Before going to French Polynesia for the first time I had made a dozen trips around the world to some incredibly beautiful places. I've been all over Australia, many countries in Europe, parts of Africa and all around the USA ... my bar was set high. Zelle showed me pictures of French Polynesia from her prior trips and it looked beautiful but nothing compares to seeing it in person ... especially for the very first time. For our honeymoon we planned a trip to Moorea, her favorite island at the time. We were going to spend a week at the Sofitel Moorea.
Our honeymoon was back in 1999 before Air Tahiti Nui was flying. We were on Corsair, a discount airline flying out of LAX. As our plane headed towards the runway the end of the wing clipped the tail of another plane. We headed back to the terminal and were told the plane had to be repaired, not a great way to start our honeymoon. The airline put us up in a Holiday Inn on Century Boulevard for the night. The following day we took off for Tahiti without incident.
After clearing customs we were shuttled to the ferry dock for the 45 minute trip to Moorea. To this day I remember vividly our ferry ride across the 'Sea of the Moon'. As we approached Moorea the jagged peaks looked larger. I half way expected to see King Kong jump out from around one of the tall jagged peaks ... I was hooked!
We were taken by shuttle to the Sofitel. As it was our honeymoon the resort had upgraded our basic garden fare to a beach view room, nice. To this day we stop by our fare at the Sofitel and take a current picture. We went on 'the cheap' and had taken a second check bag filled with nothing but food. I had planned what food we should take based on what was already in French Polynesia that was inexpensive. Back then the Baggett cost 25 cents ... so we brought the makings for tuna fish sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Boxed milk and cereals, nuts, mayo, chips, boxed dinners ... you get the idea.
I remember going out on a shark/ray lagoon tour. Was so much fun and exhilarating. Zelle didn't want to be right next to them so she climbed up on my shoulders. Zelle recognized a Polynesian lady from a prior trip. She gave us a free 4X4 excursion around Moorea for our honeymoon including going to the famed waterfall on the east side. We swam in the pool and of course I had to swim under the waterfall. I remember going over to the Bali Hai (where the Manava Resort is now). This was shortly before they closed ... I now know why people loved it so ... it was a bit on the wild side.
The snorkeling was very good beyond the over water fares at the Sofitel ... I loved it! The Polynesian show was wonderful ... I think the shows were a bit better back then ... a bit more traditional in their outfits and the music ... just a ukulele and drums. Of course I went up when asked and made a fool of myself ... I took the roasting in stride. Speaking of roasting we had the tradition Umu dinner experience including the pig. Such great memories we have of our honeymoon.
As we left Moorea I was already planning our next trip to French Polynesia. I had made the promise to take Zelle every year and I've kept that promise. I've been creative over the years to keep that promise. Sometimes we've splurged and sometimes we went on the cheap but I've kept my promise. To me half the fun is preparing for the trip ... gathering information and having a general idea of what we will see and do. That is one reason I started the Facebook pages and now this blog ... helping others prepare for the trip of a lifetime is rewarding. I usually go with my groups and every time I see someone enjoying French Polynesia for the first time it brings back memories of our first trips to paradise together.
Over the coming weeks and months I will continue to share our experiences. As the blog matures there will be information that is accessible to everyone. Some post with more detailed information will only be available for those that have traveled with me in one of my groups or those that have signed up for a membership subscription. With 32 trips to French Polynesia I have a wealth of information to share ... take advantage of that. The detailed information I share when you subscribe is worth many times what you pay. You will likely save hundreds if not thousands with the tips I share. The one on one Zoom meeting with me is worth the price of the subscription all by itself.
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