French Polynesia

Moorea Ocean Views

Sunset on Moorea, from the beach at Hotel Moorea Village Noa Noa. The staff was friendly and helpful, the bungalows were nice. It was a pleasant and more affordable alternative to the big resorts.

.	Tahiti from Moorea. Moorea is a short ferry ride from Papeete, Tahiti. If you plan to make the trip, watch your timing. Many Moorea residents work in Papeete and the early ferries to Papeete and late ferries back are generally crowded on weekdays.

Take a half day 4WD tour around the island for a closer look. Make sure you stop at the fruit juice factory which is also a distillery.

Snorkel, SCUBA, or go out on an outrigger canoe. I recommend skipping the swimming with dolphins at the Royal Beachcomber. Unless you think jumping into a pen with captive trained dolphins is worth $100 US. I don't. The swim with wild dolphins at Kaikoura, New Zealand, although I didn't get to touch one there, was far superior and less expensive.

The water close to the shore at Hotel Moorea Village was a bit murky, but still teeming with life: corals, fish, rays, anemone, and hundreds of sea cucumbers. The hotel offered free snorkeling trips twice a day, which were away from the murk.

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