aaronbchristianAfter what seemed like an eternity in lockdown it was finally time for an epic trip that was a good combination of relaxation and adventure.
French Polynesia here we come!
Bora Bora we checked off our bucket list in 2015 when we got married so we knew we needed to visit a different island. This time we decided to spend a week in Mo’orea!
We took off on a Friday afternoon from SFO to Tahiti. 8 hours to our destination and I am so happy we upgraded to Premium economy. Instead of three in a row there were two seats on the window aisle of the plane. Our seats reclined a little bit, had a foot recliner and also a foot rest under the seat in front of us. It came with a pillow and blanket and small amenity kit. We somehow had slippers too, but only on the flight there and not back. Check out our full video review here!
After 8 hours of binging movies we had arrived! We grabbed our bags and left the airport to get picked up by our Airbnb host for our first night. Since we were arriving late we didn’t want to spend tons of money on a room in Tahiti so we booked a close by airbnb.
The next day we thought we were going to be jet lagged so we had planned to take the noon ferry. Well we woke up bright and early and realized that the time change was no big deal. So we waited around and then headed to the ferry. The ferry ride was nice, we saw some flying fish out the windows. We arrived to Mo’orea as a canoe rowing competition was happening. There were so many boats and canoes in the water.
We were picked up and taken to our hotel. We chose to stay at the Hilton Mo’orea Lagoon Resort and Spa for a few reasons. Check out our full video tour of the resort here! After a lot of research of the five Over Water Bungalows in Mo’orea, it seemed like the best in terms of luxury and location.
- Intercontinental Mo’orea Resort and Spa– Permanently shut down after COVID
- Club Bali Hai or Aimeo Lodge– I wouldn’t call these overwater bungalows and they are more of a vacation rental than hotel
- Hotel Manava Beach Resort and Spa– true overwater bungalows but not located on that turquoise blue water, rooms are decent but not luxury status
- Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort– this i would rate as close second to the Hilton but has two drawbacks, first is that its location is not the best for sunsets and it faces where the ferry comes into the port, so you see more boat traffic. Second is that its beach connects to the local public beach.
Upon arriving to the Hilton our room wasn’t ready. We headed to the Grill for lunch and enjoyed some tropical drinks as we sunk into vacation mode. I booked a massage for myself and we booked a stingray/shark snorkel tour while we waited for our room.
When booking our stay I selected the Premium Panoramic Overwater Bungalow. It did not disappoint. We were the last hut on the end so there was only a hut on one side of us, plus we had amazing views for sunset from our deck.
That night we had dinner at the Toatea Creperie and Bar. This is the only restaurant on the water, it is located in the middle of the huts. While eating you can stare down into the water that is illuminated and see fish and the occasional shark or ray swim by.
Our first day we woke up to watch the sunrise and enjoyed the slow morning pace. I ordered a flower crown, because why not go all out and have fun and feel beautiful. It was delivered at 7am and the photoshoot began. We then headed to the breakfast buffet. We learned from our honeymoon in French Polynesia that they have great pastries especially chocolate croissants. I may or may not have stuffed some in my purse for later.
Next up was our half day snorkel tour. To be honest it was a little bit of a let down. We did the same trip on our honeymoon and it was amazing. So maybe since it wasn’t new it didn’t feel as magical. We were taken back to the hotel, had lunch and it was time for me to get my massage.
Nothing is better than being on vacation and getting a massage. It was heavenly. After arriving I sat in the lobby to fill out a health form while enjoying a cold ginger tea. They took me to the locker room to change. In the locker was a sarong to cover up instead of a robe. During the massage they use that sarong to cover you. Unlike massages in the US, they used a TON of oil. I was very moisturized afterwards. Post massage you fill out a survey and enjoy a hot tea. Something I found unique was they had a Monoi Oil bar where you could pick your own fragrance and take home the oil they use in the massages.
The next day we watched the sunrise. Although I love to sleep in, since there is not much to do at night, we were in bed early which made it easy to get up for sunrise. I did not want to miss one sunrise on this vacation. They were stunning to watch. After soaking in the gorgeous views we headed to town to pick up our scooter rental for the day. We sat at the ferry building across the street waiting for the shop to open. In the meantime we bought some banana bread. After signing our life away, we headed to Carameline for breakfast.
After fueling up on a bagel sandwich we headed to a hike up to Afareuita waterfall. After going as far as we could on a rocky road, a nice lady waved us down and let us park in her yard. We said hello to the neighborhood puppies and started the journey. The next part you can’t make up. We were kinda lost, wandering in some jungle and this man comes up to us. He says he will show us the way but that we are entering his property. He then gives us some fresh vanilla bean pods and leads us through tall grass and points us in the right direction. The rest of the hike we managed to figure out how to get to the waterfall. The waterfall was a little disappointing, it was barely trickling and there were too many bugs to enjoy ourselves. Needless to say, it was an adventure and made for a great story!
Our next stop was to visit the Moorea Juice Factory. At the back of the store they offer FREE juice and alcohol tastings! It was so fun to try all the flavors before deciding what to buy. After loading up on some goodies we took the scooter up to Belvedere lookout. Such amazing views from the top of the surrounding mountains and water. On the way back home we found a little street food shop, Snack Teanahei. We ate some traditional dish called Tahitian Poisson Cru. It was so fresh and delicious. We sat right on the water, enjoying our dinner and listening to the sounds of the ocean. We ended our day snorkeling as the sun set and finished off with some drinks on our bungalow patio.
The next day we scootered to Iaorana Smoothies for breakfast on our way to Temae beach which is a public beach that connects to the Sofitel Hotel. The beach had some great snorkeling and crystal clear blue waters. After exploring the undersea world we headed up to land and stopped for lunch at Golden Lake. The chow main chicken sandwich was amazing!
Our last day on our overwater bungalow we of course watched the sunrise. We did some photos around our hut and one last snorkel. Next up we were headed to our airbnb. We got a ride in the back of a pickup truck to our Airbnb, checked in and then headed to the grocery store to stock up on some essentials as our Airbnb had a kitchen for us to cook breakfasts and pack lunches. After settling in we went to Coco de Isle for dinner. The restaurant have very elaborate presentation and was also tasty.
Today is surf day! Planning our trip the hubby really wanted to surf while in Moorea, he brought one of his @callalilysurf boards that he shapes. We rented a “mini jeep” to be able to transport the board and went to meet our surf guide, Tama. The guide took us out on a metal dingy boat as this wave is only accessible by boat. I sat in the boat with the guide while the hubby caught some amazing waves. Along our trip back we stopped for a quick swim in some turquoise blue waters and headed back. We got lunch at Snack Mahana and had the best Garlic shrimp dish ever! We went home to chill before dinner, I of course stopped on the way to pick up another flower crown as mine was wilting. For dinner we tried Moorea Beach Cafe and to be honest it was a let down. Definitely for the tourists, it was all themed by a Champagne brand. It was forgettable.
For breakfast the next day we had some croissants at CoCo et Banana and a smoothie at Fare Tuatara. Then it was time to head to our Scuba Diving excursion. This was called a Discovery dive. We were paired with an instructor would managed our equipment and led us underwater. We saw some bat rays and a turtle as well as beautiful coral and fishes. After returning and grabbing lunch we went back to our Airbnb, grabbed some drinks and sat in the water to watch our last sunset on Moorea. We had a friendly neighborhood puppy come join us and hang out.
Now it was time to begin the journey home. We had checked out of our airbnb at 10am and had a ferry to get to the main island. With our flight at 9pm we had almost a full day to kill. Not wanting to be super sweaty or bored we decided to book a day room. At the Hilton Tahiti they had options to book a day room. We were able to check in, store our bags and then use the facilities. We hung out by the pool and sipped on cocktails, had lunch and took a nap. Then repeated the process until we had dinner and then were off to the airport. This was such a great investment to do as it made our day so much more relaxed and comfortable. Check out our full review and video of the Hilton Tahiti Day Pass!
Check out this google map of all the restaurants, sites to see and our accommodation!
United Premium Economy Tour Check out the flight we took from SFO to Tahiti!
Hilton Mo’orea Lagoon Resort and Spa Tour Resort tour of our over water bungalow we stayed at!
Tahiti Hilton Day Room Pass Check out the day room pass and all it entailed!
PS: Bring a cute floatie and rope in your luggage! It is so nice to float and makes for some cute photos!
Thank you for reading! We hope this helps you plan your next trip to this beautiful island!