South Pacific Blog

The French tour operator Nouvelles Frontieres has sold its two Novotel resorts in French Polynesia. Beginning in 2010, Accor will no longer manage the Novotel Rangiroa Lagoon Resort and the Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort. The 38-bungalow Novotel Rangiroa Lagoon Resort on Rangiroa Atoll has been acquired by the Tahiti Beachcomber group which owns the four InterContinental resorts in the Society Islands. Last year Beachcomber also purchased the Papeete-based cruise ship Paul Gauguin and Beachcomber’s CEO, Richard Bailey, is currently constructing a 47-bungalow ecotourism resort on Tetiaroa Atoll, once owned by actor Marlon Brando. The Novotel Rangiroa will become the Maitai Rangiroa, a sister to Beachcomber’s Maitai Resort on Bora Bora.

The three-star Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort next to the Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach and Private Island on Bora Bora was bought by the Antipodes Group and will trade under the name Antipodes Club Resort Bora Bora. The plans of the new French owners are still not clear but the 80 air-conditioned rooms in 10 thatched buildings may be sold as timeshares. At last report, rooms here are still renting for CFP 20,500 single or double, plus 14 percent tax, a bargain for Bora Bora!

The Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia are one of the remotest island groups of the South Pacific. The easiest and least expensive way to go is on the passenger-carrying freighter Aranui which leaves Tahiti 15 times a year on 15-day cruises. Everything from an air-conditioned dormitory to comfortable cabins is available aboard ship. You get to visit all six inhabited islands with many shore excursions and meals included in the price. It’s a great trip I thoroughly enjoyed.

Air Tahiti flies to the Marquesas from Papeete daily. If you go that way, I recommend Jocelyne Henua Enana Tours in Taiohae on Nuku Hiva island. They can book your accommodations on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa with extensions to Ua Huka and Ua Pou and organize tours at local rates. Their full day 4X4 excursion to Hatiheu on the north side of Nuku Hiva includes a visit to Taipivai village where Herman Melville stayed two centuries ago, the archaeological sites of Hikokuha and Kamuehi, and lots of stops and explanations of the flora, fauna, archaeology, and history of the Marquesas Islands. The price of CFP 16,000 for the car for two people is about the same as you’d pay for a rental car but an English-speaking guide is included. If three people go the price drops to CFP 6,500 each, and for four it’s CFP 5,500 per person (CFP 4,500 each for seven or more). The eight-trip doesn’t include lunch but there will be ample time to sample the cuisine at the famous Hatiheu restaurant “Chez Yvonne”.

Jocelyne Henua Enana Tours also organizes boat tours to bays on the south side of Nuku Hiva with a chance to see dolphins. This costs CFP 13,000 for the boat for two people or CFP 5,000 per person for three or four or CFP 4,500 each for five or more. Check their website or call them in Taiohae at (689) 92-00-52 or (689) 74-42-23. Jocelyne speaks excellent English.

Metropolis Nightclub on boulevard Pomare opposite the Moorea ferry wharf is Papeete’s top nightspot. Here you can catch a glimpse of the action late one Friday or Saturday night as strobe lights flash and the crowd gyrates on the packed dance floor.

I’m currently updating my guidebook Moon Tahiti for publication late next year. There have been many cosmetic changes since the 6^th edition came out in November 2007 but the current edition is still quite usable. I road tested it on my recent trip to French Polynesia and it seldom led me astray. Facilities on Moorea are largely unchanged except that the Sheraton is now the Hilton and a few restaurants including Le Pecheur, Maria@Tapas, Les Nouveaux Mondes, and Chez Michele have gone. My biggest disappointment on Moorea was to find Rotisserie Royal Chicken closed. I guess Alain has moved on to greater things and I wish him well.

A surprising number of Papeete hotels have gone belly up. I knew beforehand that the Hotel Royal Papeete had closed but was surprised to find the 72-room Hotel Prince Hinoi boarded up. Granted, its location next to rue des Ecoles isn’t the best. Even more surprising, the Hotel Kon Tiki Pacific was closed for “renovations”. Nothing seemed to be happening there and I hope they get their act together because the Kon Tiki is an attractive medium-priced choice opposite the new Gare Maritime. The spanking new Hotel Tahiti Nui on avenue du Prince Hinoi is open for business. I suppose they’re hoping to grab business travel market because frankly, at US$230 for the cheapest room, the Tahiti Nui is overpriced.

The Papeete hotel closures may or may not reflect the current drop in tourist arrivals to French Polynesia. During the first nine months of 2009 there was a 21 percent fall from 150,395 visitors during those months in 2008 to only 118,625 this year. Hotel room occupancies have declined from 53 percent last year to 45 percent this year. Packaged tourists from the United States are now an endangered species in French Polynesia due to the declining dollar, rising prices, and the credit card blues. Yesterday I adjusted the accommodations listings in my guidebook and a good many hotels and pensions had to be bumped up into the next higher price category. Tahiti is still a wonderful place, but bring money and lots of it.

Fiji is experiencing an upswing in tourism as new flights into Nadi proliferate. In September 2009 Fiji received 54,981 visitors, an increase of 4.5 percent over September 2008. Just today Continental Airlines inaugurated its two weekly B737 flights from Guam to Nadi with onward connections to/from eight airports in Japan. On December 3, 2009, the first Air Pacific flight arrived in Hong Kong, offering Chinese tourists their first direct access to Fiji. Pacific Blue has started direct services to Fiji from Adelaide and Melbourne, and Air Pacific, V-Australia, and Jetstar all have new Australia-Fiji flights in the pipeline. On March 29, 2010, the Australian budget carrier Jetstar will begin operating four A320 flights a week between Sydney and Nadi with connections to/from many Australian cities. Advance Jetstar bookings are now being taken at only $149 Australian one way.

For North Americans, the big news is Continental Airlines’ new twice-weekly flight from Honolulu to Nadi which also launches today. Of course, Honolulu is easily accessible from almost everywhere in North America and Europe, giving northern hemisphere travelers an alternative to transiting Los Angeles. Air Pacific also flies between Hawaii and Fiji via Apia, Samoa. And of course, Air Pacific remains the big carrier between North America and Fiji with almost daily flights between Los Angeles and Nadi. Air New Zealand is almost out of the picture with only an Air Pacific codeshare arrangement from LAX still going.

Papeete Gare Maritime under construction

Construction has begun on a new Gare Maritime on the Quai de Moorea in downtown Papeete, Tahiti. Papeete is the third-largest port under the French flag (after Calais and Cherbourg) and a proper Maritime Terminal has been badly needed. Two million passengers and a quarter of a million motor vehicles travel between Tahiti and Moorea each year and until now the only facilities serving them have been a scattered assortment of ticket kiosks, public toilets, and sidewalk cafes. The new terminal should be able to accommodate shipping companies, car rental and travel agencies, maritime-related government offices, and restaurants. The current traffic jams whenever a ferry arrives will be eased and passengers will have a proper waiting room.

Ferry service from Tahiti to the Leeward Islands is about to be dramatically improved with the arrival of the 134-meter fast ferry King Tamatoa. Until recently the King Tamatoa served the route between Nice, France, and the island of Corsica but it should soon be cruising from Tahiti to Bora Bora. This large ferry can carry 983 passengers and 250 cars at speeds of up to 30 knots and it will eliminate the need to purchase an expensive plane ticket to get from Papeete to Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora Bora. Hopefully, the King Tamatoa will use the Gare Maritime and not be inconveniently based on Motu Uta.

The new Gare Maritime is only the latest in a series of ongoing improvements to the Papeete waterfront. The large cruiseship wharfs on the Quai d’Honneur were completed several years ago and extensive land reclamation along the foreshore has allowed the creation of a wonderful pedestrian promenade which now extends from the cruiseship wharfs to the Cultural Center. Sidewalk paving of a new park near Tahua To’ata is almost complete and its thatched pavilions will soon be available to the public.

Laurent Pichot at Moorea Camping

During my recent trip to French Polynesia I met French blogger Laurent Pichot who also happened to be staying at Moorea Camping. Pichot is currently on leave from his job as an account manager at Google France and traveling in the South Pacific. His Around the World blog carries some photos and impressions of his stay in Thailand. The French version, Autour du Monde has numerous photos Laurent took in Australia. Finally, his YouTube.com site ZeVoyage shares some zany and typically funny amateur travel videos from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. I wish Laurent Pichot a safe return home to Paris.

David Stanley in Saudi Arabia

I recently spent two weeks touring Saudi Arabia, a country I’ve wanted to visit for some time. Saudi Arabia has an enigmatic reputation and the negativity was initially confirmed when I was fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival at Riyadh International Airport. Fortunately, reality quickly overrode first impressions and I found the Saudi people friendly and helpful without a trace of animosity.

Four of us – two Australian ladies, an American lawyer, and I – toured Saudi Arabia for two weeks on a trip organized by Caravan-Serai Tours of Seattle, Washington. Highlights were the National Museum in Riyadh, the Nabatean ruins of Madain Saleh, and the old city of Jeddah. Non-Muslims are not allowed to visit the Mosque of The Prophet in Medina or the Kaba in Mecca, which limits tourism development in Saudi Arabia somewhat, a situation which I’m sure bothers the imams not a whistle.

An interesting fact I picked up from our local guide is that a Saudi’s first loyalty is to his tribe, then his country, and lastly his king. The extravagant palaces of the distended royal family are viewed with irony by ordinary Saudis but free education, free health care, no taxes, and various other perks ensure there’s no unrest in the land. The underpaid labour of Indian and Pakistani contract workers keeps the cost of living low. No one is rocking the boat.

All women in Saudi Arabia must dress in a medieval black robe called an abaya although foreign females are no longer required to cover their faces or hair. Yet almost all Saudi women see the world through narrow eye slits. That’s not to say that Saudi Arabia isn’t changing. American chain stores and minivans are everywhere and most Saudis are connected to the world by cell phone and the internet. I found people quite willing to discuss their country’s situation.

On our last day in Saudi Arabia our group had the good fortune to bump into the Vice-President of the Jeddah City Council who shared a few facts about his country. Since 2005 male Saudi citizens have elected half the members of the country’s municipal councils, a significant first step toward democracy. Yet all officials at the provincial and national levels are still appointed by the king and many Saudis I spoke to would like to have their country’s Consultative Council elected and its powers increased. The reality is that not a lot is likely to change in the short term.

Was it worth spending US$7,018 excluding airfare for two weeks in The Kingdom? For me, yes. Saudi Arabia was my 207^th country, one of the last stops on my quest to visit every country in the world before I die. Would I recommend it to other travelers? Probably not. Yemen is far more colourful and less expensive. Bahrain, Dubai, and Oman are also easier to visit with much more to offer non-Muslims. It should be noted here that contrary to popular belief, virtually all of the Arabian Peninsula countries are perfectly safe to visit. And Emirates Airlines is the way to go.

I really enjoyed reading your trip summary. This may be as close as I get to Saudi Arabia. Your overview contains some insightful observations that give me a more complete sense of life in The Kingdom.

Your trip seems wonderful. It was great reading it. I also had planned to visit Saudi Arabia few years before but due to some reason, I missed the chance. Now, let’s see when I will be there.

Thank You for your generous insight into S.A. Viewing culturally predespositioned human females viewing me through a slit would not entice me to want to experience it first hand in the flesh. You have sparked my imagination to sufficiency. You seem to be a restless soul, by trying to visit all the countries of the world. I would have thought by 206 countries visited that your soul would understand countries like S.A. and you would rather want to try and improve the human condition by spending you money on organizations that are dedicated to improving the human condition. However, visiting and writing about countries does help the human condition. Thank you again. Are you going to follow through? I believe in planting seeds in the ground. Do you?

Faithful to the End
TR Airth

The ninth chapter from Moon Handbooks South Pacific is now online at tuvalu.southpacific.org. The information on this 43-page site has been completely revised and we’ve included photos and drawings not in the published book. There are individual maps of Tuvalu’s nine islands and atolls, plus a map of the capital Vaiaku on Funafuti Atoll and a clickable Tuvalu map. New to the guide are the Tuvalu Dateline and the page on climate change, a worldwide phenomenon which threatens very existence of this remote Pacific country. There’s updated information on getting to Tuvalu and the descriptions of the outer islands have been expanded to correspond to the online maps. I hope you find my Tuvalu Travel Guide useful!