- Last August, Sonya Moore ticked French Polynesia off her travel bucket list.
- Despite a lot of planning before the trip, looking back, there are a few things she’d have done differently.
- She would have skipped Bora Bora and budgeted higher for food and wine.
French Polynesia had been on my bucket list ever since I learned of its existence, and last August, I finally made it there.
My partner and I spent 16 days traveling across this dreamy French overseas territory. Our itinerary included six islands in the Society Islands archipelago, a region that’s part of French Polynesia’s 118 Pacific islands.
We visited during the high season, but it never felt crowded.
The islands are as stunning as their reputation, with pristine white-sand beaches and vivid turquoise lagoons. I loved our trip to French Polynesia, but there are five things I’d have done differently to make it even better.
1. Research the best way to travel
I spent too much time planning flights between islands when I should have first studied a map of the Society Islands to see which routes were better by ferry. I also should have ignored most of the options on the cluttered Air Tahiti website — its Book feature is all that’s needed for flight times and prices.
Ferries proved to be reliable, comfortable, and much cheaper for short routes like Tahiti to Moorea and Huahine-Raiatea-Taha’a-Bora Bora. Knowing that earlier would have saved me a lot of planning time.
Some islands, like Taha’a, don’t even have an airport. Often referred to as “Vanilla Island,” due to its fragrant plantations, it’s only accessible by boat via Raiatea — either a 45-minute Apetahi Express ferry or a 30-minute water taxi.
We were glad we made it there because it’s where we had one of our most magical experiences — swimming with six manta rays in the open ocean, completely alone.
For some routes, flights are the better choice. We took the Maupiti Express 2 ferry from Bora Bora to Maupiti since no flights fit our schedule, but I wouldn’t do it again. It’s less comfortable, and the rough two-and-a-half-hour ride is only for the strongest stomachs.
Whether by plane or ferry, checking schedules before booking accommodations is key. Ferries don’t run daily, and flight prices can fluctuate wildly — one ticket we saw was $120 on Monday but $327 on Saturday.
Planning around these factors made a big difference in our trip.
2. Keep the time change in mind
I got tripped up by the time change when flying east into Tahiti. Since we traveled through Australia and New Zealand, we essentially went back in time, landing a day before our departure date. The final leg of our journey left Auckland on the afternoon of August 17 and arrived in Papeete on the evening of August 16.
I mistakenly booked our hotel in Papeete for the wrong date, assuming we would arrive on the 17th. Fortunately, this mix-up is so common that Booking.com sent a message double-checking the date, allowing me to correct the mistake in advance.
3. Increase the food and wine budget
Food and wine in French Polynesia aren’t cheap. We spent $17 for a hummus appetizer and about the same for poisson cru, the local coconut milk ceviche. Main dishes were often over $30.
French wine by the bottle ranged, on average, from $30 to $65 or more. Had we splurged on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot in a restaurant, it would have set us back $146.
On the bright side, everything was delicious.
4. Skip Bora Bora and spend more time on Huahine
We fell head over heels in love with Huahine, and four nights there wasn’t enough.
We stayed in a $250-a-night Airbnb villa on a private beach facing a stunning lagoon, and the snorkeling was incredible. I would have loved more days in that paradise to simply relax in a hammock with a good book.
While Bora Bora was beautiful, it was much less memorable, and we wouldn’t have minded skipping it. However, if $2,000 overwater bungalows had been in our budget, Bora Bora may have become my favorite island.
5. Pack some warm clothes
French Polynesia doesn’t experience much variation in temperature throughout the year. The weather forecast for August, which falls in the cooler season, predicted highs of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of 73°F. However, average highs for the rest of the year aren’t much different — around 86°F.
We thought we would be comfortable in tropical attire, but we didn’t realize how windy this part of the world is. With the windchill factor, we found ourselves shivering at times and had to shop for some long-sleeved shirts.
June to August is also the driest time of year, although we did experience occasional light showers and overcast skies.
French Polynesia is an enchanting part of the world, and I hope to return, using the lessons learned from the first trip to plan an even better visit.
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