French Polynesia

my wife & I are planning a trip into the French Poly islands in the April / May 2013 timeframe .....we know Bora Bora and its reputation, as far as touristy, expensive, crowded ......and we have not ruled it out, but we can & will rule it out if there is a consensus of opinion here that we should visit & stay at another island or islands instead of Bora Bora .....what we want is semi-luxurious accommodations but it does now have to be over-the-top, on / above beachfront water bungalow and access to not only a town with shops & whatnot, but at least a couple good dining establishments .....also, best snorkeling spots associated to any recommended islands would be very helpful as well .......night life ?? no desire ...... in fact, we'd want things as quiet & peaceful as possible ......thank you all for the assist !!

Just returned from Sofitel Marara BoraBora yesterday.
We did not find it expensive.
We swam out to the coral garden at the back of their Private island Motu from the main resort.
There was not a lot of coral but plenty of colourful clams and fish.
We did take the eco tour and swam with the stingrays and sharks neither of which was scary but fun.

Bora Bora is an amazing place and need not be super expensive. If you do your research you should find places to stay that are quite comfortable and at a good price. We did not find it that crowded and, again, if you research you will find information for finding quieter, out of the way places. Also, the island lends itself to cycling as an inexpensive way to get around. Unfortunately it was not great weather when we were there and so we did not get to do a lot of snorkeling - we managed to do a shark/stingray tour which, as smandkjc notes, was fun and not scary.

I can also recommend Huahine as an alternative (or a second island to explore). Definitely not crowded or touristy, some great snorkeling spots and a feel of old Tahiti.

If you have not already done so, I would suggest you check out the forum at www.tahiti-explorer.com for further information - as well as the forum at tripadvisor.

I found Bora Bora beautiful... and Huahine was probably my favourite island in the Societies. However I'd investigate Maupiti. We weren't able to go there as the lagoon entrance was too narrow for our boat with the wind direction the way it was, but everything I've read is that it is Bora Bora 20-30 years ago - less tourists but keeping the huge encircling lagoon and mountain in the middle.

Hi! 4 years ago I visited (backpacking, camping...) Moorea, Raiatea, Huahine and Bora Bora. In my opinion and in order the best ones are: Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea and Huahine. Tetiaroa and Maupiti seem also great, maybe better than Raiatea and Huahine,

But for me, Bora Bora and Moorea are a must, and the beach of the Sofitel is just incredible...

[http://misviajes.comyr.com/French_Polynesia_Photos_Bora_Bora_Bilder.htm|My Polynesia Photos]

Hi there,

I'm planning to go backpacking around French Polynesia and wondered if you had any tips of places to stay please? Did you head over to the Cook Islands at all? Was looking to try and boat my way around but it's looking really difficult.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Hi!! I visited FP 4 years ago, so maybe the places where I slept are already closed, but here they are:

Bora Bora:Chez Nono: 50€/night at Matira Point (the best beach on BB main island) Single room
Moorea: Marks Place: 25€/night at Haapiti Shared room
Huahine: I booked at Chez Guynette, but when I arrived it was fully booked, so I went to a camping just in the southern point of Huahine, I booked a hut on the beach, about 25€/night. Single hut
Raiatea: Pension Tepua: I cant remember the price but about 25€/night Shared room

People in Polynesia is extremely friendly, so I rounded all the islands hitchhiking :)

To fly between the different islands I bought the Bora Bora Pass of air tahiti.

I visited the cook Islands from Tahiti, I paid about 300€ to fly from Papeete to Rarotonga (one way). I also visited Aitutaki 450NZS return ticket to Rarotonga. If you visit Aitutaki I recomed you Amuri Guest House, very nice people.