Le Soleal Review
An Exquisite Cruise Showcasing the Full Range of French Polynesian Islands
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because Ponant is one of the very few companies to offer a cruise starting and ending in Tahiti. We also chose it because, being a very small yacht, it was able to visit remote islands that were too small to service or accommodate big cruise ships.
Having read the wildly varying reviews of Ponant and Le Soleal on this site we wondered if we had done the right thing. In the end our fears, raised by some of the reviewers on this site proved to be complete unfounded. Le Soleal is a fabulous cruise yacht, the staff are friendly to a fault and the food is absolutely the finest French cuisine.
All the excursions including the zodiac disembarkation onto tiny little islets were organised with the utmost professionalism and slickness. Really impossible to fault.
Cabin Review
Small by most cruising standards but superbly decorated and stylish. Avoid Deck 5, go for Deck 4 where none of the cabins have to do double duty as a living room for those choosing to have a suite.
Port Reviews
Moorea
I wish, oh how I wish, we had booked the whale watching excursion with Ponant. By all accounts it was an utterly fantastic trip with close, in-water contact with whales.
Moorea itself is a beautiful island, in many respects far more beautiful, rewarding and engaging than Bora Bora.