Originally Posted by
Ming Chang
There is a grocery store called Easy Market very close to Papeete airport, perhaps 3 minutes walk, you can find it on Google Map. It is rather small but you may find the beer and snacks you need. Just keep in mind of the 5kg carry on luggage limit.
Thank you for the reminder about the carry-on limitations on the island hop flights!
Originally Posted by
Cynapse
- Depends how busy it is when you’ll be there, but it’s probably a good idea to have something booked just in case. You can call throughout the day if there’s somewhere you really want to go and people will cancel, especially right at dinner time when they change their mind, so be ready to go.
- Haven’t done it recently. Seems the main opinion is if you’ve already experienced one it’s better to skip it in general. I skipped La Villa because it seemed very difficult to make the return boat given how long the dinner takes. I went to Restaurant St. James instead which was very nice, but some people were on my return boat from La Villa so they made it back in time. It’s a very expensive meal, like $500+ I believe so just be prepared (not including the Conrad boat costs, which have doubled since I was there). I heard it was amazing though.
- Not sure on last minute deals but I kinda doubt it, not many discounts to be found at that resort. 😅
- Theres a Carrefour at the Pacific Plaza Mall like 7-10 minutes away from the airport, it’s a good place to shop in general and I recommend it. We stayed overnight at the Hilton and there’s a bridge to walk between the two. Just make sure the store and shops will be open during your free hours. Four hours is a long time in that airport.
Thank you for the reply! Might just go ahead and make dinner reservations for most nights. I assume there is no penalty for canceling. We've done some luaus in Hawaii so I'm sure Polynesian Night is similar. I think spenidng $500+ on French Food would be a big waste for us though. Still not sure what we're going to do that night. The other options are Banyan, sushi, and room service if we don't do Polynesian Night or go ashore. We've been to that Carrefour. Got stranded there for an hour or so during some torrential rains many years ago. It was so bad taxis couldn't drive to pick us up. Was an interesting cultural experience, lol.
Originally Posted by
IntTraveller
For the Polynesian Night, please be aware that it may be indoors at the Iriatai restaurant when there is a chance of rain. This happened during our trip and inside the ambience is not comparable to the show on the beach. The drums get very loud inside the building. You may just want to walk by if you happened to be on property that night or have a drink at the bar.
One suggestion I have is to head to St. James for lunch. You can not only take advantage of free Conrad boat during the daytime but also enjoy a very scenic view ! It is a short walk from the Vaitape harbor. I believe St. James offers a transfer as well if you don't want to walk.
You can pick up groceries and drinks at two supermarkets in Vaitape. There is also a nice wine shop next to St. James, it is managed by the same owner as is an excellent bakery. The prices at the Vaitape supermarket are a bit higher compared to Bora Bora.
For alcohol, consider stopping by the duty free shop in Bora Bora on arrival, on the left just before leaving the secure zone in baggage claim. The taxes on alcohol in French Polynesia are very high and this may be the least expensive option to purchase wine or liqueur.
Thanks for the tips about the St. James and the wine shop. I didn't realize St. James was walking distance. Our plan right now is to take the shuttle over on our first morning to get supplies there unless we find enough to get us by a few days in Papeete. We're planning to grab some duty free liquor at LAX. Do you think the Papeete duty free is cheaper (I'm guessing not)?