I’m Kelly Lacy aka The Awkward Tourist. Welcome to my honeymoon guide to French Polynesia. I’m from California where I currently live with my husband and our cat. My parents took me on my first road trip when I was a baby. We went on countless road trips in my first two decades.
I didn’t even step on a plane until I was 17. It was my first trip to Europe when I was 19 that really solidified my travel bug. Since then I have been to over 40 countries on 5 continents. It’s been an incredible journey so far!
Our Dream Honeymoon in French Polynesia
French Polynesia has been my dream destination forever. It just seemed so beautiful. I had my wedding in October of last year. My husband and I decided to each pick a destination so that we each got our dream honeymoon. His was safari in South Africa and mine was French Polynesia.
Our generous financial wedding gifts plus my job’s travel benefits (I work as a flight attendant) made it the perfect time to visit French Polynesia for a honeymoon. We all know it’s not a budget destination.
8 Special Days in Mo’orea and Bora Bora
We flew from Los Angeles to Pape’ete, Tahiti. On arrival, we immediately boarded a ferry for the beautiful island of Mo’orea. We stayed for 4 nights and then flew to Bora Bora and stayed there for 4 nights. We opted to stay in luxury accommodation in French Polynesia since it was our honeymoon.
The Hilton Resort on Mo’orea and Conrad Bora Bora Nui on Bora Bora were our accommodation choices. They were both stunning places to stay.
We enjoyed a long snorkeling tour on Mo’orea where we swam with sharks and stingrays and were taken to a small island off the coast of Mo’orea. We learned how to make poisson cru (similar to ceviche) and had lunch there.
One of the days we also rented a scooter to explore more of Mo’orea. It was super mountainous and lush. We also took some time to relax which is easy to do in such a beautiful place like Mo’orea.
On Bora Bora, we were on a small island where the resort was located. There wasn’t much opportunity for exploration. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to an overwater bungalow. It was amazing to be able to swim and snorkel in the crystal-clear waters straight from our deck.
There were a ton of water activities to do at both resorts such as snorkeling, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. We were never bored. We went in February so the days were incredibly hot and humid. Much of the middle of the day was spent relaxing in the ocean or in the pool to cool off.
Both of these islands were different and both easy to fall in love with. Mo’orea was incredibly scenic and mountainous. It looked like something out of an exotic movie. Bora Bora had the most stunning clear and blue water I had ever seen. You couldn’t take a bad photo at either place.
Best Experiences in French Polynesia for a Honeymoon
Getting out on a boat and going snorkeling were our favorite activities in French Polynesia. Swimming with so many different types of fish and marine life was amazing. Snorkeling with sharks was pretty thrilling too.
I recommend renting a car or scooter on Mo’orea to explore more of the island and get some amazing viewpoints. Other than that we really wanted to spend our time swimming and relaxing. One thing I wish we did was a jet ski tour, but that was out of our budget at the time.
Although you can visit on a budget, one of my favorite things was experiencing the luxury of the resorts. It was a dream to be able to stay in an overwater villa. This was a lifelong dream of mine. If you can, try to stay a few nights in a luxury resort on your honeymoon to French Polynesia.
Honeymoon Resorts in French Polynesia
French Polynesia will always be synonymous with beautiful resorts that have overwater bungalows. I recommend splurging on one of these just for the experience. You can definitely find cheaper accommodation if the trip needs to be on a budget, but If you’re able to I say go for the fancy resort.
We stayed at the Hilton Mo’orea and Conrad Bora Bora Nui. Both were fantastic. They even upgraded us to an overwater villa in Bora Bora and it was a dream come true. Bora Bora is more difficult to do on the cheap side. You can certainly save money by booking an Airbnb in Mo’orea.
Enjoying Island-Time with the Locals
French Polynesia is very much an island-time place. The locals were friendly and seemed to love their islands just as much as the tourists. Pretty much everyone has a boat which makes sense.
I’ve loved Polynesian culture since I was a kid. I’ve always been fascinated by it. Tiki culture has definitely been Americanized over the years but I’ve always loved the tropical flowers, food, drinks and music. I go to Hawaii as often as I can and really enjoyed visiting the heart of it in Polynesia.
I fell in love with poisson cru which is basically Tahitian ceviche in coconut milk. It’s delicious! I also thought the French influence was interesting. I loved eating crepes and enjoying French food too.
Food of French Polynesia: A Highlight of our Honeymoon
The food in French Polynesia is phenomenal but it isn’t cheap. Most things need to be shipped or flown in. This is especially true at the resorts where the prices are really jacked up. On Bora Bora we had to eat at our resort the whole time because it’s on its own island and it’s expensive to go out.
We had a few local experiences on Mo’orea which was nice. There was one place there that comes to mind called Allo Pizza. The owner was really nice, the food was delicious and it was reasonably priced too.
As I said earlier, poisson cru is definitely the signature dish of French Polynesia. It’s the first food you should try when you arrive and the last dish you should eat before you leave. I also recommend the fresh fruits.
Favourite Memory of our Honeymoon in French Polynesia
My favorite memory was getting upgraded in Bora Bora. Just staying at the beautiful resort was a splurge for us. Unfortunately we couldn’t come up with the extra money to outright book an overwater villa.
So when we arrived and they took us to our little paradise, we were thrilled. It was a bucket-list moment and we loved snorkeling off our deck and enjoying the hammocks and sunset views. I’ll never forget it!
Tips for your Honeymoon in French Polynesia
Everyone should know that French Polynesia is going to be one of the more expensive places you visit, especially if you visit Bora Bora.
The remoteness of the islands account for that. They are just expensive to fly to in the first place (check out Jettly’s jet card membership for cheaper private charter services) and then almost everything is imported. As I said before, Mo’orea and also Tahiti are your best bets for a more budget trip due to the availability of different choices for food and accommodation.
On the other islands, you only have a few choices so you can’t shop around. Plus, getting to Mo’orea from Tahiti by ferry was cheap. However, if you fly it’s going to blow your budget. There’s only one inter-island airline. Our 50-minute flight from Tahiti to Bora Bora was $350 USD per person!
Just know that it’s going to be a pricey trip. So be prepared for a bit of a sticker shock. That being said, if you’re going to spend the money then there’s no better experience than a honeymoon in French Polynesia!
