love to hit French Polynesia but only so much time! Our next overseas is likely Kenya.


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## DaveNV (Jun 22, 2019)

You guys are killing me.  LOL! 

Dave


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## pedro47 (Jun 22, 2019)

Awesome Cruise Critics review on both cruise ships. Loved it.


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## Theiggy (Jun 22, 2019)

We went to FP on our honeymoon and just fell in love with it. The beauty is unreal. I’ve yet to go to Hawaii! I don’t love all the travel time from NY. Great review. 


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## mav (Jun 22, 2019)

Bavaria in the summer is my paradise here on earth. I can't get enough of it!! It  haunts my dreams and when the plane is heading there for my summer heaven trip I feel like the mountains are singing "She's on her way, Willkommen, Maria". We have been waiting for you.


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## Theiggy (Jun 22, 2019)

How were the mosquitos when you were there? When we went we found them relentless despite the bug spray and oil the locals gave us, especially on Bora Bora. 


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## coachBoris (Jun 22, 2019)

We used to live in Hawaii and have gone back to visit the last two years.  My wife loves it there, I on the other hand want to experience FP and Bora Bora.  Great info here and on the CC site. 20th anniversary in 2021, so on the list of destinations.


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## klpca (Jun 22, 2019)

As soon as I read the title, I hoped that it would be a thread about French Polynesia. We also went on a Tradewinds FP cruise last Nov and tacked on 3 days in Moorea. I had the same reaction as you. While both are beautiful, it really isn't close (and I am a Hawaii cheerleader). Moorea is simply stunning - the closest thing to it is the north shore of Kauai, but Moorea is like Kauai on steroids. Add on a lack of traffic and development in general and it is heaven on earth. Even Tahiti had a lot to offer once you got out of Papeete.

You may have been on the cruise with my husbands co-worker. She mentioned that one of the Gauguin ships had something mechanically wrong and that while some of the passengers were given cabins on the other ship, others had to stay on the ship in port. How very disappointing!


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## ljmiii (Jun 22, 2019)

I read the thread title and thought, "There is only one place on earth more beautiful...oh good, he *did* go to French Polynesia."


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## BocaBoy (Jun 22, 2019)

Sandy VDH said:


> I am off to Fiji in September for a comparison.


I will be very interested to see what you think of Fiji.  We were there only once (in 2005) while on a 2-month Pacific cruise, but we did not find it all appealing.  It was OK, but not especially beautiful and also very hot when we were there (late November).  Perhaps other parts of Fiji are better and perhaps we hit a day when the trade winds were not blowing, but it also was not nearly as green and lush as we expected.

The French Polynesia cruise has been on our bucket list for years.


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## WinniWoman (Jun 22, 2019)

So beautiful! I doubt we will ever get there, but love seeing the pics!


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## Conan (Jun 22, 2019)

We did Paul Gauguin last year. I'll jump on your coattails and post my trip report.
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/top...eridien-tahiti/?tab=comments#comment-55016098

Our trip planning was driven by the most exhaustive trip report you'll ever see.  Thanks Deladane!!
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/top...rea-pre-cruise/?tab=comments#comment-52834303


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

klpca said:


> As soon as I read the title, I hoped that it would be a thread about French Polynesia. We also went on a Tradewinds FP cruise last Nov and tacked on 3 days in Moorea. I had the same reaction as you. While both are beautiful, it really isn't close (and I am a Hawaii cheerleader). Moorea is simply stunning - the closest thing to it is the north shore of Kauai, but Moorea is like Kauai on steroids. Add on a lack of traffic and development in general and it is heaven on earth. Even Tahiti had a lot to offer once you got out of Papeete.
> 
> You may have been on the cruise with my husbands co-worker. She mentioned that one of the Gauguin ships had something mechanically wrong and that while some of the passengers were given cabins on the other ship, others had to stay on the ship in port. How very disappointing!



I agree with your assessment of Moorea. The landscape is more visually stunning than even Bora Bora - Kauai on steroids is a good description - but what makes Bora Bora so amazing is the lagoon. The water is so much bluer than anywhere I have ever seen, and when contrasted with Mt Otemanu, it's gorgeous.

It sounds like your husband's co-worker was on our same cruise. What actually happened was one of Windstar's ships, the Wind Spirit, had a problem and was docked right beside us in Papeete on embarkation day, June 8. So, Windstar apparently paid for some of their passengers to take any empty cabins on the Paul Gauguin. Windstar is actually a competitor of Paul Gauguin, as Paul Gauguin only has the one ship. That actually shows how competitors can sometimes work together to solve problems for their customers. I had wondered if there were some of the Windstar passengers who could not be accommodated onboard the Gauguin, so your post indicates there were. That would be so bad to go that far only to have that happen, but if Windstar was willing to send some passengers to a competitor, I suspect they are compensating those left behind with a free cruise or something significant.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

Theiggy said:


> How were the mosquitos when you were there? When we went we found them relentless despite the bug spray and oil the locals gave us, especially on Bora Bora.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



No problem with mosquitos at all, but we didn't do any hiking or off-road tours. The cruise line advised people hiking or off-roading to take mosquito repellent. The three land tours we took pretty much stayed on the paved roads. There were no mosquitos on the beaches or motus we visited, and obviously none in the snorkeling spots in the lagoon. The cruise ships don't dock at any of the islands, but use tenders to shuttle people to the small docks in the villages, so in the evening we were out of range of any mosquitos. When we got to our post-cruise stay on Moorea, we were at the Hilton right on the lagoon and our bungalow was a hundred yards or more out over the lagoon, so we dined outside every night with no pests at all.

What time of the year were you there? June through September is the French Polynesian winter, so it's not as hot and humid as their summer season from November through April. I suspect their summer has more mosquitos.


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## Theiggy (Jun 22, 2019)

JIMinNC said:


> No problem with mosquitos at all, but we didn't do any hiking or off-road tours. The cruise line advised people hiking or off-roading to take mosquito repellent. The three land tours we took pretty much stayed on the paved roads. There were no mosquitos on the beaches or motus we visited, and obviously none in the snorkeling spots in the lagoon. The cruise ships don't dock at any of the islands, but use tenders to shuttle people to the small docks in the villages, so in the evening we were out of range of any mosquitos. When we got to our post-cruise stay on Moorea, we were at the Hilton right on the lagoon and our bungalow was a hundred yards or more out over the lagoon, so we dined outside every night with no pests at all.
> 
> What time of the year were you there? June through September is the French Polynesian winter, so it's not as hot and humid as their summer season from November through April. I suspect their summer has more mosquitos.



We were there in July, the weather was beautiful. We encountered the most mosquitos while hiking (Jeep tour) in Moorea and then at the resorts too! We stayed in an overwater bungalow in Moorea, so not a problem, and then we were supposed to stay in a Beach bungalow with a plunge pool in Bora Bora but the mosquitos were so bad they upgraded us to an overwater at check in at their suggestion. I remember checking into that overwater unit and finding a 2 foot can of Raid type bug spray in the closet. My husband and I wondered what that was for. Well a few days in I moved one of my small suitcases that was on the floor and found out! To this day I’m not sure what it was but it ran fast! Of course all this is minor compared to the beautiful views, stingrays, snorkeling, hiking etc we did. Of course I didn’t get off the boat on the shark excursion!!! But I did come home very bitten up despite diligent use of sprays and oils. We also were on land for the Heiva Festival. It was very exciting to be there at the time of a cultural Festival and see traditional shows. I’m guessing it was a once in a lifetime trip for us. But maybe someday when the kids are grown...


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

Theiggy said:


> We were there in July, the weather was beautiful. We encountered the most mosquitos while hiking (Jeep tour) in Moorea and then at the resorts too! We stayed in an overwater bungalow in Moorea, so not a problem, and then we were supposed to stay in a Beach bungalow with a plunge pool in Bora Bora but the mosquitos were so bad they upgraded us to an overwater at check in at their suggestion. I remember checking into that overwater unit and finding a 2 foot can of Raid type bug spray in the closet. My husband and I wondered what that was for. Well a few days in I moved one of my small suitcases that was on the floor and found out! To this day I’m not sure what it was but it ran fast! Of course all this is minor compared to the beautiful views, stingrays, snorkeling, hiking etc we did. Of course I didn’t get off the boat on the shark excursion!!! But I did come home very bitten up despite diligent use of sprays and oils. We also were on land for the Heiva Festival. It was very exciting to be there at the time of a cultural Festival and see traditional shows. I’m guessing it was a once in a lifetime trip for us. But maybe someday when the kids are grown...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



We heard a lot about the upcoming Heiva Festival and would love to go back some time in July for that. Sounds exciting.

The sharks look imposing, but they don't seem to bother people. During the snorkeling with sharks, I felt more threatened by the other snorkelers not paying attention to where they were going!


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## Theiggy (Jun 22, 2019)

JIMinNC said:


> We heard a lot about the upcoming Heiva Festival and would love to go back some time in July for that. Sounds exciting.
> 
> The sharks look imposing, but they don't seem to bother people. During the snorkeling with sharks, I felt more threatened by the other snorkelers not paying attention to where they were going!
> 
> View attachment 12534



Yes I think I got in long enough to see they were pretty deep down- at least where we were. I did get very up close and personal with the stingrays though. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. They completely surrounded us. 


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

The stingrays on Moorea would swim up to my chest, come up to the surface of the water, and flex their flippers. It reminded me of when a dog jumps up, putting their paws on you wanting you to rub them. The rays were wanting us to interact with them.

The sharks did get very close, but basically ignored us.


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## LisaH (Jun 22, 2019)

Great review! Did you get the full breakfast or just the Continental at Hilton Moorea? Staying there in Oct after our Tradewinds Cruise. Looking forward to our first FP trip (and hope not be the last). 


JIMinNC said:


> I know that many of us on the Marriott TUG board love Maui Ocean Club, Waiohai, and the other MVC Hawaii resorts. My wife and I have long considered Hawaii our "Happy Place" and consider it one of the most amazing spots we have ever visited on the planet. Well, after our just-completed visit to French Polynesia, with a seven-night cruise on the m/s Paul Gauguin and a post-cruise stay at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort, Hawaii has some competition.
> 
> We still think Hawaii wins out on the variety of activities, the great restaurants, the golf, and the great resorts, but nothing we've ever seen compares to French Polynesia for sheer beauty. Bora Bora's lagoon is the most incredible place I've ever seen - I snorkeled alongside blacktip reef sharks and lemon sharks, interacted one-on-one with affectionate stingrays, and snorkeled with so many fish it felt like I was inside an aquarium - and that lagoon water has such an incredible variety of colors of blue.
> 
> ...


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

Conan said:


> We did Paul Gauguin last year. I'll jump on your coattails and post my trip report.
> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/top...eridien-tahiti/?tab=comments#comment-55016098
> 
> Our trip planning was driven by the most exhaustive trip report you'll ever see.  Thanks Deladane!!
> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/top...rea-pre-cruise/?tab=comments#comment-52834303



Great review! I wanted to include pictures in my Cruise Critic review as well, but I have over 3000 shots to go through from my TG-5, Canon 5D MkIII, and even a few iPhone pics. I'll probably add a few selects once I have time to go through all the pics.

When we do another PG cruise. we'll probably do either the Cook Islands itinerary you did or one of the cruises that hit the Tuamotus and/or Marquesas.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

LisaH said:


> Great review! Did you get the full breakfast or just the Continental at Hilton Moorea? Staying there in Oct after our Tradewinds Cruise. Looking forward to our first FP trip (and hope not be the last).



We got the full breakfast buffet. The Hilton is superb. The overwater bungalow was such a cool experience. The lagoon was our pool!


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## TXTortoise (Jun 22, 2019)

Jim, given the three cruises you mention, would you still do yours first?  I assume you considered the others when deciding last year?


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

TXTortoise said:


> Jim, given the three cruises you mention, would you still do yours first?  I assume you considered the others when deciding last year?



The other itineraries range from 10-14 nights, and we had decided to limit ourselves to the 7-night cruises for this trip since we were doing 3.5 weeks in Hawaii earlier this year. With a couple travel days, a 2-night pre-cruise hotel to get time-adjusted, and then our bucket-list three nights post-cruise in the overwater bungalow, the 7-night cruise got stretched to a total trip of 14 nights, and that was the longest we could justify being away from things. So, under the same circumstances, we would still do the one we did. But when we first started thinking about a Paul Gauguin cruise, we had leaned toward one of the longer itineraries, since when you look at pricing, they wind up being less expensive per night, since for some reason PG doesn't charge a heck of a lot more for the longer cruises. But this time, the longer ones didn't work for us. When we may consider doing French Polynesia again in 2-3 years, we'll both be retired, or at least semi-retired, so we can plan for the longer trip.

The Cook Islands and Tuamotus cruises typically just tack on a sea day or two plus a couple islands in those other island chains to the core 7-night Tahiti/Huahine/Taha'a/Bora Bora/Moorea itinerary, so you get the core 7-night cruise plus the additional nights/islands for not much more money. They do have a couple other cruises that do the Society Islands, the Tuamotus, *and* the Marquesas, so they have to shorten the Bora Bora and Moorea stops on the core itinerary to one day each instead of two.


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## bazzap (Jun 22, 2019)

mav said:


> Bavaria in the summer is my paradise here on earth. I can't get enough of it!! It  haunts my dreams and when the plane is heading there for my summer heaven trip I feel like the mountains are singing "She's on her way, Willkommen, Maria". We have been waiting for you.


That is good news, as we will be visiting friends in Bavaria in mid August this year.
Having said that and having travelled all around the World, I have to say that French Polynesia is the most spectacular place we have ever visited (and that was just to Tahiti and Moorea, we never made it to Bora Bora on that trip)


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## Steve Fatula (Jun 22, 2019)

BocaBoy said:


> I will be very interested to see what you think of Fiji.  We were there only once (in 2005) while on a 2-month Pacific cruise, but we did not find it all appealing.  It was OK, but not especially beautiful and also very hot when we were there (late November).  Perhaps other parts of Fiji are better and perhaps we hit a day when the trade winds were not blowing, but it also was not nearly as green and lush as we expected.
> 
> The French Polynesia cruise has been on our bucket list for years.



Fiji is like Hawaii in that one side gets gobs of rain, and, the other side can be, well, dry even. So, it does depend where you go.

It can never be hot enough for my taste. Maybe Venus.


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## turkel (Jun 22, 2019)

We are going to FP in late August on a Tradewinds cruise then to an over the water bungalow on Moorea at the Hilton for 6 nights. It was wonderful to hear your glowing report.

We are so excited!!


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## JIMinNC (Jun 22, 2019)

turkel said:


> We are going to FP in late August on a Tradewinds cruise then to an over the water bungalow on Moorea at the Hilton for 6 nights. It was wonderful to hear your glowing report.
> 
> We are so excited!!



You'll love the Hilton. Which category of bungalow did you book? The Panoramic Overwater Bungalows are farther out on the pier/pontoon and have a much more expansive view of the lagoon. The ones not listed as "Panoramic" can be much closer-in to the land and might have a view obstructed by other bungalows. As I recall the price difference wasn't huge, so if you don't have the Panoramic version and they still have availability or you can get upgraded, I would recommend it.  We were in unit 84, which is out near the tip of the middle pier in the image below.

The weather in August should be really nice as well, and it is the start of their whale season, so you may be able to see humpbacks.


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## skifast (Jun 22, 2019)

Agree with your thoughts of French Polynesia. I tell people that I used to think Hawaii was paradise until we went to Bora Bora. As was mentioned earlier, the different colors of blue in the lagoon is incredible. 
To get an idea, go to Google Maps, enter Bora Bora, and then zoom out. The colors you see are real! First learned this from the naturalist on our cruise. The light blue is due to the mostly sand bottom inside the barrier reef.
As you can see from the pictures posted, when you are snorkeling/diving, the water is incredibly clear and blue.
As an aside, it is also legal to swim with the humpback whales here, which was probably the most adventure we have ever experienced.


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## Steve Fatula (Jun 23, 2019)

Here's was our over the water bungalow / Bure in Marriott Fiji. Definitely the best "hotel" "room" we've ever had. The stairs you can sort of see go right into the water, which was warm, clean, and nice. What made Fiji a great place was different than other places, nicest people we've ever met in any country. They can teach us a lot about how to treat people. That for me is more important than any scenery per se. The breakfast buffet was a feast. They had literally everything for any meal. Fish, Sushi, American breakfast foods, Italian foods, Mexican foods, local foods, dozens and dozens of breads, pastries, you name it, pizza even. We ate all week and never ate the same thing twice, and that was merely breakfast.


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## mav (Jun 23, 2019)

Hello Bazzap,

I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I do. I have been to well over 40 countries, and can't get enough of Bavaria. I first saw it for the first time  in 1989, and it haunts me ever since. We will be heading over in July for my summer trip.


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## chemteach (Oct 9, 2019)

Just saw this thread.  I had an AMAZING time in French Polynesia this past summer, so much so, that we added on a week to our Hawaii summer 2020 to to go to the Tuamotu Islands of FP.  Staying on Rangiroa for a week.  (Hawaiian airlines has flights from Oaho to Papeete, Tahiti, so it makes the overall trip reasonable.).   I love Hawaii and have gone almost every other year for the past 20 years, but French Polynesia has won me over.  For anyone planning a trip there, visit Maupiti if you can.  Moorea is Kauai on steroids, and Maupiti is Moorea on steroids!  Whenever we told anyone we were visiting Maupiti (especially any French Polynesians) they got a glazed look over their eyes, and would say, "Maupiti, wow!  You are very lucky to go there."  And the manta ray dives were spectacular!  The photo below is from the mountain top at Maupiti.  The blue colors of the water were spectacular and the most impressive of all the islands we visited (we visited Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine (stayed in an overwater bungalow there - the most reasonably priced of any), Taha'a, Bora Bora, Raiatea, and Maupiti.)  Bora Bora was beautiful, but several of the other islands were even more impressive to us.  Maupiti was the best of all.  We stayed on the little atoll shown at the left in the picture below.  Quite amazing.  Took a boat several days to hike or bike around the main island (about 1 hour to bike a complete circle around the island, with people waving at us whenever we saw anyone.). The people are the friendliest I have met on any trip.  About the manta ray dive - there is a manta ray cleaning station in Maupiti.  The mantas come every morning to the same spot to have fish clean their underside.  If you look closely at the second picture, you can see two pretty large fish cleaning the gills of the manta.  The trip all started with an RCI exchange for a French Polynesia Tradewinds cruise.  We are now hooked, and plan to go the South Pacific every few years.  Well that was the plan, but now we have trips planned already for summer 2020 and summer 2021 to the South Pacific.  

By the way - if you haven't read Michener's books Tales of the South Pacific and/or Hawaii, they are great reads while in the South Pacific!  Made my trip even more enjoyable.  If you have an RCI account, I highly recommend putting in an ongoing search for Tradewinds French Poiynesia for summer 2021.  There is nothing available now, but perhaps they will deposit them again one day.  There was a huge banking of weeks in 2018 for 2019.


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## hangloose (Oct 9, 2019)

Steve Fatula said:


> Our next overseas is likely Kenya.



While we love Hawaii and haven't been to Bora Bora (on the list), Kenya is just as fantastic!  Not beach beauty, but the safaris via the Masai Mara are something you will never forget.   Highly recommend a luxury tented camp in the middle of the reserve!


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## NboroGirl (Oct 10, 2019)

hangloose said:


> While we love Hawaii and haven't been to Bora Bora (on the list), Kenya is just as fantastic!  Not beach beauty, but the safaris via the Masai Mara are something you will never forget.   Highly recommend a luxury tented camp in the middle of the reserve!



Just curious...why is that so great?  DH has been wanting to do a safari for a couple of years but I keep resisting. Yes, it would be luxury tents in the reserve (via the World Wildlife Federation) but it doesn't appeal to me. I think I would get bored going on 2 safaris every day for a week.  I'd be interested in hearing what the appeal is from someone who did it.


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## hangloose (Oct 10, 2019)

NboroGirl said:


> Just curious...why is that so great?  DH has been wanting to do a safari for a couple of years but I keep resisting. Yes, it would be luxury tents in the reserve (via the World Wildlife Federation) but it doesn't appeal to me. I think I would get bored going on 2 safaris every day for a week.  I'd be interested in hearing what the appeal is from someone who did it.



To each their own. Some may really enjoy a safari, thinking about it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Some may not.

For me, we had Nairobi as a home base and spent time in the Masai Mara reserve (Big5, tented camps), at Lake Nakuru (boat trips, lodge stay), Lake Navaisha (famous for flamingos), traveling through the Great Rift Valley, etc.  Some others in our party traveled into the Serengeti in Tanzania or to trek up Kilimanjaro as well. 

For me, experiencing the culture, seeing the natural beauty of the safari (morning, day, evening), seeing the Big5 live in their habitat, eating a picnic in the reserve, etc.   Nothing like waking up, hopping on the safari jeep...and seeing two dozen+ giraffes right outside your lodging.   Or seeing a lion chase the wildebeasts during the great migration.   Or seeing an elephant within a few feet that is bigger than the entire jeep you are in.   Or seeing your first zebra in the wild.  Or seeing a rhino walk in front of your jeep at night in pitch black while trying to get back to your lodging.  Or gazing at the stars which are very bright there.  Our having a baboon swing out the bushes to grab your dinner while you aren't watching.  The list goes on.

Tons of great memories.  I'll never give up my beach Hawaii memories.  But my Kenya safari memories are unique in their own spot and the sunsets in the reserve are just as good as any in Hawaii overlooking the ocean.


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## Clavilux (Oct 14, 2019)

I think you had a great time in Tahiti and Bora Bora and your experience sound really great.


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