We took Air France to Tahiti as it leaves LAX late in the morning and arrives first thing in the morning in Tahiti. This is a pleasant schedule. We flew in 3 days early to enjoy some off before joining the cruise. As usual, one of our bags did not arrive and we made our claim with Air France. The next flight was not until Sunday, the day before the cruise. We are used to this routine and that is why we fly early…And, fortunately, on Sunday, our last bag arrived at the hotel and we had our dive gear for the cruise.
We spent the three days at Le Meridien which is a distance away from the main downtown area. It was a 3500 franc cab ride and it was quite nice being in a local, quiet atmosphere. Taxis in general are pricey since fuel is close to $10 per gallon. The hotel restaurant prices were VERY high, but you can mitigate this with eating at some of the local places just outside of the hotel property and only 5 minutes walk away. You can get many snacks and food at the nearby grocery as well. You can always use your credit card as long as you spent at least 2000 francs (approximately $20).
Things are very expensive on the islands because the taxes are very high, there is very little employment and most government revenue is from import duties. That is what generates the high prices and in general, there is no bartering or negotiation with retailers no matter how hard you try. On the positive side, you do not need to tip anyone in restaurants, bars, etc. It is not the custom nor is it expected.
We had a mini-suite and it had a ton of room. Very comfortable. Very little noise or any complaints. The bed, pillows and linens were very comfortable. The TV is quite small though…Looking down to the deck below, we could see that our balcony was twice as wide as the ones below, so I am assuming we had that much more interior space as well.