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Sculpted
by sky-piercing, moss-green peaks and lined with vivid turquoise
lagoons, sultry French Polynesia is a place to take it slow and
experience warm, laid-back island chic. Lagoon Spectacular
While there are plenty
of slim stretches of white-, pink- and black-sand beaches in French
Polynesia, they are just pretty springboards into the real draw: the
lagoons. Most high islands are surrounded by fringing reef that creates a
protected swimming pool of the most intense hue of aqua imaginable.
Coral atolls have this same calibre of lagoon minus the big clunky
island in the middle. Fish, dolphins, rays, sharks, turtles and more
inhabit these clear-water coral gardens that are as excellent for
snorkelling as they are for diving and swimming. Surfers ride glassy
wave faces at reef passes while kitesurfers and windsurfers fly across
the water terrain with the trade winds.
The Dream
Tahiti: just the word conjures
up centuries’ worth of images: hibiscus flowers; svelte, bronzed dancers
in grass skirts; a humid breeze over turquoise sea. The islands of
French Polynesia became legends the minute the first European explorers
reached their home shores with tales of a heaven on earth where the soil
was fertile, life was simple, and sex was plentiful and guilt-free.
While the lingering hype is outdated, French Polynesia is still about as
dreamy as reality gets. The trees are still heavy with fruit, the
mountains rise as majestically as ever and the lagoons are just as blue.
Today, however, there are freeways, Christianity has instilled more
conservative values and people work nine-to-five jobs. French Polynesia
has not escaped the modern world but embraced it. True, it’s not the
perfect, untainted paradise of explorer lore, but at least there’s a
pretty fast internet connection.To Luxe or Not to Luxe
Over-the-top
indulgence has become French Polynesia’s – or more specifically Bora
Bora’s – signature, and often overshadows what the rest of the country
has to offer. Resorts on the ‘Pearl of the Pacific’ are a honeymooner’s
dream, with private overwater bungalows, every luxury trapping and
spectacular views of the island’s iconic, square-topped peak. But if
this isn’t your cup of coconut water, or simply not in your budget,
don’t let that dissuade you from visiting French Polynesia. Small,
family-run hotels and bed and breakfasts offer a closer-to-the-culture
experience at prices that require a financial output similar to what
you’d need for a midrange trip to Europe.
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