Our first view of French Polynesia

As my wife and I planned to get married, I was given the great task of planning our honeymoon.  Out of all the wedding planning, this was a task that I relished.  We started to think about possible honeymoon destinations and discussed the possibility of going somewhere in Europe versus a beach type vacation.  After a little bit of discussion, we quickly came to the realization that we wanted to go somewhere relaxing.  In addition, we wanted to make sure our honeymoon destination was somewhere memorable.  The most immediate honeymoon destinations that came to mind included Hawaii or one of the many islands in the Caribbean.  Both my wife and I had been to Hawaii in the past so we eliminated this from our list of possibilities.  Certainly, the clear blue water of the Caribbean was enticing, but our honeymoon would be the last week of July.  In the back of my mind, the threat of hurricanes in the Caribbean during summer was a concern so this was eliminated.

View of Moorea from the shores of Tahiti

Just about the time I started to plan the honeymoon, my wife and I were watching Ali Fedotowsky’s season six of the Bachelorette.  Yes, both my wife and I are big fans of the Bachelor and Bachelorette series and we never miss a season.  The end of Ali’s season took place in French Polynesia, specifically Bora Bora.  After seeing the beautiful water and overwater bungalows in French Polynesia on the Bachelorette, the decision for a honeymoon was made.

View of the shark tooth mountain tops of Moorea

After we knew we were going to French Polynesia for our honeymoon, we then had to decide which islands to visit.  Due to the wedding and my work schedule, we had eight days for our honeymoon.  The eight hour flight from Los Angeles to French Polynesia lands in Papeete which is the capital city on the island of Tahiti.  However, most honeymooners spend the majority of their time on one of the outer islands.  We narrowed our choice of islands to Moorea and Bora Bora, considered by some to be the two most beautiful islands in the world.  The downside of visiting Bora Bora is that it is located farther from Tahiti, thus requiring another forty-five minute flight and more expense.  However, Moorea is located right across from Tahiti, and is a short twenty minute ferry ride.  In the end, we decided to stay on Moorea for the duration of our honeymoon. This ended up being a perfect spot to spend five relaxing and wonderful days.

Beautiful view from Moorea