Moorea - A Dramatic Volcanic Island Across the Bay from Tahiti
Written: Jul 19 '02 (Updated Sep 28 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dramatic landscape, Marine life, Snorkeling, Good restaurants
Cons: Limited accommodations, Expensive taxis
The Bottom Line: A beautiful and easy place to stop while in French Polynesia.
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| twunschl's Full Review: Moorea |
This review has been moved from the more general category of Tahiti. Thanks for reading.
We spent the first three days of our French Polynesian vacation on Moorea. Just a short ten minute flight from Tahiti, this island is the second most popular destination for tourists.
Getting There
There are two main ways to get to Moorea. The first is to take an Air Tahiti or Air Moorea flight. The two airlines are affiliated and the tiny prop planes with around 35 people are an experience. If you fly by Air Moorea, the terminal is not in the main terminal at the Fa?aa airport. If you have a package for Tahiti, you will not need to worry about this because your transfer will take you there. If you have planned the vacation yourself, make sure that you tell your taxi driver that you are going to Air Moorea. We had to go to the main terminal to pick up our airline tickets for our entire two weeks and we could not find the other terminal to save our lives. They kept telling us to follow the red side walk. The red side walk ended and there were two signs pointing in completely opposite directions. We finally paid a taxi driver, who laughed at us the entire way, to drive us there.
The other means of going to Moorea is to take a ferry. It was my dream to take a boat to Moorea and pull up to the docks. I had watched Return of the Bounty so many times before we left and I wanted to arrive on the island like that (well, without the naked ladies greeting us from outriggers!). But our schedule did not permit a ride on the ferry. Since we had to go to the airport to get our other island tickets and I had bought an Air Pass that included a flight to Moorea, it seemed silly to then make a trip to the ferry docks and pay for a trip again. If you are going to a few islands, make sure that you check into the Air Passes, which allow you to go to any islands included in the pass for one set price.
Moorea Airport
The airport is simply one tiny airstrip (the plane actually turns around at the end of the runway) and one open air building. Inside, you will find desks for different tour companies, car rental agencies, restrooms, a gift shop and bar. There are chickens and roosters and stray dogs that reside here. It is definitely like no airport that you will see at home. If you have booked the trip yourself, go to one of the tour agency?s desks and ask them about a round trip transfer to and from your hotel. The hotels on Moorea can not provide transfers and this method is much cheaper than hiring a taxi. A transfer to the Sheraton from the airport was 500CFP per person. We had rented a car for the day so I went to the Europcar desk and they called for a driver to bring us a car. We had to go back to the ferry docks with him to sign the papers, but the drive in the air conditioned car was worth it.
Getting Around the Island
When planning the trip, I had decided to rent a car and do the ride around the island ourselves. I had read that the 4 x 4 tours do not take you off road and since we needed to go grocery shopping for water, I thought that a car would be the best alternative. In hind sight, I wish that we would have taken a 4 x 4 tour or at least taken a boat tour around the island. We ran out of energy on our first day and only made it the juice factory and up to Belvedere Point. If we had seen the entire island, I think that my overall impression may have been better.
Other methods of getting around the island are to rent a scooter or bicycle. The island is quite large and if you plan to rent bicycles, make sure that you have plenty of water with you. You can rent the bicycles and scooters from your hotel or from rental agencies that you will find at the airport.
Things to Do
The Pineapple Juice Distillery is one of the main stops on any island tour and was our first stop when driving around the island. The juice distillery makes liquors and mixed drinks from the island fruits, such as coconuts, pineapples, bananas, mangos and even ginger. They will give you free samples and if you go with a tour company, they will take you on a tour of their plant. They also have drinks that are already mixed. We picked up a quart of their Tahiti Drink that was a cross of a Mai Tai and a Pina Colada and enjoyed it on our deck of our room. Besides all of the alcohol, the distillery sells candied fruits, jams, vanilla, shirts and other touristy items.
The next stop on our shortened island tour was a drive up to Belvedere Point. When we had rented our car, the agency told us that we had to take the paved road up to the top. That was fine with us, because we had doubts that the tiny car we had rented could make it around the island, much less up the mountain. We found the road that takes you into the islands interior. We wondered if we were on the right road because nothing was marked. Just as we were about to turn around, there was a sign pointing the way to Belvedere. The road winded around and up and we finally made it up to the top. The views of the island are breathtaking from this vantage point. You can see both Cook?s Bay and Opunohu Bay from here. If you plan on taking pictures, bring a panoramic camera or a wide angle lens for your camera.
The other great tour that we had taken was Dr. Poole?s Dolphin and Whale Watch. I had booked this excursion before we left home by e-mailing criobe@mail.pf. If you decide to do this after you arrive, the excursion is only Thursday and Sunday and you can call 56-13-45 for reservations. Dr. Poole is a doctor that has been on Moorea studying the spinner dolphins. You get to go on his expedition and see the spinner dolphins in the wild. The day that we went out, there was a pod of 30 dolphins with many babies that were practicing their spins. After a little while, one of the dolphins came out of the water and spun in the air a few times. The dolphin repeated this three more times. Dr. Poole?s student was conducting the tour when we went and he said that the pod was either waking up or something was going on. Sure enough, another pod of 30 dolphins came into the bay. It was amazing to see so many dolphins at once. During whale season, the humpback whales come into the bay and if the conditions are right, you will get to go in the water with them.
Sting ray feeding was my other favorite tour on Moorea. I love sting rays and I knew that I could not miss the opportunity to swim with them in the wild. I booked the tour through the Sheraton?s activity desk. We went on a small boat to a shallow part in the lagoon. When the boat slowed, the water was suddenly covered in large four foot diameter sting rays. We had to grab our snorkeling gear and cameras and jump into the water, all the while, making sure that one of the sting rays was not underneath you. They were amazing and would swim up your body and push on you for food. They even flapped their ?wings? for more attention. You do not need to worry about getting stung. Their stinger is located underneath their tail and is protracted from there bodies to protect themselves. People only generally get stung when they step on the sting ray and it pushes out its barb and whips around in defense. Since the sting rays are swimming on top of the water and they are so used to people feeding them, there is really no threat. Just don?t pull on their tales!
Other activities that are available are wave runner tours, kite surfing, parasailing, sunset cruises, circle island tours by boat or 4 x 4 and motu picnics. Of course, there is also snorkeling that you can do right from your hotel for free or go on a tour to other popular snorkeling spots. You can book most of these tours through your hotel or you can pick up a copy of the Moorea Guide at the airport. It is a small book that has a list of many of the tour companies and restaurants on the island.
Restaurants
There are tons of restaurants on the island and many of them offer transfer service. I suggest that you do some research before you go and ask people for recommendations. We had done a lot of research before leaving and I called the two restaurants where we wanted to eat when we arrived on Moorea. Our first night was undecided though and we were too tired to leave our room. I had heard good things about the Sheraton?s room service, but we decided to have Allo Pizza deliver to our room instead. I found their number in the Moorea Guide and ordered their Hawaiian pizza and chocolate mousse. The pizza is thin crust and we were both a little disappointed as we wanted something a little more filling. They also forgot to bring my chocolate mousse, which I had heard was the best part. If you were going to get pizza delivery, I would recommend stopping at their place in Cook?s Bay and picking up a menu.
Our next night, we went to Linareva, The Floating Restaurant. It is located quite a distance from the Sheraton and when I called to make reservations, they told me that the transfer was 4000CFP round trip. Since it was so expensive, around $30, they suggested that I find other people to go with us. While I was on Dr. Poole?s excursion, I asked another couple if they were interested and they agreed to go. Even though another couple on the tour also made reservations, they did not mention that they were with us and the restaurant tried to charge them the transfer rate also. As it was, we were both charged 2000CFP. It was worth it though, just make sure that you inform the restaurant how many people are sharing the fare. The restaurant is on an old boat and it seats about 40 people. You have to walk across a rickety old dock to get out to the boat, in the dark. Since everything is fresh daily, there is no menu, just a chalk board that the waitresses carry around. We asked for her recommendations and then we all ordered. After our appetizers, music started to play and the two waitresses came out and did a dance. Then another song played and the two cooks came out to join them. The food was just OK, but the atmosphere, service and entertainment made it worth the trip.
I had saved the best restaurant for our last night, Te Honu Iti, the Little Turtle. I had read many good things about this restaurant and it was great. You felt like you were eating on the deck of someone?s home. The kitchen was completely open and the inside looked like you had stepped into a french house. We sat out on the deck and watched jumping fish go by. Our food was great and I had crepes flambe Marinier for dessert. Three crepes were folded up in a small dish. They poured Grand Marinier over the crepes and then lit it on fire. To quench the flames, they poured a citrus sauce over the top. It was great. The transfer is 1000CFP per couple.
Accommodations
My one big complaint about the island was the lack of good accommodations. At one point in the planning process, I almost decided to skip over Moorea. There are only three large main resorts, the Sofitel, the Beachcomber and the Sheraton. If you read people?s comments, each hotel has a definite down side. The other problem that I had was that they were all large resorts. I like to be alone or at least feel like I am alone on vacation. This island just did not have that option without staying in a pension, family home. The new Pearl Resort will be opening soon, but I am not sure how many people that the hotel will hold. That may be another option in the future.
Overall
I must admit that I was not as impressed with Moorea as I thought I would be. I think that this is due to three things. First, I was not impressed with the Sheraton. It was much larger than I expected and there were a lot of children running around. Since we spend most our time in our room, this ruined some of the romance of the island. Second, it reminded us so much of Kauai. Not that we didn?t love Kauai, because we did. It was just that I expected Tahiti to be so much nicer. And third and most importantly, my husband and I have a big problem when we go on vacation. It takes us three days to relax and loose all of our stress. Since our first three days were spent on Moorea, I don?t think that the island had a fair chance. I would highly recommend Moorea to anyone going to French Polynesia, but if you asked me if I would go again, I would say no. There are so many other islands to see and this one did not give me any reason to return.
For pictures and video of our trip, visit my website
www.tahiti.wunschl.com
Read my other reviews from our French Polynesia Trip
Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort
http://www.epinions.com/content_66105675396
Bora Bora
http://www.epinions.com/content_66986806916
Sofitel Motu
http://www.epinions.com/content_66291601028
Rangiroa
http://www.epinions.com/content_66400063108
Kia Ora Village
http://www.epinions.com/content_2687869060
Kia Ora Sauvage
http://www.epinions.com/content_2691276932
Tahiti
http://www.epinions.com/content_66968260228
Tahit Beachcomber Inter-Continental
http://www.epinions.com/content_66996309636
Sheraton Tahiti
http://www.epinions.com/content_66102398596
And for more great reviews, read LordBalfor's reviews and visit his website at
http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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twunschl
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Location: Wishing I was back in Tahiti
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 68 members
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Our Tahiti pictures and video are on-line. Go to www.tahiti.wunschl.com
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