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Meet Teresa, one of our travel experts for French Polynesia.
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Teresa is a Certified Tahiti Travel Specialist and works with the Tahiti Tourism Board making sure her guests enjoy a fabulous holiday in Tahiti.
Teresa lives on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii. She's been a Travel Advisor for 20 years, specializing in tropical islands around the world but her true love is the South Pacific.
Teresa has traveled throughout the South Pacific Islands and is on a first name basis with many of the resort owners. She has visited Fiji 7 times as well as Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. Her speciality is multi-country holidays. Her agency, Luxury Hideaways, is rated A+ with the Hawaii Better Business Bureau.
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"We had the absolute best person to plan our trip for us. Her name is Teresa. She knows everything about this part of the world and took care of every little detail and it was free!!!! I highly recommend her!"
- Anne
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"You were incredible!! I can't say enough how awesome of a job you did. I am a very deliberative person, and I was leery to a point because I didn't not have my hands in any of the scheduling/planning of the trip. So, I might have been on edge a few times until we got to the resort. I was very impressed with your service! So, thank you for all you did."
- Josh and Heather
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"We were trying to plan our honeymoon in Fiji and were so confused and overwhelmed by the number and variety of resorts there. But then we found Teresa! She is very helpful and knowledgeable about Fiji and several different resorts there. When we were specifically trying to decide between two resorts, Teresa was able to help us decide as she provided us with specific differences between the resorts. Whenever we had questions, she responded quickly, even with the huge time difference. We are excited to have finally booked our honeymoon! She sent us a package with helpful information and tips, such as what to expect upon arrival and items to pack. We are looking forward to our honeymoon and to continue working with Teresa."
- B Kurian
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"When we first started communicating with each other I wanted a Honeymoon that was going to be unforgettable and something that would be truly special, you certainly delivered plus more. Koro Sun was paradise on earth and of course we enjoyed the environment but what we loved the most was the staff and all the happy people we were surrounded by. We didn't know what to expect coming into Fiji but with all your wonderful planning and helpful notes we got through our entire Honeymoon with ease. Our Edgewater Bure was breathtaking and my wife literally had a grin from ear to ear since the moment I told her where we were going till our departure. You gave us an unbeatable capstone to our marriage and for that I can't thank you enough. Again thank you so much for helping me plan the honeymoon and it was a pleasure working with you."
- Devin & Jared Chambers
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Your help was AMAZING! I can not express how easy it was working with you when we were looking at different resorts and itineraries. You put so much effort into accommodating us- form budget to activities to an overall idea of what to expect in Fiji. We changed our minds several times and you were so tolerant, a real pleasure to work with. Your knowledge of the islands was a HUGE help in picking our honeymoon spot. I am not going to hesitate recommending you if any family or friends are looking to plan a vacation. Thanks again!"
- Chris
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Bula bula Teresa!
You provided my wife and I with outstanding personalized service in preparing our trip (that due to unexpected wedding budget overruns, we were unfortunately unable to take at that time). It was so outstanding that when my friend Mike said that he was planning his honeymoon to Fiji, I told him that he MUST contact you to plan a trip.
My wife and I still plan on getting to Fiji within the next 2 years, and I promise that you will be the first person that we contact for travel reservations and trip planning.
"
- Bryan
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"I wanted to say again thank you this is absolutely amazing we are having a blast and the upgrade to the honeymoon bure was completely unexpected we have been treated amazingly and even got to fly to the island with the owner of the resort who was super nice to us. You were absolutely right about this place and I am so happy I found you thank you again!!!"
- Mark
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Thank you for the most amazing honeymoon! Wadigi was perfect in everyday! There are no words to express how incredible everything was (the food, the staff, the grounds, the accommodations...and everything in between!) We will definitely be back for our anniversary :-) Vinaka!"
- Bilal & Parisa
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Hello Teresa,
Thanks for your expert help in planning out trip to Tahiti.
After less than 48 hours after leaving Denver we are now at out beach bungalow at the Sofitel Hotel in Moorea Atoll.
The Air Tahiti flight from LAX was less than 8 hours and the service was incredible; 2 nice meals and great service.
Upon arrival in Papeete, Tahiti, we had the private car to the Ferry terminal and then a great ferry ride (30 min) to Moorea Atoll. We got here at about 10 am.
Staying at the Sofitel hotel…………..what can I say: it is French and the service is impeccable.
Your suggestion to spend our first few nights ‘on the beach’ was sterling………..here are pictures from out bungalow. Fortunately we got our bungalow at about 11 am and we went right into the water.
We snorkeled for about 2 hours and it was the very best !!! I bought a new GoPro camera and it is a life-renewing experience to be able to film under water like this, especially in crystal clear water!
Tomorrow we are on a 6 hour snorkeling tour to a ‘private island’ where we are to snorkel with manta rays and sharks..
What a hoot! So far, this is one of our very best trips ever (and we have been to 75 countries)
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- Walt Whatley
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"It's been more than a week since we've been back but I just wanted to let you know that we had a great time at Tahiti. Thank you for arranging our wonderful trip. My kids are already saying they wanted to go back.
Teresa, I wanted to thank you for you assistance for this wonderful trip.
Don't think we'll be going back to Bora Bora anytime soon, but we may seek your help for some of our future trips and cruises."
- Barry
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"We wanted to give you a summary of our Tahiti trip. In a word, just fabulous. We have never taken such a purely luxury, relaxing type of vacation in the past and it was an absolute delight.
Probably our favorite experience on the trip was the shark and manta ray feeding trip. I thought this would be somewhat hokey but it was great fun. Swimming with the sharks was a novel experience and even Debby with her limited swimming abilities had a great time. I was actually able to dive down and bat one of the lemon sharks on the tail. The mantas were like puppies in the way that they crowded around us, swimming over our shoulders in order to get to the food. We laid out the money for the video of the trip and its been the most popular picture of any trip that we have ever brought home. And we would recommend that anyone who goes to Bora Bora take the opportunity to eat at "Bloody Marys", a superb place to get the fresh seafood that we were looking for and it was very reasonably priced.
I could gush further but suffice it to say that it was a fantastic trip and just the type of relaxation that we needed at this busy time in our lives. Thanks for planning a wonderful trip for us!"
- Ken and Debby Richmond
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Hi Teresa,
Chris and I are back from our trip, and I just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed it!! The islands were beautiful, and each hotel worked out great!
Our beach bungalow at the Sofitel was the perfect location, close to the beach bar and looking directly out at the beach (#411). Just to give you some feedback, not complaining--The Sofitel was not as plush as I thought it would be and looked a little more worn. I thought the grounds would be more manicured and service a little better, considering the ranking it had. If we went back to Moorea, we would probably stay there again or recommend it to friends, because from other people that we met, it sounded like the Intercontinental there was similar and not necessarily a better option. The location was great though—near both the ferry dock and airport!
The Intercontinental Bora Bora and Thalasso Spa was spectacular!! The room was very tastefully done with beautiful finishes, our hut (110) was in the perfect location, very little construction noise if any, as I think most of the exteriors are finished, and every part of the property was so upscale. The water was so beautiful, and the resort was exactly as I hoped it would be! So glad we went there last!
We were able to meet up with friends from California who happened to be staying at the St Regis Bora Bora. We hadn’t seen them for over 20 years, so it was such a treat that we were all there at the same time. We didn’t realize there wasn’t a road that could easily connect both hotels, and a private water taxi would have been about $200, so we all met on the big island at Bloody Mary’s for dinner. Due to differing ferry location drop offs and times, we were only able to see each other for just over an hour, but it was great to catch up in person!
All of our transfers were so easy, and we were very well taken care of during each one, whether transport, ferry or by plane! Each of the vendors made it easy to find them, and they all had our information down correctly! That was a great feature of the trip!
Thanks again for all of your help with planning our vacation! We thoroughly enjoyed every minute!! Now back to reality...
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- Vicki Daltorio
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Hi, Teresa! Never got around to telling you how great a time we had in Hawaii. You did a great job! We enjoyed every minute, even the nerve-wracking Hana Highway. It all went smoothly, without flaw, and we have taken away with us precious and unforgettable memories.
Thanks again for your splendid assistance in helping us plan this vacation!
"
- Jeffrey
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"Hello Teresa,
OMG! What a fabulous trip!
Where do I start?
Start with: how or who do we notify so we can share what a fabulous trip you planned for us?
The itinerary from start to finish was perfect! Airline tickets, all transfers both going and coming were spot on!
Moorea was the perfect island for our goals; romance, culture and beauty.
Manava Resort was an excellent selection. Pool, spa, beach, ocean all beautiful just sitting there waiting for us to choose. Over water bungalow was phenomenal!
Excursions were reasonably priced and wonderful experiences.
Oh, and Pearl Romance in town was exceptional! Mary really loved it!
Thank you Thank you! Our best vacation ever!
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- Steve Anderson
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"We had a fantastic time, a truly unreal experience! It is difficult to point out my favorite part of the trip as the 2 islands had such different vibes. My husband said he enjoyed Moorea better because we were not limited to one area, although he love the bungalows as well. Overall, we found the local people to be nice and helpful. Both resorts had amazing breakfasts!
We loved being able to rent a car on Moorea and explore on our own. The snorkeling off Temae beach was like swimming through an aquarium. We found that the food trucks or "roulottes" were absolutely delicious and inexpensive saving us a ton of money on lunches and some dinners. I felt that the Intercontinental resort here was a good location and not far from beaches and other areas of interest. There was a car rental agency and small market at the top of the hill of the resort which was super convenient to walk to and grab waters and small snacks.
Bora Bora was a whole different experience and vibe and the bungalow may have been my favorite part. We truly enjoyed being able to jump off our bungalow as we were at the end of tier 2. The Meridien was a very nice property and i am so glad we did the dinner plan as it again saved us a lot of money. My favorite part of this resort was the turtle sanctuary where we signed up to clean, feed and swim with the rescued turtles. I only wished I would have brought a go pro for the experience though.
I would love to visit French Polynesia again and check out the other islands! Hopefully it will happen but there are so many places in the world we have yet to get to, including Hawaii! Thanks for planning the trip and your help!"
- Tammy
Testimonials from Teresa's clients:
"We did everything we wanted to do. So many favorite parts: the bungalow, snorkeling from our private dock, Steve’s fishing trip, my spa day, the restaurant wait staff, the lagoon tour, and the fire dance was amazing. The Sofitel property is beautiful: a huge lush variety of mature groomed plants and trees, structures well-kept and clean inside and out. Like being dropped into a fantasy island post card.
I think the fire dance was my favorite. It started in the dining room, then to the beach and ended back in the dining room. So professional and dancing skills off the charts and they were three feet from us, once danced right up to our table. At one point I was ushered to the dance floor. Good thing I had a couple drinks by then.
Also, being met at every phase of the trip and never a concern about our luggage or where we needed to be to get where we were going. Worth every penny.
I love fish, so for me the food was very good. Steve, not so much, but he made it work and the drinks were also very good.
Thanks for being there and available every step of the way.
"
- Charlene
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Public Beaches
![Public Beaches - Beaches of Tahiti.]( "Public Beaches - Beaches of Tahiti.")
All beaches in French Polynesia are technically public property, although, as mentioned in detail below in the private beaches section, getting to them is often the difficulty.
That said, here are a few recognized or easily accessed 'public beaches' on Tahiti:
PLAGE DE TOAROTO - Near the Hotel Meridien: Decent stretch of white sand beach open to the public running nearly a half mile in the area of the Hotel Meridien. (The Meridien has its own small private beach for its clients.)
Located at approximately PK 15,5, (West of Papeete) this beach is an excellent place to hang out if you're staying at any of the pensions in this area. (Armelle, Te Miti, Taaroa, and others). Snorkeling is excellent here and laying about is the norm.
Access: Off the main road, look for a truck stop called 'Tapeara'a Pereo'o Mataeinaa' near PK 15. You'll see a little parklike area where there is parking and public toilets and showers available. Ask someone about it or your hotel or pension if you need to.
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Overview
Because of relentless marketing efforts, one of the most common tourist perceptions about Tahiti is that the entire island is a white sand beach paradise. Although there are indeed some truly wonderful sandy beaches on the island, the fact of the matter is that they are not always as "vacationer friendly" or accessable as many would hope.
The reality and facts of the beach situation on Tahiti are as follows:1) Tahiti is the only Society Island (besides Moorea) that has both black and white sand beaches along its coast.
2) If you aren't staying at a hotel with its own beach, you'll be best off to rent a car or scooter (or you could take Le Truck), to gain access to the beaches described below.
3) Of the entire Tahitian coastline, the most useable, desireable and accessable "sandy beaches" on the island can be divided into 2 basic categories: Public or private.
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