Recommend June 2017 - 39

E x o t i c Tr a v e l

"
The French Polynesian
experience cannot
be replicated.

"

-- Paul Sloan, CEO, Tahiti Tourisme

Tahiti: A Utopian Escape

The newly opened
Conrad Bora Bora Nui.

Laurel Herman

To equate the Islands of Tahiti with utopia
isn't a stretch. There are the otherworldly
bright-emerald waters; the Garden of Edenlike verdant landscapes; and the people...oh,
the friendliness of the people is, as Paul Sloan,
CEO of Tahiti Tourisme, puts it, unmatched
anywhere on Earth.
"The French Polynesian spirit cannot be
replicated. Our destination is a paradise,"
Sloan says, "with beautiful beaches, friendly
people." He adds that for those seeking a
truly relaxing vacation and ample time to
reconnect, as well as an authentic experience
and genuine interaction with the locals, the
islands deliver. In this secluded destination,
visitors "will be embraced by Mana, the
life force that connects all things in Tahiti."
With 118 islands and atolls spread out over
five archipelagos-with a total landmass that's
only slightly larger than the state of Rhode
Island-it's not surprising for romance-seekers
to find a spot of their own in this earth-bound
paradise. "Privacy options as well as diversity
abound," Sloan points out, "making it ideal
for honeymooners and wedding parties/
ceremonies."
Each island offers a variety of activities
and accommodation experiences, including
those world-renowned overwater bungalows.

Did You Know?
Tahiti is halfway between California and
Australia, on the same side of the International
Date Line as North America and in the same
time zone as Hawaii. And it's under an 8-hour
flight from LAX to Tahiti's Faa'a International
Airport, with daily nonstops.

These unique accommodations are currently
celebrating 50 years since their invention,
having been created in the lagoon of Raiatea
by three American hotel owners. And
Sloan is quick to point out that the Tahiti
"overwater bungalow experience is unique
from other areas in the world," surrounded
by those mesmerizing Tahitian lagoons, with
views of the area's striking coral reefs and
colorful fish.
At the newly opened Conrad Bora Bora
Nui, guests will find 86 overwater bungalows,
as well as two Presidential Villas, Bora Bora's
only 2-story overwater accommodations.
Located in a private cove on an islet off the
coast of Bora Bora, the property offers an
additional 28 tropical garden and beach villas,
as well as an overwater lounge and the Hina
Spa with indoor treatment rooms and an
open-air space overlooking the lagoon. Rates
start at $912 per night.

Weddings, Tahiti-Style
With weddings in Tahiti being legally
binding in the U.S., there's no reason your
clients can't opt for an authentic Tahitian
wedding. It's a feast for the eyes with
couples bedecked in bright pareu (a sarong),
flowers, and shells. The groom is brought
to the beachside location in a canoe while
the bride is carried on a rattan throne.
There's music and traditional dancers, and a
Tahitian priest performs the rites and gives
the couple their Tahitian name. A host of
hotels throughout the islands offer traditional
weddings, including the InterContinental
Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, where

wedding couples can choose from a Traditional
Polynesian Beach Ceremony on a stretch of
beach covered in a carpet of tropical flowers; a
Traditional Chapel Ceremony, which takes place
in an overwater, glass-bottomed chapel; or a
Traditional Ocean Ceremony, in a jungle setting
on the reef side of the islet.

Cruising & Getting Around
The Islands of Tahiti offer eight ports of call,
welcoming 33,418 cruise passengers and 20
cruise lines in 2016. In the next few years, the
cruise offerings in Tahiti will get even more
robust, with work on a new international
cruise terminal in Papeete beginning in
December, and set to be operational by 2020.
It will be able to accommodate up to three
liners simultaneously, and more than 2,000
turnaround passengers.
Those dreams of sailing Tahiti don't have
to wait until then, though. You can currently
book your honeymoon clients on Windstar
Cruises' 148-guest Wind Spirit, a 4-masted
sailing yacht. It sails on numerous voyages
in Tahiti, including the aptly named 7-day
Dreams of Tahiti (from $4,299 pp; cruise, air +
hotel included).
And less than two miles from the cruise
terminal, Faa'a International Airport is getting
a revamp, undergoing a $12 million upgrade
that is expected to be completed by 2020. ■
Contact Information
Conrad Bora Bora Nui: boraboranui.conradhotels.com
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa:
thalasso.intercontinental.com
The Islands of Tahiti: tahiti-tourisme.com
Windstar Cruises: windstarcruises.com
june 2017 39
http://boraboranui.conradhotels.com http://thalasso.intercontinental.com http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com http://www.windstarcruises.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2017
