Are you an adventure seeker? Here are my tips for planning a trip to Moorea.
Of the islands that we visited during our 10-day stay, Moorea was the most action-packed. Whether you want to go sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, or ride an ATV through the jungle, Moorea has it all. Our favorite adventure was getting to swim with a humpback whale and her baby in the open ocean…it was amazing!
Manava Beach Resort & Spa
We booked the Manava Beach Resort and Spa for our 3 nights in Moorea and would definitely choose this resort again next time we visit. It’s equipped with over water and garden bungalows (many of which have private pools) and has a gorgeous infinity pool that overlooks the lagoon. They also give you free access to kayaks, paddleboards, and snorkel equipment during your stay. But most importantly, there are a quite a few restaurants and shops across the street so booking a car is really not necessary if you stay at the Manava Resort as opposed to some of the other resort locations on the island.
Booking Excursions
When we travel, we typically use Viator or Expedia to book excursions in advance, however in French Polynesia, we found it to be a much better option to book your tours directly through the hotel. The hotels in French Polynesia give you more tour options, are the same price as you find online, and they can easily make changes or communicate any special needs directly to the travel operator.
The majority of the tour companies are family run operations, especially on the smaller islands, so the hotels typically know them by name and have their personal cell phone numbers. For the ones that we booked online prior to our trip, we had a lot of trouble finding out where to meet for our tour and on one occasion, we even had a tour guide not show up at all.
ATV Tour of Moorea
We spent most of our first day in Moorea unwinding by the pool. On our second day we decided to do a half-day ATV tour which took us to the Juice Factory, Vanilla and Pineapple Plantations, Belvedere Lookout Point and Magic Mountain.
We also go to feed the blue-eyed eels…which was a completely amazing experience! They are blind, but they swim right up to you when they smell the food. When we visited, our guide told us that there were 18 eels that currently lived in the river.
The ATV Tour was a fantastic way to explore the island! Helpful tip, make sure to pack a rain jacket if you visit French Polynesia…it rains for an hour or so most days. It rained for the first part of our ATV tour, but luckily they had ponchos, so we stayed dry!
Read more about what to pack for a trip to French Polynesia.
Catamaran Adventure
On our final day, we actually booked two tours, which I don’t recommend because it’s exhausting. In the morning, we went out on the Catamaran Taboo tour, which took us out to three different snorkel spots to swim with stingrays, sharks, and colorful fish.
If I had to do it over again, I would have skipped this tour. The operator was very nice but the catamaran only had a small motor in it, so it wasn’t your typical catamaran adventure with water splashing up through the nets and the breeze in your hair. And we ended up doing two of the same snorkel spots on our afternoon tour, so it was redundant.
Swimming with Humpback Whales
Our afternoon tour was my favorite experience on the island! Over 300 humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to Tahiti every summer to give birth and breed so if you visit French Polynesia between mid-August and October, you have a good chance of getting to swim with them!
When we were in Moorea we were lucky enough to get to swim with a mom and her baby. It was an absolutely amazing experience! Unfortunately I bought a cheap underwater camera and didn’t get the best pictures. However I didn’t use the zoom feature on the picture above. I was really that close! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and one that I highly recommend that you try when you visit Moorea!
Dinner Moorea Beach Cafe
For dinner, there are two places that I would recommend in Moorea. The first is Moorea Beach Cafe. It is a gorgeous restaurant right on the water and the food is absolutely amazing. The tuna literally melted in my mouth!
Like most places in French Polynesia, the food is expensive, so expect to pay about $30-$40 per entrée for dinner.
If you are looking for a more budget friendly meal, you should check out Manuia Grill. It is directly across the street from Manava Beach Resort and the food and drink prices are very reasonable ($15-$20 per entrée and $5 for a beer). We ate there 2 of the 3 nights when we were in Moorea and both times were delicious!
Moorea was the most action packed island that we visited during our 10 days in French Polynesia! Next stop, Bora Bora!
Related Posts:
French Polynesia: 11 Adventures You Shouldn’t Miss When Planning Your Trip
What to Pack for a Trip to French Polynesia
How to Score a Great Deal on an Over Water Bungalow in French Polynesia
Itinerary for Biking Around Bora Bora
Huahine- The Best Kept Secret of French Polynesia
How Not to Explore Tahiti on Your First Trip to French Polynesia
