massages and beauty treatments ranging in price from around
$150 to more than $700 for a couple. Honeymoons are huge
business for Bora Bora and it’s clear for a number of the arriving
guests, a wind-down after the hectic pace of wedding celebrations
is sorely needed.
Maru Spa has its own range of spa products made from
Polynesian ingredients such as coconut oil, gardenias and hibiscus
harvested from the wild and through organic agriculture. The
products are all sent to France for toxicity testing before being
included in the product collection.
An institution on Bora Bora is Bloody Mary’s, a large restaurant
at Viatape, where the guests are encouraged to leave their shoes
at the door before stepping out to their tables across the sea sand
floor.
Bloody Mary’s seats around 120 and includes traditional music
and dance. Over its 28 years, the restaurant has hosted hundreds
of celebrities, many of whose names, sometimes misspelt, are
inscribed on boards at the entrance.
The restaurant specialises in local fresh fish and also supplies
fresh beef and lamb from New Zealand. The restaurant has
a thriving merchandise shop and will arrange for customised
T-shirts emblazoned with the catchy monicker for groups. Tahitian
dancers and musicians can be arranged for the event. An exclusive
use arrangement can be had for numbers over 100 guests. It’s
also possible to have a progressive dinner using several of the
restaurants at Bora Bora.
The people of Tahiti are as exotic as the islands they call
home. It’s common to find Chinese, French, Irish, American,
German, Spanish, Chilean and Tahitian backgrounds among
the locals.
Tahiti is remarkably different to the other Pacific island
groups in the sheer variety of cultures represented in its population
of some 250 000. At Papeete, Joel, our burly guide, with the
bloodline of half a dozen nations coursing through his 120kg
frame, tells us his father sired some 13 children before his death in
an accident aged 78. His youngest child was two at the time. Joel’s
60 and is looking to having a few more kids before he shuffles off
this mortal coil.
Luxury Tahiti-style doesn’t come cheap, but with some long lead
times and avoiding the European holiday season, there are good
deals to be struck with the resorts for group business, especially
December and January.
Because of flight arrival times, visitors are normally required to
spend at least one night in Papeete before heading out to the
islands. An exception is Moorea, which is just a few kilometres
from Tahiti, with flights and ferries available. The Bora Bora flight is
45 minutes and requires another level of cost, so using Moorea as
an alternative is well worth considering. If your group is relatively
small and there’s sufficient budget, you can’t really go past Bora
Bora. Moorea, however, is very beautiful in its own right. If the
budget is too tight for a second island stop, it’s also feasible to use
one of the Papeete properties and cover Moorea in a day trip.
Tahiti is certainly well worth exploring, though its black sand
beaches, the result of its volcanic history, are not that enticing.
Papeete has cleaned up its act considerably since my last visit and
a walking tour will reveal a colourful market, some imposing French
colonial buildings and plenty of outlets for retail therapy, the region’s
famed black pearls being eagerly sought after. �
For more information circle 31 on reader enquiry coupon.
Vol. 9 No. 4 2009
WINDOW ON THE WORLD tahiti
Fact File
Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa | Sales & Marketing
Manager: Anthony Utard | www.boraboralagoon.com
Haumana Cruises | www.tahiti-haumana-cruises.com
Radisson Tahiti | Maima DERKOS,
E-mail: Mktcoordinator@radisson-tahiti.pf
Tel : +689 48 88 08 (Direct)
Le Maitai Hotels | www.hotelmaitai.com
Marama Tours Tahiti | Product & Operations
Manager: Lionel Philipp
E-mail: l.philipp@maramatours.pf
Tel: 689 50 74 74/Fax: 689 82 16 75
Tahiti Tours | Sales Manager: Valerie Lis
E-mail: sales@tahititours.pf
Flowers and floral wear are integral to
Tahitian culture.
The art of black pearl cultivation is explained at
this pearl farm in Bora Bora.
incentiveworld.com
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