Click HERE to see a map of
Tahiti
Papeete, French Polynesia's
capital, is situated on the island of Tahiti and is home to the
government offices and the centre of the island's commerce. The
country's international airport, Faa'a, is located 6 miles from
downtown Papeete and is the only airport in French Polynesia with
direct flights to the outside world. All the domestic flights to
the outer islands operate from Faa'a. Wi-Fi internet access
has recently been upgraded at the airport and now offers passenger
15 minutes of free Wi-Fi, plus charged time of 1 hour at 300XPF
(roughly £2/EUR2.60) or 6 hours access at 900xpf (£5.50/EUR7.60)
(subject to change without notice).
What people envision a South
Pacific paradise island looking like, Tahiti is probably not it,
and although there are some nice hotels on the island, we recommend
only staying a few days here, at the beginning or end of you trip,
and spending the majority of your vacation time on one of the outer
islands, which are picture perfect paradise islands. Tahiti is the
business and industrial heart of French Polynesia, and as such the
main town, Papeete, the airport and the port, are very busy with
arriving ships and planes with cargo and/or passengers, as well as
the majority of the population living and working on the island. We
feel you maybe disappointed if you only stayed on Tahiti, and it is
a very long way to go and not get what you are expecting!
While the island's official
languages are Tahitian and French, English is fairly well spoken
throughout the islands, but learning a little French will help you
with locals and shops, etc, who are unlikely to speak a great deal
of English. Shops open early at about 7.30am and close around
5.30pm (noon on Saturdays) but the Tahitians always enjoy a long
lunch break, sometimes from 11am to 2pm. A unique way of seeing
Papeete is to journey on 'le Truck', Tahiti's public bus service.
The destination is posted on the top of the bus, which always
begins and ends its round trips at the public market in the centre
of the capital.
Weather in French Polynesia is
usually consistently warm-hot all year round, ranging from mid
60'sF (18C) to 80F (26C) in the winter (May - October) and 70F
(21C) to 85F (29C) in the summer (November - April). Their
summer can also be the more humid and rainy season though, and
during some months they could get over 12" of rain in a month, but
that tends to be mainly December and January, with November,
February and March, on average getting between 6"-9" over the
month, and May - October less than 4". Sometimes the rain
storms can be very heavy for a day or two, but once they clear, the
skies are back to gorgeous blue and the seas are calm again.
Tropical depressions/storms and named Tropical Cyclones can form
between September and February, but in 2017-18, there were none
that badly affected French Polynesia.
All our itineraries are tailor-made
to your exact requirements, but if you would like some ideas for
itineraries and guide prices, please click HERE
Dining Information
For information
on some of the restaurants
and dining establishments
available in Tahiti, please click HERE.
Please view each property for an
example of the standard rates available. However, as there
are often many special deals or free night
offers too numerous to mention, and that change very
frequently, please contact us to check for the latest offer
that may apply.
Please Note:
There is a daily Communal Tax that is paid in Tahiti, which
is paid directly to the hotel upon the guests' departure.
This is currently 200 XPF (Pacific Francs - roughly EUR1.70/£1.60)
which is paid per person, per day.