December 2022

To celebrate Dave’s successful year in real estate, we decided to do a bit of a splurge trip to French Polynesia to stay in an overwater bungalow. We picked the island of Mo’orea for a winter getaway, and it was the perfect mix of relaxation and activities.

Accommodations: We stayed in a premium overwater bungalow at Manava Beach Resort and Spa for six nights. It was beyond awesome! We had a private swim platform above a coral reef and could swim and snorkel right out our back door. The hotel itself was great, too. We lounged by the infinity pool, rented kayaks and paddle boards, enjoyed happy hour cocktails before dinner at one of two restaurants, and were able to book all of our tours directly with the hotel. Six nights seemed to be a perfect balance of getting some solid relaxation at the resort while also exploring all that Mo’orea has to offer.

Tours and Activities: On our first full day, we just wanted some time to relax so we booked a four hour spa package at the resort that included a hot sauna session, body scrub, pineapple body wrap, private plunge pool session, massage, and facial. It was luxurious and such a nice way to start our trip!

The next day, we rented a roadster to  get acquainted with island and see if there were any additional tours we wanted to book during our stay. It only takes about an hour and half to drive around the perimeter of the island, and the roadster was a great way to get around. We had lunch reservations for Coco Beach, a restaurant on small island off of Mo’orea that can only be reached by boat. They shuttle you to the restaurant where you can wade in the water and enjoy the views while waiting for your food to come out. This was some of the best food we had on the trip and highly recommend spending several hours on the island. While we had the roadster, we played nine holes of golf at the only golf course on the island. It was a bit rushed, as they decided to close early that day, but still a fun afternoon island activity.

On New Year’s Eve, we booked a jet ski tour that took us through the various coves to get to see the towering volcanic landscape from the sea. The highlight of the tour was taking us to a shallow area off-shore to swim with sharks and rays! That night, the resort hosted a New Year’s “gala” complete with a champagne toast, fire dancers, buffet of local dishes, and a Polynesian show. The rain had other plans for the Polynesian show, but was still a fun evening (even though we were still too jet lagged to make it to midnight).

We took New Year’s Day off from any excursions and took advantage of the paddle boards, kayaks, and snorkeling around the resort. A very relaxing way to the start the New Year! The following day, we joined an ATV tour around the interior of the island, which we highly recommend. They took us through pineapple fields, streams with freshwater eels, and up several of the interior mountains for stunning views. January 2 happens to be a big holiday for the locals, and they had turned one of the mountains into a giant day party with music bouncing off the caldera walls.

Before we caught the ferry back to Tahiti, we decided to squeeze in one more excursion to swim in a semi-secret waterfall. The tour goes out of a privately owned botanical garden complete with any tropical fruit native on the island and lots of playful farm cats. The guide took us on a hike through their property to a towering waterfall where we swam in the chilly pool at the base. Such a great experience to end our trip!