Travel Diaries: Tahiti
Last May, after getting married, my husband and I booked a very last minute trip to Tahiti, specifically Moorea, for our honeymoon. This trip was such a blessing, especially after cancelling, rescheduling, and then cancelling so many plans for our wedding and previous honeymoon due to Covid. Read below to see our favorite moments!
When I say we booked this trip last minute, I mean we booked this trip two weeks before we left. We had just gotten married, had to postpone and then cancel our original honeymoon in Thailand, and were itching to get away. The timing was perfect as well, my school year was wrapping up and countries all over the world were beginning to open. We researched a lot of different options, and landed on going to Tahiti.
When we decided on Tahiti, we had to make the choice between island hopping (staying 3 days here, 3 days there), or spending the full week and a half in one location. Because of our timing on booking it, we decided to spend the entire time in Moorea. After doing extensive research, we read the comparison between Moorea and Bora Bora is that to Maui and Kauai. Kauai easily being our favorite island, only going to Moorea seemed like a no brainer.
While this trip was a lot different for us than how we normally travel (only relaxing instead of being constantly on the go), it is easily one of our favorite trips taken together. We are hopeful to visit more islands in the future and to bring our families here one day!
How we got there:
When we went to Tahiti at the beginning of June, there was not a lot of airline options to get us from point A to point B. At the time, Air Taihiti flew one flight, every third or so day of the week. This can be different now, but because of that, we were limited on what day we wanted to leave on.
Regardless, to get to Tahiti is an easy, overnight, flight from Los Angeles to the island. Luckily for us, LAX is our international airport so we just had one route. For those outside of Los Angeles, you will need a connector.
Sine we took the red-eye, we landed at about 5:00 a.m. in Tahiti. Once we landed, we had to take a COVID test upon arrival (again, this can be different now). Between taking the test, waiting for the results, and getting luggage, we were out of the airport in about an hour.
We then got into a taxi and took a taxi to the port in Tahiti. Here, we picked up a 30-minute ferry that took us directly to Moorea. It was super quick and easy!
*The only island that you can take a ferry to from Tahiti is Moorea. All other islands require a connector flight out of Tahiti. This is a big reason why we decided to only go to Moorea on our honeymoon. Since we booked this trip two weeks out, we kept our itinerary as simple as possible.*
Where we stayed:
We stayed at the Sofitel in Moorea and can honestly say we loved it. We upgraded for the nicest bungalow and the whole stay was a dream. The staff was incredibly friendly, helpful, and efficient.
What we did:
Since we were staying in an over the water bungalow in Moorea, we spent the majority of our time snorkeling, relaxing, and reading on our deck. To be honest, this is typically not how my husband and I vacation. We typically like to do all the things, and see all the things, but being above water on a small island really makes you want to fully relax and live in that moment.
When we did leave our deck, we did have some fun adventures. Our favorites were:
- Renting a car for an afternoon and driving around the Island
- Taking a private catamaran out for drinks and snorkeling
- Going for hikes around the island
- From our hotel, we booked a snorkeling experience with the little snorkeling jets that make you feel like James Bond
Where we ate:
Just a heads up, eating in Moorea takes one to two more steps to book than normal. This is because all of the restaurants will provide a driver to come and pick you up from your hotel and pick you up after dinner. Because of this, restaurants prefer multiple people from the hotel to travel together.
- Rudy’s: I was hesitant about this choice but it ended up being such a great dinner. We went fresh off a boat, in our bathing suits (with cover ups), and we were definitely the most casual ones there. Despite our appearance, the waitstaff was incredibly kind, and the food was delicious.
- Moorea Beach Cafe: This is a Veuve Champagne restaurant. The food was amazing, but the staff was mediocre.
- Te Honu Iti: This meal was probably our favorite of the trip. It was located above a bay where you had reef sharks and rays swimming below you. The food and atmosphere was amazing!
- Allo Pizza: This was a little pizza joint off the side of the road. On the day we rented a car, we picked some up to enjoy on our balcony for lunch and dinner!
- Other than that, we spent a lot of time eating room service because we were too tired to go out!
Tips:
- One of the best trips I heard when packing was BRING YOUR OWN ALCOHOL. Because of it’s location, alcohol on and in the Tahiti area is very expensive. We read that we can pack 2.5 (we rounded to 3), bottles in each checked bag. So that is what we did… We packed 6 bottles of wine or champagne and it lasted us the whole trip.
- Bring rafts: Another genius tip, especially for those staying in bungalows. We brought two rafts over with the intention of leaving them and some rope. We blew up the rafts, tied to to our bungalow, and floated mindlessly in the water!
- Bug Repellant: While bugs are not such an issue if you’re staying over the water, it is on the island. Pack some!
