I need HELP! Islands of Tahiti...

[Addict]

Hello all - I need some help. I had planned a trip to Cozumel (because it was cheap from Denver), and then I came across what seems to be an outstanding deal to Tahiti. **Which I mistakenly told my wife.

$999 - 8 days accomodations and airfare from LAX. Moorea - Sofitel La Ora).

I haven't been anywhere except Grand Cayman, and I found it to be almost too expensive - but we had a spectacular time.

The diving in the FP Islands seems to be very expensive as well - $65 a Tank?!? I think I can bring down the price a bit on a 10 dive package.

What about food? Is it 'pushing it' to get rooms with electricity (Eating sandwiches is absolutely acceptable to us if we can manage to afford getting out there)? What about supermarkets to buy Peanut Butter and Jelly?

Also, do you tip? I heard NO. But is this even for diving?

I would appreciate any help, as I am prepared to spend a 'bit' more to get to Tahiti (vacation of a lifetime?) - but my budget can only stretch so far. And now my wife is too excited - she is ready to sleep on the beach if we have to. (I never should have told her
:bonk: )

What is the Water Temp? It seems so vague on every tahiti site I have been to. Can I wear a 3mm shorty in late Feb?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Cecil]

It is way worth doing, but don't expect to save money. Tahiti is much more expensive then the Caymans (which are far from cheap). Stick with the trip of a lifetime mantra when you think about the money.

There are supermarkets but bring hard booze which is very expensive in FP. Do not bring pants or shoes, you will not need them. Shorts and sandels can be worn everywhere. Bring water shoes or booties for the coral.

Having said all that, IMHO it does not get any better than Moorea anywhere, anytime, any aspect. As far as thermal protection in FP, the air will be 85 degrees, the water will be 85 degrees, the rain will be 85 degrees, if you find a waterfall it will be 85 degrees. All one temperature. You'll do fine with a 3mm shortey.

No tips is the rule and the practice.

Make sure to do a jeep tour of the island, boat tour, shark dive, and dinner at Alfredo's.

Go to Tahitiexplorer.com with questions. Good site and good advice.

 

[Addict]

Cecil,

Thanks for the reply. I've gone through and added everything up, and it appears that I may be trying to stretch my budget further that it will go at this point.

Considering it would be a vacation of a lifetime, I might wait until I can afford to really make it worth while with better hotels and more spending cash. I just hope in the future I will be able to come across similar deals (ie. $999 - Hotel & Air)

Thanks again!

 

[Finesse]

Addict once bubbled...
Hello all - I need some help. I had planned a trip to Cozumel (because it was cheap from Denver), and then I came across what seems to be an outstanding deal to Tahiti. **Which I mistakenly told my wife.

$999 - 8 days accomodations and airfare from LAX. Moorea - Sofitel La Ora).

Moorea is a beautiful Island .....If fact most of French Polynesia is truly magical …..

Addict......Thats almost to good to be true!!.....and Cecil is right on...

However...If this is the trip of a lifetime ...then I would wait to get the funds up to really make it a TRIP OF A LIFETIME......Our airfare alone From LAX (and yes it was coach for 8.5 hours and I'll never do that again!!!!) was about ¾ of the total of that package....Thats scary!!!! And I would really check to see what kind of accommodations you would get for that…..Its certainly not Overwater Bungalows !!!! Just be cautious...We stayed in a Sofitel on Bora Bora ....It was INCREDIBLE !!!! ......but also stayed in a Sofitel on Tahiti ....well I'll never do that again.

Food ....a burger at the resort for lunch will cost you $15-18 ….a 1 liter bottle of water is $ 3.50 -5.00 ….. and 8 oz. coke (no not 12 oz. ....8oz..) was about the same..... I think the local beer ..Hinano … was cheaper than that

Its summer down there right now and its the rainy season .... hence the good rate......but heck if your underwater all the time who cares!!! Oh yes $65 per dive regardless if you have your own stuff or not....10 dive packages are slightly cheaper ....but not much......and once you start diving out there you cant stop !!! Essentially Air and a boat ride cost the two of us somewhere around $1900 total of 32 dives if I remember

And you really cant worry about money .....It will really spoil the trip.....



Honestly .... I would wait ….. stuff some cash under the mattress and do some research on French Polynesia......There are many places to see .... It would be a shame to limit your trip to just one place .....Search for threads on this board By myself , Bacchus, Scuba Jim ......and there are a few others as we have all just done reports about Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Manihi (my personal favorite) Moorea ....you get the idea…..

Really …..research it and pick and choose what you want and you will have the best trip!!!

I’m sure others will add to this …..If you have any other questions … feel free to ask away !!!!

 

[Bacchus]

Addict once bubbled...
Hello all - I need some help. I had planned a trip to Cozumel (because it was cheap from Denver), and then I came across what seems to be an outstanding deal to Tahiti. **Which I mistakenly told my wife.

$999 - 8 days accomodations and airfare from LAX. Moorea - Sofitel La Ora).

I haven't been anywhere except Grand Cayman, and I found it to be almost too expensive - but we had a spectacular time.

The diving in the FP Islands seems to be very expensive as well - $65 a Tank?!? I think I can bring down the price a bit on a 10 dive package.

What about food? Is it 'pushing it' to get rooms with electricity (Eating sandwiches is absolutely acceptable to us if we can manage to afford getting out there)? What about supermarkets to buy Peanut Butter and Jelly?

Also, do you tip? I heard NO. But is this even for diving?

I would appreciate any help, as I am prepared to spend a 'bit' more to get to Tahiti (vacation of a lifetime?) - but my budget can only stretch so far. And now my wife is too excited - she is ready to sleep on the beach if we have to. (I never should have told her
:bonk: )

What is the Water Temp? It seems so vague on every tahiti site I have been to. Can I wear a 3mm shorty in late Feb?

Thanks for any help!

Addict,

See my trip report on French Polynesia (part 1 is Moorea) parts 2 and 3 are Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Manihi.

I can't tell you how much fun we had there! It true is the trip of a lifetime. If you're watching your money it will be tough though. There is nothing cheap there! We packed a bunch of power bars to have for breakfast and that did save us some money. You have to be careful about your weight limits though. Some people have had to pay in the hundreds of dollars for being over weight. (right Finesse?)

The diving in Moorea was great, with turtles, gray, white tip, black tip and lemon sharks. If you do go, I highly recommend Rafael at Blue moorea Diving located at the pearl Resort.

I do agree with Finesse....if you worry about money you will spoil the trip! I would save and go next year. The islands aren't going anywhere. Well, they are sinking a little every year! If you make the trip all the way to FP you should try some of the other islands too.

I'm here in Denver too and didn't see the price listed anywhere. Feel free to PM me with any questions you have. I'd be happy to talk it over with you.

Steve

 

[Scuba Jim]

I've been bizzy!

Everyone is correct, Addict! (I'm so dimplematic!)

It is low season there - rain a lot of the time, so not much ambient light u/w.

Also, I visited the Sofitel in Moorea and didn't like the look of it much - it look a tad run down and while it had a beach it was nothing special.

FP is a jolly expensive place, and there are few places in the world where your money will go less distance. The South Pole, for instance. Or perhaps on a date with Zsar Zsar Gabor.

Steve & Scott are correct in suggesting you save up your pennies and go next year when the weather is better (April - June & September - November)

You will also be surprised by the quality of some of the smaller private hotels dotted around FP. Relais Mahana on Huahine for instance is a beautiful hotel in a fab setting. Much better value for money than the Sofitel in Moorea. In Moorea there are also nic smaller, cheaper family hotels to consider, if your heart is set on that island.

Better to pay $1200 and do it right, I think you will agree, than $999 and do it wrong.

Hope that assists.