The plan included flying from Phoenix to LAX on Christmas afternoon then out to Tahiti for the night since I would arrive at 1:10 Am. Then a short little puddle hopper from Tahiti to Moorea, the island next door, that took off at noon and landed at 12:10 Pm! A ten minute flight! We barely got over about 500 feet and you're thinking - well if the engine fails I could probably jump. That's probably because the water is so inviting you can jump right in!
Upon arrival at the Moorea Pearl Resort I was easily checked in and shown the spa, bar, pool and other areas before being lead off to my private and premium over the water bungalow. I lesuirely unpacked and gathered in the sites from the balcony.
I think I spent some time at the pool and bar and then the bungalow again. Remember the motif for this vacation was not to have a wild an crazy time, but rather a relaxing time in the South Pacific.
Suddenly I got a call in my room asking if I wished to make a reservation for the gourmet resturant at the hotel. I figured, why not? And made the reservation. Had a steak dinner that was pretty good. Took some pictures of the sunset and nighttime and of course swum in the pool for a while. Basically took it easy that night as was my plan anyway.
After waking up I decided to go back to the hotel restaurant and have breakfast. It was buffet style - very good sausage and bacon and an omlete that was just wonderful. Orange juice and pineapple juice, labeled ananas in French, as well as tropical juice. All wonderful. Some more pool swimming and suntanning before heading back to the "hut". After that I decided to head out down the street outside the hotel to the little grocery store for supplies. It's very expensive to eat at the hotel - breakfast went for around 3200 XPF (Pacific French Francs) @ 80 XPF per US$ and we're talking $40 just for breakfast. I've been told that it's best to go to the grocery store and get bread and sandwich meats to have for lunch so I did.
Back at the hotel and more pool time. This time I got some snorkel equipment, mask and fins, and headed off to the bungalow to do some snorkeling. It was a little tough getting off of the platform and in the water with the fins and all but I managed to do it and proceeded to snorkel around my hut and other people's huts too. The huts were situated just on the edge of the corral reefs such that you cand just about stand up on them off of the ladder from your hut but going out it drops off sharply, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 feet as you go out. From the hut and the reef going out there's a deep grove and then it levels out again about 100-200 yards out where you can see the sandy white bottom again dotted with clumps of corral rocks. This goes on for about another 100 yards and then drops off again where you see the waves constantly breaking about 300 yards off the shoreline. So there's a constant wave about 300 yards in.
Snorkeling around the huts was wonderful, lots of corral close by, lots of fish, etc. My hut, #418 as I requested, was probably the best hut as it was off towards the end of the pier so it was isolated and secluded and it was at a point in the reef where there was a lot of fish.
At the Moorea Pearl the outer most huts are grouped off to the Eastern side and the Western side. I was the furthest out on the Eastern side. Between Eastern and Western sides was a break with a little platform, a platform that I later found out served as a place to pick up passengers for the Shark/Ray tour and picnic. This was also where the underwater lights were situated that shows at night giving an amazing blue glow to the lagoon where the fish would gather. The Western outer side of the huts did not have as many fish as the Eastern side.
I must say I would often return after breakfast and after some morning swimming and sunning I would retreat to my bungalow for lunch, a drink, hanging out on my porch and watching a little CNN, which as in English and was all about the recent bombings of the Gaza Strip by Israel. Often I would fall asleep taking an afternoon nap which I initially felt guilty about but then though "Hey my plan for coming here was pure relaxation - what's better than a nap! And in such a wonderful room!".
That night I decide to go to Rudy's, which I heard was very good. They sent a driver to pick me up, which was arranged from the front desk. When I arrived I spoke with the owner, who was very friendly. There were not that many people there but then again this is off season in the islands which was perfectly OK with me. The guy from the couple that was leaving at the time told me I must try the lamb so I agreed. It was wonderful! That with a French Bordeaux was just wonderful. The French just have a way with sauces.
Back to the Pearl for, of course, some more swimming and hanging out at the bar. I believe I met Stephen, the bartender by then. He was working on Bora Bora and heading back to France before the Moorea Pearl recruited him for his bartender skils. He spoke good English and we chatted.
On the next day I decided, after breakfast and some dipping in the pool, to try to go on an excursion - a 4x4 through the interior of the island. Mostly the 4x4 left in the morning but this day it left in the afternoon. Unfortunately by afternoon we did not have enough people (4) to do the 4x4 trip. No bother. I was used to having lunch at my bungalow, snorkeling off the hut for a while, a nap and going to the pool again.
After that I went to the bar for some drinks again and realized that the bar had Wifi! So I snapped a picture of what I was seeing and composed an email to my friends back home with a subject line of "Enjoying the view", a copy of the picture and a body saying "The weather is here - wish you were beautiful" then gulped up my island drink and headed back to the pool.
For my second dinner I decided to go to a Pizza place I saw on the road while walking to the grocery store named Le Sud. I had some wine and a Stromboli. It was quite good however they put a raw egg in the stromboli. I later found out that that was how the Italians make Strombolis anyway. It was quite good.
Again, hang out at the pool, bar or the hut. Did I mention that you can see soooo many stars out there because there is not that much light pollution going on. I tried several times to capture what my eyes were seeing with a camera but I'm no photographer. Still it was wonderful sitting out on the deck at night admiring the stars.
Most of the people at the resort were honeymooners or otherwise coupled off. They were usually either French or American with an occasional Brit or other islander. This I expected. I met some couples who were on their 25th wedding anniversary and some just families off on vacation.
Woke up again and decided to continue to head to the breakfast buffet. I couldn't get enough of those omeletts that were made to perfection in my opinion. Even at $40 a breakfast to me it seemed worth it and was a good start for the day. Besides where else would I go for breakfast? Hike down to town? I guess I could but I didn't bother.
Today I wanted to go on the "Feed the sharks/sting rays and private island picnic" excursion. I believe it was like 5500 XPF. But with breakfast being 3200 XPF and the excursion having a picnic included even it seemed like a bargain. I promised myself I would not worry about expense on this trip and that this trip was supposed to be relaxation so I signed up.
The boat picked up up off the pier and we headed across Moorea stopping at various hotels like the Sheraton picking up other passengers. I snapped some photos. My biggest concern was the sunburn I had acquired and I made sure I brought along the 45 block sunscreen I bought at the grocery store. 2500 XPf AKA $31.25 US for 6 oz of suntan lotion, I was sure to bring along.
We got to a place where they anchored the boat via a rope and then jumped into the water with a camera feeding the sharks who know exactly when the boat comes. They told us tha twe should get into the water too but stay on one side of the rope - like sharks are somehow magically stoped by a skinny little rope! In any event many got into the water as did I, and armed with snorkeling gear I grabbed onto the rope like the others with the current pulling me away as I grasped the rope and observed the 3-5 foot sharks swimming within feet of where I was at.
After this we got back on the boat and headed to the sting ray feeding area, which was a place where you could get out of the boat and stand up in the shallow water while sting rays swum by. They told us not to put our hands under the rays as that's where their mouths are. I can recall getting off the boat and noticing that the 3-5 foot sharks followed us here because they knew more food could be had. There was no rope now. My god how would they know not to devour a tourist! I guess I'd just have to grin and bear it.
Next was the stop at the private island for lunch. There were two islands next to each other with a little waterway between them. After docking and unloading passengers the tour operators got busy on getting lunch spread out. I grabbed some snorkel gear and headed out to the waterway to partake of the waters. And what waters they were. About everywhere you could stand up in the white sand bottoms but punctuated all around you were large rocks - corrals actually - that are situated such that you can snorkel for hours and truly feel like you were a visitor in a large aquarium.
Back to the beach for a picnic of chicken, noodles, salad and fruits that could not be beat and some conversation with some Americans before the tour operators got some coconuts down and described how to crack them open as well as held some contests pitting various guys against each other in a race to open the coconut. All entertaining.
Eventually we got back on the boat and headed back to the various hotels. A good trip and well worth the money.
Polynesian night back at the hotel but not before having dinner at Le Mahogany, a Chinese/French/Tahitian restaurant where I had a shrimp salad, followed by grilled swordfish with a 1/2 bottle of Pinot Noir followed by a desert of caramel custard and espresso. Bon Appetit as they say! As I said, Polynesian night was interesting with Polynesian dancers, some night swimming, star gazing and sleep.
The next day followed pretty much a pattern I had been establishing with the breakfast buffet, morning swimming, noon lunch and nap, snorkeling from the huts and a good dinner at night. This night was Le Hunu Iti, another French bistro right on the beach where I had beef tenderloin in a red wine sauce, another 1/2 bottle of Pinot Noir and this time Apple Pie desert. This restaurant was right on the beach and you can tell from the staff feeding the sting rays. There was also a shark that appeared about 20 yards offshore. Again, expensive but good food.
The last couple of days followed similar patterns of breakfast, swim, hut, bar, wifi, etc. Prior to coming here the 10-day weather forecast on the net was saying rain/thunderstorms every day. Truth be told there was no rain until the last day, after checking out of the hotel and just waiting around 'til 5:30 Pm for a pick up to go back home. That day it rained with a wonderful thunderstorm to sleep by, threatening skies in the morning with morning to afternoon rain, downpour. I had my bathing suit on and went swimming in the rain followed by a shower and change of clothes in preparation for leaving.
Flying back on that 10 might flight slightly early then getting on the big Air Tahiti Nui flight in Tahiti, flying all night back to LAX.
The real problem came in LAX, arriving at 8:15 Am and trying to make the connecting Southwest flight @ 9:30 Am but them just being packed. I was on standby for the next 3 to 4 Southwest flights only leaving LAX @ around 5 Pm and getting back to Phoenix ~6 Pm.
All in all a wonderful, but expensive vacation. But the expensive part was expected.
