French Polynesia (Five Archipelagos) All-Encompassing Thread

[UpperWestside 6161]

Ia Ora na! I returned recently from a month in Tahiti and Pora Pora (That is how Tahitians spell it so I will go with that.) and it was as you can imagine an incredible trip. Someone asked me what the best part was and I said “Being away from Americans.” I had wanted to visit the South Pacific since I was a child and it was everything I thought it was and then some and I barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do. I am returning in September for another month and I am going to attempt to explore other islands there on the five distinct archipelagos that make up the area. I decide these two months out of the year will have me spend at least a part of my time in this part of the world going forward.

I stayed in a bungalow in Tahiti for the first 25 days right above the home of a French family in Punaauia (If you travel by yourself I would recommend a stay with them) and rented a car to explore both Tahiti-iti and Tahiti-nui. The smaller part is probably best known for having the world famous wave called Teahupoo. I was unable to take the taxi out to see it because there was a bad storm the day I was supposed to go so that’ll take place when I return. The best part about Teahupoo is the Olympic surfing competition will take place there thousands of miles away from the rest of the Paris games in 2024. It took ALOT more negotiating with the local residents down by Teahupoo to get them to agree to host the surfing competition as they already have an event every year in the WSL. 

Here is a few pictures and videos I took from my first excursion there. I want to add that the people there are just incredibly friendly. I made it a point not to stay in a hotel and also I just tried to make observe life on different parts of Tahiti. If you only visit the touristy parts of a vacation you will miss out on so many interesting people. Tahitians are just really cool and I have an even greater respect for their culture than I already had. I would probably call it a reverence for them because of how they live. I made sure to see the island and the people there in many different spots and the recurring theme was kindness for no reason other than being kind.
 

 

 

 

 

The above videos are from an area called The Three Waterfalls, an overlook of Moorea to the west on a six mile hike up Mont Marau to around 5000 feet, a look off the summit of Marau onto an extinct volcano and then a look at a waterfall down below from the paragliding ramp on Marau. The clouds cleared just long enough to see both of these things from the summit. It was worth the time it took to get there. 

 

I also realize what a blessing it is to be able to travel there and am thankful I went and will be able to return to explore parts of all five archipelagos. The Australs are a group I find very intriguing because of the remoteness of them. I know some of y’all have been to this part of the world or are heading there. Please post your photos and videos and memories from past trips that can help others who travel here get the most out of their time.

[UpperWestside 6161]

 

 

 

[Post Oak 20208]

Beautiful pictures.  I'm jealous.

How much of a hassle was travel. Flight length and connections.

[UpperWestside 6161]

Travel was honestly pretty straightforward. I flew out of JFK on Alaska Air to San Francisco and connected on a French Bee flight. Total air time from here was 14 hours or so each way. It was the same airlines back as well. 
 

Air Tahiti will fly you to places on the archipelagos as well as the ability to pay for a set amount of islands to visit where you pay for them up front. I only flew to Pora Pora which was maybe 45 minutes. I was obviously exceedingly thankful for no travel hassle considering what we all saw over the Christmas holidays with Southwest. I even got a flight changed to an earlier time on the way back and all it took was a woman working the counter for Alaska air that put it through in about five minutes. It meant no 14 hour layover in San Francisco with all my luggage.

[rage-a-holic 4381]

Ok, we get it, you're down with the natives.

No one that reads this board spells it "Pora Pora", so it's completely unhelpful for anyone searching the forums for Bora Bora.

[UpperWestside 6161]

9 minutes ago, rage-a-holic said:

Ok, we get it, you're down with the natives.

No one that reads this board spells it "Pora Pora", so it's completely unhelpful for anyone searching the forums for Bora Bora.

Mostly it’s just not being uninformed like I was before I went there, which was my own fault. Americans are the reason it is not pronounced correctly because of the time the island spent housing Allied soldiers during WWII. A great reason to visit that island though is to see the remnants left behind by the military of the defense structure that was setup to prevent a Japanese submarine attack. Reading about the children left behind by American soldiers is an interesting subject as I believe around 60 kids were born whose fathers were American. 

Seeing the title of a thread called French Polynesia should be enough for anyone to realize some of the more well known islands are included in that. One of the biggest things I learned was I need to research each of these archipelagos further because there is just so much to see outside of the main tourist islands. It’s like a tourist visiting America and finding out about all of the other amazing places across the continent to see besides NYC. 

Edited February 11, 2023 by UpperWestside

[rage-a-holic 4381]

6 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

Mostly it’s just not being uninformed like I was before I went there, which was my own fault. Americans are the reason it is not pronounced correctly because of the time the island

Who cares? You keep spelling it wrong. It's spelled Bora Bora literally everywhere. The airport code is BOB, not POP. You can't book a flight or vacation package to "Pora Pora". Stop being a pretentious douchebag.

[0xdeadbeef 1645]

I'm told Tahiti is a magical place. 

[UpperWestside 6161]

1 minute ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

I'm told Tahiti is a magical place. 

It’s pretty cool. There is a ton of great hiking you can do. I only did a moderate amount of hiking because the ocean is what interests me the most. Living in NYC I usually have no idea what I am swimming next to. I realize most folks cannot just take the amount of time away I am able to do, but even a week there is a great re-charge for your mind and body. 

[UpperWestside 6161]

10 minutes ago, rage-a-holic said:

Stop being a pretentious douchebag.

Your display of anger over the spelling of an island is both weird and disturbing behavior. It appears you have nothing of value to add other than living up to your SN so please take your toxic negativity elsewhere. It is not appreciated nor wanted. Whatever it is that troubles your mind please receive some help for it. We all need it at some point in life. This is my last reply to you, but I wish you the best. 

[Gatorubet 30185]

33 minutes ago, rage-a-holic said:

Who cares? You keep spelling it wrong. It's spelled Bora Bora literally everywhere. The airport code is BOB, not POP. You can't book a flight or vacation package to "Pora Pora". Stop being a pretentious douchebag.

username…..

[UpperWestside 6161]

Most of these photos were from a popular place called Papara Beach on the south side of Tahiti. There were also a lot of guys out there fishing in the afternoon and evening. It was a black sand beach with a ton of volcanic rock lining the bottom once you got out into the water. I walked over near the shallows where there was some coral and I got a nice sized cut on my left foot that prevented me from embarrassing myself on the shortboard I bought.

I have no issue embarrassing myself trying to do things I do not excel at. The surfers there were really fun to watch. I did go get a bodyboard so I could at least get out there. 

 

 

 

[PRONG HORN 3141]

4 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

Ia Ora na! I returned recently from a month in Tahiti and Pora Pora (That is how Tahitians spell it so I will go with that.) Someone asked me what the best part was and I said “Being away from Americans.”  If you only visit the touristy parts of a vacation you will miss out on so many interesting people. Tahitians are just really cool and I have an even greater respect for their culture than I already had. I would probably call it a reverence for them because of how they live. I made sure to see the island and the people there in many different spots and the recurring theme was kindness for no reason other than being kind.

[CooterBrown 18004]

Never realized that he looks like a primitive X Wing pilot in that outfit.

[PRONG HORN 3141]

[Post Oak 20208]

4 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

Ok, we get it, you're down with the natives.

No one that reads this board spells it "Pora Pora", so it's completely unhelpful for anyone searching the forums for Bora Bora.

 

[VABuckeye 2472]

I was there in 1986 on my honeymoon. Everyone on the island and everyone in French Polynesia called it Bora Bora. 
 

Maybe the OP just has shitty hearing. It’s certain that he’s a pretentious ass so at least he has that going for him. 

[UpperWestside 6161]

26 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

I was there in 1986 on my honeymoon. Everyone on the island and everyone in French Polynesia called it Bora Bora. 
 

Maybe the OP just has shitty hearing. It’s certain that he’s a pretentious ass so at least he has that going for him. 

Some of y’all just are wired to be negative. I have been there in life where all I could do was spout negativity and it was directed at others for no real reason other than to rain on their parade as well as anything positive.
 

This thread is for folks to share stories for others who want to travel there and to give them an idea of what to expect or perhaps just some places they might enjoy spending time at. The football board has plenty of threads you can channel some toxic replies into. I wish you the best and won’t make any jokes about the school you represent.

Edited February 12, 2023 by UpperWestside

[rage-a-holic 4381]

9 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

Your display of anger over the spelling of an island is both weird and disturbing behavior. It appears you have nothing of value to add other than living up to your SN so please take your toxic negativity elsewhere. It is not appreciated nor wanted. Whatever it is that troubles your mind please receive some help for it. We all need it at some point in life. This is my last reply to you, but I wish you the best. 

You got it, douchebag.

I hope your next trip report is on "Ibitha"

Edited February 12, 2023 by rage-a-holic

[mchookem 16322]

Tahiti is my #1 bucket list destination and has been for almost two decades. i've had the money set aside for about 5 years now. 

made it to Hawaii a couple of times in 2016 and 2017... thought that might be as close as i would get, but I'm determined to make it to French Polynesia in 2024, dammit!

i can't imagine spending a month there. 

also wtf with the hostility lol. weirdos 😜

[wild_turkey 3159]

Nice thread and pics. Would like to go there myself at some point.

Did I miss a conflict from another board that spilled over into this thread, or did multiple posters just decide to be assholes to the OP because of spelling?

[HamsterHookah 112]

I immediately thought of the story I read about a Tech CEO who laid off 8,000, was so distraught and traumatized he needed a 10 day digital detox. 

Salesforce CEO says he took a 10-day 'digital detox' trip to French Polynesia in the wake of company layoffs

Edited February 15, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[rage-a-holic 4381]

15 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

Nice thread and pics. Would like to go there myself at some point.

Did I miss a conflict from another board that spilled over into this thread, or did multiple posters just decide to be assholes to the OP because of spelling?

Oh for fucks sake, no one was following this guy around persecuting him. I just pointed out that spelling a travel destination the way he (wrongly) thinks it's pronounced prevents people from searching for it. No one here creates threads about their trips to WahToolCo, OurCanSaw or driving on ManShack, and they would be laughed at if they did. 

Most people respond with a simple "Yep, my bad"...instead, the OP doubled down, railing on US imperialism, virtue signaling about native bonding and declaring that anyone poking fun at him is evil and toxic. In short, he was being a pretentions dbag, which, in case you're new to the shaggyverse, is frowned upon.

And I can see from the pretentious dbag that liked your post, I was spot on.

 

[UpperWestside 6161]

17 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

Nice thread and pics. Would like to go there myself at some point.

Did I miss a conflict from another board that spilled over into this thread, or did multiple posters just decide to be assholes to the OP because of spelling?

I have no idea about either of those posters. I responded kindly and put them on ignore shortly after. Life is way too short to use up energy engaging people who feed off negative vibes. Getting angry over the spelling of a place was just an excuse to spread more negativity. I would hope y’all would not quote either poster. This site has enough anger and wasted messages on the football forum. I hope to be able to read some thoughts about possible trips people want to take there or have taken to some of the various islands in the archipelagos.

I obviously would highly suggest you take a trip there when you can schedule one with family or friends or both. There is just so much to see and do yet you can find a wealth of places that you can have all to yourself to recharge your battery. Moorea is up next on the list because I want to see their lagoon and reef and also swim with the migrating humpbacks that are there to mate in September.

Edited February 15, 2023 by UpperWestside

[Billy Pilgrim 1960]

I took a cruise around French Polynesia last spring. Bora Bora was incredible but my favorite thing we did was “drift snorkeling” on Taha’a. If any of y’all make it to that part of the world, make it a day trip from Bora Bora or Raitea- you won’t regret it.

[Billy Pilgrim 1960]

12 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

I have no idea about either of those posters. I responded kindly and put them on ignore shortly after. Life is way too short to use up energy engaging people who feed off negative vibes. Getting angry over the spelling of a place was just an excuse to spread more negativity. I would hope y’all would not quote either poster. This site has enough anger and wasted messages on the football forum. I hope to be able to read some thoughts about possible trips people want to take there or have taken to some of the various islands in the archipelagos.

I obviously would highly suggest you take a trip there when you can schedule one with family or friends or both. There is just so much to see and do yet you can find a wealth of places that you can have all to yourself to recharge your battery. Moorea is up next on the list because I want to see their lagoon and reef and also swim with the migrating humpbacks that are there to mate in September.

You were in Tahiti for a month and didn’t ferry over to Moorea? Some gorgeous beaches there too, especially around the Sofitel

[UpperWestside 6161]

1 minute ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

You were in Tahiti for a month and didn’t ferry over to Moorea? Some gorgeous beaches there too, especially around the Sofitel

You would think I would have, but I did not want to just ferry over for a day. I wanted to get several days over there and I was attempting to explore as much of the main island as I could. The family I stayed with suggested setting up shop in Moorea in September and I agree with them and your sentiments as well. 
 

I am going to look up the drift snorkeling as that sounds really interesting. One other thing that more than one person suggested was going to Huahine. It was where several folks I met grew up and lived before coming over to where they could earn a better living in and around Papeete. They spoke very highly of the scenery and how peaceful it is there. 

[VABuckeye 2472]

We stayed at the Sofitel on Moorea on our honeymoon back in the day.  There were no overwater bungalows then so we settled for a bungalow right on the water.  It was glorious.  We also did a waterfall hike that was really enjoyable.

[sidis 9823]

 

[Billy Pilgrim 1960]

29 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

You would think I would have, but I did not want to just ferry over for a day. I wanted to get several days over there and I was attempting to explore as much of the main island as I could. The family I stayed with suggested setting up shop in Moorea in September and I agree with them and your sentiments as well. 
 

I am going to look up the drift snorkeling as that sounds really interesting. One other thing that more than one person suggested was going to Huahine. It was where several folks I met grew up and lived before coming over to where they could earn a better living in and around Papeete. They spoke very highly of the scenery and how peaceful it is there. 

Huahine and Raiatea are similar islands- very laid back, not as many beaches but more hikes and stuff. We biked around Huahine enjoyed it quite a bit. Kayaking the rivers on Raiatea was fun too. Also a lot fewer people on Huahine and the island felt a little more authentic Polynesia.

[Sbbruin 21829]

This thread hits home.  We sailed to French Polynesia is 1982/83.  Hit all of the Marquesas Islands over a couple of months, 4 of the Tuamotus, and all of the Societies, including Maupiti.  I’ve got pics I’ll post if I remember.  It was an incredible experience.  It would take pages to describe.

[UpperWestside 6161]

1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

This thread hits home.  We sailed to French Polynesia is 1982/83.  Hit all of the Marquesas Islands over a couple of months, 4 of the Tuamotus, and all of the Societies, including Maupiti.  I’ve got pics I’ll post if I remember.  It was an incredible experience.  It would take pages to describe.

Awesome! We all have time and like to slack off when we’re at work by reading about incredible life experiences. Please start typing up some pages for us to read sometime soon as well as finding some photos of what sounds like the trip of a lifetime! You would have a captive audience here that would enjoy hearing stories from your journey.

[TonyTexas 10508]

Bora Bora’s original name was Pora Pora   Pora Pora, meaning "first born," came from legends describing this as the first island to rise when supreme god Taaroa, fished it out of the waters after the mythical creation of Havai'i, now known as Raiatea. Although the first letter "B" does not exist in the Tahitian language, when Captain Cook first heard the name he mistook the softened sound of the Tahitian "P" for "B" and called the island Bora Bora.

Edited February 16, 2023 by TonyTexas

[mycox 582]

I spent a couple weeks in Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti on my my honeymoon years back. Most beautiful place I have ever visited.

The wife and I argued the entire trip and divorced 3 years later. That's all I have to add.

[Reynolds Woodcock 4739]

19 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

Oh for fucks sake, no one was following this guy around persecuting him. I just pointed out that spelling a travel destination the way he (wrongly) thinks it's pronounced prevents people from searching for it. No one here creates threads about their trips to WahToolCo, OurCanSaw or driving on ManShack, and they would be laughed at if they did. 

Most people respond with a simple "Yep, my bad"...instead, the OP doubled down, railing on US imperialism, virtue signaling about native bonding and declaring that anyone poking fun at him is evil and toxic. In short, he was being a pretentions dbag, which, in case you're new to the shaggyverse, is frowned upon.

And I can see from the pretentious dbag that liked your post, I was spot on.

 

User name definitely checks out. Get help. 

[VABuckeye 2472]

1 hour ago, mycox said:

I spent a couple weeks in Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti on my my honeymoon years back. Most beautiful place I have ever visited.

The wife and I argued the entire trip and divorced 3 years later. That's all I have to add.

We did the same 37 years ago and also had Fiji and Laui on the itinerary.  The view from that WWII watching post of the top of the mopuntain on Bora Bora (P P) is epic and may be the single most beautiful view I've seen.  Oh, still married to her after 37 years.

Edited February 16, 2023 by VABuckeye

[UpperWestside 6161]

2 hours ago, mycox said:

I spent a couple weeks in Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti on my my honeymoon years back. Most beautiful place I have ever visited.

The wife and I argued the entire trip and divorced 3 years later. That's all I have to add.

Okay I have to ask you this. What in the world was she upset about?

Edited February 16, 2023 by UpperWestside

[mycox 582]

Just typical relationship bickering, and she wasn't someone that would let the small things go without reminding you about it over and over - all day. This was our first trip together that was longer than an extended weekend.

I didn't realize it at the time, but everyone should go on at least a week long trip alone with your partner before deciding to get in a long term relationship. You learn a lot about each other. 

[Vertuzzi 1369]

18 minutes ago, mycox said:

I didn't realize it at the time, but everyone should go on at least a week long trip alone with your partner before deciding to get in a long term relationship. You learn a lot about each other. 

Emphasizing the alone part. Went on a trip to Europe last year that included 5 couples. One couple had only been dating a few months before coming on this trip. They argued most of the trip, to the point it became quite awkward during dinners and other group outings. They broke things off a week after we got back to the US. 

[mchookem 16322]

5 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

User name definitely checks out. Get help. 

 

[smuggs 9353]

1 hour ago, Vertuzzi said:

They argued most of the trip, to the point it became quite awkward during dinners and other group outings.

[Sbbruin 21829]

On 2/15/2023 at 9:41 PM, UpperWestside said:

Awesome! We all have time and like to slack off when we’re at work by reading about incredible life experiences. Please start typing up some pages for us to read sometime soon as well as finding some photos of what sounds like the trip of a lifetime! You would have a captive audience here that would enjoy hearing stories from your journey.

Ok so briefly.  Sometime around circa 1977 my dad decides, while looking out at the boats in Channel Islands Harbor, “we’re going to sail around the world.”  Mind you he was from Minnesota and we had never sailed in our lives.  Within a year we had an Ericson 29 and we learned.  All the time.  For the next 5 years we sailed all the time.  Around ‘80 we purchased a Force 50.  June ‘82 we left (after 4 months in Mexico and back) for the South Pacific, having scaled back the ambition and realizing 15 months was not enough time to sail around the world unless you wanted to be on the move most of the time.  Ended up only doing French Polynesia.

The boat in Bora Bora (hired a photographer but there wasn’t a breath of wind), windsurfing in Maupiti, going surfing with my dad and brother o Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, our Rott Asta standing guard in the Tuamotus (I think Manihi), aftermath of a tropical cyclone (Veena I think) in Tahiti.  We were fine but I spent a week helping people get their boats off the reef.

I’ll look for more.

[UpperWestside 6161]

@Sbbruin WOW! Those are some really cool pictures and it’d be cool to see more when you have time to find some. Thank you for sharing them and the backstory as well. What an amazing trip and memories you have from it. Your dad seems like a pretty awesome person for doing this with y’all. The best I can accomplish is kayaking through a few rough waves, much less sailing through thousands of miles of open ocean! 

[MalibuSheriff 1090]

22 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Ok so briefly.  Sometime around circa 1977 my dad decides, while looking out at the boats in Channel Islands Harbor, “we’re going to sail around the world.”  Mind you he was from Minnesota and we had never sailed in our lives.  Within a year we had an Ericson 29 and we learned.  All the time.  For the next 5 years we sailed all the time.  Around ‘80 we purchased a Force 50.  June ‘82 we left (after 4 months in Mexico and back) for the South Pacific, having scaled back the ambition and realizing 15 months was not enough time to sail around the world unless you wanted to be on the move most of the time.  Ended up only doing French Polynesia.

The boat in Bora Bora (hired a photographer but there wasn’t a breath of wind), windsurfing in Maupiti, going surfing with my dad and brother o Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, our Rott Asta standing guard in the Tuamotus (I think Manihi), aftermath of a tropical cyclone (Veena I think) in Tahiti.  We were fine but I spent a week helping people get their boats off the reef.

I’ll look for more.

Outstanding Sbbruin!  My wife and I honeymooned on several different islands in Fiji almost twenty years ago.  I’ve wanted to go to the Marquesas since I spoke to a dude in Fiji that had spent the last five years sailing around the world.  I asked him what the most beautiful place he’d ever visited and without blinking an eye he said “Marquesas “.

Here’s a pic of the island in Fiji, Namenalala, where my bride and I met the sailing dude:

[PRONG HORN 3141]

4 hours ago, MalibuSheriff said:

 I asked him what the most beautiful place he’d ever visited and without blinking an eye he said “Marquesas “.

 

Islands 101:  They all look alike.  Elevation is what sets them apart, that's why Bora Bora is so popular.  Marquesas has elevation.  Otherwise most islands are just little green bushes poking out of the water.  The mushrooms are cool like Palau and certain places in Indo, and Komodo is different because it has mostly grassy islands (fewer trees).  Komodo is one of the places that look brownish and most tropical islands are greenish.  

 

Komodo National Park

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by PRONG HORN

[Sbbruin 21829]

15 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

Islands 101:  They all look alike.  Elevation is what sets them apart, that's why Bora Bora is so popular.  Marquesas has elevation.  Otherwise most islands are just little green bushes poking out of the water.  The mushrooms are cool like Palau and certain places in Indo, and Komodo is different because it has mostly grassy islands (fewer trees).  Komodo is one of the places that look brownish and most tropical islands are greenish.  

 

The Marquesas are MUCH younger than the Society Islands, which are MUCH younger than the Tuamotus.  Hence why the Marquesas have no barrier reefs (they just haven't formed yet), and the Tuamotus are ONLY barrier reefs, the islands having eroded and sunk away. If you look at the islands from a distance, you see the more gradual slopes of the Societies (Bora Bora and Moorea both somewhat exceptions) compared to the Marquesas.  Hawaii is somewhere between the age of the Society Islands and the Marquesas Islands.   

[VABuckeye 2472]

18 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

Komodo is one of the places that look brownish and most tropical islands are greenish.  

Tropical islands generally have a drier side and a wetter side.  St. Barths is a great example.  You're driving and it is green, green, green and then you round a curve and everything is brown.  I'm not so sure about French Polynesia but it is certainly common in the Caribbean.

[UpperWestside 6161]

I am putting together a September trip, but mostly I just want to camp this time. I need to spend at least 3-4 days on Moorea so I can go out and hopefully swim with the humpback whales. The other island I am looking at is Raiatea. I want to just take a tent and go to a campground this time while spending time hiking and obviously time in the ocean everyday.

Has anyone here spent any time on Raiatea? I know it’s the spiritual center for Polynesians and there are some pretty cool things to get to see due to that. If any of you have recommendations for other islands nearby I would gladly take them into consideration, especially if camping features prominently.

[UpperWestside 6161]

I am planning on leaving in September 19th for a three week trip this time. I am still deciding about swimming with the Humpback Whales early in the trip or towards the end near Moorea. Either way if they are there the day I book a spot on a boat I will get out there to swim with those majestic creatures. I have swam with sharks in the open ocean near Hawaii which was really cool and after swimming with reef sharks, stingrays and the stunningly amazing Manta Rays in January on the lagoon at Bora Bora this would be really cool to get to do. I always remember and take into account that the ocean is their domain and not mine and I show respect for where I am. I look at it as a blessing just to be there seeing them even if just from the boat.
 

Has anyone else swam with the Humpbacks during their mating season before? Also @Biff Tannen I sent a message to my friend about the question you had about Moorea. She should respond to me within the next day or so. I would imagine she might know a place or two there or at the very least her family will give some good recs that only a local could. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by UpperWestside

[williemackgarza 1826]

Bringing this up. Planning a gamily trip to bora bora. With the long flight times and if leaving early morn ( family doesnt like the overnight flights)you arrive in the late evening . Is it better to stay in tahiti that first arriving night then shuttling out to bora bora the next day? That way you dont waste a higher dollar resort night just to sleep? Or spend the night around lax or sf and take an early am flight? Kids aged 6,10 & 15. Is there enough to keep them busy? They love the beach, sand, chilling and snorkeling. Kind of our last big family trip before the oldest thinks shes too cool for us old fucks. Want an over water villa. Any tips? Is it worth using a travel agent? Im pretty comfortable booking thru our accounts with the local resorts but thought it could be easier with a agent familiar with french polynosia. Any recs on travel agents? Were in the austin area if that helps.