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Welcome to Polynesia

• What you need to know  ,
• The hotels in Polynesia,
• The boarding houses
• Tahiti and its islands. Sun, sea and delights,
• to visit Polynesia by boat
• A small interactive map (click on the place you'd like to visit)

 

What you need to know :

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Your trip : it will be made with a boeing 747, Airbus A340 or DC10. The flight from Paris to Papeete (Tahiti) lasts 20 hours, but you've to add the stopover in a foreign country, where you'll have to show your passport.

Formalities :
police : currently valid passport,
health : no vaccination is required.

Language : two official languages: French and Tahitian (especially spoken in the islands). Spanish is spoken only in Easter Island.

Currency : the local currency is the Pacific Franc (CFP= Compagnie Francaise du Franc).
Exchange rate : 119 CFP = 1 Euro. Main credit cards accepted.
Tip : it's contrary to the rules and habits of polynesian hospitality.

Time difference : Polynesian time is GMT-10.
In winter, when it midday in Paris, it's 1 a.m. in Papeete.
In summer, when it's midday in Paris, it's midnight in Papeete.

Climate : cooled from the Pacific trade winds, climate is sunny and agreeable. We can distinuish two seasons:
from december to april, there's a hot-humid climate (27-35°C),
from march to nevember, climate is drier and cooler (21(night)-27°C(day)).
During the hot season there's some risk of rain (some days of rain are possible on march and april in the leeward islands)

And here's some weather infos :

Cities	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	Mai	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Papeete	30	30	30	30	29	28	28	28	28	29	29	30

 

LEGEND :

very favourable period   favourable period   less favourable period

 

Clothing advices : within all Polynesia, the only dress code is to feel comfortable.
You can wear coton and fine clothes during all the year.
During colder night it's better to have a jumper. You should also bring with you a nylon raincoat and plastic sandals for swimming.

Remember also to bring a pair of flippers, a diving mask and a snorkel if your hotel doesn't doesn't provide you. If you never tried to dive without briething apparatus, it's the right moment to start. The temperature and the clearness of the water will convince also the most recalcitrants. If you are a little bit scared by the water, try this little trick.

Cooking : fish has pride of place : tuna, bonito. Don't forget to try lobsters or grilled crayfshes...exotic fruits are tasty. If you're lucky ad you're in a good boarding house with meals included, you'll surely taste local food, which is a real delight. Fish each meal, raw, cooked, in all the sauces. A real treat not to eat with moderation..

 

The hotels in Polynesia

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The classic norms of the hotel industry are surely respected. But in Polynesia, each hotel has its own personality and its typical charm.
I would classify the hotels in two categories:

- Hotel with polynesian characteristic: your vision of Polynesia, life size. Native architecture, individual "faré" (bungalow built using local natural materials), golden beaches and blue lagoons in a dazzling case of tropical plants. In short, luxuriousness and beauty.
- Guest houses or boarding houses: small hotel units with a family character. You'llbe welcomed with the enthusiasm of the real friends.On the site tahiti-planet, you'll find the list and the prices of these hotels.

Boarding houses

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A really nice way to discover Polynesia and especially its population. The welcome is really warm. Besides the dwelling, they often propose the meal service. And you absolutely have to try the real specialities. For example, to Glorine's in Rangiroa, we had the right to have some different fishes each day, all really tasty. After that, i've a different view of the fish. And it's rare you can find so good fishes in France.
To finish talking about boarding houses, sometimes there're inside some bungalows, thing you've to try!.

Some infos about boarding houses : www.haere-mai.pf

 

Tahiti and its islands. Sun, sea and delights

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To recall Polynesia you need more than some simple words.
Nothing can express the shade of the sky runningf away from the islands, nothing can render these landscapes, these colors... this atmosphere so close to the heaven (it's a convert who's speaking).
You just have to go to believe to this dream, to live following the sun time, the rhythm of the lagoons, of the sweetness, of the music.Tahiti, Moorea, Tahaa, Bora-Bora, Huahine, so many islands, so many marvels, so many unforgettable souvenirs that i suggest you to live.

 

Visit Polynesia by boat

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Some maritime transport company propose you to go through Polynesia by their ships. The advantage is to slowly and deeply the splendours of the islands.The disadvantage is the slowness of the trips (if this can be a disadvantage).

The Polynesian maritime transport company (C.P.T.M.) proposes to you a trip to Marquesas passing by Fakarava and Takapoto (Tuamotu atolls). Like this, you could visit most of Marquesas and Tuamoto Islands taking your time.

 

Map of Polynesia

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Clicking on a island you'll arrive directly there.

Quick links :

Bora Bora, Huahine, Moorea, Tahiti, Rangiroa (Tuamotu islands), Aratika (Tuamotu islands), kauehi (Tuamotu islands), Nuku Hiva (Marquesas, French Polynesia), Hiva Oa(Marquesas, French Polynesia), Mangareva (Gambier islands, French Polynesia)