All day in Papeete- suggestions on what to do

[cruisinsusin]

We will have from 8 am to about midnight in Papeete in April 2013. I have searched the cruise excursion offerings as well as Trip advisor and only found a few options. I have the walking map suggested in a prior post and will certainly visit the market but that will not take up much of the time in port. Any other suggestions from those who have been there?

Thanks in advance

[psyfi]

We are booked on a 1/2 day 4x4 tour with Patrick Adventure but we have not been there yet to offer an endorsement. At $60 it is the least expensive of the tours we have booked and will certainly serve to get us out of the city and see some more of the island. Good luck with your planning.

[Emdee]

Patrick's tours come well recommended. PG used to use him when it was still Regent I dont know now whether that is the case.

 

The IC used to have a day charge including lunch you will have to inquire about it. IC also has a nice change room with showers its for you to dress up prior to your flight. They also have washers and dryers for wet swimsuits.

[Skai]

I would suggest finding some sort of option outside of Papeete for the day. The public market is worth checking out, but 1 to 1 1/2 hrs is plenty of time to get one's fill of the place.

 

Downtown Papeete is really kind of a dump truth be told.

 

We rented a car while on Tahiti and found it nice to just circumvent the island with various roadside stops.

 

If renting a car is not a preferable option, perhaps an organized tour? There are some interesting tropical gardens/botanical parks on the SW side of Tahiti Nui that are nice to stroll through, and there are also some waterfalls on the Eastern side as well.

[Fletcher]

Rent a car would be my recommendation - drive around the island as far as Tautira (best view on Tahiti) and stop where you like. There aren't really any proper options for lunch anywhere apart from the resorts near Papeete, so you might consider buying a picnic from the Grand Marche. Tahiti gets a bad press and is usually shunned by most tourists who head straight out to Moorea or Bora Bora. That's a pity for Tahiti has some spectacular scenery and quite a lot of history, too - it also has some good black sand beaches, especially the one on the opposite side to Matavai Bay on the little peninsula that ends at Point Venus. You need a bit of chutzpah to find it but it's a lovely spot and was where the bulk of the 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty was filmed.

[cruisinsusin]

We did email the IC to see if they still offer a day pass but have not heard back yet.

Thanks to every one for all the suggestions! :)

[Red Hat Cruise Cat]

Patrick's tours come well recommended. PG used to use him when it was still Regent I dont know now whether that is the case.

 

quote]

 

What is Patrick's e-mail for Papeete tour? Do you know the cost of his tour? Does he accept US Dollars?

[psyfi]

Patrickadventure@mail.pf

He quoted me $60 US for the half day 4x4 tour.

[pcur]

We will have from 8 am to about midnight in Papeete in April 2013. I have searched the cruise excursion offerings as well as Trip advisor and only found a few options. I have the walking map suggested in a prior post and will certainly visit the market but that will not take up much of the time in port. Any other suggestions from those who have been there?

Thanks in advance

 

I just received this email from the IC last week when I asked about their evening shows. If you are in port on these days, you might want to try this:

 

Regarding your request please let me know that we organise at the Tiare 3 dinners show per week:

 

Every Wednesday, it’s a Marquisian show with a marquisian buffet at 6900 cfp around 85 US $.

 

Every Friday it’s a polysian danse show with a gourmet seafood and fish dishes buffet at 9870 cfp around 120 US $.

 

And every Saturday it’s also a polysian danse show with a gourmet fish and local dishes buffet at 8950 cfp around 110 US $.

 

 

 

Please note that these rates are able to change according to the exchange rate of the US dollar.

 

 

 

If you want a book a table for one of these evening, please let me know the date and for how many person, and I will make the reservation for you.

 

 

 

I stay at your entire disposal should you need further information,

 

 

 

King regards,

 

Olivia Foubert

 

Coordinatrice de Restauration

 

Food & Beverage Coordinator

 

INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT & SPA TAHITI

 

B.P 6014

 

98702 Tahiti, French Polynesia .

 

Direct Line: (689) 86 51 22

Main Line: (689) 86 51 10

Fax: (689) 86 51 91

 

http://www.tahiti.intercontinental.com

 

http://www.intercontinental.com

[cruisinsusin]

Thanks again!

[Donray]

We will have from 8 am to about midnight in Papeete in April 2013. I have searched the cruise excursion offerings as well as Trip advisor and only found a few options. I have the walking map suggested in a prior post and will certainly visit the market but that will not take up much of the time in port. Any other suggestions from those who have been there?

Thanks in advance

 

Rent a car and drive around the island.

[hotzej]

Does anyone know if Bloody Mary's is open on Sunday night? Could not find business hours on their website...thanks

[I'm from Oz]

cruisinsusin - You have been provided with great suggestions already and I concur that renting a car and circumnavigating the island would be a great option. Many people on our cruise did just that. There is lots of history to Tahiti. However, when we visited, after a potter around the town and visiting the markets, we took the ferry to Moorea which was a lovely trip in itself and spent the afternoon lazing on the Sofitel (from memory) beach.

 

Be aware though that you will most likely need some local currency. Not everywhere takes US$

 

@Skai - it is well to remember that in fact Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia and as such is really only a busy French provincial town focused on administration, not tourism. Agreed it is not a particularly attractive port and I found it quite dirty, but Papeete is NOT the destination it is the island of Tahiti itself.

Edited August 19, 2012 by I'm from Oz

[cruisinsusin]

Thanks Im from Oz- we are very much looking forward to visiting French Polynesia and appreciate all the suggestions.

[Tikiintahiti]

Take a tour of the inner island by 4X4. Tahiti has some of the very best waterfalls but you got to get to them to see. Best way is by 4X4 tour. A rough ride now and then but well worth it as this is far off the beaten trek for most tourist. Take a dip in a pool under a waterfall .........

[cruisinabout]

cruisinsusin - DH and I took the ferry to Moorea and stayed overnight in one of the overwater bungalows at the Hilton. We purchased late check out for the next day which was good until 4:00pm and allowed us to get in some extra snorkeling. Once we were ready to leave, the hotel concierge called us a taxi for the 15-20 minute ride to the dock on Opunohu Bay where the ship (which, by the way, is visible from the hotel) anchors off Moorea.

 

Our tentative plan is to do this again in April since Moorea again follows Papeete on our itinerary.

Edited August 20, 2012 by cruisinabout

[cruisinsusin]

Tikiintahiti- that sounds beautiful- thanks for the suggestion.

Cruisinabout- thanks also-we have looked at those overwater bungalows-they look amazing. Was the snorkeling good there?

[Tikiintahiti]

The snorkeling at the Moorea Hilton is very good. 4 - 8 feet of water depending on location with nice little coral heads around.

[cruisinabout]

Cruisinabout- thanks also-we have looked at those overwater bungalows-they look amazing. Was the snorkeling good there?

Yes, as Tikiintahiti indicated, the water is relatively shallow, I'd say on average about five feet deep. It was also very clear when we were there in March and with a good amount of coral and other sea life for viewing.

 

We also enjoyed eating at the creperie on the pier in the evening while watching the sharks swim back and forth in the water below us.

 

We found it a very laid back and romantic (albeit pricey) experience - can't wait to go back.

[centsable]

We are booked on a 1/2 day 4x4 tour with Patrick Adventure but we have not been there yet to offer an endorsement. At $60 it is the least expensive of the tours we have booked and will certainly serve to get us out of the city and see some more of the island. Good luck with your planning.

We leave on April 7th. We are also looking for things to do? do you have more info on the tour please?

[Allis154]

cruisinsusin - DH and I took the ferry to Moorea and stayed overnight in one of the overwater bungalows at the Hilton. We purchased late check out for the next day which was good until 4:00pm and allowed us to get in some extra snorkeling. Once we were ready to leave, the hotel concierge called us a taxi for the 15-20 minute ride to the dock on Opunohu Bay where the ship (which, by the way, is visible from the hotel) anchors off Moorea.

 

Our tentative plan is to do this again in April since Moorea again follows Papeete on our itinerary.

 

This sounds fabulous! Would be interested in more details...where did you get the ferry? Did you prebook transfers to get to the hotel, or did you get a cab? etc..

[Tikiintahiti]

The ferry dock in PPT is right next door to the cruise ships.

 

You don't need to pre-book

 

You can get a cheap transfer from:

 

www.toreanui.com or http://www.albert-transport.net/p3_gb.asp

[cruisinabout]

This sounds fabulous! Would be interested in more details...where did you get the ferry? Did you prebook transfers to get to the hotel, or did you get a cab? etc..

http://www.aremiti.net/

 

You can see the ferry dock from the ship - about a 5 minute walk. The trip to Moorea on the fast ferry takes about 30 minutes and yes, there are taxis waiting when you arrive. Or, as Tikiintahiti mentioned, you can pre-book. You can also arrange transportation directly through the Hilton (I assume you can do the same for most of the hotels.) There is also the local bus (Le Truck) which is very inexpensive but stops at every location it serves along the coast. We chose a cab as we wanted to get to the hotel sooner and to make an ATM stop along the way.

 

If you decide you want to overnight off the ship, have your T/A put in your request to the cruise line, or, call the cruise line directly if you've booked on your own. My understanding is that permission from the ship's captain is required. That said, I never did get written approval of my request and, when I checked my status upon embarkation, customer relations had no record of my request.

 

Celebrity was most accommodating but the request to disembark, then reembark at a later date is basically a one-off and not accomplished without some confusion. So, if you decide to overnight of the ship I'd simply advise that you be proactive and double-check every step of the way.

 

Obviously it wasn't too much effort or we wouldn't be planning a redo.

Edited October 1, 2012 by cruisinabout

[Tikiintahiti]

Le Truck will cost you about 3 bucks each

 

Transfer company will cost you about $12 bucks each

 

Cab will cost you $40 - $60 total depending on the cabbie and how busy they are

[Allis154]

http://www.aremiti.net/

 

You can see the ferry dock from the ship - about a 5 minute walk. The trip to Moorea on the fast ferry takes about 30 minutes and yes, there are taxis waiting when you arrive. Or, as Tikiintahiti mentioned, you can pre-book. You can also arrange transportation directly through the Hilton (I assume you can do the same for most of the hotels.) There is also the local bus (Le Truck) which is very inexpensive but stops at every location it serves along the coast. We chose a cab as we wanted to get to the hotel sooner and to make an ATM stop along the way.

 

If you decide you want to overnight off the ship, have your T/A put in your request to the cruise line, or, call the cruise line directly if you've booked on your own. My understanding is that permission from the ship's captain is required. That said, I never did get written approval of my request and, when I checked my status upon embarkation, customer relations had no record of my request.

 

Celebrity was most accommodating but the request to disembark, then reembark at a later date is basically a one-off and not accomplished without some confusion. So, if you decide to overnight of the ship I'd simply advise that you be proactive and double-check every step of the way.

 

Obviously it wasn't too much effort or we wouldn't be planning a redo.

 

Thanks for the info...seriously considering doing this in April :)