Excursions and what to do in PPT day of arrival and departure & hotel recommendations

[newyorkccruiser]

Hey all,

 

So we booked the Feb. 19th 7 day Society Islands cruise for our honeymoon and are super excited. Thanks to those who offered advice regarding the window rooms. We have several more questions.

 

(1) We have read on here about Patrick's 3/4 day trip which we plan to book for Bora Bora. What are the other can't miss excursions, either with PG or independent?

 

(2) We get into PPT at 4:45AM (booked flight independently). What should we do until our cruise? We were think of getting a private van to tour the island with a gudie. Sound good, or is there just some beach we should go relax on?

 

(3) We don't leave PPT until Sunday morning. What's the best hotel to stay at? Anything we have to see or restaurant we must eat at?

 

(4) My wife really wants to do a over-water bungalow for a night either Bora Bora or Moorea. I'm thinking that because we are doing Patrick's tour in Bora Bora, that we should do the over-water bungalow in Moorea. Is this a good idea or is Bora Bora way better? What is the best hotel? Is the 4S in Bora Bora worth it? How about the Hilton in Moorea?

 

Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions in advance.

 

-jeremy

[FlightMedic555]

Do you have some days before or after the cruise for the OWB. Presuming this is what you have available Moorea would be the most affordable as the RT ferry is about $30 US vs $400 US for a flight to Bora Bora.

 

You may want to look at my lengthy cruise review

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hmm. Difficult timings. Sounds like you don't have any extra nights pre-cruise, and only a short night post-cruise, so I'm not sure how you could fit in an overwater bungalow, unless you do the Bora Bora overnight excursion, and to my mind, that is way overpriced and not worth it.

 

For your arrival day, I would be tempted to try to see if you could purchase a dayroom somewhere like the Intercontinental Beachcomber, where you could freshen up, have a nap, lie around the pool and relax. Not sure how easy this is to do. We once flew into Papeete around that time and had to spend the night in the airport before flying off the next late morning. That was truly dreadful, so best you find something, since you will be quite tired. Other alternatives are the Sofitel and Hilton, with the Radisson further away on the other side of Papeete (but still nice, I like it.)

 

For departure, yikes, again I don't know. You usually have to be at the airport close to 3 hours before your flight. But you'll have to book a hotel nearby again. IC is the only one with overwater bungalows I believe.

[Emdee]

Beachcomber IC has a towel and lunch deal - no day room - for about 65$ roughly. This includes a two course meal.

 

Radisson is very economiclly priced ( under 200$) compared to others as is the Sofitel. Sofitel is nearer the airort.

[prissy1]

I have the same issue for June. I emailed Sofitel and they do not do any day rooms but Intercontinental emailed me this:

 

We have transit rooms for shower.

The fee we charge to guests who are not staying in the resort is 5000cfp per person.

The room can be used for half hour.

We provide towels & sopa.

No need to reserve, just ask for it at the reception desk.

 

Good luck. Let us know if you find anything better.

[artbcpa]

So far I haven't found a hotel that offers a specific dayroom, but have been thinking about a couple of alternatives.

 

1. Booking a room at one of the hotels close by.

 

2. Checking if someone will just store the luggage (hotel, ship, airport, other)

 

3. Splitting a room with someone else from cruise critic and dividing the time between us.

 

Anyone else have any other ideas or comments?

[Talisker92]

There is a motel across from the Airport, but I am not sure of its amenities. As far as showing up 3 hours early, that is not necessary. There are only 4 gates at the airport, and one plane leaves at a time. The building is not air conditioned, but there are fans upstairs. The last time we were there, we showed up an hour before the flight and missed the crowds.