Help me decide on Philippines, Fiji or Bora Bora/Moorea
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I can't compare the Phillipines and Fiji, but I went to Moorea 2 summers ago and I'm headed back in June for 12 days. Air Tahiti Nui is a great airline, and the service while en route couldn't be better or friendlier. It's awesome- tons of black tip reef sharks, eels, rays, turkeyfish, and amazing arrays of anemone fish. Watch out for stone fish too! If you get a chance during your surface times, take a hike up to the look out point, as you can see both Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay which are separated by mountains at the same time. Very cool-another good hike is through the bamboo forest on the backside. There's also a good little ice cream joint along the side of the road leading down from the lookout to Opunohu Bay-check it out if possible-the passion fruit and guava flavors are divine!
robint
Contributor
caymaniac
Contributor
Choose the one that is the most expensive you can afford that way latter you may still may be able to enjoy the others when money is not as readily available.
I have only been to Bora Bora / Moorea and would go back in a New York minute!
You really can't go wrong with any of those choices.
I've only been to Moorea and Fiji so here's my 2 cents on those...
If you like sharks, Moorea can't be beat. Dozens of small black-tips on EVERY dive. Tahiti is CRAZY expensive though. Count on about $15 (USD) for breakfasts, $30 for lunches and $50-60+ for dinners (per person). Best bet: buy a baguette ($1) and pineapples ($2). The pineapples in Tahiti are amazingly sweet - far better than anything coming out of Hawaii.
The people of Fiji make this area very special. Go out of your way to buy some raw kava root and take it to a village - any village will do - and present it to the chief as a gift. You will be rewarded with a traditional kava ceremony and the best hospitality imaginable. (BTW - when doing this, keep your shoulders and knees covered. Tanktops and short-shorts are considered disrepectful. They won't say anything but you will be treated differently. Just do a little cultural research 1st.) The diving is terrific too - but you can read about that on other threads.
Have fun where ever you end up!
Cheers!
I've only been to Moorea and Fiji so here's my 2 cents on those...
If you like sharks, Moorea can't be beat. Dozens of small black-tips on EVERY dive. Tahiti is CRAZY expensive though. Count on about $15 (USD) for breakfasts, $30 for lunches and $50-60+ for dinners (per person). Best bet: buy a baguette ($1) and pineapples ($2). The pineapples in Tahiti are amazingly sweet - far better than anything coming out of Hawaii.
The people of Fiji make this area very special. Go out of your way to buy some raw kava root and take it to a village - any village will do - and present it to the chief as a gift. You will be rewarded with a traditional kava ceremony and the best hospitality imaginable. (BTW - when doing this, keep your shoulders and knees covered. Tanktops and short-shorts are considered disrepectful. They won't say anything but you will be treated differently. Just do a little cultural research 1st.) The diving is terrific too - but you can read about that on other threads.
Have fun where ever you end up!
Cheers!
If this is strictly a dive trip, then Fiji and the Phillipines will be far superior to Moorea and Bora Bora. The world class diving in French Polynesia is on the islands of Rangiroa and Fakarava, as well as other outward islands of FP.
We did FP this past summer, and knew it wasn't going to be strictly a dive trip. Therefore we picked Rangiroa for the world class diving, and did the islands of Moorea and Bora Bora strictly for their topside offerings, which is spectacular. We did dive both Moorea and Bora Bora, but the diving did not compare to Rangiroa.
Yes, FP is crazy expensive and Twebba's about right, tho we did see prices a little more expensive. We did breakfast and lunches in our bungalow. We had the hotel empty the mini-bar and we stocked it with our own purchases from the grocery on Moorea and Bora Bora. We did baquettes, jam, peanut butter, orange juice, pop, nuts, cheese, ham and cookies from the grocery.
We stayed at Kia Ora on Rangiroa, Bora Bora Lagoon Resort on Bora Bora, and Moorea Pearl on Moorea. If you have any questions, PM me.
We did FP this past summer, and knew it wasn't going to be strictly a dive trip. Therefore we picked Rangiroa for the world class diving, and did the islands of Moorea and Bora Bora strictly for their topside offerings, which is spectacular. We did dive both Moorea and Bora Bora, but the diving did not compare to Rangiroa.
Yes, FP is crazy expensive and Twebba's about right, tho we did see prices a little more expensive. We did breakfast and lunches in our bungalow. We had the hotel empty the mini-bar and we stocked it with our own purchases from the grocery on Moorea and Bora Bora. We did baquettes, jam, peanut butter, orange juice, pop, nuts, cheese, ham and cookies from the grocery.
We stayed at Kia Ora on Rangiroa, Bora Bora Lagoon Resort on Bora Bora, and Moorea Pearl on Moorea. If you have any questions, PM me.
I can't speak to Fiji or the Philippines, but I can say that I was terribly disappointed in the diving in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora last October. There is a tremendous amount of dead coral -- they are having a plague of crown of thorns starfish, and they are doing enormous damage to the reef. The dive ops do shark feeding dives, I think in part because there is so little else to see. There ARE a lot of sharks, but after a couple of those dives, you wish there were a healthy reef to poke around in.
Rangiroa rocked. The reef there was GORGEOUS and had an amazing density of reef fish. We saw huge schools of jacks, lots of sharks, dolphins, and a manta. I'd go back there any time.
Rangiroa rocked. The reef there was GORGEOUS and had an amazing density of reef fish. We saw huge schools of jacks, lots of sharks, dolphins, and a manta. I'd go back there any time.
Tahiti....... anyday.... enough said!
Luko
Contributor
Been to Fiji and the Philippines, snorkeled in Tahiti and Moorea (too young to dive at this time). Let me put it in pros and cons.
Pros :
Fiji : unbelievable colors underwater, soft and hard corals to die for, I don't remember a dive without a shark, friendliest people in the world -honest you'll shed some tears when they're going to sing "Isa Lei" on your departure-, global cultural experience, kava drinking.
Phils : most incredible UW variety of the lot, can be dirt cheap for diving, inexpensive lodging and transports, San Miguel beer is less expensive than drinking water, that asian feeling, 2nd friendliest people in the world : after two days, you're part of your dive guide family.
French Polynesia : lots of pelagics, sharks and rays, blue water viz, french cuisine, probably the best beaches of the lot (although Fiji Yasawas are a serious contender but with tame diving).
cons :
Fiji : hmmh... a little costly maybe?
Phils : Let me think... Ha, I don't like their food, except grilled fish, not spicy enough.
French Polynesia : Horribly expensive, that french divers arrogance sometimes (disclaimer : I AM french...
), dead coral bottom, less fish variety than other places.
Pros :
Fiji : unbelievable colors underwater, soft and hard corals to die for, I don't remember a dive without a shark, friendliest people in the world -honest you'll shed some tears when they're going to sing "Isa Lei" on your departure-, global cultural experience, kava drinking.
Phils : most incredible UW variety of the lot, can be dirt cheap for diving, inexpensive lodging and transports, San Miguel beer is less expensive than drinking water, that asian feeling, 2nd friendliest people in the world : after two days, you're part of your dive guide family.
French Polynesia : lots of pelagics, sharks and rays, blue water viz, french cuisine, probably the best beaches of the lot (although Fiji Yasawas are a serious contender but with tame diving).
cons :
Fiji : hmmh... a little costly maybe?
Phils : Let me think... Ha, I don't like their food, except grilled fish, not spicy enough.
French Polynesia : Horribly expensive, that french divers arrogance sometimes (disclaimer : I AM french...
), dead coral bottom, less fish variety than other places.Similar threads
