Paul Gauguin - 7 Night Society Island - Papeete Roundtrip
Day 1 – Getting there
There were several flights and
stops involved in getting all the way to the other side of the world. On Wednesday evening we flew from Heathrow to
Paris and had
an overnight stay at an airport hotel.
The following morning we flew from Paris
to Los Angeles
(11 hours) and then straight from LA to Papeete
(8 hours), arriving at around 9.30pm local time. The long haul flights were with Air Tahiti
Nui which Paul Gauguin uses for their fly-cruise packages. Once through customs and baggage claim at Tahiti airport, we were greeted with flower garlands and
transferred to the Radisson where we had 2 nights’ accommodation. Again this hotel is used in PG packages so it
was good to get an idea of what is offered at the hotel.
Day 2 – At the hotel
This day was free to explore the
hotel and surrounding area. We were
treated to breakfast and a tour of the facilities which gave us a better idea
of what is offered there. There were
some great selling points: a kids club, a shuttle into Papeete town, use of the
gym, and free wifi and computer centre which are all included in the per night
cost. This evening was Tahitian night so
we were treated to traditional entertainment including music, sarong tying and
dancing as well as a BBQ dinner which cost around £25. It was a nice idea and was well attended by
guests.
Overall the hotel was a good option for a pre-cruise night or two but I
would not stay any longer and the atmosphere is odd at times as most people are
using it as a stopover rather than a base for the whole holiday. There was a handy boutique on site which is
great for last minute souvenirs though!
Day 3 – Embarkation
We spent the morning at the hotel
before our transfer around 3pm. This is the standard embarkation time for PG
and the transfer time is only 15 minutes or so.
The ship docks in the main town so you can easily nip to the market or
explore the gardens. Check in was
smooth, we were gathered in the main lounge the Grand Salon with champagne
before being called up one by one to get our key cards and register our credit
cards. We were then accompanied by a
member of staff to our rooms where our luggage was waiting. The staff were very friendly and relaxed,
being happy to introduce themselves and shake hands. The rooms were a comfortable size and we had
champagne and fruit waiting for us which was a nice touch. The balcony was quite small however I did not
use it as there were so many outside spaces to use elsewhere onboard. L’Occitane toiletries are provided in the
bathrooms and are readily replenished.
Muster drill was at 5.30pm
then we headed down to the marina to collect our snorkel gear. Dinner in the main restaurant is open seating
and is a nice relaxed atmosphere. The food was good, I had beef
empanada, pork stir fry and chocolate marquise.
After dinner we sat up on deck around the pool where the band was
playing. It was a clubby atmosphere with
quite a few young groups of couples, and everyone was getting into the swing of
things singing and dancing. It was nice to have this area to sit outside in the
evening especially when the weather is good.
Day 4 – Raiatea
There was a US fam on at the same time so this
morning we had a brief meeting with the leader and met the US agents. We were invited to join them on a shore
excursion later in the week. The
previous night we had the daily magazine delivered to our rooms outlining the
different activities going on each day.
This morning we went to a lei making class with the entertainment hosts
‘Les Gauguins and Gauguines’. There lots
of similar activities going on every day which is great, we would have liked to
go to the bookmark and postcard making sessions but didn’t have time
today. I had an afternoon excursion
which was Faaroa River and Island Exploration for $95 for
3.5 hours. About 16 people
attended. A local guide told us about
the history, geography and topography of the island as we travelled by
outrigger canoe to the mouth of the island’s only navigable river. We travelled along the river as it got
narrower and we were flanked by lush vegetation on either side all the time
with our guide chatting about the local cultures and flora and fauna of this
region. We had a snack of local fruits
before heading back the way we came and coming ashore for an off-road trip
around the interior of the island. This
was really fun, it began raining heavily which only added to the experience as
we made the ascent towards the highest peak of the island. The visibility was poor due to the weather
but the journey was great, our driver pointed out papaya plants, vanilla and
lime plantations and tropical flowers as we made our way back towards the
ship. It was like being in Jurassic Park.
Tonight dinner was in Le Grill, one of the speciality restaurants that
you have to make reservations for as well as Le Veranda. This is up on the pool deck and is al fresco
dining with an Asian theme. The weather
was particularly awful, very blustery and rainy so perhaps not the best night
to go here!! The food was yummy, I had
pumpkin and pork ravioli, beef with potatoes and pak choi with a Chinese sauce,
then chocolate fondant. It was my favourite
meal so far despite the weather. We went
to the show which was a performance by the Gauguins and Gauguines doing
traditional dancing.
Day 5 – Taha’a (Motu Mahana)
The rest of the ports including
this one were at anchor so although we arrived at 8am, the first tender ashore wasn’t until 10am.
Today was the day at PG’s private islet Motu Mahana.
We had been told to get the first tender over
there so we could get a good spot which we did.
It was more civilised than I had expected, with loungers set up on the
beach, local vendors selling souvenirs, and large permanent huts housing the
toilets, food area and bar. Staff
wandered round offering drinks and you were free to do what you liked on the
island. We did some snorkelling in the
lagoon and tried our hand at kayaking which had been brought over from the
ship’s marina. Lunch was served at midday and was a feast of various
barbecued meats, salads, breads, rice, veg, plus desserts. We could eat around large tables with
parasols. There were again lots of
activities to keep us occupied just as there is onboard and we tried our hand
at basket weaving made with coconut leaves.
We headed back to the ship at around 3pm and chilled out before dinner which was in the main
dining room L’Etoile. The menu changes
here every night compared with the 2 speciality restaurants whose menus stay
the same for each cruise. I had gnocchi
with pesto, goats cheese and sun dried tomatoes, then pork tenderloin with
polenta and mushroom sauce, then raspberry parfait. Les Gauguins came in while we were eating
which was nice and gave a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. It was very rocky this evening while we were
sailing, lots of grinding and shuddering going on! Luckily we arrived in Bora Bora at 10pm
so it was peaceful by bedtime.
Day 6 – Bora Bora
Again anchored, and there were 2
separate tenders going either to the village or the private motu. We got the 9am shuttle to the village to have a wander, near the
marina was a little market selling pareo and jewellery and Eli and I bought a
shell necklace and bracelet for 500F ($6).
Elaine and Sophie did a morning excursion – Le Truck. They had some great views of the island and
highly recommended it. Me and Eli had an
afternoon excursion so we returned to have lunch and get ready before going
back ashore for our excursion. This was
the Aqua Safari Underwater Walk ($120 for 2 hours) and we were the only 2 from
the ship! This was very surprising as I
thought this would be very popular. We
had 2 other couples with us who had come from hotels so there was a group of 6. We took a boat about 10 mins out into the
lagoon and were explained the procedure before going under with our helmets
on! The water was perhaps 10ft deep so
not too scary, and it was very clear.
The patch of the seabed we walked around was cordoned off with some rope
that we used to guide ourselves around.
We were down there for about 40 mins and posed for lots of pics which we
later bought from the guide. There were
lots of different fish, including a big ray and clownfish and I’m glad I had an
underwater camera. Although we were out
most of the day, there was loads to do onboard including a galley tour, bridge
tour, Tahitian dance lesson and board games.
Dinner was in L’Etoile again and I had asparagus soup, lamb shank, then
profiteroles (these were filled with ice cream so a bit weird and hard). The show tonight was the cruise director
crooning his favourite songs which was quite cringey but lots of people turned
up.
Day 7 – Bora Bora
We had a second day here which
was great and I had an early excursion with Heather and Sophie. This excursion was a trip to the Lagoonarium
which was about 4 hours long. It started
off with us three plus another couple from the ship, again surprising as I
thought the excursions would be packed.
We went from the pier by jeep to join a fairly large boat filled with
about 30 other people. We headed round
the island stopping at a point in the lagoon where the guides fed black tip
sharks and rays. We had about 15 mins
snorkelling time here and it was amazing to see them so close up. Our second stop was at a coral garden where
we saw smaller colourful fish and corals and we had about 20 mins to snorkel
here. We then took a long boat ride
right around the island to the motu which contains the Lagoonarium - a fenced area on the tidal zone
of the beach and out into the lagoon. There were
several enclosures, the first with more black tip sharks and rays as well as a
nurse shark lurking which was scary.
There was then a turtle area which was cool, although we couldn’t go in
with them as they bite! The third area
housed lemon sharks which we swam through as the guide fed them – very
scary. We were taken back to the pier in
an outrigger canoe and given some fresh fruit to snack on. At 4pm we went to afternoon tea in Le Grill
which was chocolate themed. This occurs
every day and has a different theme or special dish each day. Dinner this evening was in the second
speciality restaurant, La Veranda. This
is where we had breakfast everyday and also serves a buffet lunch. The cuisine was French, I had onion tart,
steak and chips, and chocolate tart. We had some movement again this
evening as we left Bora Bora and went into open water! The show tonight was Krew Kapers where the
staff does performances, there was Filipino dancing, singing, a Charlie Chaplin
performance, and a Gangnam style performance!!
This was a hilarious show and very entertaining.
Day 8 – Moorea
Again we were anchored and we
headed ashore fairly early to have a mooch around the local shops and stalls by
the pier. We didn’t spend long and
headed back for a Tahitian themed buffet in Le Grill. We had an afternoon excursion which was with
the US fam group. It was Aito off-road
adventure, which was 4 hours long and took us to points of interest around the
island including, tropical gardens, a fruit juice factory, a pineapple
plantation and some view points where we could see right down into the lagoon. This was great and it was nice to see the
island in a jeep rather than in an enclosed coach. It was the hottest day however which did make
the tour drag on a bit but the views from Magic Mountain were spectacular. Tonight is Polynesian night onboard which was
the best night. Local ‘mamas’ were
brought onboard to make flower garlands and headdresses and everyone was
encouraged to wear their sarongs. We got
ready for dinner early, got adorned with our floral decorations and had some
drinks to the sounds of traditional music before dinner at 8. This was my favourite dinner, I had gnocchi
with pork and balsamic (similar to at Le Grill the other day) then steak with
ratatouille and dessert was chocolate fondant.
A local dance troupe came onboard for the show which incorporated
singing, dance, pareo tying, coconut preparing, and music. Everyone was getting involved, the dancers
would come into the audience and pick people out to dance with, and it was a
nice atmosphere onboard tonight. The
bars and restaurant seemed busier than usual, not sure where everyone was on
previous nights!!
Day 9 – Moorea
Today we had an early excursion
doing a dolphin and whale watching expedition.
This was a tad disappointing as we didn’t see any dolphins (of course
always a risk on these types of tours, but typical as the group yesterday had
seen a large pod right in the lagoon!!)
This was a busier excursion and there were about 20 people in the boat,
led by Dr Michael Poole, a local marine biologist who had taken a seminar the
previous day onboard. We had to go a
fair bit round the island but we did eventually see a mother and calf humpback
whale. We got to go in the water with
them although not very close, but an amazing experience. I’m glad we did the tour as it was our last
full day before getting off tomorrow. I
wanted to do an excursion every day to make the most of each place and although
there was a lot to do onboard, I’m glad I didn’t leave a full day to stay on
the ship. Dinner was in L’Etoile and I
had roasted veg starter, followed by lamb with potato gratin and then chocolate
mousse. We saw the final show which was
another local dance troupe which although we were now familiar with the style
of dancing now, this was quite different and very entertaining. Before going to bed we had to leave our cases
out as is usual, and the housekeeper had left a makeup wipe and some fruit in
the room which was a nice touch.
Day 10 – Papeete / Disembarkation
We had to be out of our rooms by
9.30am but we could leave our hand luggage onboard in the Grand Salon and go
ashore as our transfer wasn’t until 12.30pm.
We had a wander round the market in Papeete which was walking distance
from the port to get some last minute souvenirs. We headed back to the ship and had an early
lunch in Le Veranda – again very handy and made disembarkation very relaxed and
not the usual early morning rush! We had
day rooms back at the Radisson as our flight wasn’t until midnight – this is
the usual time for the flights back to LAX.
There is free wifi at the hotel which was good, we just spent the time
chilling out and preparing for the flight: you would not want to be waiting at
PPT airport for 12 hours!! In the end
our flight got delayed until 5am but the hotel extended our rooms for no extra
charge so this was helpful. We finally
arrived back home after what seemed like a never ending day on planes!!
