Why hello there, strangers! It has been forever since I did a full length post on here (real talk, I wasn’t sure if the page was still live, oops!), but SO SO many of you have asked me via my social platforms about the deets of our Tahiti trip and how we went about planning it, so I felt compelled to share 🙂
I hope it inspires/informs some of you to add it to your bucket lists and make it out yourselves because it was absolutely dreamy. First things first, why Tahiti?!
It has been a long time travel goal of mine to stay in an overwater bungalow in French Polynesia (duh, I’m a mermaid). So when I got an email that Air Tahiti Nui was having a sale, gone were the days of watching Couples Retreat in despair, and I began my research/convincing Ry we had to capitalize because if not now, when?!
That brings me to which companies we used/booked with…
We did not use a package deal. We ultimately ended up booking our flight with Air Tahiti Nui out of LA via that email I received… as an aside, that email originated from TravelZoo
which we are obsessed with & have booked many things with (not sponsored, you just really have to sign up for their weekly newsletter). Air Tahiti Nui flies to the heavenly trifecta that is Tahiti/Moorea/Bora Bora, but because it was only out of LA, we used our Aeroplan points to get there from TO. Again, not sponsored, if you know me personally I am a LOYAL Aeroplan collector and fly through them all the time. We took the overnight flight from LA to Tahiti, which worked out well because it’s 8 hours so allows you to sleep, and because of the time change you get to Tahiti bright and early with your whole day ahead of you.
As another aside, if you ever find yourself flying Air Tahiti Nui on a red eye, pick the crepes as your breakfast option. EPIC.
So what happened when we arrived in Tahiti…
We got to the airport and even though it was 5:30AM Tahiti time, there was live Polynesian music to remind you you’d arrived in paradise. From there, we slowly got through security (another thing if you know me personally, I ALWAYS get extensively searched lol), and hopped a cab to the ferry. Note, it was about $30USD for two tickets one-way, and it’s a 30 minute ride to Moorea. If Bora Bora is your final stop, you’ll be taking another short flight.
We made it over to our hotel, the Sofitel Ia Ora Beach Resort, which was one of the top questions I received, and checked into our room which was a ‘Luxury King Overwater Bungalow’. We booked our room separately through the hotel directly.
Now to keep it brief, here goes some top reccos, fun facts and answers to your direct questions:
I personally wouldn’t go all that way/spend the money if we weren’t staying in an overwater bungalow. It was 100% worth every penny. That being said, we had the pleasure of jet skiing around the whole island and seeing two other hotels that also had overwater offerings and I am SO glad we stayed where we did. Their walk outs went into much deeper/darker water and had constant motorized water vehicles extremely close to their decks. Ours was private, secluded, and went into the clearest, mid height water that was great for snorkeling and swimming without leaving our room.
Speaking of those jet skis, we opted to not book through the hotel and went with a company we had researched. I highly recommend Top Jets. One of the best excursions I’ve ever taken anywhere. We were not rushed (we were out for about 4.5 hours), and that’s who took us to swim with the wild sharks and rays you saw on my insta stories (yay for no captivity). The owners, Johanna and Gaultier, were the best.
Yes, the room had the see through glass floor you’ve dreamt about.The complimentary bath products in our room were Hermes. Swoon. Yes, I took several home. Meals were affordable. Plan for about $50USD per meal for a pair NOT including booze. Of course, the speciality restaurants on site were WAY more, but well worth the splurge a few times. Do the canoe breakfast. You all asked about it from my insta stories, and we did have to book (and pay) for it as an upgrade, but it was my fave meal and so unique. You can book directly through the hotel upon arrival.There’s not much in town, mainly pearl shops and cafes, but still cool to check out. You can see it all in a couple hours.
You will undoubtedly over pack – my most worn pieces were the bikinis (the one thing I’m glad I brought more of, & both one pieces were Forever 21 btw), and my cut offs (you asked, they’re one teaspoon brand from Shop Laut).
I would not recommend packing a floater the size of the one I brought (it weighed 7.5lbs haha), but mine is from Urban Outfitters.Don’t forget – the bug spray (lots of mosquitoes), and your euro charger adapters. We were probably the only non-honeymooning people on the resort lol, so keep it mind it is definitely more a romantic vibe. If you’re looking for a quieter, laid back, relaxing trip you won’t be disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend for a girls trip location though, or for people who like organized entertainment (nights are chill/quiet). I wasn’t aware before we left, but we got EXTREMELY lucky in that even though May is considered the end of rainy season, the island can still get up to 3 weeks STRAIGHT of rain. & let me tell you, this was no tropical drizzle… it monsoon-level poured as we were leaving, and I can’t even explain how disappointed I would have been if that had been our week. In hindsight, wait until high season to be safe, which starts in June. Lastly, the money question (literally lol), this is more a splurge trip by comparative standards for us. All in as a couple our trip was about $7,500 CAD. Keep in mind, this was with savvy booking on our part with the flight sale, and a ‘40% off asia pacific sale’ promo through the hotel on our room. So you can imagine, average prices can be much higher.
Happy travels & follow my insta @intl_peach for all the Tahiti pics & future travel shares in real time. Let me know any other questions as well!
xx