French Polynesia -- Money saving tips                       December 8, 1999

French Polynesia is very expensive.  So you'll want to save money where you can.  Remember to bring bug spray, suntan lotion and other essentials from home; everything costs 2 to 4 times as much here.  Here are some other tips:

The fish are plentiful; if you can catch them, dinner is cheap.

Consider checking into your hotel early.  Our plane arrived in Tahiti at 2:00 a.m.  We got to the hotel at 3, and they "didn’t have a room ready", so we just wandered around.  The hotel was beautiful, with lights on the grounds and illuminating the trees.  There were stars and a full moon overhead.  We wandered down to the pool, found the pool mats and napped on one of the chaise lounges.   At 5 a.m. I wandered back up to the lobby.  Our room was ready and we checked  in (way early).  Savings: $220.

We got a great deal from Air Tahiti, which must be booked locally from an Air Tahiti ticket office.  It cost us $180 each to fly from Tahiti to three other islands,  Huahine, Bora Bora, and Moorea, and return to Tahiti.  (Normally the Bora Bora round-trip alone is $220.)  The airline also organized rooms, with free airport transfers, at some nice, mid-priced hotels for $72/day, 50% or more off the hotel rack rate.  The transfer to our hotel in Huahine would have cost $36, if it weren't included.  Definitely recommended.

Whatever you do, remember to ask for a discount.  Sometimes you can get 5% or more off of a land or sea package just by asking!

One other tip, we've been told that the weather is best in June and July, though that's when all the honeymooners come, and everything is crowded.   We apparently lucked out as we didn't have but a few sprinkles here and there during our November / December trip.  This was French Polynesia's 3rd draught year in a row, so it's bound to be cyclone season one of these Christmases!  Be prepared for rain, or come after March.

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