After a short report from Rarotonga, here is also a short report from Tahiti and French Polynesia, my second destination in the South Pacific.
Tahiti (the main islands in French Polynesia) turned out to be very different from Rarotonga and Cook Islands (one may easily think that the whole South Pacific is the same).
Tahiti was much more developed and populated with large roads, plenty of traffic, shopping centres, and even a proper rush hour.
Being in or around Papeete (the main city in French Polynesia) was like being in any small to medium sized city.
Another major difference is that French Polynesia is extremely expensive, one of the most expensive places I have ever visited, while Cook Islands was very affordable.
French Polynesia is also part of France (an overseas territory, or “Dom-Tom” as it’s called in French) and one of the reasons for the high prices is that so many things are imported and shipped from France.
I visited a large Carrefour supermarket for example (one of the large chains in France) and all electronic appliances there had CDG written as origin on the packages, of course things get expensive if you ship them all the way from France.
French is the official language in French Polynesia as well as Polynesian, as I have lived in France for some time I had no problems getting by.
I also found it interesting that many Tahitians seemed to share the French mentality, despite being on the other side of the world. Strikes are quite common in Tahiti for example, and I noticed I got much better service everywhere speaking French than the other tourists who spoke only English (just like in France!).
Sofitel Tahiti Resort
I took a taxi from the airport to my hotel in Tahiti. Even though the hotel was only maybe 2-3 km from the airport I was charged well over 15 USD for the ride (yes it’s an expensive island, they use Polynesian Francs as currency btw).
The taxi driver told me there was a strike at the hotel (oh yes, this is France, why am I not surprised) and he thought the hotel might even be closed and asked me if I wanted to go elsewhere.
Fortunately it wasn’t, but there were some employees blocking the small road to the hotel entrance, so you had to walk around 100 meters to get to the hotel.
I didn’t bother reading their banners, but I'm pretty sure it was something about work conditions or higher salaries, that's what it usually is.
The bellboy noticed my taxi had stopped at the main road and came to greet me with a cart, which was very appreciated.
The Sofitel Tahiti Resort (formerly Sofitel Maeva) was quite nice and had been renovated just a few months ago, something you could well notice.
It is not as fancy as some other upmarket hotels in Tahiti and the other islands in French Polynesia (Moorea, Bora Bora etc), but I thought it was absolutely perfect for my needs and also fairly affordable to be French Polynesia.
The hotel had a nice pool area and also a private beach, perfect for some relaxation. The lobby was also quite nice and behind the reception desk they had TV-screens showing short clips about Tahiti, never seen that before, nice to watch if you had to wait at the reception to be served.
And did I mention they had happy hour in the bar in the early evening?
I also ended up getting a nice room with a very nice sea view from my balcony, even though I had only paid for a room with garden view, perhaps speaking French helped me once again?!
They actually had a fun time at the bar figuring out where I came from. I spoke too good French to have only learnt it in school, but the accent was still not completely French (Tahiti is packed with French tourists) so French I was not, one girl at the bar guessed I was Canadian!
Pics from the hotel
The entrance to Sofitel Tahiti Resort
The nice lobby with TV-screens behind the reception
The view from my balcony
The mountain on Tahiti seen from my balcony
The garden, pool area, and private beach of the hotel
That’s Moorea on the other side
Sunset over Tahiti
A Polynesian dance show in Tahiti
One of the things I really wanted to do in Tahiti was to visit a traditional Polynesian dance show.
Many of the hotels offer these shows so I asked at the hotel reception if they could recommend a place to go.
They didn’t have any shows in my hotel any of the days I was staying, but the receptionist found out there was a show at the Intercontinental hotel just a short walk from my hotel, that very evening, excellent!
There was no entry fee, but one was expected to either have dinner there or at least a drink in the bar. There was also a surcharge for the best seats in the bar, the ones with the best view (which I actually paid).
The IC hotel was packed with people enjoying the show, and nowadays even the locals come to these shows, there is an increasing interest among young people to learn these traditional dances.
The dancers in the show were really good, very talented, and there was also a good band playing. I very much enjoy seeing it!!
And did I mention those Polynesian women are really handsome?!
Pics from the Polynesian dance show
The show has started
Nice looking Tahitian girls!
They are actually looking at me!!
A guy from the audience, lucky guy!
Girls playing with fire! Well done!
The band playing to the right
A visit to Papeete
One of the afternoons I made a visit to Papeete, the main city in Tahiti and French Polynesia.
The sun was a bit too strong to sunbath for a long time anyway and the temperature was as much as 32-33 degrees during the day.
To get to Papeete I got to experience the traditional Tahitian buses called “Le Truck”, basically it’s a lorry/truck converted into a bus with wooden benches and open windows, sometimes they are also painted in nice colours.
You pay the driver through the window before getting on, and when you want to get off you indicate that to him through the rear-view mirror (unless there is a normal button to press).
Using "les trucks" is also really cheap, a one-way ticket is 130 Francs (less than 1 USD), but most importantly it's one heck of an experience!
Papeete itself was quite nice, some people have described it as a dump, but I really don’t agree.
There were plenty of shops and restaurants there, a large port, some nice buildings to look at, basically it’s a proper city.
I also found the indoor market interesting to visit, and the prices there were also fairly reasonable (but you still don’t make any bargains in Tahiti).
After a few hours in Papeete with a bit of shopping I took “le Truck” back to the hotel in Faa'a.
Papeete bus station was quite a sight, just a long line of buses with a small sign on front of each bus indicating the destination.
There are no timetables for les trucks, basically they leave either when they are full, or when the drivers feel like it.
The good thing though is that they leave fairly frequently, and the one that passes the airport and my hotel operates around the clock (but of course during the night you never really know when the bus will arrive).
It was rush hour when I went back, so the bus was completely full and the traffic was annoyingly slow.
Pics from Papeete
”Le Truck” (the local bus) to Papeete
Papeete city centre
The indoor market in Papeete
Papeete bus station, quite a sight!
Inside “Le Truck” on the way back to the hotel in Faa’a. A very fun experience!!