Ia Orana! Welcome to the stunningly beautiful and romantic islands of French Polynesia.

Comprising 83 atolls and 35 islands, the popular and picture perfect Society Islands of Moorea, Bora Bora Huahine, Raiatea, Manihi and Tikehau with their jade green and turquoise waters will certainly impress. Offering the ultimate in luxury, this is what dreams are made of!

Lee Smitheman recently took a holiday here and discovered a land of elegant French culture merged with the sensual tropics that is Tahiti & her Islands ….

Hailing from the frozen north of England, the South Pacific and in particular Tahiti & her Islands with its stunning white sand beaches, idyllic crystal clear blue waters and warm weather has always been a dream destination for me. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Leaving home on a chilly autumn day we arrived in Papeete, and it was clearly evident that we had arrived somewhere special. We were greeted with tropical warmth, fragrant smells of the beautiful hibiscus flower wafted through the air and a few tunes were being played from the strains of a ukulele. We had finally arrived in paradise!

Tahiti has a strong French influence and there are many signs of this when you arrive, most noticeably is the language. However, we had no trouble getting to our hotel and found the Tahitians friendly and mostly able to speak English.

Papeete itself is an energetic city and, in fact even has traffic jams! Friday and Saturday nights are famous for “Les Roulottes”. Located on the waterfront this large outdoor area filled with cheap, delicious food stalls and features French, Tahitian, Italian and Western food. Tahitians all take their families along and combined with the tourists milling about there was a great atmosphere.

From the mainland of Tahiti you can gaze out to the beautiful island of Moorea, our final holiday destination. Although you can take a 10 minute flight from Papeete, we decided to opt for the ferry and were rewarded with a school of dolphins and flying fish that skipped away from the bow of the boat. Before boarding the ferry it was time for a quick snack - I can definitely recommend the pineapple in sweet and sour sauce that is sold at the quay side, certainly an unusual combination, but refreshing and very tasty!

Moorea is truly like a picture postcard! We were in awe from the moment we arrived. The amazing multitude of blues and greens of the lagoon that you see in the pictures are absolutely true. It is the perfect place to relax and unwind with its white sand beaches and mountainous interior, the scenery is stunning. We spent our days relaxing and swimming amongst numerous fish and turtles just metres from the shore - I can fully understand why people do not want to leave! Indeed we are in paradise and it was definitely well worth the wait