French Polynesia, Marquesas and Lagoons
Ten nights across five islands, from Tahiti and the Marquesas to Bora Bora, Taha'a and the atoll of Tikehau.
- 10 nights
- Five stays
- French Polynesia
- Islands, lagoons, Marquesan culture, pearls, diving
A night in Papeete, then three in the volcanic Marquesas and two each on Bora Bora, Taha'a and Tikehau, linked by short flights. Old ceremonial sites, pearl and vanilla farms and the reefs of the Tuamotu give each island its own character.
- Length
- 10 nights
- Pace
- Five stays
- Style
- Islands, lagoons, Marquesan culture, pearls, diving
- Route
- Papeete, Tahiti to Nuku Hiva, Marquesas to Bora Bora to Taha'a to Tikehau
- Papeete, TahitiOne night
- Nuku Hiva, MarquesasThree nights
- Bora BoraTwo nights
- Taha'aTwo nights
- TikehauTwo nights
01
Days 1 to 2 · one night
Papeete, Tahiti
Start early at the Papeete market, scented with vanilla, fruit and flowers. Later there is a massage with a trained practitioner, then sunset on the waterfront and dinner at a roulotte, one of the town's food trucks.
Where you stay
InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa
InterContinental Tahiti stands on the lagoon at Faa'a, under three kilometres from the airport, with overwater bungalows looking across to Moorea. It has the Le Lotus restaurant over the water and a Deep Nature spa.
02
Days 2 to 5 · three nights
Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
A flight of about four hours reaches Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas. In Taiohae, Notre Dame Cathedral stands on the Tohua Mauia, built from stones gathered on several islands, with rosewood statues of St Peter and St Paul. In the forest, the Me'ae of Hikokua, an old ceremonial site, keeps ancient tikis alongside newer carvings, with the basalt peaks of Hatiheu behind.
Where you stay
Le Nuku Hiva
Le Nuku Hiva is a lodge of 20 wooden bungalows on a hillside garden above Taiohae Bay, built from natural materials and decorated by island artists. It has an infinity pool, a restaurant and bar, and a boutique of Marquesan crafts, and stays are all-inclusive.
03
Days 5 to 7 · two nights
Bora Bora
A flight of about six hours takes you on to Bora Bora. Two nights here, on a coral islet facing Mount Otemanu, leave time for fishing, either out in deep water or on calmer outings in the lagoon.
Where you stay
Le Bora Bora
Le Bora Bora stands on Motu Tevairoa, a coral islet with no neighbours in sight, about 10 minutes by boat from the airport. Its 108 rooms and villas include overwater bungalows and garden and beach villas with plunge pools, and it has the Tāvai Spa, a tennis court and three restaurants.
04
Days 7 to 9 · two nights
Taha'a
A 45-minute flight brings you to Taha'a. Visit a black pearl farm to see how pearls are cultivated over at least two years, and a vanilla plantation, where the flowers are pollinated, harvested and dried by hand; the island grows more than 70 per cent of the region's vanilla.
Where you stay
Le Taha'a
Le Taha'a lies on the private islet of Motu Tautau, looking across to the Taha'a shore and Bora Bora. Its 59 suites and villas open directly onto the lagoon or the beach, and it has three restaurants, the Tāvai Spa and a coral garden for snorkelling.
05
Days 9 to 11 · two nights
Tikehau
The last flight, about three hours, reaches the Tuamotu atoll of Tikehau. Snorkel or dive reefs of every level, swim with eagle rays, manta rays and small whitetip sharks, dive Tuheiava Pass and the Shark Hole, and walk the pink sand beaches of Tuherahera, coloured by coral and shell fragments.
Where you stay
Le Tikehau
Le Tikehau is on Motu Tianoa, a private coral islet in the Tikehau atoll, about 15 minutes by boat from the village. It has overwater and beach bungalows, a pink sand beach, a coconut grove, an infinity pool and two restaurants, with masks, fins and kayaks for guests.
Ways to make it yours
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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