The Tahitian Islands, aka French Polynesia, are open for vaccinated tourists and it is one of My Vacation Lady’s top requested honeymoon destination for 2022.

We love giving our clients some insider tips that we know to give them a heads up on what to expect.

Conrad Bora Bora Nui

Here are some Insider Tips for your honeymoon to the Tahitian Islands

 Money-

You will find the best exchange rate for withdrawing local French Pacific Francs (XPF) by simply using the ATM at the Faa’a International Airport upon arrival. If not, there are also several ATMs around the island of Tahiti and on the islands of Moorea, Bora Bora, etc.

  • Make sure your ATM card is a Visa. Some ATMs don’t accept Mastercard, American Express or Diners Club.
  • Dollars are often accepted but the exchange rate used by restaurants, the arts & crafts market, and hotels can  be 5 points less than what you’ll get at the ATM
  • If you use US $ to make a purchase you may get change in XPF.

Insider Tip:  Between Sept 1, 2020 and  May 31, 2022, there is a dual circulation of old and new XPF coins. Both are valid, so don’t worry if you receive XPF change with the old coins! Starting June 1, 2022, only the new coins will be in circulation. This is a picture of the new coins.

How much Alcohol can you bring into Hawaii?

You can bring a total of 4 liters of alcohol per person (maximum 2 bottles of spirits such as whiskey, gin, vodka, cognac and the remaining 2 bottles can be champagne and wine).

  • You can buy 2 liters of alcohol at home and pack it in your suitcase (use a scuba dive dry bag or similar).
  • Or buy 2 liters of alcohol at the Airport Duty Free before your departure from Los Angeles or San Francisco.
  • Upon arrival at Faa’a International Airport, you can buy 2 more liters at Tahiti Duty Free located after going through Passport Control and in the luggage area.
  • If you get stopped by Customs when exiting, you are safe to declare all 4 bottles

Insider Tip:  Don’t use mixers for drinks and cocktails taken from your hotel mini-bar since they’re usually super pricey.  If the hotel has a souvenir or gift stop, you can buy them there. If not, try and go to your closest supermarket or corner store. Ask concierge for directions.

Also bring packable snacks in your suitcase. You may also want to pack a couple of insulated travel tumblers for cocktails, wine and champagne.  (Amazon has plenty to choose from)

Tipping-

Tipping isn’t mandatory but always appreciated.  At some restaurants, activities and resorts, bonuses are given to the employees with the most positive reviews on Tripadvisor, Facebook or Google and the hotel’s satisfaction survey for their good service.

Insider Tip:  In hotels and restaurants, there is a 5% service charge added on to the bill (on top of VAT). This service charge is distributed evenly to all employees at the end of the year who were always present on the job (sickness leave is of course permitted).

Luggage limits on Inter Island Flights

Air Tahiti  pays attention to the weight of your luggage.  The domestic airline accepts one suitcase weighing 23kg or 50lbs (55 x 35 x 25 cm) and one carry-on case of 5kgs or 11lbs plus a purse or backpack per person.

  • Don’t bring a rolling suitcase as a carry on- use a back pack.

Insider Tip:  So if you do buy 4 liters of alcohol or have other heavy items, make sure you can bring them without going over weight or having too many carry on bags. For example when boarding the plane, they will NOT accept: the duty free bag + a carry on + a purse/backpack.

  • If you are a scuba diver and you have your PADI or other dive card or proof of purchase for dives in the islands, you may go over the limit by 5kgs or 11lbs.

What to Pack

While we can tell you not to over pack, you probably will anyway but let’s try this:

The following is for women only. Men seem to always know what to bring.
Clothes:  Light, flowy dresses. 2 or 3 swimsuits and a couple of pareos (sarongs) as we say in Tahiti.  They’ll double as a wrap when it is cool in the plane or evening. If you don’t have any, you can buy them as soon as you arrive at the resorts. Wear them all the time as the locals do! A rashguard to protect against the sun when snorkeling. Shorts, cute tops (but not too many). Gym clothes (if you must work out). Socks.
Shoes:  Think dressy wedges for night, they’re easier to walk around in especially on the overwater pontoon decking but we’ll take a bet that you will never wear them . Do bring dressy flat sandals as well as casual, flat, daytime sandals. Flip flops. Sneakers for the hiking and any land activities.
Accessories:

  • Sunhat/visor.
  • Extra pair of sunglasses and prescription glasses
  • Water shoes
  • Dry bag or large zip lock bags for wet clothers
  • Bring international adaptors and chargers.
  • Underwater camera pouch for cell phone or GoPro.

DON’T bring a blow dryer. All the resorts have good ones.

Creams, lotions, medication:

  • Bring lots of Reef safe SPF sunscreen.
  • After Sun Care Lotion.
  • Ibuprofen/Aspirin
  • Mosquito repellant
  • Bandaids
  • Small disinfectant spray or wipes
  • Antibiotic or Antibacterial cream for cuts and scrapes
  • Any normal medication and also bring your prescriptions if need to refill.

Floaties:  Try this one which everyone is loving, click here. Don’t forget string to tie it off from your overwater bungalow.

Insider Tip:  Many resorts such as St Régis, 4 Seasons, Conrad, Le Bora Bora and Intercontinental Thalasso provide for their guests many amenities direct in their rooms such as: bug spray, beach totes, life jackets, umbrellas, beach towels, sunscreen, power adapters…… So ask us what is already in the room so that you can bring less!

We hope that some of these insider tips will help when you are planning your honeymoon.   We try to provide lots of info like this for our clients traveling to many different destinations around the world.

The team at My Vacation Lady  works with each of our clients individually to plan the best honeymoon around their dreams and budget.

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