bigbertha22
Guest
I will be traveling to Bora Bora and Moorea in late June and am looking for suggestions in terms of lodging and dive operators. Preferably, I would like a place that has the huts over the water. Thanks.
Suggestions for Bora Bora and Moorea
- Thread starter bigbertha22
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Cecil
Contributor
First off, I hope you have lots of money, not a cheap destination, but God is it beautiful. My info is somewhat dated but here is a trip report.
Tahiti Trip 1
Tahiti Trip 1
I was in FP this past August....if you can add Rangiroa to your trip, it's a world class dive to do Tiputa Pass.
We dived with Top Dive all 3 locations (great on Rangiroa, so-so on Moorea & Bora Bora.
The resorts we stayed at were all stellar. We had overwater bungalows all 3 places....only way to go if you can afford it. It was a trip of a lifetime for us, so we ponied up the change.
Rangiroa was the Kia Ora.
Bora Bora was the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort.
Moorea was Moorea Pearl Resort.
We dived with Top Dive all 3 locations (great on Rangiroa, so-so on Moorea & Bora Bora.
The resorts we stayed at were all stellar. We had overwater bungalows all 3 places....only way to go if you can afford it. It was a trip of a lifetime for us, so we ponied up the change.
Rangiroa was the Kia Ora.
Bora Bora was the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort.
Moorea was Moorea Pearl Resort.
diver 85
Contributor
jumping in here---what was approximate cost pp from home for whole trip???.......TIA....
EDIT: PM me if you prefer.....thanks
If it's strictly a vacation trip, you should check out the Paul Gauguin, a 300-pax cruise ship operated by Regert Seven Seas. The ship has its own DMs and they conduct directly from the back of the ship in the ship's own Zodiacs. Or, you can arrange your own diving with local operators, often with direct pick-up and return to the PG swim platform. We used Top Dive in both Bora Bora and Moorea. All the local operators are French and they all use steel tanks, so you might want to experiment with your bouyancy if you have a chance to use a steel tank before you go.
The PG is really deluxe and it is quite expensive but it is all-inclusive of fabulous food and wine & liquor. On balance, I'd say it's actually less expensive than the over-water bungalows and local restaurants. It's not a trip for doing 4 or 5 dives a day, but it's a good way to get some great dives in a variety of exotic spots. Most of the passengers are non-divers so it's perfect for any of those in your group.
The PG is really deluxe and it is quite expensive but it is all-inclusive of fabulous food and wine & liquor. On balance, I'd say it's actually less expensive than the over-water bungalows and local restaurants. It's not a trip for doing 4 or 5 dives a day, but it's a good way to get some great dives in a variety of exotic spots. Most of the passengers are non-divers so it's perfect for any of those in your group.
OP
bigbertha22
Guest
Thanks. I am not sure if we should do two or three stops on the trip. What is the Tiputa Pass dive on Rangiroa? and is it worth trying to get a meal package? This will help with the planning.
SandyUT
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Meals are the most expensive you will find anywhere - IMO. we ended up with the meal package even though at first it seamed too expensive, one day on our own and we went back for it!
I wish we had gone to Rangiroa...we suffered through Bora Bora and would do it again : )
I wish we had gone to Rangiroa...we suffered through Bora Bora and would do it again : )
Tiputa Pass is a pass dive. Depending on the phase of the moon, the tide either zooms into the atoll or out of the atoll at certain times of the day. The attraction is the big stuff, sharks and barracuda that are waiting at the mouth of the pass for the fish that are being flushed through. It's a world class dive. Fakarava has the pass diving too.
We did half board on Rangiroa simply because it's more remote and there are not the options for eating out. For lunch we would just split a panini at the overwater bar.
On Bora Bora and Moorea, we were strictly on our own for food. We only ate dinner out. The rest of our meals were in our bungalow out of the little fridge. On both islands we went to the grocery on our first day and bought baguettes, milk, cereal, orange juice, nuts, pop, cheese, jam, peanut butter, ham, cookies, bananas and chips. We had breakfast and lunch on the private deck of our bungalow each day. We had two sets of silverware we kept from our first dinner at the hotel in each location and just washed them in our bungalow. The maids didn't bother them and left them with the cups & saucers and glassware that were normally in the room with the coffee pot. We had our cereal in the cups, and used the glassware for our drinks, and the saucers for our sandwiches.....worked quite well! The grocery store on Moorea was a short walk from the resort; on Bora Bora it was a short walk from the water taxi dock. We just took our empty book backpacks we travel with and filled them up and walked back to our resort. Eating out is VERY expensive there. That's why we only ate out at dinner, and typically that's the fancy meal of the day in FP too. You would see other hotel guests on the water taxis with their grocery bags or a box full of groceries heading back to the resorts. In fact, with the minibar I figured I would just push the perishable items to the side and take the non perishable items out and sit them on top. The gentleman that took us to our bungalow pointed out the minibar and told us that all we had to do was call the desk and they would have it emptied to make room for our own purchases!! They know alot of guests go to the grocery and stock their own.
We did do a panini & french fry lunch on Bora Bora.....very expensive. Two cokes, two ham & cheese paninis and two french fries was over $50 USD. That was the only day we ate out at a "snack". Snacks are "fast food" type places, bakeries, or snack bars you eat breakfast and lunch at. Restaurants are 5 course affairs and fancy. If you are standing in front of a snack, and ask a local where the closest restaurant is, they will tell you there is not one around. A snack is not a restaurant, and a restaurant is not a snack. Restaurants are only open at night. We bought groceries for all our breakfasts and lunches for the cost of one lunch and one breakfast out. We were there for 2 weeks.
If you decide to go this route and do breakfast & lunch on your own, just call the hotel staff and have them come empty the mini-bar. That way you have all the space for your own purchases.
We did half board on Rangiroa simply because it's more remote and there are not the options for eating out. For lunch we would just split a panini at the overwater bar.
On Bora Bora and Moorea, we were strictly on our own for food. We only ate dinner out. The rest of our meals were in our bungalow out of the little fridge. On both islands we went to the grocery on our first day and bought baguettes, milk, cereal, orange juice, nuts, pop, cheese, jam, peanut butter, ham, cookies, bananas and chips. We had breakfast and lunch on the private deck of our bungalow each day. We had two sets of silverware we kept from our first dinner at the hotel in each location and just washed them in our bungalow. The maids didn't bother them and left them with the cups & saucers and glassware that were normally in the room with the coffee pot. We had our cereal in the cups, and used the glassware for our drinks, and the saucers for our sandwiches.....worked quite well! The grocery store on Moorea was a short walk from the resort; on Bora Bora it was a short walk from the water taxi dock. We just took our empty book backpacks we travel with and filled them up and walked back to our resort. Eating out is VERY expensive there. That's why we only ate out at dinner, and typically that's the fancy meal of the day in FP too. You would see other hotel guests on the water taxis with their grocery bags or a box full of groceries heading back to the resorts. In fact, with the minibar I figured I would just push the perishable items to the side and take the non perishable items out and sit them on top. The gentleman that took us to our bungalow pointed out the minibar and told us that all we had to do was call the desk and they would have it emptied to make room for our own purchases!! They know alot of guests go to the grocery and stock their own.
We did do a panini & french fry lunch on Bora Bora.....very expensive. Two cokes, two ham & cheese paninis and two french fries was over $50 USD. That was the only day we ate out at a "snack". Snacks are "fast food" type places, bakeries, or snack bars you eat breakfast and lunch at. Restaurants are 5 course affairs and fancy. If you are standing in front of a snack, and ask a local where the closest restaurant is, they will tell you there is not one around. A snack is not a restaurant, and a restaurant is not a snack. Restaurants are only open at night. We bought groceries for all our breakfasts and lunches for the cost of one lunch and one breakfast out. We were there for 2 weeks.
If you decide to go this route and do breakfast & lunch on your own, just call the hotel staff and have them come empty the mini-bar. That way you have all the space for your own purchases.
Last edited:
DennisS
Contributor
I stayed at the other end of the scale from the over the water huts, Chez Pauline on Moorea. We sat in the back of the restaurant drinking beer out of quarts while her son showed us the plans to complete the road around the island and chickens walked around the countertops.
One of the best experiences of my life was waking up to the smell of tropical flowers on a sunday morning with the sound of beutiful polynesian singing in the church across the street. I thought it was a once in a life time experience, an hour later I woke up to the singing of the second service.
I've been to Moorea quite a few times and it is a special place. The food is expensive but the baguettes are cheap. There are a couple of trucks that serve good food at a reasonable price. I had a hamburger at one, the guy put garlic butter on the bun and toasted it and then topped the burger with home made mayonaise. The place was made for motor scooters and it's well worth the rent to get one to tour the island. Search out one of the best hot dogs in the world, they take a baguette and impale it on a rod that toasts the inside of the baguette, squirt some dijon mustard in it and add a great dog.
One of the best experiences of my life was waking up to the smell of tropical flowers on a sunday morning with the sound of beutiful polynesian singing in the church across the street. I thought it was a once in a life time experience, an hour later I woke up to the singing of the second service.
I've been to Moorea quite a few times and it is a special place. The food is expensive but the baguettes are cheap. There are a couple of trucks that serve good food at a reasonable price. I had a hamburger at one, the guy put garlic butter on the bun and toasted it and then topped the burger with home made mayonaise. The place was made for motor scooters and it's well worth the rent to get one to tour the island. Search out one of the best hot dogs in the world, they take a baguette and impale it on a rod that toasts the inside of the baguette, squirt some dijon mustard in it and add a great dog.
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