Hi all,
It’s Good Friday, April 18 and we arrived in Papeete (Tahiti)! Once again we were warmly greeted by a group of native singers and dancers that welcomed us to their island! When we arrived we quickly became aware that all local stores, businesses and banks would be closed in observance of Good Friday. No worries for us as we had planned to travel to the Intercontinental Hotel where we have stayed in previous visits to take in the sights, beach, pool and stay for the Grand Tahitian Singers/Dancers Show. We had planned to take the bus but they were not running due to the holiday and we took a taxi instead. Once we arrived at the hotel the staff allowed us to stay for the day without a day pass due to us both being travel agents. We were very fortunate as many of our fellow cruise passengers were turned away due to the many guests that were staying at the hotel. We met some of the guests at the hotel who were staying there prior to their Oceania cruise that were leaving from Tahiti the next day and would be touring the Polynesian Islands, Christmas Island and finish at Lima, Peru.
Another beautiful day as we relaxed by walking around the resort, laying out by the pool, snorkeling in the lagoon, eating at the bar/restaurant, taking in the sunset and finally staying for the Tahitian Show in the evening. We found out while having a late lunch that if we pre-paid $5 each we could hold a table to watch the show or take a chance in getting a table or chair near the bar on a first come basis. We paid the $5 and returned later that evening where we had great seats to view the show. Our server found out that we were not staying at the hotel but were just guests that came to watch the show and waived the $5 fee! If you have an opportunity to go to any of the Tahitian Shows most hotels offer a huge dinner buffet along with the show for a charge of about $70 a person. Greg and I are not big eaters and decided on making a reservation for a table and enjoy cocktails and snacks while watching the show. The show was spectacular! We were fortunate to arrive on the given Friday as the show is only offered on Wednesday/Friday nights. Following the show the dancers/singers allowed for photos to be taken with them. We ended up spending 13 hours at the Intercontinental!
After the show we took a taxi back to the ship and walked around the roulettes (food trucks) that are set up in the harbor area for cruise passengers and local diners with unique cuisines offered including traditional Polynesian dishes to French, Italian and some Asian menus. We have stopped many times in the past and had crepes! We skipped the treats on this trip as we were exhausted from a full day outing and had plenty of food at the Intercontinental! We strolled through the area to people watch and enjoy the local entertainment before heading back to the cruise ship.
We stayed docked until 3:30am the next day and then left for Moorea which is only 15 miles away from Papeete. You will note from some of the photos from the Intercontinental that Moorea is the mountain in the background of some of our sunset photos.
Next stop Moorea at 8am where we have plans to take ATVs to view the island!
Hope you are enjoying our blogs!
Greg and Sharon Conrad
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