Our Dream Honeymoon in French Polynesia: Bora Bora and Taha’a
BORA BORA!!! A place so nice they named it twice!
My husband and I just got back from our honeymoon to Bora Bora and Taha’a and WOW… what an absolute DREAM! I’m feeling so dang grateful for this trip. It was like living inside a postcard! (…or like being on The Bachelor! 😝🌹)
A few people asked me where we stayed and if we have any recommendations — so in this post, I’ll share some details. We used a travel agent to book the entire trip which I HIGHLY recommend. I will include his information at the bottom of this post.
If you have any questions, feel free to comment on this post and I’ll get back to you!
>> And psst… if you’re here because you’re getting married — congratulations! If you’re looking for more wedding content, make sure you check out 🐕 19 Pawsome Ways To Include Your Dog In Your Wedding and 💍 5 Last-Minute Tips To Help You Prepare For Your Wedding Day—Advice From A Recent ‘Excited-But-Also-Super-Stressed’ Bride.
On our honeymoon, we visited two destinations in French Polynesia:
📍Taha'a
📍Bora Bora
Both were extremely magical and I’m breaking down the resorts and our excursions below.
📍Destination 1: Taha'a
We stayed in a gorgeous overwater bungalow at Le Taha'a by Pearl Resorts. We explored both land and sea on different excursions and learned a lot about the incredible culture! (More to come on that…)
Here’s a little about the resort for those who are curious:
“Le Taha'a by Pearl Resorts is a world of its own. Set on beautiful Motu Tautau, a private islet looking onto the lush shores of Taha'a on one side and the majestic silhouette of Bora Bora on the other, our intimate resort offers 58 remarkable suites and villas inspired by timeless traditional Polynesian architecture and style.
Le Taha'a was the first member of Relais & Chateaux in the Islands of Tahiti. It embraces the exclusive network's philosophy of sophistication and authenticity, in harmony with its preserved environment, people and local culture.”
It was absolutely stunning and I would highly recommend this resort. I mean, just LOOK at it! 😍
Here are a few core memories from taha’a
Exploring Taha’a In A 4x4
🚘 We explored the inner rainforest of Taha’a in a 4x4 with amazing and wonderful and kind local guides! This was a great way to get to see all the sights and learn more about Taha’a.
Polynesian fire dancers
🔥 This fire dancer was beyond incredible. I’m sharing a video so you can see just how magical this show was!
Incredible fire dancer!
Vanilla Farm
🌱 We visited a vanilla farm where the most sought-after vanilla beans in the world are grown. The vanilla flowers are hand-pollinated (yes, ONE BY ONE!) and the beans are sun-dried with such love. It was really neat to see.
Oh, and we met Vanilla, the cute pup pictured below! 🐾🥰
Tahitian Pearl Farm
🦪 Next, we visited a pearl farm and learned how pearls are nurtured (for years!) before being turned into beautiful jewelry. These Tahitian black pearls vary in color, shape, quality, and size, and are sorted and graded with such love.
Jet Skiing Through Lagoons
🌊 Holy. Cow. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Jet skiing through the lagoons in the gorgeous turquoise water literally took our breath away. (Which could have also been from the legit sharks in the water below us… )
At one point, my husband and I stopped and looked around at our surroundings and just… wow. If you’re going to French Polynesia, I highly recommend a guided jet ski tour! You will not be disappointed.
Snorkeling in the coral garden
🤿 This was my first time snorkeling and… holy moley!!! Snorkeling in the Coral Garden in Taha’a was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life! You just kind of float in this drift and see the most stunning world underwater.
I felt like I was floating in The Little Mermaid. Or Finding Nemo. And these 2 cute little fish kept following us around and it was just pure paradise! 🐟🐠
Tour of a Rhum Distillery
🥃 On a rainy day, we went on a tour of Distillerie de Taha’a where they serve Domaine Pari Pari. We did a delicious tasting of their rhum. (Yes, it was 9 AM. Yes, it was delicious. And yes, we bought two bottles to take back to our resort lol!)
It was really neat to see the inner workings of how this delicious rhum is made.
📍Destination 2: Bora Bora
After our stay in Taha’a, we took a boat and a quick plane ride to Bora Bora. And wow, talk about PARADISE!!!
We stayed at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui and I really don’t even know how to put into words how incredibly gorgeous this resort is. Here’s a blurb from their website that describes the magic:
Conrad Bora Bora Nui is “nestled in a private cove on Motu To’opua, where villas float on turquoise seas and views of indigo horizons are as endless as the bright blue sky.”
If you’re looking for a luxurious and unforgettable experience in Bora Bora, I highly recommend this resort.
Here are a few core memories from Bora Bora
The sunsets
🌅 I mean… I can’t even begin to describe these gorgeous sunsets. They were just unreal.
Shades of Blue Helicopter Tour
🚁 When we saw there was a helicopter tour available, we had to add this to our honeymoon bucket list. (Yes, mainly because of The Bachelor.)
This helicopter tour lived up to its name, and we saw the most gorgeous shades of blue as we flew over Bora Bora, the overwater bungalows, Mt Otemanu, and the various motus that surround the island.
This was a little pricey, but definitely worth the once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Swimming With Sharks and manta rays
🦈 This was definitely a core memory for me and one of my favorite parts of the entire trip!
For those who are curious, blacktip reef sharks apparently do not pose a serious threat to humans. (Although, to be honest, my adrenalin was definitely pumping because, well, they are still sharks!)
And the manta rays just kind of floated along the bottom of the water and looked extremely majestic.
If you’re visiting French Polynesia, I would definitely add this to your bucket list!
Getting ready to swim with these sharks! 😅
snorkeling in the lagoon
🤿 After swimming with sharks and manta rays, we went snorkeling in the magnificent lagoon.
My husband and I were saying that we wish we had bought a GoPro for this experience because we want to relive it over and over!
ATVs around the island
🏍️ We went on a guided ATV tour around Mt. Otemanu and saw some of the most incredible views. This was a really cool way to explore the sights and get some great pictures!
Our Travel agent
As I mentioned above, we used Ron Phillips Travel to book the honeymoon. Ron was amazing and made the entire process so easy for us. He responded to our emails and texts almost instantly. He helped point us in the right direction and offered advice. He knows a LOT and it was so helpful since we didn’t really know anything about the area!
We also really liked having access to an app with all the important information laid out including a step-by-step/day-by-day itinerary. Here is his info if you’re interested:
We also got to watch Polynesian music and shows, we had a couples massage in a hut, met some really amazing people, and just had the most memorable time.
Besides saying “we miss our dog” about 57 times a day, it was an absolute DREAM honeymoon and I feel so dang grateful and blessed and happy and relaxed!
More to come on this post when I have time to update it… ;)
XOXO Haylie
Psst… looking for more? Check out:
🐕 19 Pawsome Ways To Include Your Dog In Your Wedding
📝 The ULTIMATE Vacation Packing List, Down To The Very Last Q-Tip
🚗 Free Printable Travel Scavenger Hunt—Fun On The Road For Kids!