When most people picture a Tahiti honeymoon, they picture the overwater bungalows, and trust me, they’re every bit as dreamy as they look! But after coming home from our own honeymoon in French Polynesia, I can tell you that the resorts were only part of it. The experiences we shared all over the islands are what made this trip unforgettable. We swam with sharks and stingrays, jet skied around Bora Bora, learned about Polynesian culture, found a little local restaurant we went back to twice, and watched more sunsets from our bungalow deck than I can count. We stayed at 3 properties: Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort, The Westin Bora Bora, and The St. Regis Bora Bora. And yes, I planned it exactly the way I plan for my clients, building from the bottom to the top so every resort topped the last one and we ended with a bang in Bora Bora!
Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort
After landing in Tahiti, we took the quick 30-minute ferry over to Moorea, then drove about 10 minutes to the Sofitel. Even just arriving felt surreal, because Moorea has this dramatic, green, jagged beauty that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into another world! We stayed in a Luxury Beach Bungalow and I absolutely loved it. Our patio was only about 20 steps from the sand, so we could wander down to the beach whenever we wanted, and the room itself felt traditionally Polynesian with dark wood, lots of space, air conditioning, and a ceiling fan that kept everything comfortable. When we walked in, the staff had decorated with flowers, left a sweet honeymoon message on the bed, and set out honeymoon amenities from the property, which made it feel special right away!
We spent a lot of time at the infinity pool looking out over the overwater bungalows and the bright blue water beyond them. One honest tip: the beach here can be rocky until you get out to a certain depth, so bring water shoes!
Polynesian dinner show at PURE
Our first night, we had dinner at PURE (the same restaurant that does the breakfast buffet), and we got lucky because it happened to be their Polynesian show night! It ended up being one of our favorite evenings in Moorea. There was traditional dancing, live music, and an incredible fire performance, and at the end they invited guests up to learn some of the dances, so we got to be part of the fun instead of watching from our seats.
A romantic breakfast on the beach
The next morning, we had one of the most romantic breakfasts either of us has ever had! The resort set up a private breakfast for us on the beach at K Restaurant, and the spread was enormous, with fresh pastries, eggs, charcuterie, tropical fruit, juices, jams, and more covering the whole table. We never felt rushed for a second, so we just slowed down, looked out at the ocean, and enjoyed a quiet start to the day together. It’s one of the simplest moments of the whole honeymoon and one of the ones I remember most.
Exploring Moorea beyond the resort
One of the things I loved most about Moorea was how easy it was to mix relaxing with adventure! We joined a small-group Nature and Culture Tour with only about 8 people, and it ended up being one of our favorite things we did on the island. They picked us up right at the resort and took us all over Moorea. Our first big stop was Magic Mountain, and honestly, the view from the top didn’t even look real! Hiking it on your own can be pretty intense, but our guide drove us almost all the way up, so all we had to do was a short staircase to the lookout. We also tasted locally made jams (mango, pineapple, and vanilla!), visited a pineapple farm to see how the fruit is grown, and explored ancient temple ruins while learning about their cultural and spiritual meaning in Polynesian history. I really appreciated how the tour mixed gorgeous scenery with real cultural education, and it made us feel connected to Moorea itself and not just our resort.
Swimming with sharks and stingrays
The next day we went out on a lagoon tour by boat, and it was easily one of the best experiences of the whole honeymoon! Almost as soon as we got out on the water, we came across a huge group of dolphins leaping and spinning and coming unbelievably close to the boats, and it honestly left us speechless. Later we stopped at a snorkeling spot to swim with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks. This was at the very top of my list while I was planning, because it was one of my favorite memories from my first trip to Tahiti years before, and I couldn’t wait to do it with my husband! I’d bought a waterproof camera just for the honeymoon, and since Devin had found out he LOVES snorkeling on his first trip to Jamaica, I handed it to him, and he went nuts with it. At times I couldn’t even find him because he’d gone off exploring on his own! We came home with some awesome underwater shots and had the best time doing it together. We also tried to spot sea turtles in another area known for them, but the current was really strong that day, so visibility wasn’t great even though the water was still so clear.
Polynesian BBQ on a private motu
One of the most unique parts of the lagoon tour was our stop on a small private island for a coconut demonstration and a traditional Polynesian BBQ lunch. Devin actually got pulled into the demonstration and helped open a coconut using a stick in the ground, then used a machete to get to the coconut water and meat, and the fresh coconut milk went right into our meal! Lunch was a buffet of fresh fish, chicken, Polynesian ceviche, tropical fruit, and more, and we ate it at tables set right in the water with fish swimming around our feet. We’d never done anything like it before!
Rudy’s, our favorite local restaurant
One of the best surprises in Moorea was Rudy’s, a small local restaurant the resort offers complimentary transportation to every evening. We loved it so much we went twice! Rudy’s had such a warm, welcoming feel, and the food was so good that by the end of the trip it was one of our favorite meals in all of French Polynesia. It’s proof that your best dinner on a honeymoon can come from a little local spot!
Slowing down at The Westin Bora Bora
After Moorea, we flew to Bora Bora, where we were met at the tiny airport and walked over to The Westin’s complimentary boat transfer. Fun fact: The Westin Bora Bora took over the former Le Méridien property, which arguably has one of the best views in Bora Bora, with Mount Otemanu sitting right in front of the resort all day long! While we waited for our room, we grabbed lunch at the pool bar, where I had what might be one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches of my life, and then we took over a complimentary pool cabana and accidentally took one of the best naps of the entire trip overlooking the lagoon.
We stayed in a Lagoon View Overwater Bungalow that felt bright, airy, and peaceful, with white tones and blue accents everywhere, and this became the ultimate relaxation part of our honeymoon! We spent hours swimming right off our bungalow, ordering room service dinners, watching Netflix from the bathtub, and just slowing down together after all the excursions in Moorea. The sunsets were incredible, and some of our favorite quiet moments happened right on our deck. We also loved lunch at Varavara Restaurant with our toes in the sand, and the breakfast buffet at Tipanier quickly became one of Devin’s favorite parts of the stay!
Our favorite stay: The St. Regis Bora Bora
As amazing as every property was, The St. Regis Bora Bora was our favorite overall, and it’s exactly why I always save the best for last! We took the complimentary boat shuttle over from The Westin and were blown away by how beautiful (and how big) the property is. Our Lagoon View Overwater Bungalow was enormous, with a separate living room, a huge bathroom, and lagoon views from almost every angle. And then we found the sweetest surprise: the staff had printed and framed one of our wedding photos and set it on the dining table in our bungalow. It was such a thoughtful touch and made it feel so personal.
Jet skiing around Bora Bora
Before our room was even ready, we headed out on one of the most fun excursions of the whole trip: a jet ski tour around Bora Bora! We spent several hours riding around the lagoon that circles the main island, stopping for fresh coconut and the sweetest grapefruit along the way. At one point, I genuinely thought Devin was trying to throw me off the jet ski with how hard he was taking turns, but apparently he was just having the time of his life! He eventually let me drive too, which was terrifying and exciting since I’d never driven a jet ski before, and it turned out to be way easier than I expected once I got comfortable. It was the perfect mix of adrenaline, laughing, and sightseeing!
ATVs on the main island
The next day we went over to the main island for an ATV excursion, and it ended up being another surprisingly memorable experience, since neither of us had really driven ATVs before! We explored the island, stopped at scenic overlooks, learned about local plants and wildlife, and visited another ancient temple site. At one point, I drove the ATV down the mountain for the first time and probably gave Devin mild emotional distress with all my abrupt stopping and accelerating. Thankfully, I got much better once we hit flatter roads! The views from the mountain were unreal, with every shade of blue you can imagine spread out across the lagoon below us.
Swimming with manta rays
Another unforgettable excursion in Bora Bora was a snorkeling tour where we swam with manta rays, and honestly, it felt magical! Watching them glide through the water was mesmerizing, and they really are gentle giants. Devin pointed out how the white markings on their bodies almost seemed to glow under the surface, even as deep as they were swimming, and once he said it, I couldn’t stop noticing it! Afterward we went to a coral garden and fed bananas to the fish, and I could not stop laughing because they kept nibbling at my hands and my ring instead of the banana. It didn’t hurt at all, it was just incredibly ticklish! The coral garden was full of colorful fish, and we even spotted an octopus camouflaged perfectly against the rocks (we would have completely missed it if someone hadn’t pointed it out). We finished by swimming above eagle rays, which was such a beautiful way to end the day underwater.
Champagne, sunsets, and our last night in Bora Bora
On our final evening, we went to the resort’s complimentary champagne sabering presentation and learned about the history behind the tradition, then headed to the 727 Bar for sunset. Devin had a cocktail and I had a mocktail, and the mountains looked like they were glowing as the sun dropped behind them. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets of the entire trip! We sat there on the deck talking about life, the things we were excited for, and this whole trip before we had to go home. I also had my favorite mocktail of the honeymoon there, The Black Pearl, and I still think about it!
Then we went to Lagoon Restaurant for dinner, where glass panels in the floor let you look straight down into the water, and partway through dinner we spotted a sea turtle swimming right under us! After dinner, we went back to our bungalow, took a long bath, climbed into bed, and talked about how unbelievable the whole honeymoon had been. We were sad it was our last night, but so grateful for every moment of it.
My final thoughts
Since I’d been to French Polynesia before, I already knew the experiences, the culture, the people, and the adventures are what stay with you long after you get home. What I was most excited about this time was sharing all of it with my husband for the first time! Watching him see Moorea and Bora Bora, swim with sharks and manta rays, try jet skiing and ATVs, and take in those lagoon views made the whole trip even more meaningful for me. The resorts were incredible, and each one brought something different, but the moments we’ll talk about forever are the ones we shared outside of them: the dolphins jumping beside our boat, the fish nibbling my ring, the ATV ride down the mountain, and that last sunset at the 727 Bar.
If you want your Tahiti honeymoon to include a lot more than the overwater bungalow, plan for it! Put the action and adventure on Moorea, save Bora Bora for the end so you can unwind before the long flight home, and book your excursions ahead so you’re not scrambling once you’re there.
If you’re dreaming about your own Tahiti honeymoon and aren’t sure where to start, that’s where I come in! Book a complimentary consultation with me! We’ll get to know each other, I’ll walk you through how Susan’s Travel Services works (including what being a Virtuoso agency means for you), and we’ll talk about next steps.