The great thing about flying to Tahiti is it’s only a 5 hour flight from Auckland. The stink thing is you arrive in Papeete at 3am!
So, we got to our room at the Radisson Plaza about 4am, had a couple of quick drinks and then collapsed into bed.
Not for very long, of course. I’m not great at that whole sleeping thing at the best of times, and the excitement of a tropical holiday meant there was no chance of a decent sleep. So, by 9am I was well past pretending I would get any more sleep and was dying for:
a) a cup of tea
b) a look at our resort in daylight
c) something to eat
So, first for the cup of tea. I can handle those little pottles of UHT milk they give you in hotel rooms – I’ve had to acquire the taste over the years. But what’s this new and evil twist? The milk is sweetened and – ugh – vanilla flavoured! I couldn’t even get the cup of tea to my mouth without gagging at the smell.
We had a gorgeous room – they’d upgraded us to a duplex, so there was a separate bedroom and full bathroom upstairs, with a lounge and toilet downstairs. Both levels had their own air conditioning and balcony – the downstairs one was a generous size with two sun loungers and a dining table and chairs.
We consider ourselves well-prepared travellers – knowing what an expensive destination French Polynesia is we had packed a few essentials (and brought in plenty of duty free spirits). So we had a good sharp knife, some Tupperware containers, a lemon squeezer and – most essential of all – a cocktail shaker.
We may not have been as prepared as some of the local tourists though – we even saw one couple set up a BBQ on their balcony!
So, we got to our room at the Radisson Plaza about 4am, had a couple of quick drinks and then collapsed into bed.
Not for very long, of course. I’m not great at that whole sleeping thing at the best of times, and the excitement of a tropical holiday meant there was no chance of a decent sleep. So, by 9am I was well past pretending I would get any more sleep and was dying for:
a) a cup of tea
b) a look at our resort in daylight
c) something to eat
So, first for the cup of tea. I can handle those little pottles of UHT milk they give you in hotel rooms – I’ve had to acquire the taste over the years. But what’s this new and evil twist? The milk is sweetened and – ugh – vanilla flavoured! I couldn’t even get the cup of tea to my mouth without gagging at the smell.
We had a gorgeous room – they’d upgraded us to a duplex, so there was a separate bedroom and full bathroom upstairs, with a lounge and toilet downstairs. Both levels had their own air conditioning and balcony – the downstairs one was a generous size with two sun loungers and a dining table and chairs.
We consider ourselves well-prepared travellers – knowing what an expensive destination French Polynesia is we had packed a few essentials (and brought in plenty of duty free spirits). So we had a good sharp knife, some Tupperware containers, a lemon squeezer and – most essential of all – a cocktail shaker.
We may not have been as prepared as some of the local tourists though – we even saw one couple set up a BBQ on their balcony!
We caught the shuttle into town that first day and visited the market and supermarket to stock up on limes (for the margaritas), baguettes and cheese, lots of fresh fruit and other nibbles. And plenty of water and fruit juice. And normal milk. This meant we didn’t have to pay exorbitant hotel prices for breakfasts and alcohol, and could have snacks on the balcony while we watched the glorious sunset over nearby Moorea. And sip margaritas.
Papeete is well worth exploring, but it only takes a few hours to cover all the city sights. Other than that it’s just another Pacific Island city – hot, dusty and with the added bonus of traffic jams. We were staying just outside the city on Matavai Bay, so there was plenty of peace and a lovely outlook over the sea.
I was constantly struck by the similarity of the Tahitian language to Maori – same pronunciation rules and lots of very similar words. Lots of people spoke at least some English, so between that and my appalling French we had very few communication problems.
Next instalment – something that made us very grumpy indeed!
9 comments:
When I was at school I use to have a French billet from Tahiti. She came to NZ every year for about 4 years. When I left school I went to visit her.
Even back then I know it was really expensive. I was lucky that she came from a wealthy family because you were either very rich or very poor. We lived in a high rise apartment with airconditioning. The poor lived in makeshift shanty's. Not sure if it's changed. that was gulp nearly 30 years ago. I wasn't expecting the black beaches either.
Now talk Moorea and Bora Bora that's a different story. Beautiful beaches. I hope to go back again.
I hope you did get to enjoy your holiday though.
I look forward to the next instalment.
Love the picture of the sunset - and like the good travelling tart that I am, I just love reading other traveller's tales. Thankyou. Z xx
Waiting for the next installment! Went to Tahiti years ago, loved it then. We just had the excitement of another Island paradise and a tsuanami warning....
lovely to hear of your Tahiti experience
Hi Sue - where did the post "What a waste" go to? I see you updated but it's not there?
Post more about Tahiti - that was my very favorite vacation EVER. It was a 24-hour trip for us, but at least we got into Papeete about 7:00 p.m. We did the same thing you guys did; shop in the local markets instead of expensive resort food. Although we were pretty shocked at the prices of food in the stores, anyway. I suppose that's not unusual for an isolated island :) We stayed in a skany hotel in Papeete but LOVED it, then a few days each in resorts on Huahine and Bora Bora. I loved every second but honestly I liked Papeete best.
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