Polynesian
Real honeymoon Bathing beauties: The St Regis Bora Bora Resort and Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa
Utter bliss: Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa
Days 3-5
W
Polynesian Y&YW’s Hollie Bond and her new husband Reid discover 50 shades of blue lagoon and dazzling sunsets half a world away in French Polynesia
hen it came to choosing our honeymoon destination, one thing was for sure: it had to be a French-speaking country. (We met and got engaged in France and wanted our Gallic romance to culminate in the holiday of a lifetime.) We also hoped to discover somewhere we’d never been before with gorgeous scenery, powdery beaches and guaranteed soleil, so there was, in my mind, only one contender… French Polynesia. Convincing my plane-phobic husband Reid to fly halfway around the world though was a potential hurdle. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes of me fluttering pictures of turquoise lagoons and castaway islands in his face to seal the deal.
Days 1-2
We booked with Turquoise Holidays, whose honeymoon experts suggested keeping the jetlag to a minimum, by flying with Air New Zealand. This was so we could take advantage of the made-for-honeymooners Skycouch – aka cuddle class – where your three seats turn into a bed. They also suggested a stopover at the Viceroy Santa Monica, LA, on both the way out and back. As we pulled up in our limo (only in America!) our driver informed us that we were staying at the hippest hotel in town, and we had to agree when we saw the chic interiors and chill-out cabanas around the pool. In a completely outof-character move, we walked straight past the buzzing bar, as after an exhausting wedding weekend it was the sprawling bed we were interested in.
The chicest way to chill: LA’s Viceroy Santa Monica True blue: Moorea’s heavenly waters 266 youandyourwedding.co.uk
Another ninehour flight took us to Tahiti’s tiny airport, followed by a 10-minute hop to Moorea. As we touched down, we were greeted by the sight of jagged peaks covered in lush green forest trailing all the way down to palm-fringed beaches and the first of many perfect lagoons we would encounter. Our base on this rustic island, which inspired the works of impressionist Paul Gauguin, was the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, and it was perfect for continuing our journey from euphoric newlyweds to blissed-out honeymooners. We spent three relaxing days having massages, eating Polynesian fare and paddle boarding around the lagoon. We even found time between snoozing by the pool and snorkelling with sharks for a 4x4 tour, which included a white-knuckle ride into the caldera of a volcano and a visit to a pineapple and vanilla plantation.
Days 6-8
When we arrived at Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa we actually burst out laughing at the complete paradise of it all. The water was a shade of light blue that doesn’t even have a name and the sun sparkled off it like diamonds. Our thatched overwater villa made the very best of the endless lagoon with glass floor panels at the end of the bed and by the bath, and 360° views that spanned all the way to the mountains of Bora Bora in the distance. We didn’t even stop to have a glass of the champagne waiting for us, but headed straight to the steps on our terrace and paddled in warm knee-deep sea to a deserted sandbank. The days here slipped by in a romantic haze of sunbathing, enjoying cocktails at the swimup pool bar, eating Lagoon life: On the Tahiti Yacht Charter
the morning’s fresh catch for lunch and having one of the best massages ever overlooking the lake.
Days 9-10
We woke up on day nine with a slight feeling of trepidation, which was complete madness as our itinerary read like something from Keeping Up with the Kardashians: ‘You’ll be collected from the resort and spend two nights on your private Tahiti Yacht Charter catamaran.’ While Reid is a great swimmer he’s prone to seasickness and I’m certainly no water baby, but we shouldn’t have worried. The sea was like a millpond and we took to sailing like ducks to water – well we took to lounging on the floating hammocks, being guided by Ben, our skipper, and eating French food prepared by our personal chef anyway! Our yacht took us to Bora Bora stopping at a pearl farm to buy some of the famous Tahiti black pearls and mooring by deserted motus and coral gardens where we swam with five huge manta rays. Our seafaring days finished with us sailing smoothly into the dock at our next stop: St Regis Bora Bora. Standing on the bow of the boat, wind whipping through our hair pretending to be Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet was a ’moon moment we’ll never forget.
set over the mountains. By day we checked out every inch of the exotic resort on sit-upand-beg bikes, stopping off to watch tropical fish feeding and enjoying games of tennis before making the tricky decision of whether to sunbathe by the pool, on the beach or on our deck. Buffet breakfasts, relaxed lunches and gourmet al fresco dinners at the Lagoon Restaurant completed our days. And when the sun got too much we retreated to the Miri Miri Spa by Clarins for treatments and glasses of fresh pineapple juice. The waiters knew that we liked speaking French and always greeted us as ‘Monsieur et Madame’. And while we were enjoying putting our French to the test, we couldn’t help but incorporate some singsong Polynesian words into our honeymoon vocabulary. Although we were sad to say ‘nana’ (goodbye), we knew we had to remember how to say ‘hello’ (‘Ia orana’) because we would definitely be going back.
Days 11-17
We thought we’d been spoilt so far, but that was before we set eyes on our huge overwater villa with views of the majestic Mount Otemanu and experienced the exquisite butler service at St Regis. Talking of that view, it was the backdrop to the most romantic moment of our lives – sitting on our private deck, legs dangling over the lagoon, champagne in hand and reminiscing about our wedding as the sun
Blossoming romance: The St Regis Bora Bora Resort
Sunset views: The St Regis Bora Bora Resort
GO THERE
Turquoise Holidays offers a 10-night honeymoon to The Islands of Tahiti from £3110pp. Hollie’s 17-night honeymoon costs from £8350pp incl one night in each direction at Viceroy Santa Monica, three nights at Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, a 4WD tour of Moorea, three nights at Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa, three nights onboard a private catamaran, six nights at The St Regis Bora Bora Resort, inter-island flights and international flights with Air New Zealand. 01494 678 400, turquoiseholidays.co.uk. Request your copy of Turquoise Holidays’ new Tahiti brochure today.
youandyourwedding.co.uk 267
Utter bliss: Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa
Days 3-5
W
Polynesian Y&YW’s Hollie Bond and her new husband Reid discover 50 shades of blue lagoon and dazzling sunsets half a world away in French Polynesia
hen it came to choosing our honeymoon destination, one thing was for sure: it had to be a French-speaking country. (We met and got engaged in France and wanted our Gallic romance to culminate in the holiday of a lifetime.) We also hoped to discover somewhere we’d never been before with gorgeous scenery, powdery beaches and guaranteed soleil, so there was, in my mind, only one contender… French Polynesia. Convincing my plane-phobic husband Reid to fly halfway around the world though was a potential hurdle. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes of me fluttering pictures of turquoise lagoons and castaway islands in his face to seal the deal.
Days 1-2
We booked with Turquoise Holidays, whose honeymoon experts suggested keeping the jetlag to a minimum, by flying with Air New Zealand. This was so we could take advantage of the made-for-honeymooners Skycouch – aka cuddle class – where your three seats turn into a bed. They also suggested a stopover at the Viceroy Santa Monica, LA, on both the way out and back. As we pulled up in our limo (only in America!) our driver informed us that we were staying at the hippest hotel in town, and we had to agree when we saw the chic interiors and chill-out cabanas around the pool. In a completely outof-character move, we walked straight past the buzzing bar, as after an exhausting wedding weekend it was the sprawling bed we were interested in.
The chicest way to chill: LA’s Viceroy Santa Monica True blue: Moorea’s heavenly waters 266 youandyourwedding.co.uk
Another ninehour flight took us to Tahiti’s tiny airport, followed by a 10-minute hop to Moorea. As we touched down, we were greeted by the sight of jagged peaks covered in lush green forest trailing all the way down to palm-fringed beaches and the first of many perfect lagoons we would encounter. Our base on this rustic island, which inspired the works of impressionist Paul Gauguin, was the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, and it was perfect for continuing our journey from euphoric newlyweds to blissed-out honeymooners. We spent three relaxing days having massages, eating Polynesian fare and paddle boarding around the lagoon. We even found time between snoozing by the pool and snorkelling with sharks for a 4x4 tour, which included a white-knuckle ride into the caldera of a volcano and a visit to a pineapple and vanilla plantation.
Days 6-8
When we arrived at Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa we actually burst out laughing at the complete paradise of it all. The water was a shade of light blue that doesn’t even have a name and the sun sparkled off it like diamonds. Our thatched overwater villa made the very best of the endless lagoon with glass floor panels at the end of the bed and by the bath, and 360° views that spanned all the way to the mountains of Bora Bora in the distance. We didn’t even stop to have a glass of the champagne waiting for us, but headed straight to the steps on our terrace and paddled in warm knee-deep sea to a deserted sandbank. The days here slipped by in a romantic haze of sunbathing, enjoying cocktails at the swimup pool bar, eating Lagoon life: On the Tahiti Yacht Charter
the morning’s fresh catch for lunch and having one of the best massages ever overlooking the lake.
Days 9-10
We woke up on day nine with a slight feeling of trepidation, which was complete madness as our itinerary read like something from Keeping Up with the Kardashians: ‘You’ll be collected from the resort and spend two nights on your private Tahiti Yacht Charter catamaran.’ While Reid is a great swimmer he’s prone to seasickness and I’m certainly no water baby, but we shouldn’t have worried. The sea was like a millpond and we took to sailing like ducks to water – well we took to lounging on the floating hammocks, being guided by Ben, our skipper, and eating French food prepared by our personal chef anyway! Our yacht took us to Bora Bora stopping at a pearl farm to buy some of the famous Tahiti black pearls and mooring by deserted motus and coral gardens where we swam with five huge manta rays. Our seafaring days finished with us sailing smoothly into the dock at our next stop: St Regis Bora Bora. Standing on the bow of the boat, wind whipping through our hair pretending to be Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet was a ’moon moment we’ll never forget.
set over the mountains. By day we checked out every inch of the exotic resort on sit-upand-beg bikes, stopping off to watch tropical fish feeding and enjoying games of tennis before making the tricky decision of whether to sunbathe by the pool, on the beach or on our deck. Buffet breakfasts, relaxed lunches and gourmet al fresco dinners at the Lagoon Restaurant completed our days. And when the sun got too much we retreated to the Miri Miri Spa by Clarins for treatments and glasses of fresh pineapple juice. The waiters knew that we liked speaking French and always greeted us as ‘Monsieur et Madame’. And while we were enjoying putting our French to the test, we couldn’t help but incorporate some singsong Polynesian words into our honeymoon vocabulary. Although we were sad to say ‘nana’ (goodbye), we knew we had to remember how to say ‘hello’ (‘Ia orana’) because we would definitely be going back.
Days 11-17
We thought we’d been spoilt so far, but that was before we set eyes on our huge overwater villa with views of the majestic Mount Otemanu and experienced the exquisite butler service at St Regis. Talking of that view, it was the backdrop to the most romantic moment of our lives – sitting on our private deck, legs dangling over the lagoon, champagne in hand and reminiscing about our wedding as the sun
Blossoming romance: The St Regis Bora Bora Resort
Sunset views: The St Regis Bora Bora Resort
GO THERE
Turquoise Holidays offers a 10-night honeymoon to The Islands of Tahiti from £3110pp. Hollie’s 17-night honeymoon costs from £8350pp incl one night in each direction at Viceroy Santa Monica, three nights at Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, a 4WD tour of Moorea, three nights at Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa, three nights onboard a private catamaran, six nights at The St Regis Bora Bora Resort, inter-island flights and international flights with Air New Zealand. 01494 678 400, turquoiseholidays.co.uk. Request your copy of Turquoise Holidays’ new Tahiti brochure today.
youandyourwedding.co.uk 267
