When one has to honeymoon you have to do it right. After all, you’ll potentially only have one in your lifetime. We had just wedded in the beautiful Cook Islands. ‘Why not honeymoon there?’ many people asked. There were a few reasons.
1. We have visited the Cook Islands 5 times, so the place is very special to us but it’s like our second home instead of a new & exciting honeymoon destination.
2. We had just invited 50 of our closest family & friends to the small island of Rarotonga. Some think that’s great! Others thought we were mad haha but it only made sense to escape it!
3. One of our dream destinations was only a short 2-hour flight away. How could we resist?
☼ HELLO FRENCH POLYNESIA! ☼
We had 7 days to explore her beautiful islands but still wanting to relax and enjoy our honeymoon. After all those months of planning, organising & partying for our wedding week in Cooks, relaxing was definitely at the top of the list. But we are who we are and we can’t resist booking another trip, especially a new destination to explore.
Taharuu Black Sand Beach
We read that most only use the main island as a stop over but there is more to it than that. We hired a car and spent the day taking the coastal route and exploring some of the highlights and while it isn’t as “beautiful” as the next two we visited, it was still worth it in our eyes. Especially to see the world-famous surf break Teahupo’o.
You could see the surf break from shore – the wave out the back (above). Locals also offered to take people out on their boats for a fee to see it up close and personal.
We explored the rest of the island including the Arahoho blowhole (that you could hear but wasn’t working at the time), Faarumai waterfall, black sand beaches and lookouts. If you’re lucky with the weather then allowing one full day is enough time to see the highlights before you head on to the real gems of French Polynesia.
Above left: our tour guide / Faarumai waterfall / Arahoho blowhole
☼ GETTING THERE ☼ We took an Air Rarotonga flight from Cook Islands to Tahiti. We island hopped between Tahiti, Mo’orea and Bora Bora with Air Tahiti on the multi-island flexi pass. Flying is a great way to get between the islands quickly and especially for the views along the way.
☼ WHERE TO STAY ☼ We stayed at the intercontinental on all 3 islands.
☼ HOW LONG TO STAY FOR ☼ That really depends on what you are after and what your budget is like. We found 3 nights in both Mo’orea and Bora Bora to be a good amount of time to both relax and enjoy what it has to offer without completing breaking the bank. All 3 islands are completely different but great in their own way.
☼ WHICH ISLAND FIRST ☼ My opinion is to leave the best until last! Start in Tahiti then onto Mo’orea and finish in Bora Bora because nothing tops it’s beauty!
Intercontinental Tahiti with views across to the island of Mo’orea
Read on for our stay in Mo’orea and Bora Bora!
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 