PG 1/31-2/10 Review

[JanetinPA]

We left for LA Sat. afternoon. Thank goodness we didn’t have to contend with bad weather! Our son met us at the airport. DH’s sister was also there to surprise him for his birthday. We went out to dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s in Beverly Hills. The seafood was excellent!!

After breakfast, we headed to LAX as we were on the 1:00 Air Tahiti flight. I think it was one of their newer planes ( Rangiroa). The flight was great – it was less than a third full so we could really spread out in coach. Both meals were pretty good considering it was airline food. The Hinanos were wonderful!! We were able to catch a beautiful sunset somewhere over FP. Stepping off the plane in Tahiti felt great – it was so nice to feel the warm tropical breeze after leaving frigid winter temperatures! We headed to the IC in Papeete. Check in was quick & easy! We got to our room (garden view) and the security lock on the door fell off. We called the front desk and were told they would send maintenance to fix it. After waiting a half hour, we called the front desk again and asked them if we could change rooms since the lock hadn’t been fixed yet. Within 5 minutes, we were in a panoramic room over looking the fresh water- sand bottom pool. We called it a night at about 9:30 after having a cup of tea on the balcony.

 

Day 2 - The next morning was just beautiful. We had coffee out on the balcony and then went to breakfast. Breakfast was included in the package from Regent. We decided to take Le Truck into town. The stop is right near the front entrance to the hotel. We walked all around town and headed to the market for lunch (can’t beat the $2.00 sandwiches). We took Le Truck back to the hotel and swam the rest of the afternoon. I love the sand bottom pool with the swim-up bar! We watched the sunset over Moorea and then went to dinner at the hotel. The Mahi Mahi with vanilla sauce (2850 pf) was excellent. I think we were asleep by 9:30 again!

 

Day 3 - We got awake at daybreak. My DH decided to go out and take some pictures. I went back to bed! He came back and we enjoyed our coffee out on the balcony. I think we were now on “island mode”! So, after breakfast, we just spent the day walking the grounds and swimming.

 

Cruise Day

After my morning coffee, I repacked a few things and then we enjoyed a buffet breakfast. We walked the grounds again and then took a morning swim. We decided to just wear our bathing suits to the ship. We checked out and had lunch at the hotel (included in our package). Since there was no buffet that day, we ordered off the dinner menus. I think the cheeseburgers were $14.00.! We swam again after lunch as we were getting picked up at 3:00 to go to the ship. When we got off the bus, Rani (cruise director) recognized us! She couldn’t believe we were back. Some of the other crew members also remembered us!! We were shocked! How often does that happen on other cruise lines??? Check in was a breeze – I think we were in our room and all unpacked by 4:00! We had a room with a big picture window-Class D We had a drink by the pool while enjoying the sights in the harbor and Papeete. We had a wonderful dinner in L’ Etoile. I called it a night after dinner. My DH went up to the pool deck to watch the “Les Gauguines” sing.

 

Huahine – Safari Expedition

Our first stop was the marae at Fare Potee. While at the marae, a woman came and opened the museum for us. What a treat! Next we headed to a vanilla farm. We got to meet the “official” island vanilla dryer – Papa Revy. He was featured in RevaTahita the magazine on the airplane. Instead of driving around the whole island, our next stop was a visit to a pearl farm. We stopped at a little dock and got into a motorized outrigger. The pearl farm was great. They were cleaning the oysters before putting them back into the water. They also had a small shop and we were able to buy our granddaughter a nice pearl. Our next stop was the village of Faie. Here we saw the “famous” eels that live in the stream. They were certainly big and ugly – but we didn’t see their blue eyes! We got back to Fare and walked around the town a little before heading back to the ship. We liked the tour as it gave you an overview of the whole island.

 

Raiatea - Faaroa River and Island Exploration

We started our tour in the outrigger canoe. The Faaroa River is the only navigable river in FP. While admiring all the flowers and lush vegetation, our guide gave us the history and importance of this river. The next part of the tour was by “truck”. We got to see the interior of this island. Our last stop was to the Marae Taputapuatea. This is one of the largest and best preserved maraes in Polynesia.

Right before dinner, the children of Raiatea came onboard to perform. Don’t miss this dance show! The children ranged in age from 4 to 18. The kids were great! We really enjoyed their performance.

 

Rangiroa

We didn’t take any tours here. Last year we took the ship tour to the black pearl farm where we experienced a presentation on the process of producing the pearls. There was also a small shop filled with a great selection of pearls at good prices. We purchased several last year. Don’t feel pressured to make a selection in the time allotted on the tour. You can stay and shop after to tour bus leaves and they will take you back to the ship in their shuttle.

There are a few venders at the dock. We found some nice reasonably priced pearls at one of the tables. We asked if she took “plastic” and she said yes but only at her shop. The next thing we knew, she asked the women next to her to watch her table, and she got her car keys and drove us to her shop - “Black Pearl Island” where we found some other pearls to purchase. One the way back, she stopped at various scenic places so we could get out and take pictures.

The next morning, we took the tender into town. There were dolphins following the tender! We walked all around the little village and then walked to the ocean. The sounds of families singing could be heard throughout the village. We went back to the ship and enjoyed lunch at Le Grill as we sailed away.

Later, we went to a cooking demonstration. A few of the Les Gauguines were making “poisson cru” - Tahiti's national dish. Yum! We each had 2 servings! After the cooking demo, we went to a weaving class. We wove pandanus leaves into small plates – at least that’s what they were supposed to be!!

 

Bora Bora - Off Road Adventure

This tour was absolutely fantastic! It was a little bumpy but a whole lot of fun! The views were spectacular. We took lots and lots of pictures on this tour. We even stopped at Bloody Mary’s for drinks before going back to the pier. After the tour, we took the free shuttle to the Tahiti Pearl Market. They hugged and kissed us when we walked in as they remembered us from last year! We couldn’t believe it – I only bought a small pendant there last year! I wasn’t really planning on buying anything until….. a light blue pearl called to me!

Unlike yesterday, today was very cloudy. We walked around town in the morning and went back to the ship for lunch. After lunch, we decided to go over to the Motu. We snorkeled for a bit then it started to drizzle. We went back to the ship before it started to rain hard!

Tonight we had reservations at La Veranda. I had Mahi Mahi and my DH had the lamb chops. Both were excellent! We both had the Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée for dessert. Yum!

 

Taha’a

We didn’t do any tours here. We were excited to spend the whole day on the private motu. We went over on one of the first tenders even though it was cloudy and drizzling. We were met at the pier with a drink. We just got to a table when it really started to rain. We didn’t care – we were having a good time with everyone at the table. The rain slowed enough for us to check out the craft tables. The barbecue lunch was great. The wait staff covered our plates with trays so our food wouldn’t get wet on the way back to the tables. After lunch, most of us went snorkeling. The fish didn’t care that it was raining. It was warmer in the water than it was sitting under the umbrella. We headed back to the ship to get a nice warm shower and a nap!

 

Moorea – Opunohu Bay

No more rain!! The first day, we had a free private tour including a champagne lunch (that’s a whole other story). Eleven people were supposed to go but there were only 3 of us plus our own concierge and travel guide! Before boarding the bus, we stopped to talk to Lee (that’s another story!!). In fact, when we got to his stand he called out “Hi Janet & Chris”! He and his wife sell embroidered and painted t-shirts. They are good quality shirts. We bought some from him last year. After many many washings, they still look brand new!

Meanwhile back to our tour… We went to an art gallery first, then to Belvedere. Next we stopped at Woody’s Sculpture and Pearl Shop. Woody had just gotten back from his pearl farm last week. All of us found something to buy! He was sorting pearls for earring and lo and behold, he had 2 blue ones to match the pendant I bought in Bora Bora. Woody’s prices are great. He only charged me $20 for mounting the pearls on French hooks. We went to the Moorea Pearl for lunch. The lunch was wonderful – champagne -wahoo cooked in a banana leaf, rice with a vanilla sauce and stir fried vegetables. Dessert was a chocolate lava cake, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, and a pistachio wafer cookie. We walked around the hotel to admire the views and take some pictures. On the way back to the pier, we stopped at a little boutique called the “White House’. Woody’s van was at the pier when we got back. We went to the shop to pick up our jewelry as we didn’t have time to wait earlier since we were running late for our lunch at the hotel.

We talked to Lee for a while and then went to talk to Michele. He sells carved pearls on the dock. His prices for carved pearls are much much better than any other shop! He also remembered us from last year!

Some of the vendors were moving their stands over to Cook’s Bay since the ship was moving to the other bay. Oh, Lee takes plastic, Michele does not. He does take US$$.

 

Moorea – Cook’s Bay – Off Road Safari

First stop was the distillery. We didn’t tour it – it’s just another souvenir shop! Next we drove through the agricultural school and walked through the fields of flowers and pineapple. There is a stand where you can sample & purchase some of the homemade jam.

Next stop – Magic Mountain. Wow!! We couldn’t believe the views! This was just as good if not better than the off road adventure in Bora Bora. The ride was bumpy in some spots. Parts were very steep – we backed up the last part of Magic Mountain. There is a short steep walk up to the very top.

This tour also goes to the Belvedere. The only time we used mosquito repellent was when we stopped at the marae on the way down from Belvedere.

“O Tahiti E Dance Troupe” performed before dinner. This is one show you don’t want to miss. Wow!!

They also stay around after the show so you can take pictures with them.

 

Papeete

How sad – our cruise has come to an end!! After breakfast, we took our carry-ons to the Grand Salon and checked them in. We left the ship and walked around the town and market again. We came back to the ship and had a wonderful buffet lunch.

At around 1:15, we boarded a bus to the Radisson. Check in was a breeze. They had everything set up in a conference room. We dropped our things in our room and went out to check out the pool and the black sand beach. It was really crowded. There were tons of kids too. We found out that “locals” are welcome at the hotel. If they buy breakfast/lunch, they can use the pool. The beach is a public beach. The day room was “free” with our package. We liked the IC much better. We would rather spend the extra money to stay there. It took forever to board the busses to go to the airport!! There was only 1 person checking off each person’s name before you could board the bus. They never bothered to collect our boarding passes!! After the first bus was loaded, it started to pour!! It was a mob scene as everyone tried to get under the roof at the hotel entrance as well as stay in line for the bus!

The flight home was filled!! No room to upgrade or spread out! It didn’t matter though; I think we fell asleep before we even took off! It didn’t take long to clear customs. We walked from the international terminal to the USAir terminal to get some exercise and waste some time! We had a 4 hour layover till our next flight! This flight was also completely filled! We were glad our kids brought our winter coats to the airport!! It was only in the 20s when we arrived in Philly.

[ski3bee]

Hi Janet,

What a great report! I especially loved your discription of the excursions that you went on. We are trying to decide what to do on our trip so your information was excellent.:)

I am always surprised at the many repeat clients the Paul Gauguin has, it must be a wonderful experience, we are so looking forward to our trip.

Thanks so much for all the info.

Ski

[canadagal]

What a great review! I really enjoyed reading about your adventures. I was especially pleased to read that you ordered the Mahi Mahi more then once so it must have been good. I was disappointed when I read the first reviews after Grand Circle had taken over and people were reporting that the food and fish in particular was not up to the usual high standards. So it sounds like the PG has turned things around again. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[exgman]

Hi Janet, I didn't know you were a Cruise Critic member. (Dan & Kelly) I agree, it was a great cuise and the weather turned out pretty good compared to the other cruises in January. King was a great tour guide on the 4x4 trip. I had heard the same thing as canadagal about the food, but it turned out to be very good. The only meal I had a problem with was the lobster. It had way too much Tahitian Vanilla on it for my taste. Other than that I'd give the food in all three restaurants an A. I hope you and Chris nhad a good trip home and enjoy your cruise in May.

 

Dan

[JanetinPA]

Hi!

Likewise, I didn't know you were cruise critic members. Our flight home was good but long!! We finally got home at about 8 PM Sunday night - about 24 hours after leaving paradise!! The next day we had a snow and ice storm!!

We leave for Mexico this weekend. Yea! We'll be in warm weather again even though we will be working for our daughter.

 

Keep in touch.