Hotel Review: Intercontinental Resort Tahiti

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Tara

Sadly our trip to French Polynesia was over. We had seen some amazing birds on Ua Huka and Rimatara and now we were heading home. Our flight left at 7:30am so we needed a hotel near the airport and preferably available on points. The Intercontinental Tahiti Resort fit the bill perfectly. Rooms cost 40,000 points which is a decent value and this is a pretty spectacular “airport hotel”!

It is easily reachable from downtown or the airport on any Outamaoro bus. They drop you right at the driveway and you just walk down to the entrance.

My platinum status (courtesy Chase IHG Mastercard) got us upgraded to an ocean view room!

Small turtle pond in the garden

Overwater bungalows. I didn’t seek an upgrade to these as it was only an overnight stay with check out at 4:30am.

Lagoon and overwater bungalows

Watching the sunset by the swimming pool

Happy hour!

Planes coming in to land

Cabana boy with conch shell

The next morning we were up at 4:00am and checked out around 4:30-ish. The one thing I don’t like about visiting French Polynesia is the uber-early morning flights! We walked out to the main road, prepared to walk with our backpacks to the airport. A bus came along and we flagged it down. No need to pay $25 for a taxi to go a couple kilometers! Check-in wasn’t too crowded so we quickly checked in and passed security.

We were in economy so no lounge for us, the main terminal is pretty comfortable anyway. Goodbye French Polynesia and keep looking after your birds!

Shopping In Papeete

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Tara

It was mostly “window shopping” as souvenirs in Tahiti are not cheap! We had a few XPF to spend before going home so we ended up with a couple pareos. The jewelry is amazing but costs a fortune!

Leaving the ferry terminal

Cool artwork on a cafe

Pirates greet you at this cafe

These stunning necklaces were out of reach for me

But these pareos were around $10 each!

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Moorea Resort & Spa

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Tara

Since we had two days to kill before our flight home, I really wanted to check out the Intercontinental Moorea Resort & Spa. I had enough points to get us a freebie and booked the usual room offered for awards, a lanai room.

I was very pleased to see that my platinum status (courtesy of the Chase Mastercard) got us upgraded to a Garden Pool room! I’d say this was an excellent use of points!

Very quiet at reception when we checked in.

Boutique in the lobby

We were driven to our bungalow in a little buggy.

Our garden bungalow with private pool

And there it is, our own pool!

We had a few visitors, they were mostly interested in the leis we had on the chairs.

We took a stroll around the grounds to the main swimming pool to watch the sunset.

This is the main building where most award stays would be booked into.

The sunset did not disappoint!

Time for happy hour!

The next morning our feathered friends were back after the leis!

“Can I share your pool?” Of course!

Intro to scuba class

Around Moorea – Enroute To The Intercontinental

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Tara

After disembarking from the Terevau, we discovered that the local bus doesn’t meet this ferry (2pm sailing) as it is transporting kids home from school. We saw a couple buses go past but none would stop so apparently they aren’t allowed to mix tourists with kids. Taxis were taking full advantage and trying to charge around $50 for the 18 km ride. I hate being taken advantage of so stubbornly rebuffed the taxis and stayed on the road waiting for the bus.

A local couple spotted us as they drove past and offered us a lift as they were headed in the same direction. We chatted to them while admiring the beautiful scenery of Moorea, my husband speaking Tahitian and me getting by in French.

The lesson learned here is to make sure what land transport is available for your sailing! Another option would have been to get the Intercontinental to arrange a shuttle. We did this for the return trip back to the terminal and it was 1250 XPF per person.

Overnight In Moorea Via Ferry

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Tara

Even if your main interest in a visit to French Polynesia is birding the remote islands, there is nothing wrong with being a bit touristy. The way the airline schedules are set up and the availability of award tickets (or lack thereof) to Papeete can leave you with a few days to kill in Papeete. I highly recommend hopping over to Moorea which is a lot more scenic and relaxing than Papeete.

You can fly to Moorea from Papeete if you wish but I thought the flights were a bit pricy for us. Since we only had small backpacks for the trip, it was easy to catch a bus downtown, grab lunch at the Grande Marche and hop the next ferry. There are 2 ferry companies on this route – Aremiti and Terevau.

Fares on Aremiti 5 from Papeete to Moorea

Terevau doesn’t have a website but their one-way fares are 1160 XPF. Since they accepted credit cards, I bought round-trip tickets for us. The tickets are valid 6 months.

There really isn’t much to choose between the two ferries, just take whichever one is leaving next. You don’t need reservation unless you are bringing a car.

The ferry awaits.

Seating is comfortable enough for the 20 minute trip across to Moorea. You can see how I was “drowning in flowers” still from Rimatara!

The ferry has a small snack bar, prices aren’t bad but not a very good selection. We were glad we ate at the market. We were in Moorea pretty quickly, barely enough time to admire the topography from the sea!

Disembarking at Moorea.

Moorea ferry terminal.

Turnaround was pretty quick, we watched the Terevau take off back to Papeete while looking for the bus.

Exploring Anapoto Village – Rimatara

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Tara

After a very successful birding trip to get up close and personal with Rimatara Lorikeets, Ina and I decided to take a leisurely stroll to the nearby village of Anapoto.

Ina enjoyed talking to the locals as he spoke their language.

I was content to admire the artwork on the bus stops. I really love how they honor their native birds!

Just behind the bus stop is a small general store where you can buy simple groceries, drinks, produce and such things as needles and thread which I needed to repair a torn bag.

We sat there for awhile watching the islanders go about their business.

Just before the general store is a small lane leading past the Anapoto church to the beach. We walked down there and watched the locals fishing for a while. The church is really beautiful!

Circle Island Tour Of Rimatara

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Tara

Shortly after we arrived on Rimatara and checked in to La Perruche Rouge, the owner’s son took us on a tour of the island. The blue dot below shows the location of La Perruche Rouge just near the airport.

The first place we stopped was at a small general store where we were able to buy some t-shirts with Rimatara Lorikeets on them. The store doesn’t have a sign and would be easily missed if you didn’t know where it was in Amaru

As we drove through the town, I was really loving the bus stops with the Lorikeet motifs!

There is a small handicraft shop in Amaru. Unfortunately they sold products that would have been difficult to import to Australia. I wish they had paintings of the Lorikeets!

The cemetery is a short walk away towards the sea. This is where you find the grave of Queen Temaeva.

We continued driving clockwise around the island, passing more Lorikeet bus stops and churches. Even the stained glass windows in the church were in Lorikeet colours! I love how the residents of Rimatara really appreciate and care about their native bird!

Very quickly, we reached the next village of Motu’ura. Another pretty church, some nice beaches and a small snack bar. I wish I had known there was a snack bar before we came or I wouldn’t have brought food from Papeete!

Catch of the day!

We kept driving through the town of Anapoto which is walking distance from the lodge so we didn’t stop there.

And then back to our bungalow!

Temaeva – The Queen Who Saved A Species

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Tara

Lodge Review: La Perruche Rouge, Rimatara

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Tara

La Perruche Rouge (the Red Parakeet) grabbed my attention the minute I started seeking out accommodation on Rimatara. The website is in French but Google Translate is your friend! I was surprised how close it is to the airport, the access road is just 5 minutes up the road.

The lower level is where the Kato family (the owners) live and the reception/dining area. The guest bungalows are on the higher level.

Our bungalow

Small but clean bathroom. No kitchen or even a kettle but the family will boil water or heat up simple food for you in their kitchen.

The bungalow has a king sized bed and a single bed.

The bed linens are to die for! Embroidered Rimatara Lorikeets! Of course I wanted to buy some but they don’t have any extras for sale. Aline said she had them custom made in Bali. Next time I go there I have to look for embroidery shops!

Back at the reception/dining area. Meals are served family style and are very good! Most people have a demi-pension plan which includes breakfast and dinner.

Back at the bungalow we had a nice porch to relax on and enjoy the view!

You can book a variety of tours – birding of course and some cultural experiences. The “Decouverte de taro” one totally cracked me up – they were charging people to do what my husband has done for free in his family plantation since he was a kid growing up in Rarotonga! Still for a Western tourist it would be new and different. This was a fantastic little pension and the owners were lovely! I highly recommend a visit here. You need to book via their website and pay cash on arrival. Actually you can pay when you check out but I hate carrying cash around so chose to pay up front.

Rimatara – Rarely Visited Island Of French Polynesia

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Tara

Very few people make it out to Rimatara other than birders – which is a real shame. It may be small but it’s a beautiful, friendly island. The surprising thing is that it is geographically closer to Rarotonga (indicated by its capital Avarua) than to the capital of French Polynesia – Papeete. Although you can get to Papeete with miles, you will have to pay cash for this domestic flight.

Air Tahiti flies there on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I wanted a 3 night stay so out on Friday and back on Monday was the best option. If you are pressed for time or can only manage a 2 night stay, you will still see the Rimatara Lorikeets. The island is small and they are easy to see.

The first thing I noticed as we approached Rimatara is that the island is much flatter than the islands of the Marquesas.

The island has 3 small villages. I’ll give a more detailed tour of the island in a future post.

Once we arrived at the airport, we were met by our hostess and had a quick look around. I was really pleased to see how protective they are of their native birds!

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