Thought I'd make my debut on Flyertalk by responding to this post, hi everyone!

I stayed in Tahiti for two weeks 2.5 years ago and it was a love/hate experience. I recall Papeete had a gay bar but it was dead when I went there (maybe I was too early). Didn't find any outher gay life, places to stay, etc in all of French Polynesia, but didn't experience any overt homphobia either.

As an independant gay traveler you will have a difficult time. Tahiti caters to the mostly well-heeled straight couples/honeymoners. And they stay in medium to high end "all inclusive" resorts, and have their meals and activities prearranged. So I found it quite difficult to find places to stay (by searching the internet listings) that were close to the water and accessible to local scenes. There were very few restaurants that I could walk too. Everything closes on Sundays (even Sat afternoons); at times my meals were snacks bought at a gas station.

The worst part was the almost complete lack of native population culture. As a frequent lone traveler to tropical islands, I love to experience the local population. And I am almost always approached by the locals offering their hospitality. But not here. The Christian missionaries long ago destroyed the exotic culture, and now the islands are overrun with Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and Seventh-day Adventists, all searching for local population conversions.

But it is the most beautiful place on earth. Be sure to visit Bora Bora, and take a safari to the inner tropical highlands as well as experiencing the astounding marine environment. Moorea had the friendliest people and you will never forget the tropical scent of the vanilla plantations on Raiatea.

You only have one life...