This was our first cruise ever and we initially wanted our destination to be Hawaii. We asked a friend of ours who works as a travel agent if he could suggest a good cruise line. He had heard of Paul Gauguin cruises but he wasn't sure if they offered Hawaii as a destination and he said he would get back to us. That night at home we started looking at information on French Polynesia and it was love at first sight. So we booked our 7 night cruise of the Society Islands almost a year in advance. What a year it was building our expectations a bit more every day to the point where I started to think that we'd probably be disappointed. Well it was exactly the opposite as our expectations were met and exceeded. The whole experience can be summed up with WOW. The service, the personnel, the food, the surroundings, the islands; everything was above and beyond. Waking up early in the morning and seeing a new island come into view or on deck as the sun goes down looking at the horizon with the next islands and a beautiful sunset as a backdrop; a real taste of paradise. The entertainment was first rate with a very good live band (Santa Rosa) and the Gauguines. We planned this trip thinking this was going to be a once in a lifetime experience as it did cost us a pretty penny but as soon as we came back home we vowed we would repeat the experience. After all, the MS Paul Gauguin does have other destinations in the South Pacific. This was a trip for our twentieth anniversary; we'll surely go back for our twenty fifth, if not before. Thank you Paul Gauguin.
The cabin was more spacious than we anticipated. The bed was very comfortable. The AC was quiet and kept the cabin at a nice temperature even when we left the balcony door open for a while. The balcony was big enough for the both of us to sit comfortably. The bathroom offered enough space. There was ample storage space (drawers, shelves, closets).
The access is pretty simple and convenient near a part of Papeete where there are places to visit.
This particular jeep safari was not as rough as the ones we had on other islands. Huanine was the island we preferred.
View All 7 Jeep Safari ReviewsOur favourite excursion of the cruise. We saw a lot of marine life including lemon sharks, black tip sharks, stingrays and eagle Rays. We got the chance to swim with the stingrays (they were very friendly and we could touch them) all the while surrounded by several black tip sharks. An unforgettable experience.
View All 9 Glass Bottom Boat Tour ReviewsThe off-road safari was pretty rough but fun; not for the faint hearted as we really go off-road on very narrow paths with very steep inclines with a cliff on one side.
View All 15 4WD Excursion ReviewsThe belvedere lookout is a site and a sight to behold. Several of the excursions include the belvedere as part of the excursion.
View All 15 Belvedere Lookout ReviewsThe dolphin watching was cut short because of the weather but our guide (biologist and dolphin specialist) was very interesting and entertaining.
View All 11 Dolphin Watching ReviewsThe visit to the fruit juice factory was interesting and we got a chance to sample some very goo, fresh and refreshing products.
View All 3 Moorea Fruit Juice Factory Reviews