South Pacific
The islands that invented the overwater bungalow.
French Polynesia is the most cinematic version of the Pacific — volcanic peaks, impossible lagoon colour, and a French sensibility about food and wine.
Bora Bora is the image, but it is rarely the whole trip. Most well-designed French Polynesian itineraries move: a night in Papeete or on Tahiti's coast, several on Moorea for the mountains and the whales, then Bora Bora for the lagoon, and — for those with the time — a Tuamotu atoll where the diving becomes genuinely world class.
The complexity here is inter-island logistics. Flights are limited, luggage allowances are strict, and the transfers between airport, boat and resort are where a beautiful itinerary quietly falls apart. That sequencing is the part Belinda handles.
Who this suits
The right traveller for Tahiti & French Polynesia.
It is the most expensive island group Belinda works with, and the least suited to short trips.
- ◆Honeymooners who want the definitive overwater bungalow
- ◆Travellers who want dramatic scenery, not just flat coral atolls
- ◆Divers interested in Rangiroa and Fakarava passes
- ◆Couples who value food, wine and a French service register
Signature experiences
The days worth building the trip around.
Moorea's whale season
Humpbacks calve in these waters July to October, close enough to shore to be seen from the terrace.
Bora Bora by private lagoon boat
Motu picnic, ray and reef shark encounter, and the circuit of Mount Otemanu from the water.
A Tuamotu drift dive
Rangiroa's Tiputa pass on an incoming tide — dolphins, sharks and a current that does the work.
Papeete's roulottes
The evening food trucks on the waterfront, which remain the best value meal in the country.
From Belinda's island archive
When to go
Every month has its Tahiti & French Polynesia.
- May – OctDry, cooler and the peak window. Whale season overlaps from July.
- Nov – AprWarmer and wetter, quieter resorts and lower fares outside the Christmas peak.
Belinda's note on Tahiti & French Polynesia
“Do not do Bora Bora as a three-night add-on. Give French Polynesia at least ten nights and two or three islands, and it becomes the trip of a lifetime rather than a very expensive photograph.”
Belinda Hackett · Matai Fiji Gold Specialist
Next step
Tell Belinda what you're picturing.
Five short steps, read personally — and a tailored Tahiti & French Polynesia proposal, usually within one business day.
Elsewhere in the collection