10 Day Itinerary For a French Polynesia Honeymoon

10 Day Itinerary for a French Polynesia Honeymoon

Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea...these are synonyms of paradise and we were lucky to have spent our honeymoon in this beautiful country. Here is what you can do for 10 days in French Polynesia.



10 Day Itinerary for a French Polynesia Honeymoon

When we were planning our honeymoon, we were thinking of just relaxing on a beach with clear turquoise waters, but we were afraid we would want to be a little more adventurous and get bored. So I started researching different beach destinations that had options of just being beach bums and also going on hikes or snorkeling tours. I had always dreamed of staying in an overwater bungalow either in Bora Bora or Maldives, but never thought that would be an option until I found out about Costco Travels which offers a lot of packages to amazing destinations like French Polynesia. (This is in no way an advertisement, and in no way did they pay us or offer us a special rate to mention them...although I always tell my family and friends we should get paid for how much we tell this story!) I swear that I researched everywhere online and could not find a better deal for the package we ended up getting with Costco and that was the main reason why we got a membership.


We decided on a 10-day package that included Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, with flights and ferry transfers, as well as breakfast in all the islands plus dinner in Bora Bora. We chose to stay at the InterContinental Resorts, since that was the nicest hotel chain that fit within our budget. We splurged in Bora Bora with the overwater bungalow, but that was the point! In regards to the excursions and tours, we booked those through our hotels once we arrived at each destination, so we would not worry about having to book them in advance just in case there were any unforeseen delays. For now, we wanted to share a sample itinerary for 10 days in French Polynesia.





DAY 1: Arrive in Tahiti

My parents gave us a ride from San Diego to Los Angeles, since the nearest airport that has flights to Tahiti is LAX. Our 8-hour flight on AirTahiti Nu left LAX at midnight and we arrived around 5am in Papeete, Tahiti.

There was a hotel transfer already waiting for us at the airport and they even had a lei which they put around our necks! We arrived at our hotel within a few minutes since the city is small and the hotel is not very far from the airport. We checked in but had to wait a while to get our room, since it was so early. In the meantime, we decided to have breakfast and then found out there was a half-day island tour of Tahiti leaving shortly so we took advantage of that. This tour took us all around the big island of Tahiti by an air-conditioned van. We stopped at the main tourist points on the island of Tahiti:



  • One Tree Hill - It has a panoramic view of the main town of Papeete.

One Tree Hill in Tahiti


  • Point Venus - It is a lighthouse surrounded by many crafts vendors on a beach.


Point Venus Beach in Tahiti

Point Venus in Tahiti

  • Blow HoleThis is a small space between a rock wall and where the ocean waves crash into rocks, creating a blow hole. You can actually stand next to it and feel/see the mist.

Blow Hole in Tahiti

  • Vaipahi Gardens and Waterfall - It is an enclosed garden with a waterfall, gardens and a grotto.

Tahiti Waterfall in Vaipahi Gardens

Vaipahi Gardens in Tahiti

  • Grotto of MaraaThis is within the botanical gardens of Vaipahi but you cannot actually go inside the grotto, you can walk around the garden though.

Maraa Grotto in Tahiti

  • Gaugin Restaurant - The restaurant is built over the water and has its own fish farm right outside, which you can walk around. This was the final stop in the tour, where we had lunch.


Gaugin Restaurant in Tahiti

We were back at the hotel by 1:30pm, just in time to settle in to our room. We decided to try out one of the two pools in the hotel and then get ready for the dinner show. The hotel offers a French Polynesian dance show on certain days of the week, so we did not want to miss it during our two nights on the island. 

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort Pool

Polynesian dinner dance show at the Intercontinental Tahiti




DAY 2:  Enjoy Hotel and Explore Papeete

We woke up hungry so the first thing we did was have breakfast in the hotel. We then decided to relax at one of the other pools we found in the hotel, this one was an infinity beach pool with a bar and an amazing view of the nearby island of Moorea. After a while, we decided to head into town through the free hotel transfer van that drops you on in central Papeete.

We walked around the main town of Papeete, including the flower market where they make beautiful crowns with real flowers. We went to a local bank to exchange dollars to the CFP Franc, but that took a long time since there was a long line, mainly tourists. Eventually, the day went by fast and it was evening before we knew it, we had a drink at a local bar and started to get hungry, so we began looking for some place to eat. We had heard there was a food truck gathering in the marina of Papeete, so we headed there. We ended up stopping by a pizza truck, which was delicious, but we were surprised that they did not have crushed red pepper - in fact they did not have anything spicy! For dessert we stopped by a truck that sold crepes and gelato. There we met another couple that was on their honeymoon as well and they were staying at our hotel, so we split the taxi on the way back.



Infinity pool from our Tahiti hotel facing Moorea.
Infinity pool from our Tahiti hotel facing Moorea.

Photos of the town of Papeete, Tahiti:
  



    



  

WATCH: Honeymoon in Tahiti, the Big Island!




DAY 3: Ferry Transfer to Moorea

After having our final breakfast in our hotel, we walked around the property one last time and then we took the free hotel transfer to the ferry landing, they already had our boarding tickets for the ferry. We checked our bags in the ferry and waited to board. The ferry only took about 45 minutes to arrive in Moorea. You can either sit indoors or on the top deck, we sat mainly indoors and then headed to the top to enjoy some of the views.

As soon as we arrived in Moorea, the hotel transfer was already waiting for us and took us to our hotel, the InterContinental Moorea Resort. We checked in and they had us wait for our room in a lounge area by the lobby where they gave us a welcome juice, made of delicious local pineapple, and some cool towels for the heat. A short while later, we were driven on a golf cart to our private GRADEN POOL BUNGALOW. It was amazing! They had a welcome champagne bottle and a whole pineapple ready to eat, as well as a nice flower arrangement. We got dressed in our bathing suits and headed to the pool and beach area. We made it just in time to the rent a kayak (included for free) so we kayaked around for only about 30 minutes because we had to return the kayak before the shop closed. Afterwards, we hung out at the pool and we shared a small appetizer at the pool bar and some drinks of course! We finished our drinks on the beach as we watched the sunset.



The view of Moorea towards Tahiti
The view of Moorea towards Tahiti.

Ferry from Tahiti to Moorea
Ferry from Tahiti to Moorea.

Photos of the InterContinental Moorea resort:
  


  


  

WATCH: Honeymoon in Moorea!




DAY 4: Moorea Island Tour

The day before, we had booked an 4WD of road tour of the island of Moorea with the hotel concierge. This tour was so fun, we literally were riding on the back of a truck as it took us off road through the roads of Moorea, passing by the beach and inland through the valleys. This four-wheel-drive tour included some of the main attractions in Moorea:


  • Belvedere Lookout Point - An inland perspective, in between the valleys, with an amazing view of the two bays of Moorea (the ones that make the heart-shape of the island).

Belvedere Point in Moorea
Belvedere Point in Moorea

Jumping on Belvedere Point
Jumping on Belvedere Point

  • Magic Mountain - This was a short mountain hike up to the highest point on the coastal side of the island.


Magic Mountain in Moorea
 Magic Mountain in Moorea

  • The Marae -We visited an ancient Polynesian temple, well, what is left it. This included a walk/hike through a beautiful forest path. 

    The Marae in Moorea      The Marae in Moorea


  

  • Pineapple FieldsThe tour also took us through some pineapple farms where we stopped to take photos and learn more about the specialty fruit of Moorea.

Pineapple Fields in Moorea  Pineapple Fields in Moorea

Pineapple Fields in Moorea  Pineapple Fields in Moorea

  • Distillery - The our ended with a stop at a local distillery where we tasted some of the different varieties of pineapple juices, including some alcoholic ones. 

Pineapple Distillery in Moorea
Pineapple Distillery in Moorea.
We arrived at our hotel in the early afternoon, so we had some time to enjoy our private garden pool before getting ready for the evening dinner show at our hotel. Once again, we did not want to miss the Polynesian dance show because this one included fire!


IC Moorea Polynesian Dance Show
IC Moorea Polynesian Dance Show

WATCH: Honeymoon in Moorea!




DAY 5: Relax and Enjoy the Hotel Amenities

We spent this day enjoying all the amenities in our hotel, which was obviously breakfast, our private garden pool in our bungalow, the main pool, the free kayak to explore the beach and around the overwater bungalows.

Our hotel also has a dolphin aquarium, so we were able to enjoy that from afar. We also decided to take a walk to a nearby convenience store to buy some snacks. For dinner, we decided to book a reservation at a local restaurant outside of our hotel, which was on the recommended list of the concierge and included a free hotel transfer: Le Lezard Jaune. It was delicious, probably the best dinner we had throughout our entire trip!

IC Moorea Garden Pool Bungalow Donut
Enjoying our private garden pool.

Kayaking in Moorea
Kayaking around the hotel.


Le Lezard Jaune Moorea
Le Lezard Jaune

WATCH: Honeymoon in Moorea!




DAY 6: Fly to Bora Bora!

This was our last day in Moorea, so we decided to wake up earlier to have breakfast and enjoy the last of our hotel stay. We spent some time in the pool and even got a chance to float around in our donut floaty in the private lagoon of the hotel.


   Intercontinental Moorea  Intercontinental Moorea


Intercontinental Moorea  Intercontinental Moorea


Moorea Airport
Moorea Airport
Once we arrived in Bora Bora, we got our bags and looked for the hotel transfer to our hotel, which was already waiting for us. We got a lei here too, right before boarding our hotel transfer, which was a BOAT since the airport is actually located on a small strip of land that is only accessible by boat. So, we got a free short boat tour of Bora Bora on our arrival - at least we would like to think of it that way!


Boat Shuttle to our hotel InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa
Once we arrived at our hotel, we were escorted to a small lounge area where they served us some iced tea while we waited through the check-in process. Then, we were driven on a golf cart to our OVERWATER BUNGALOW, which had an amazing view of Mt. Otemanu.

The driver walked us into the bungalow and gave us a tour - it was basically a small house if you ask us! It had a living room with a glass-bottom coffee table that opened up to the lagoon underneath our bungalow, the bedroom facing a HUGE window that looks out the lagoon, the walk-in closet as well as the huge bathroom with a bathtub facing the lagoon, not to mention the beautiful private deck that leads to the lagoon, with loungers and a table for two.


IC Thalasso Bora Bora Overwater Bungalow deck

 
 

We did not have time to take a dip, since it was getting dark quickly and we wanted to get ready for the dinner show and it was the only day we would be able to see it. We basically saw a French Polynesian dinner show on all three islands we visited and it was worth it! We think it is a must while visiting Tahiti and its islands - there really is nothing else to do in the evening anyway so why not enjoy this cultural show where you can have dinner and participate too!?      



DAY 7: Snorkel with Sharks and Stingrays

We booked a snorkeling tour the day we arrived in Bora Bora. This was probably one of the highlights of our trip! We woke up early to finish breakfast just in time to start the tour. We were picked up at the hotel dock and then we headed over to the end of the lagoon, which opens up to the ocean! We were able to see all the different colors of blue the beautiful lagoon of Bora Bora consists of.

  • First Stop: Snorkel with Sharks! We stopped in the deep, darker blue area of the lagoon, basically open ocean, where the lemon sharks gather. This was both scary and exciting! The boat tour included the snorkel gear, so you don't have to worry about bringing your own. We got to swim/snorkel among sharks!

Snorkeling with Sharks in Bora Bora

  • Second Stop: Feed Stingrays! As we headed to shallow water, we passed by the Hilton Bora Bora Resort, I noticed it because it was featured in Keeping up with the Kardashians (where Kim Kardashian lost her diamond earring!). Once we arrived in a shallow area of water, we got off the boat to feed some stingrays! The tour guide gave us some fish bait to feed them with, there were also some lemon sharks swimming by us here. This was an unforgettable experience!

Feeding Stingrays in Bora Bora


  • Third Stop: Bora Love Sign and Corral Reef After feeding the rays, we headed to another area where we got to swim at and dive down to take underwater photos of the famous "BORA LOVE" sign on the ocean floor. It is not that deep, but we were unable to go all the way down due to our sensitive ears. This famous sign is also located right next to some corral reef that you can swim through but must not touch.

Bora Bora Love Sign

Bora Bora Love Sign

  • Fourth Stop: Lunch on Private Island - The final stop of the tour included a small buffet lunch on a private island. While the food was prepared, we were given free time to swim around the private beach and shallow waters. For lunch, we were served local food, including fish, chicken, rice, coconut, and cole slaw. After eating, we walked it of by hiking up the stairs to the viewpoint of the private island that had beautiful panoramic views of Bora Bora's Mt. Otemanu and the open ocean.

Mt. Otemanu Kiss in Bora Bora

  

After returning to our hotel, we spent rest of the day enjoying our overwater bungalow and floating around in our donut in the lagoon. Once it got dark, we had dinner at one of the restaurants and called it a day.
  

WATCH: Bora Bora Honeymoon, Day 2




DAY 8: Relax, Enjoy Hotel, Explore Bora Bora

We decided to take it easy on this day and after having breakfast in the hotel, we went in the pool, hung out on one of the many hammocks around the resort, went paddle boarding right in front of Mt. Otemanu (which is included in our resort). After a few hours on the beach and pool, we decided to take advantage of the free boat transfers from our hotel Intercontinental Thalasso to the other Intercontinental Moana, which is located on the main side of the Bora Bora island (not facing Mt. Otemanu, but instead it is right next to it). So we explored the IC Moana, we could have gotten in the pool there as well, but decided to explore outside instead.


Paddle Boarding in Bora Bora
Paddle Boat around the InterContinental Thalasso.
Paddle Boarding in Bora Bora Mt. Otemanu


Exploring the Intercontinental Moana in Bora Bora.
Exploring the InterContinental Moana in Bora Bora.
Walking through a cute sidewalk wall in the main island of Bora Bora.
We had been wanting to eat at Bloody Mary's so we walked almost a mile to get there, we could have gotten a taxi but decided to make it an adventure and enjoy the scenery of the island instead.

Bora Bora Palm Tree

The food there was OK, but we made the best of it at the bar. You definitely don't want to miss out on the bathroom, they have some interesting decor! We also left our dollar on the BIG DOLLAR wall, with our names on it, let us know if you see it!
Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora  Dollar Wall at Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora

We decided to take a taxi back to the IC Moana hotel, so we can make it in time for the final boat transfer to our hotel the IC Thalasso. Once at our hotel, we decided to walk around a little bit more before dinner, and we ended up on the other side of the hotel which is the open ocean! There is access to the beach but at your own risk since it is the open ocean and there are no lifeguards.
Bora Bora open ocean
Bora Bora open ocean

WATCH: Bora Bora Honeymoon, Day 3





DAY 9: Bora Bora Island Tour

On this day we had breakfast before heading to another tour we booked earlier with the hotel concierge. This was a half-day island tour of Bora Bora, which was also similar to the Moorea 4wd tour we did. This tour included some interesting activities:

  • We learned how to play the Polynesian javelin throw:

Polynesian javelin throw

  • We learned how local vendors tie dye pareos:

We learned how local vendors tie dye pareos:

  • We also stopped by some nice panoramic viewpoints of Bora Bora:

We also stopped by some nice panoramic viewpoints of Bora Bora

Upon returning to our hotel, we just hung out in our Overwater Bungalow and ordered pizza to our room. We had bought a wine bottle at a supermarket in the main island of Bora Bora so we saved a little money on that too! We spent the rest of the day just swimming in the lagoon right off our private deck. Once it got dark, we went to have dinner at the buffet restaurant.

Bora Bora Lagoon Floating in Donut

WATCH: Bora Bora Honeymoon, Day 4





DAY 10: Last Day in Bora Bora and Fly Home

On our final day in Bora Bora we just took it easy and made the best of our final hours in our Overwater BungalowWe took a dip into the lagoon right off our private deck and borrowed some snorkel gear from the resort. We also got a kayak to go explore around the lagoon and actually passed by many of the overwater bungalows, including right underneath our own!

Bora Bora Swimming in Lagoon

Jumping off Overwater Bungalow in Bora Bora

Kayaking in Bora Bora


Kayaking in Bora Bora

Our boat transfer to the airport was not until 4pm, but we still had to check out by noon. However, the resort switched us to another location dedicated to late boat transfers, it is like a temporary mini room with a sofa and a full bathroom with a shower. We were able to leave our luggage there and change clothes if necessary. Meanwhile, we just waited by a beach lounge where we had a chance to order food and take a final dip in the beautiful lagoon right in front of the IC Thalasso facing Mt. Otemanu.


Right before our boat transfer arrived, we showered and changed clothes in our temporary mini room and headed towards the airport. Don't forget to take a photo by the Bora Bora airport sign!

Enjoying our last hours in Bora Bora:
  


 

The Bora Bora airport:

  

WATCH: Bora Bora Honeymoon, Day 5



31 comments

  1. Wow, te quedo hermosa la historia de nuestra luna de miel ♥️💍 me facino esto merece un Emmy y punto!!! Te amo y gracias por ser mi pareja, amiga, mejor esposa del mundo. Gracias a ti amanesco contento y haces la vida amorosa, divertida y extrema. Te amo con TODO mi corazon.

    ♥️ Tu esposo: Edgard

    ReplyDelete
  2. It looks like you had a fantastic time. Beautiful! I don't think I'd want to return after that trip.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are correct, we did not want to come back! We were so sad to leave this paradise, but alas, one has to come back to reality and work to keep going on vacations right? Thank you for reading our post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. French Polynesia is so amazing. We spent three months there, and Bora Bora, Tahiti, and Moorea are just the tip of the iceberg (or the top of the coconut tree maybe??).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Yes! Completely agree with you, there are so many islands in French Polynesia, we would love to go back and explore more, it was just so beautiful! I can only imagine everything you saw and the places you visited for three months there, that must have been a great time!

      Delete
  5. I have never considered s trip to the French Polynesia even though it is a very popular place. Thanks to your article, I see things differently. There is a lot to do! Now I feel like going!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, there is so much to do and so many islands to explore! I hope you do go one day, would to read a out your experience. Thank you for reading!

      Delete
  6. I'm not an island person but the color of that water just makes you want to jump in. and, the hikes look amazing. Sounds like a perfect itinerary that has a little something of everything in it to make it one amazing vacation. thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading, April. I am warning you, visiting these islands might just make you an island person, they are so beautiful and there is a lot to do, so you wont get bored. It is a great trip! Hope you visit one day :)

      Delete
  7. Now that's some honeymooning! I need to show this to my husband to perhaps inspire him for a similar anniversary trip .. lol Loved all your adventures, saving it for when we can go to these pristine islands :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, show him and the videos we linked here might also be helpful as you plan your trip. I know when we were planning our honeymoon I was researching all over and looking for videos about hotels and destinations, so actually watching videos helped us make the decision to go here, and of course the good deal we found through Costco. Let us know if you do end up going, would love to read about it! Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  8. Wow! This is an amazing itinerary! It looks like a blast. And, your pictures are stunning! I haven't thought about going to visit the French Polynesia, but now I really want to! So glad you shared this! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for reading, and I hope you do go one day, it is a beautiful country and there are so many islands to visit, not just these. We really fell in love with the country, the islands, the culture and the people. We definitely recommend going!

      Delete
  9. This looked like an amazing trip, the pictures are lovely. would love to visit someday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for reading, it is definitely a destination worth visiting!

      Delete
  10. French Polynesia is at the very top of my bucket list. These photos are beautiful! I'm in Australia at the moment and I'm considering buying a ticket to Bora Bora from here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh you have so many beautiful places nearby as well... maybe closer to the South Pacific than us in California. Well, I guess we are kind of the same distance away from French Polynesia since it really is in the middle of the South Pacific! I hope you can take the trip soon and we would love to read about it :)

      Delete
  11. oh wow, those crystal clear blue waters. It looks like the perfect place to have a more so adventurous honeymoon. Like you were I was afraid that a holiday in this part of the world would be all beaches and not much else.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, there is so much more to do here than just lay out on the beach. You will not get bored! And the water really is that light blue and warm!

      Delete
  12. Looks like a perfect honeymoon itinerary!!! Glad you had an amazing time <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for reading and yes, it was a perfect itinerary for us so we wanted to share it with others so they can get an idea on what there is to do :)

      Delete
  13. Very nice! I'd love to travel to French Polynesia. Good to know Costco had some travel packages for there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is so possible, there are many options that make this destination doable, not everything has to be luxurious, we just decided to splurge in Bora Bora with the overwater bungalow because ...well it is BORA BORA!!

      Delete
  14. Oh wow! French Polynesia is a dream destination. That blue water is very inviting. I'm sure you won't want to leave when you are there. I'm glad you had amazing honeymoon experience in the paradise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, we did not want to come back home! French Polynesia is a dream destination and it is doable, just save up and there are also other accommodations that can fit into many budgets!

      Delete
  15. That's absolutely stunning! Just like I imagined Bora Bora to be. Swimming with sharks and feeding manta rays looks fantastic. What a great trip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow yes, swimming with sharks and feeding the rays was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

      Delete
  16. Ummm can I bring myself on a honeymoon so I can go to French Polynesia? I'm in love with the clear blue waters and the fact that you had your own private garden pool! ha! I'm saving this one for later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, trust me, you do not have to be on a honeymoon to visit French Polynesia! There are so many things to do and you can even take a trip with friends here, why not? It is beautiful and worth the visit! The private garden pool bungalow was so cool, the only thing was that the water was very cold, the ocean water was warmer!

      Delete
  17. First of all, congratulations! What an exciting way to spend a honeymoon. I'm quite impressed you were able to score that deal through Costco. I've always wondered if their deals are as a good as they sound and it seems like they are. Your shots of French Polynesia are amazing. The Bora Bora bungalows and beaches as well as the stingray shots are my favorites. I think I have to give Costco another chance!! Great article.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Brilliant post! Your extensive itinerary laden with gorgeous pictures makes me & my wife feel wanderlust. We would love to get a France Tourist Visa& explore one of the Best Places For Honeymoon In France.My wife just loves visiting new places & she is very excited about the French Polynesian Honeymoon.

    ReplyDelete