MODERATOR EDIT:
This is an amended post by tol who is asking about Hawaii v. Bora Bora (see original (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=624576)). Please forgive me for the mess up in times, but FT's software can only handle things in chronological order. So, please note the original post by tol and subsequent response by jtkauai below:
This is a continuation of a thread over at the Hawaii airlines forum. The premise is to compare the 2 island groups; the various advantages one may have, the scenic beauty, convenience, expense, breadth of activities, etc.

The basic question is; are the south pacific islands worth the extra expense and travel time? Naturaly, this is subjective. But even subjective opinions are based on facts and experience.

As for me, I'll be going to one or the other next month (kind of late in planning) and was wondering weather to splurge and go for Tahiti. I have been to neither before. I like great scenery, biking, snorkeling and simple water sports (don't surf or scuba)

Thanx,
Tol
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Slippahs is correct on HA. Same F service as domestic. Maybe with an additional brownie. I'm not complaining -- just how it is.

As for Polynesia vs. Hawaii, that is a more difficult question.

Polynesia. What stands out for me is that Polynesia has a strong French (colonial and cultural) influence and is French-speaking. It also has very strong and active native cultures. In one word, it is exotic. Because it is more expensive to get there and far, far more expensive to be there, and for other reasons, it attracts a more affluent and more global visitor. There is tremendous variety in the islands, and it is easy to get around via plane or boat between Papeete (which should only be considered a transit point) and the outer islands of Polynesia (like Moorea and Bora Bora), or to the neighboring island groups including the Tuamotu's and the Marquesas. These are all unique, and some are most pristine and have very few visitors.

Hawaii (where we live) is so well-known that it feels redundant to say much. While the islands are certainly each unique in certain (especially geological) ways, Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kauai have otherwise become quite homogenized (not unlike the US mainland). Here in Kauai we have Costco, Macy's, Home Depot, Walmart, and serious traffic. You won't find any of these in Polynesia. Hawaii has a plethora of wonderful things to offer (too many to mention), doesn't require a willingness to work with French, or use CPF (Polynesia currency), or deal with different electricity, French television, international telephony, etc. In other words, I'd say that Hawaii is the extremely easy choice.

Bottom line is that if I were in your situation, I would take the research before making a decision very seriously. That can be done all online, or by travel book, or combination thereof.

Hope this helps.

Hawaii (where we live) is so well-known that it feels redundant to say much. While the islands are certainly each unique in certain (especially geological) ways, Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kauai have otherwise become quite homogenized (not unlike the US mainland).
Despite my agreement with you on this statement, I still feel that Hawaii is less homogenized than what you'll find on the Mainland. Maybe not so much on Oahu, but the outer islands still have that island charm to them, not completely taken over by the Costcos and WalMarts of this world (despite the fact that the Costcos and the WalMarts do exist on the neighbor islands.

Thanks all for your input. I guess what I was looking for is a comparison of natural beauty and scenery between French Polynesia and Hawaii. For example, is Moorea prettier than Kauai?

I understand its very (but not entirely) subjective. While many guide books and websites describe both, I was looking for the thoughts of people who have seen both. FT is a great place for that :cool:

Given the greater ease and lesser expense, I'm inclned to pick Hawaii. Still, I haven't seen any pics of over-water bungalows with glass floors in Maui.

Thanx again,
Tol

Despite my agreement with you on this statement, I still feel that Hawaii is less homogenized than what you'll find on the Mainland. Maybe not so much on Oahu, but the outer islands still have that island charm to them, not completely taken over by the Costcos and WalMarts of this world (despite the fact that the Costcos and the WalMarts do exist on the neighbor islands.

And on the Big Island, anyway, the degree of homogenization is completely different on the east and west sides.

Given the greater ease and lesser expense, I'm inclned to pick Hawaii. Still, I haven't seen any pics of over-water bungalows with glass floors in Maui.
Tol, I agree that one of the great things about staying in Bora Bora are the bungalows. I intend on staying in a bungalow over the water sometime in the near future. ;)

The reason why Hawaii can't have over-water bungalows is the surf. The surf would take the bungalows out in a heartbeat.

I echo jtkauai's comments above: for the hassle of getting out to the S. Pacific over traveling to Hawaii, Hawaii seems more favorable, IMHO.

I've had a bunch of friends travel down to Polynesia and enjoy it. But they're all from Hawaii, so that might not be the best basis for comparison.

Has Anyone flown HA to PPT? I'm considering a trip this December to either Hawaii or French Polynesia . I'll be flying out of LAS (preferably) or LAX.

My questions;
1) Business class on HA is 2200$ Is it basicly domestic F class?

2) This is my first time to any Pacific island. Is Bora Bora that much "better" than Hawaii that it justifies the greater travel time and expense?

Thanx in advance for any info or opinions.

TOL

Mrs. Ripper3785 & I flew HA HNL to PPT in 2/04. We upgraded to biz/first for $250/ea at the gate. I think it's $300 or $350 now.. A smoking deal.

For me(who has grown up in Oahu) Tahiti Island and Moorea are similar to some places in Hawaii in regards to scenery. Obviously Hawaii is much more populated, congested, and developed. Bora Bora is truly special, and I would not compare it to Hawaii ever. And, I'd recommend everyone go at least once. If it wasn't so expensive, we would go often. I think it's said that Hawaii gets the # of tourists in a couple of days that Tahiti and her islands get in a year. I would take that point very seriously. If you want malls, starbucks, outback, in addition to great beaches, weather, scenery, luxury resorts then maybe Hawaii is more appropriate. If you want seclusion, scenery, over-the-water bungalows(big selling point for us), different culture & language, then maybe Tahiti is for you. Service is a different experience there, meals can take a couple of hours between waiting for your food and waiting for your check. A 4 or 5 star resort there is NOT like a 4 or 5 star resort in the US.

As others have said, Hawaii is expensive, Tahiti is just insanity $$ if you choose to stay at the resorts. For instance, I think an over-the-water premium bungalow is on the order of $600-700+/nt.

There is a GREAT group of Tahiti forums over at tahiti-explorer.com (http://www.tahiti-explorer.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi) that I highly recommend for folks going to Tahiti.

Aloha and good luck with your decision. Any other questiosn feel free to reply/PM.

This is a continuation of a thread over at the Hawaii airlines forum. The premise is to compare the 2 island groups; the various advantages one may have, the scenic beauty, convenience, expense, breadth of activities, etc.

The basic question is; are the south pacific islands worth the extra expense and travel time? Naturaly, this is subjective. But even subjective opinions are based on facts and experience.

As for me, I'll be going to one or the other next month (kind of late in planning) and was wondering weather to splurge and go for Tahiti. I have been to neither before. I like great scenery, biking, snorkeling and simple water sports (don't surf or scuba)

Thanx,
Tol

This is a continuation of a thread over at the Hawaii airlines forum. The premise is to compare the 2 island groups; the various advantages one may have, the scenic beauty, convenience, expense, breadth of activities, etc.

The basic question is; are the south pacific islands worth the extra expense and travel time? Naturaly, this is subjective. But even subjective opinions are based on facts and experience.

As for me, I'll be going to one or the other next month (kind of late in planning) and was wondering weather to splurge and go for Tahiti. I have been to neither before. I like great scenery, biking, snorkeling and simple water sports (don't surf or scuba)

Thanx,
Tol

You might want to start a new thread over on the Hawaii forum with this question, since the topic has nothing to do with Hawaii-based Airlines. I'll go ahead and merge the non-Hawaiian Airlines posts on this thread to that thread if and when you make one on the Hawaii forum (linked below).

Good idea. I just did exactly that.
Thanx,
Tol

P.S. Thanx, Ripper, for the link.

Lots of good thoughts.

I concur with the moderators that while the diversity here in Hawaii is rapidly diminishing, it is still more than on the mainland.

If money is any issue, I think you're talking multiples more to go to/be in Polynesia compared with Hawaii. For example, a car rental in Polynesia is on average $100/day for economy car!

Great suggestion on the Tahiti forum -- we've gotten lots of good advice there.

I haven't been to Bora Bora in a number of years. It was beautiful and wonderful then (and Kauai-like in some ways). But I've been told that it has changed dramatically in the last 10 years or so, and that the best beaches are now wall to wall hotels (you'll see that too in the Tahiti forum). So if you go to Polynesia, you might want to consider one of the less traveled, and equally beautiful islands.

As for my current interest, we're going down in the spring (flying F on HA using miles), staying one week over water, at a small, highly regarded hotel on Moorea (which we booked a year in advance). Then we're taking a two week adventure cruise through the Marquesas on the hybrid passenger/freighter Aranui (Aranui.com).

What is more beautiful, Moorea or Kauai? Living here on Kauai and having spent time on Moorea, I'd saying it is like comparing Picasso with Gauguin, and that there simply is no objective answer.

If you're looking for less-touristed areas in Hawaii, check out the smaller and much less developed islands of Molokai and Lanai. Especially Lanai, where there are only about 3 hotels (one is the old Dole executive guesthouse and affordable at $115-175/nite, the other two are Four Seasons properties).

Even years ago when I visited Moorea, the food was so expensive I couldn't afford to eat!

Many websites offer information and forums on both Hawaii and Tahiti: frommers.com, fodors.com, tripadvisor.com and others. Good luck on your decision.

If you're looking for less-touristed areas in Hawaii, check out the smaller and much less developed islands of Molokai and Lanai. Especially Lanai, where there are only about 3 hotels (one is the old Dole executive guesthouse and affordable at $115-175/nite, the other two are Four Seasons properties).

Even years ago when I visited Moorea, the food was so expensive I couldn't afford to eat!

Many websites offer information and forums on both Hawaii and Tahiti: frommers.com, fodors.com, tripadvisor.com and others. Good luck on your decision.

Don't recommend Hotel Lanai, referred to above (we stayed there last year). Do recommend the Lodge at Koele, though it is up high and away from beaches. Lanai has only 30 miles of road and there is little (conventional) to do.

Molokai is wonderful and is to me the real Hawaii. However, I don't think it is right for a first time visitor. No resorts, really no hotels (to speak of), no restaurants. Don't recommend Molokai Ranch -- best bet is a condo.

Here's an old thread with some responses to the same question:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293422

I agree with Slippahs (and I was in Hawaii last week). I would try Hawaii first before going to Bora Bora. Hawaii is generally cheaper and the culture is a bit more familiar (fascinating Hawaiian culture mixed with all of your American favorites!). After exploring Hawaii, I would plan my next trip to someplace more "exotic" like Bora Bora.

I strongly prefer Fiji over Tahiti - nicer people, generally less expensive. Most resorts are all-inclusive & the food & drink bills really add up on Tahiti. People say it's like Hawaii 75 years ago.

Given the greater ease and lesser expense, I'm inclned to pick Hawaii.
Tol

It is MUCH greater ease and MUCH lesser expense.
Interisland flights in French Polynesia are obscenely expensive (and no way to use miles) and cost of food alone will likely require a second mortgage. I am heading to Bora Bora and Moorea this Christmas and even with all nights on points it will cost us quite a bit (as noted by brendamc Fiji is definitely more reasonable pricewise)

Hawaii is a weekend escape (if you are on the west coast). It takes me more time to cross LA in rush hour than to fly to HI. As long as we use points for hotels it is a very low cost getaway. It is beautiful relaxing and familiar; I know I am gonna stop by at Costco to get sliced pineapple and perhaps a polish with soda.

One factor to consider: traveling to Hawaii is much more expensive over Christmas and that was the reason for planning our Tahiti trip. Outside that timeframe go to HI (I will for Thanksgiving - gotta check out that new LIH Costco). :D

Thanx for the great info.

Having settled on Hawaii for my first Pacific island trip, I'm down to Maui at the R.C. or Kauaii at either the Grand Hyatt of the Princvill resort. Any opinions on that? Again enjoyng great natural landscapes is key, along with activities.

I'm SPG but if I go to princville I'l book through Expedia as its 4600$ for R/T flight out of LAS and 6 nights in a Prince Junior Suite (with Jakuzzi :) )

Pitty I wont get anypoints but its about 1000$ less than booking through SPG and separate airfare.

Thanx

Don't get into 100 numbered rooms at Princeville. They smell of mildew. Actually there is somewhat of a mildew odor in most of the hotel. Overall, for me, it's okay, not great. Rooms are enclosed (large windows but almost no lanais), not open to the water (if that makes sense), and are the antithesis of an overwater experience. Does have the most spectacular Bali Hai views though. (Oh yeah, food sucks). As you'll find in other posts, it isn't on a swimming beach, is instead perched above the water, and you'll need to drive 15 minutes to get to Hanelei to get in the water.

Hyatt is also not on a swimming beach (somewhat dangerous, rocky body-surfing beach to its south). So you'll need to drive here too. Hyatt is spending a huge sum on long needed improvements right now, so it will be more up to date. Rooms feel more open to the beach smells and sounds.

Get the Ultimate guide to Kauai so you'll know where you want to be and what you'll want to do. You can't drive back and forth as much as you think -- distance PLUS TRAFFIC. For example, north shore (end of road) to Hyatt is on average 2 hours, more with traffic.

Thanx for the great info.

Having settled on Hawaii for my first Pacific island trip, I'm down to Maui at the R.C. or Kauaii at either the Grand Hyatt of the Princvill resort. Any opinions on that? Again enjoyng great natural landscapes is key, along with activities.

I'm SPG but if I go to princville I'l book through Expedia as its 4600$ for R/T flight out of LAS and 6 nights in a Prince Junior Suite (with Jakuzzi :) )

Pitty I wont get anypoints but its about 1000$ less than booking through SPG and separate airfare.

Thanx

I've finally decided on old reliable; Maui. I'll be there for 7 days, 6 nights at the RC in an ocean view room with breakfast and a rental car for 3500$ through expedia. Including flight x 2 ex-LAS. Except for maybe a daytrip to Lanai, I probably wont be going to ay other island.

Trip report about RC and, hopefully, pics thereof after I return (Dec 9)

Thanx again for the info,
TOL