French Polynesia with Kids: Why it’s actually a great idea
Girls wading in front of our overwater bungalow at Four Seasons Bora Bora
French Polynesia, and especially Bora Bora, is thought of as one of the best honeymoon destinations in the world. So when we decided to take our kids (4 and 18 months at the time), there was certainly some apprehension that we would end up crashing everyone’s honeymoon. While I can’t say we didn’t ruin anyone’s romantic moments, I can say that we had one of the best vacations ever with our kids and can’t wait to go back. Here is why you should absolutely put French Polynesia (with kids!) on your bucket list.
It’s easier to get to than you think!
Coming from Colorado, almost any tropical vacation we want to take is a trek. Bora Bora sounds incredibly remote, but it’s only 8 hours from LAX. For us, those hours on the plane are much easier when the kids are sleeping soundly. From LAX to Hawaii, it’s only a five-hour flight, and traveling during the day is way too long to keep the kids entertained (especially when our 18-month-old is too young for a pad) and too short for an overnight to get any sleep. That’s why we find overnight flights to be easier to travel with young kids. The flight from LA to Tahiti is right in our sweet spot at 8 hours and leaves at night. Our youngest even got a bassinet seat on AirTahiti.
Sunset at Four Seasons Bora Bora
Island Hopping is Easy
Once you fly into Tahiti, only the island of Moorea is accessible via ferry. Otherwise, it’s very easy to take AirTahiti and fly from island to island. You can buy an island pass to stop at multiple islands on your visit to French Polynesia. When our original direct flight from Tahiti to Tahaa was cancelled we ended up having to take a non-direct flight. I was originally bummed, but it ended up being very fun as it felt more like a bus trip than a plane as we stopped at several islands (for no more than 10 minutes each) with people hopping on and off at every stop. The airports were also TINY!
Swimming in Taha’a outside our overwater bungalow.
TAHAA v. BORA BORA
On our trip we planned to visit only two islands, Tahaa and Bora Bora, hoping we would get two different flavors of FP. Tahaa was our first introduction to French Polynesia. It was a gorgeous island in the middle of FP. It felt slightly more authentic than Bora Bora, as the hotel where we stayed, Le Taha’a by Pearl Resorts (read the full hotel review here) was more European. Despite Le Taha’a feeling more authentically Polynesian, the Four Seasons Bora Bora (read the full review here) was slightly better suited for kids. Both locations had amazing overwater bungalows. While the beaches in both locations were gorgeous, we favored the beaches in Bora Bora as they were larger with fine powdery sand.
Swim in Sparkling Clear Water
One of the best things about Tahaa was snorkeling in the Coral Garden. It is a shallow coral reef area within walking distance of the hotel. You walk to one end and the current slowly pulls you down back towards the hotel.
In Bora Bora, we rented a boat to take a snorkeling trip with Moana Adventure Tours. We had an incredible time snorkeling with three different types of rays and blacktip reef sharks. Our guide was super knowledgeable about all of the marine life and the water was some of the clearest I’ve seen.
Snorkeling in Taha’a
The beaches are the best in the world
Lagoon inside the Four Seasons Bora Bora resort.
We found all of French Polynesia to be incredibly warm and welcoming, in addition to its obvious remarkable beauty. I feel truly fortunate to have visited this magical place, and I hope everyone has the opportunity to visit at least once in their lives.