There is a major airline carrier dedicated to taking honeymooners and vacationers to Tahiti, and that airlines is called Air Tahiti Nui. The airlines is based in Papeete (Tahiti), and flies to Auckland (New Zealand), Los Angeles (USA), Tokyo (Japan), and Paris (France). My wife Jessica and I took off from LAX and it was roughly an 8 hour flight to Papeete, Tahiti.
While sitting at the gate before we boarded the aircraft, it is definitely apparent that 80% of the passenagers are going to Tahiti for their honeymoon. The rest look like family vacations with the kids. If you purchased anything from the duty-free shop, the items will be delivered to the gate before you board the plane. Air Tahiti Nui doesn’t have the best of reputations as pilot strikes frequently occur and flights are cancelled because of this. Our departing flight was one of the unfortunate instances, where we had to wait over night before we could fly out. There was no compensation for the duration of time we lost in Tahiti by the airlines, but luckily our travel agency was kind enough to offer a small refund for that time.
The Papeete airport on Tahiti is clean and at the time of our trip there was some construction going on to improve the terminals which should be nice when completed. You need to work your way through the customs area and once through, you can transfer to your connecting flight or meet your hotel guide who will take you to your hotel if your staying in Tahiti.
Jessica and I stayed 1 night in Tahiti, then traveled to Moorea via 1hr ferry boat ride and stayed 3 nights. From Moorea we flew to Bora Bora Airport on Air Tahiti.
Quick Tip – If you drink alcohol, then save some money and buy a bottle of something at the airport duty free shop, alcohol in French Polynesia is very expensive! French Polynesia has some incredible local fruit juices, you can make your own mixed drinks.
Quick Tip – If its your honeymoon, on the flight to Papeete ask the flight attendents for complimentary champagne. Ask for another bottle just before landing and save it for later when you get to your hotel.
Quick Tip – Bora Bora is the most popular island in the world, so of course the prices are going to be expensive. You can break up your trip into multiple islands to save some money and you won’t be dissappointed as there are many other beautiful locations throughout the Society Islands.
