Moorea is one of my favorite places in the world. It is my wife's favorite. I have been 3 times. About 95, 99, 2001. As everyone says, it is expensive, but they have the best French bread in the world and it is cheap. Take some salami and cheese that do not require refrigeration and you can eat pretty cheap lunches. Sneak a bottle of booze in your luggage and you should be set. Make sure you can get to a dive shop without using a Taxi. Either they pick you up or stay close to one. Taxi's are very expensive. A must see is the dinner and dancing at the Tahitian village. Went on the 3rd trip and was kicking myself for not going on the previous two trips.
I recommend Bathy's dive shop. Avoid MUST (Moorea Underwater Scuba T something). They have pictures on the wall and all you have to do is point out what you want to see and they will take you to it. Turtles, Napolean fish, sharks. The shark dives are pretty impressive if you can stand hanging on a rock and watching a hundred sharks crusing around. One dive that was not to be a shark dive (there was only 3 divers and a DM) turned into one anyway. When the DM hit the water he blew an airhorn and the sharks came running. Then with 4 of us hanging on the mooring line, he pulls out a long fish skin and starts waving it and the sharks started biting it...all just feet from the 3 divers. The Naploean fish is fun to see and enthralled my wife. On one dive, while on the bar at 15 feet doing a safety stop, a humpback swam by. I was the only one who saw it. When we got in the boat, the DMs spent about an hour chasing after the whales (cow and calf) and when we got close, people bailed out with MT tanks or snorkels. Then there was the inflatible with one guy and two topless gals doing the same. Not sure which got the most attention, the whales or gals. I paid to get 2 videos of our dives and really enjoy watching them.
Places to stay have changed. The Club Bali Hai would be a fun place to stay, just knowing the owners who used to hang at the Hotel Bali Hai (which I think has changed ownership and was where we stayed first two trips). I think the Intercontinental is co-located with Bathy's, and if so, it would be good. Sofitel is too far from everything else. Snorkelling is fantasic anywhere.
I could go on forever. My wife wants to go back, but the expense is getting pretty bad. Can make a couple of trips to Mexico for the price of one Moorea. When I heard that James A. Michener said Bora Bora was the most beautiful place in the world, I decided I would not die without seeing it. I went there one trip and to tell you the truth, Moorea is just as beautifiul.
Enjoy your trip. You only live once.
Chip
I recommend Bathy's dive shop. Avoid MUST (Moorea Underwater Scuba T something). They have pictures on the wall and all you have to do is point out what you want to see and they will take you to it. Turtles, Napolean fish, sharks. The shark dives are pretty impressive if you can stand hanging on a rock and watching a hundred sharks crusing around. One dive that was not to be a shark dive (there was only 3 divers and a DM) turned into one anyway. When the DM hit the water he blew an airhorn and the sharks came running. Then with 4 of us hanging on the mooring line, he pulls out a long fish skin and starts waving it and the sharks started biting it...all just feet from the 3 divers. The Naploean fish is fun to see and enthralled my wife. On one dive, while on the bar at 15 feet doing a safety stop, a humpback swam by. I was the only one who saw it. When we got in the boat, the DMs spent about an hour chasing after the whales (cow and calf) and when we got close, people bailed out with MT tanks or snorkels. Then there was the inflatible with one guy and two topless gals doing the same. Not sure which got the most attention, the whales or gals. I paid to get 2 videos of our dives and really enjoy watching them.
Places to stay have changed. The Club Bali Hai would be a fun place to stay, just knowing the owners who used to hang at the Hotel Bali Hai (which I think has changed ownership and was where we stayed first two trips). I think the Intercontinental is co-located with Bathy's, and if so, it would be good. Sofitel is too far from everything else. Snorkelling is fantasic anywhere.
I could go on forever. My wife wants to go back, but the expense is getting pretty bad. Can make a couple of trips to Mexico for the price of one Moorea. When I heard that James A. Michener said Bora Bora was the most beautiful place in the world, I decided I would not die without seeing it. I went there one trip and to tell you the truth, Moorea is just as beautifiul.
Enjoy your trip. You only live once.
Chip
