You don’t often see those two words in the same sentence!  But believe it or not, it is possible to save money in Papeete by doing what the locals do!

1.  Locals use the buses.  Unfortunately the colourful “Le Trucks” have disappeared and been replaced by normal buses.  Bus fares from the airport to the town centre or Intercontinental will be around 200 XPF and a bit more to the Radisson.  Weekdays, buses operate roughly every 15 to 30 minutes from around 5am until about 5.30pm.  If you are staying at the Intercontinental, the Pape’ete-Faa’a-Outumaoro line supposedly operates 24 hours but in reality gets very quiet after 10pm.  We did manage to get this bus to the airport at 5am but since we only had backpacks we would have walked otherwise.  Sunday services are less frequent.

2.  Locals eat at the Grande Marche or in the evening at the roulottes.  Hotel food is really expensive and you’ve probably seen other blogs talking about $50 breakfasts and $100 dinners.  You can save a bundle by visiting the food stalls at the market and buying sandwiches or plates of food to bring back to your room.  We also brought packets of Crystal Light to mix with water rather than paying $5 for a bottle of soft drink.  Here’s an idea of what to look for at the marche.

If you are feeling festive or planning on attending an island night (luau) you can buy leis just outside.  The cheapest pareus (sarongs) are also found on the sidewalk outside the market but it’s cash only!

There are a few jewelry stalls near the tourist office.

3.  Free maps and booklets at the Tourist Office.

4.  Souvenirs are cheaper in the grande marche or just outside and some shops take credit cards.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST – THE SPLURGE!

I really wish I could have afforded these beautiful bird paintings on wood but they started at around $300!  Yikes!

There are some nicer wood carvings and other objets d’art near the Place Vaima.  You can also get a SIM card for your cell phone.

We got to see the Miss Tahiti crown on display as the pageant was happening the week after we left.  Nearby, you can find some Tahitian haute couture!