Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Honeymoon in French Polynesia

I am looking into to going to French Polynesia for a honeymoon and I am in need of some ideas. There seems to be a lot of different islands to choose from which offer different experiences. Any tips from people who have visited the area would be appreciated. Also if anyone has been to Fiji and French Polynesia, a comparison between the two destinations would be helpful. Thanks!

Fiji or Tahiti - how do you decide?
Fiji and Tahiti are both island countries located in the S. Pacific but are very different from each other.

When you travel to Tahiti, most of the islands have a dozen or more resorts on them. There are cars, coffee shops, movie theaters, markets, television at the resorts etc. You tend to “dress for dinner”, and there are multiple restaurants to visit. So if you have the type of personality that loves to be on the move, go/see/do/shop and visit different islands, Tahiti may be the island destination for you.

However, if you are looking for a more laid back holiday where there is still plenty to do like kayaking, hiking, biking, snorkeling, diving, watching the waves and you plan on staying at one resort then Fiji is where you should be headed.

Most of the resorts in Fiji are on their own island so there are no coffee shops, movie theatres, assorted restaurants, cars, or even televisions. Even at the most luxurios resorts you are not required to “dress for dinner”. Ladies – do not bring your high heels, they will get ruined in the sand!

I hope this info helps you in making your decision!

Sadly for Fiji it just doesn't compare with French Polynesia. Depending on how long you've got either goto Bora Bora (must goto place in my opinion) and Papeete for a night or two (go pearl shopping, it's cheaper here than on the other islands) or if I had some extra time I'd throw in Moorea.

There are resorts from every major chain so no issues with finding one that would suit you. Of all the islands I've been too Bora Bora is definitely the most beautiful - great snorkelling and diving, nice beaches, a good little town, lots of walks if you're up for it and excellent seafood. If you do go make sure you eat at Bloody Mary's, book for earlier in the evening as the fish is fresh every day so early diners get to pick from the best range (I had parrotfish).

Fiji is OK, it's cheaper than French Polynesia but as the previous poster said you tend to goto an island resort that has nothing else on it so you're limited in what you can do.

You've gotta really be well-funded to do French Polynesia these days. Makes even Japan look cheap. I went with the XPF at 98 to the dollar; now it's more like 76. At the more favorable 98 rate it was still hard to find a postcard under $1, a t-shirt under $15 (more like $20), or much to eat under $10. It's really hard to believe how expensive it is, especially for Americans.

Fiji is more affordable, but a lot of the activity is concentrated in the Mamanucas and other islands to the west, where you get a Gilligan's Island kind of all-inclusive experience.

My emphatic recommendation would be the Cook Islands, either Rarotonga or Aitutaki or both. Beautiful climate and setting, great island-night shows, and costs of a third to half French Polynesia's, especially if you're willing to get a room without air-con (which you don't really need anyway).

I can echo all of the previous comments - go to Fiji if you are tight on cash, stay in the Westin Denarau resort, which is right next door to the Sheraton Denarau. Sheraton nice, but more of a family vacation-type place. If you want your peace and quiet, the Westin is a bit nicer.

My wife and I took our honeymoon in Oct 06, using AA miles to fly from LAX - AKL, with our 'stopover' being in PPT for 6 days. ;) 150k AA miles for 2 people Y award on TN (Air Tahiti Nui). We stayed the first night in the Sheraton PPT, which was very convenient, a 5 min cab from the PPT airport. Great service as a Plat, they even threw in breakfast, and a corner suite upgrade with waiting fruit plate, champagne and chocolate cake.

Next day we flew VT (Air Tahiti, TN's domestic arm) to MOZ (Moorea), a 7 min flight! Stayed 1 night at the Sheraton Moorea, luckily timed it well for their simply outstanding Sat night seafood buffet. Next morning flew to BOB (Bora Bora), and enjoyed 5 nights in the LM Bora Bora at the cost of 4. We loved the stay so much I even ordered my new 2008 SPG Platinum card with the LM BOB picture as the background. :D

I emailed the hotel well in advance, asking if I could get breakfast added for free, and surprisingly, they accomodated me. So, that was a big money-saver. Normally we'd wake up early (7 am), enjoy a leisurely breakfast looking down at the swimming fish, then lay out on the beach or at the pool for a couple of hours. We'd share lunch, saving our appetite for a nice dinner in the hotel, or one of the restaurants on the island.

Hope this helps! Bora Bora is expensive, but worth it!!

I just came back from a few days in Fiji. Stayed as the Shearton Denerau Villas. The Villas are lovely and the lagoon pools is a great place to just lay around, and if thats all you want to do then Fiji is fun. It may be chaper that Tahiti, but it isn't cheap.

There isn't much to Fiji outside of the resorts and the resorts price things accordingly. A buffet breakfast with food that is ok at best..is $33.00. $48.00 for a steak..mmm. Not my idea of cheap :)