11/7/08 thru 11/11/08 Intercontinental Hotel, Papeete, Tahiti
Let me preface the rest of this blog with a few remarks, just to put things into perspective. This experience was literally going to be one of those proverbial “trip of a lifetime” adventures, although I really hope that there will be more of them in the future. As I’ve said in previous posts, New Zealand was the most anticipated part of the trip but I had a high level of enthusiasm for the entire thing. However, by the time the first cruise ended in Sydney, my enthusiasm had started to wane somewhat. As I’ve explained, I was tired, both mentally and physically, having been on the go constantly for at least six weeks. Not to mention all the work that preceded the actual trip itself. I was beginning to miss my friends, my home and especially my little girl, Sarah. She’s a dog, by the way. I also wasn’t looking forward to all the travel that was ahead to get from Australia all the way back to Virginia. And, even though it was a five star resort, I wasn’t enthused about spending five days alone in a hotel, no matter where it was located. As much as I wanted to see these islands, I was ready to do it quickly and get it behind me so I could go home. In retrospect, I probably would have enjoyed French Polynesia much more if it had been a separate destination on a future trip rather than an add-on to this one. So that was my mind-set when I reached Papeete.
Okay, where was I? Oh right, I went to bed late last night, the 7th and fell asleep immediately. I woke up pretty early Saturday morning, feeling much more refreshed than when I went to bed. If you know me at all, you can guess what my first priority would be in the morning. I looked around for a coffee pot! Fortunately, there was one in the armoire, along with all the fixin’s. Enough coffee, sugar and creamer for four cups, regular and decaf. I brewed a cup of high-test and went out on the balcony for my first look at my temporary home. I have to admit to being impressed! Especially since I had booked just a garden view room, at the low end of the price range. Of course, everything is relative. My room was more than three hundred dollars per night, not cheap by any measure. Just not up there with the ocean view and overwater bungalows. Since I was using the hotel as simply a waiting area,
it didn’t make any kind of sense to spend the extra money to upgrade. After all, I’ve had ocean views since I left Long Beach! Anyhow, I walked outside, looked around and immediately went in to get my camera. The view was gorgeous. Palm trees, pretty flowers, green foliage, overlooking a lagoon with folks kayaking and paddling outrigger canoes. It was great! Across the lagoon, planes were landing at Faa’a airport and, off in the distance, I could see ships coming into the port. All in all, not too shabby. I sat on the balcony for an hour or two (or maybe until the coffee ran out, I can’t remember) then decided to shower and wander out for a look around the resort.
First stop, the lobby. Wow! Coolest lobby I’ve ever seen. It was completely open, floor to roof, with wooden columns. The floor looked like marble (but probably wasn’t) and was polished to within an inch of its life. It was well decorated, with some very comfortable sofa and chair groupings, where I would spend a lot of time during the next few days. The open design allowed the breeze to blow through, making it not seem nearly as hot as the temperature and humidity would indicate. But the real grabber was the view.
My first impression was that this may have been the most beautiful view I had ever seen. If there’s a heaven, this might well be it! First, there’s the pool and lagoon, then a coral reef, twelve miles of ocean called the Sea of the Moon, another reef and finally the island of Moorea with its jagged mountains dominated by Mount Mouaroa, commonly known as the “Shark’s Tooth”, in the center. It was an amazing sight. I just stood and admired that view for a few minutes. It was really mesmerizing. Little did I know that it would get even better when the sun set!
I’m not much of a breakfast person but I decided to have coffee and danish before the restaurant quit serving breakfast. The restaurant is located two levels below the lobby, adjacent to the pool. It’s also open and has the same views as the lobby so it’s a pretty pleasant place to sit and have a meal. Until you get the check! Sticker shock, big time! The “Express” breakfast, consisting of coffee, juice and pastry, was about sixteen dollars. My immediate reaction was shock but I reminded myself that I had already spent a small fortune on this trip. So I stopped worrying about the little things. Somewhat….
After breakfast, I just strolled the grounds and took some pictures. It’s a pretty large resort and it’s spread out over a lot of land, with walkways connecting all the various pieces. Everywhere you look, you see a post card view. The pool is an amazing color of blue and is divided into several different sections of various depths. The lagoon is fed by the ocean and contains an array of tropical fish. Guests are invited to feeding sessions twice per day. There are several sections of small white-sand beach, complete with lounges 
and hammocks. There is a cabana bar located beside the pool area and a souvenir hut between the restaurant and pool. Bridges cross the lagoon and inlet streams. There are several somewhat isolated sections of overwater bungalows. And palms, shrubs and flowering plants everywhere! It was just a gorgeous setting. I took fifty pictures without ever leaving the grounds. I suppose if you have to kill time somewhere, this isn’t the worst place to do it. Some of my enthusiasm was starting to return, just a little bit.
Way back when I was planning the trip, I figured that having five days to relax after the first cruise would be a good thing. I thought that I could take an excursion around the island, maybe take the ferry over to Moorea to do a little sightseeing. And I could have done those things but I never did! Instead, I found myself just sitting around the lobby, wandering the grounds, sitting on 
the balcony, taking naps or doing something equally non-productive. It was strange: I was bored after a day or so but I couldn’t make myself do anything about it. It was just much easier to do nothing! I did buy a couple of tee shirts in the gift shop at thirty-five bucks each and I got a phone card and called some friends. That was nice after so long without hearing a familiar voice. Too bad I couldn’t talk with my dog! I also met some nice people while I was hanging out in the lobby. Folks are friendly when they’re on a nice vacation, it seems.
That was pretty much the way each day was spent so I won’t try to recount each of the five days. Oh, one thing I was going to mention: a cheeseburger and coke cost thirty dollars. Tipping isn’t expected, however. The best part of each day was late afternoon. Just before sunset, guests would begin to gather in the lobby and on the beach to watch and photograph the sunset over Moorea. It was always magnificent, sometimes spectacular and never bad! The photo that I chose for the main picture on this blog was taken from the lobby of the hotel. I’ve got thousands of photos from this trip but none that I like better. But even the picture doesn’t give you the true feeling of being there, seeing it in person.
Okay, where was I? Oh right, I went to bed late last night, the 7th and fell asleep immediately. I woke up pretty early Saturday morning, feeling much more refreshed than when I went to bed. If you know me at all, you can guess what my first priority would be in the morning. I looked around for a coffee pot! Fortunately, there was one in the armoire, along with all the fixin’s. Enough coffee, sugar and creamer for four cups, regular and decaf. I brewed a cup of high-test and went out on the balcony for my first look at my temporary home. I have to admit to being impressed! Especially since I had booked just a garden view room, at the low end of the price range. Of course, everything is relative. My room was more than three hundred dollars per night, not cheap by any measure. Just not up there with the ocean view and overwater bungalows. Since I was using the hotel as simply a waiting area,
it didn’t make any kind of sense to spend the extra money to upgrade. After all, I’ve had ocean views since I left Long Beach! Anyhow, I walked outside, looked around and immediately went in to get my camera. The view was gorgeous. Palm trees, pretty flowers, green foliage, overlooking a lagoon with folks kayaking and paddling outrigger canoes. It was great! Across the lagoon, planes were landing at Faa’a airport and, off in the distance, I could see ships coming into the port. All in all, not too shabby. I sat on the balcony for an hour or two (or maybe until the coffee ran out, I can’t remember) then decided to shower and wander out for a look around the resort.
First stop, the lobby. Wow! Coolest lobby I’ve ever seen. It was completely open, floor to roof, with wooden columns. The floor looked like marble (but probably wasn’t) and was polished to within an inch of its life. It was well decorated, with some very comfortable sofa and chair groupings, where I would spend a lot of time during the next few days. The open design allowed the breeze to blow through, making it not seem nearly as hot as the temperature and humidity would indicate. But the real grabber was the view.
My first impression was that this may have been the most beautiful view I had ever seen. If there’s a heaven, this might well be it! First, there’s the pool and lagoon, then a coral reef, twelve miles of ocean called the Sea of the Moon, another reef and finally the island of Moorea with its jagged mountains dominated by Mount Mouaroa, commonly known as the “Shark’s Tooth”, in the center. It was an amazing sight. I just stood and admired that view for a few minutes. It was really mesmerizing. Little did I know that it would get even better when the sun set!
I’m not much of a breakfast person but I decided to have coffee and danish before the restaurant quit serving breakfast. The restaurant is located two levels below the lobby, adjacent to the pool. It’s also open and has the same views as the lobby so it’s a pretty pleasant place to sit and have a meal. Until you get the check! Sticker shock, big time! The “Express” breakfast, consisting of coffee, juice and pastry, was about sixteen dollars. My immediate reaction was shock but I reminded myself that I had already spent a small fortune on this trip. So I stopped worrying about the little things. Somewhat….
After breakfast, I just strolled the grounds and took some pictures. It’s a pretty large resort and it’s spread out over a lot of land, with walkways connecting all the various pieces. Everywhere you look, you see a post card view. The pool is an amazing color of blue and is divided into several different sections of various depths. The lagoon is fed by the ocean and contains an array of tropical fish. Guests are invited to feeding sessions twice per day. There are several sections of small white-sand beach, complete with lounges 
and hammocks. There is a cabana bar located beside the pool area and a souvenir hut between the restaurant and pool. Bridges cross the lagoon and inlet streams. There are several somewhat isolated sections of overwater bungalows. And palms, shrubs and flowering plants everywhere! It was just a gorgeous setting. I took fifty pictures without ever leaving the grounds. I suppose if you have to kill time somewhere, this isn’t the worst place to do it. Some of my enthusiasm was starting to return, just a little bit.
Way back when I was planning the trip, I figured that having five days to relax after the first cruise would be a good thing. I thought that I could take an excursion around the island, maybe take the ferry over to Moorea to do a little sightseeing. And I could have done those things but I never did! Instead, I found myself just sitting around the lobby, wandering the grounds, sitting on 
the balcony, taking naps or doing something equally non-productive. It was strange: I was bored after a day or so but I couldn’t make myself do anything about it. It was just much easier to do nothing! I did buy a couple of tee shirts in the gift shop at thirty-five bucks each and I got a phone card and called some friends. That was nice after so long without hearing a familiar voice. Too bad I couldn’t talk with my dog! I also met some nice people while I was hanging out in the lobby. Folks are friendly when they’re on a nice vacation, it seems.
That was pretty much the way each day was spent so I won’t try to recount each of the five days. Oh, one thing I was going to mention: a cheeseburger and coke cost thirty dollars. Tipping isn’t expected, however. The best part of each day was late afternoon. Just before sunset, guests would begin to gather in the lobby and on the beach to watch and photograph the sunset over Moorea. It was always magnificent, sometimes spectacular and never bad! The photo that I chose for the main picture on this blog was taken from the lobby of the hotel. I’ve got thousands of photos from this trip but none that I like better. But even the picture doesn’t give you the true feeling of being there, seeing it in person.
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