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Moorea, French Polynesia
Do you have a favorite place in the world? For myself that would be none other than this tiny French Polynesian Island in the Pacific. I have never seen an island wilder and more breathtaking than this one. Moorea is the second largest of the windward islands of what is known as the Society Islands in French Polynesia.
My husband along with two of our best friends and I found a spectacular deal on a Princess cruise that would start on the Island of Tahiti in Papeete, and eventually make its way to the nearby islands of Moorea, Rangiroa, Huahine, and Bora Bora.
As soon as we realized that the island of Moorea was a 25-minute ferry ride from the main island and airport in Papeete, we decided to book an extra three days before the cruise in Moorea. Check out the Ferry Schedule here.
5 Reasons to Stay in Moorea instead of Bora Bora for your Tahitian Vacation
1. Significant Cost Savings
Bora Bora is world-famous and widely known, so why would I recommend anyone traveling to Tahiti to stay in Moorea instead? My absolute number one reason is that it is less expensive by far to stay on Moorea as opposed to Bora Bora.
Both islands are equally spectacular, but Moorea is far less expensive and just as breathtaking as Bora Bora. When we first stayed on Moorea, we booked a VRBO house on the water next to the Intercontinental hotel for $250 a night. This got us a 2 bedroom and 2 bath house with it’s own private beach, fire pit, kayaks, and paddle boards!
You can easily research hotels on expedia.com on Moorea and Bora Bora and you will see what I mean.
I did a quick search on the over-water bungalow hotels on Moorea, which are $500.00 per night versus $1,700.00 per night on Bora Bora. The Intercontinental on Moorea offers rooms starting at $350.00 per night, so there are deals to be had on the island for sure. While both locations have bungalows over the water, there are other places to travel to on the island besides just the beach which leads me to the subject of Intra-Island travel.
2. Intra-Island Travel
One of the major bummers about traveling to Bora Bora is that since it is an atoll, almost all of the major hotels are out in their own secluded (isolated) locations outside of the middle of Bora Bora, making getting around the island to see other places a little cumbersome. In Moorea, you can rent a car from Avis or reserve a car at a great price on Expedia.com and get around the island quite easily (even if the roads can get a little bumpy!)
Driving around Moorea is breathtaking. My eyes were constantly in awe of the scenery of the mountains and the clear blue water. The whole car was in silent awe of the scenery each time we hit the road (except when my husband was behind the wheel and we were all a bit frightened… You see, he likes to drive fast and “thread the needle” between massive potholes!) My friends were thankful when I eventually relieved him of his driving duties, and we were back to admiring the scenery instead of clutching our seatbelts.
Resort Hopping
In Bora Bora, we decided not to let the difficulties with intra-island travel get the better of us even despite it’s lack of interconnecting roads, so we chartered our own private boat and Captain and navigated to the Sofitel hotel in order to get a cocktail… only to be kicked out instead since we were not staying there. Talk about a disappointment after going through all the trouble to get there! This is the case for all the major hotels outside of the Island proper- so don’t make our mistake and expect to go visiting all those pretty properties by boat if you don’t have a room key!
The good news is, that isn’t the case in Moorea. You can rent a car as soon as you get off the ferry from Papeete and drive to all the picturesque hotels you like to have dinner and cocktails at their resorts, as they are in fact connected by these convenient little things they have there called “roads”. Experiencing beautiful hotel properties (and cocktails!) is one of my favorite things to do when traveling, and Bora Bora’s infrastructure put a damper on those plans for sure.
In other words if you stay in Bora Bora, you will mostly be relegated to your own resort property as opposed to Moorea, where you can freely move around the Island and experience a bunch.
3. Mount Rotui and the Primitive Island
This Moorean mountain is magical and absolutely stunning. We could’ve spent a couple of hours exploring and hiking, but instead we “cheated” and drove up to the tippy top by car. That way, it was only a short hike to some amazing photos.
Bora Bora has Mount Otemanu, which is in the center of the atoll. While both mountains are gorgeous, Mount Rotui on Moorea is so much more pronounced than Otemanu and I literally could not stop staring at its beauty.
Moorea just makes me feel like I am Captain Cook discovering it for the first time. The beauty of the island is kept primitive (on purpose) and gives the visitor a secluded feel during the whole visit.
In fact, one of the bonuses about traveling to the French Polynesian Islands is they are not overcrowded, and Moorea gets top marks in this aspect.
4. The Local Restaurants
The French Polynesian Restaurants have a fusion of French, Hawaiin, Polynesian, Chinese, and Vietnamese cuisine, and they incorporate coconut and Tahitian Vanilla in many of the dishes. Bora Bora has a famous restaurant/bar called Bloody Mary’s where all the movie stars go and has quite a history for famous patronage. Honestly though, other than this one amazing gem I did not find the amazing restaurants that I found in Moorea (once again scoring a point for it over Bora Bora).
My husband and our dear friends love to eat a dish from these islands called Poisson Cru which is tuna marinated with lime and coconut milk. Everywhere we went they would order it and it is by far one of the most popular dishes in French Polynesia.
Coco Beach Moorea
A place that you need to visit on the island. I cannot describe how cool this place is. Head over to Coco Beach for lunch, and make sure you reserve a table before you head over. There are sting rays that just float by as you sit in the crystal-clear water drinking your cocktail.
Touring all of the hotels on Moorea led me to find the best place to get a cocktail with a view too. The winner in this regard: Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort.
The best pizza and atmosphere on Moorea award goes to Vai’are Pizza and make sure you try the coconut ice cream- it is so delicious! (Can you tell I am a foodie?)
Do not hesitate to make your way to the main grocery store on Moorea to buy some Tahitian vanilla beans and Monoi Tiki Tahiti Coconut Oil (for your skin) at the Municipal Market. Tiki Oil smells like a fragrant perfume of vanilla and coconut while moisturizing your skin- perfect for exuding the island vibe. Also, if you are going to re-create our little adventure on Moorea and rent a house you should absolutely swing by the market for some snacks to stock the place up with on the cheap.
5. More Adventurous Activities
There are so many great adventurous activities to do in Moorea. Again, Bora Bora is also just as breathtaking, but I feel as though Moorea edges it out in this category as well.
Top Tours
Viator.com is my number one go to for booking trips when traveling overseas. They are always reliable and have fantastic customer service and unique tours.
- Lagoonarium Snorkeling – Best place to snorkel to see all kinds of sea creatures.
- Ocean Wildlife Expedition; Swim with Whales, Sharks, and Rays
- Half Day Guided Hike to Afareaitu Waterfall
- Private Boat Tour of Lagoon
- Moorea 3-Hour Jet Ski Tour
- Foodie Option – Moorea 4WD Tour Inc. Belvedere, Pineapple Farm, Magic Mountain.
And Now for Another History Deep Dive…
Captain Cook’s Bay
As you sail into Moorea you will notice the famous Cook’s Bay, which is absolutely stunning. This bay is named after the famous Captain Cook. A British naval explorer who conducted three expeditions to the Pacific during the 18th Century.
Cook anchored his famous ship the Endeavor in the bay on his first circumnavigation around the world. On his first voyage Cook was tasked by the British Royal Society in 1769 to take some men and their assistants to the Tahitian Islands. Their mission was to observe the movement of the planet Venus across the sun. It is in Cook’s Bay in Moorea where they would observe this strange request. (1)
Moorea was first discovered by Capt. Samuel Wallis in 1767. The Society Islands were named in honor of the Royal Society, which had commissioned the expedition under Captain James Cook. (2)
Cook would later be killed by Polynesians in a squall over a stolen cutter on his third trip to the Pacific. Cook’s famous journal details the indigenous people that he encountered on the Tahitian islands. (3)
If you are interested in reading more about Captain Cook’s adventures through the Pacific and his experience discovering the people of the Tahitian Islands check out The Journals of Captain Cook.
Are you ready to book your trip?
I hope that I have convinced you of the 5 Reasons why you should stay in Moorea over Bora Bora. (But if you remember only one of them, it’s that you can vacation in the Tahitian Islands for 1/3 of the cost!) Moorea is my favorite and I think you should add it to your bucket list. Take a day trip to Bora Bora instead. I promise you will not regret it, and neither will your pocketbook.
Sources:
(1). James Cook | Biography, Accomplishments, Ship, Voyage Route, Family, Death, & Facts | Britannica
(2). French Polynesia – Tahiti, Oceania, Colonization | Britannica
(3). Cook’s journal | National Museum of Australia (nma.gov.au)