I’m going to do a quick check-in at the quarter mark of our Polynesian adventure to tell you what’s happening in Tahiti right now. Why do I say “quarter”? Because JB decided to extend by a few months our stay in Tahiti. Nine months (the initially planned duration) didn’t seem long enough to fully enjoy this paradise, so we’re staying two extra months. In 3 months, we haven’t had much time to travel after all. On weekends, we stay in Tahiti; there was a little tour around the island, a round trip to Moorea , and 6 days of vacation. Since we already live in a vacation spot, just a…

We take the ferry to Moorea in the middle of the afternoon. We’ve been to Moorea twice (the first time 10 years ago and the second time for a scouting trip two months ago), but this is the first time we’ve brought a scooter with us. Our itinerary spans five days, but you can do exactly the same thing in two days. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 1 For the ferry ride, we were told that scooters don’t need a reservation, but cars must book in advance because there aren’t many spots—especially for the last daily ferry between Tahiti and Moorea. Many people…

Our Airbnb in Tahiti being booked for a few days by someone else, we take the opportunity to go on vacation. Even though we now live in Tahiti, you can still “go on vacation” while staying on the same island, because according to a buddy we’re “already living on vacation” 😀 We chose Intercontinental Resort Tahiti because it’s the best hotel on the island. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal We’ve been here several times before, once with a pool pass and other times for lunch, but this is the very first time we’ve booked a room. And frankly, in the low season, it’s more…

After several weeks of coding telling Claude Code to code, we need to get some fresh air and completely forget that computers and AI exist. The obsession and appeal of AI are real, but we live in paradise, so that can help us disconnect. So we decide to have lunch at Hilton Hotel Tahiti. It’s a 4-star hotel very popular with tourists because it’s really close to the airport, and there’s a walkway connecting the hotel to a shopping center. Those who have to wait for their flight (planes usually take off around 11pm from Tahiti) are very happy to either sleep in this hotel (Booking link), or pay for…

After a first month in Papeete, we found another Airbnb in Punaauia, and as luck would have it, it’s in the same complex as a colleague of JB’s. We thought we’d be close, but we ended up even closer: same complex, same building, and same floor!!! He’s just a few doors down from us. What a coincidence! It’s a two-bedroom apartment, quite spacious (around 60m²). There’s no office, but JB turned the balcony table into a desk in the living room, and I work on the kitchen island. In Papeete we were on the top floor so it was very hot. But here, not only are we on the first…

It’s May 8th and we’re enjoying this long weekend with two of JB’s colleagues and one colleague’s brother. He has a big pickup truck and is going to show us around the island and the peninsula (Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti). Luckily he has a car because the island is huge and we would have been exhausted if we had to do the tour on scooters. Also, it rained a lot the day before and it’s still raining on and off. Because of the rain, the water on the beaches is not as nice as on postcards, but in exchange, the rivers and waterfalls have much more water than usual.…

We still don’t have wheels on Tahiti, so this 3-day weekend feels a bit long. On May 1st, absolutely all shops are closed, and downtown is dead silent. We decide to do a round trip to Moorea in a single Sunday to scout it out. Moorea is the closest island to Tahiti, and we plan to go back regularly. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal We sleep terribly because at 2:30 a.m., there are sharp noises coming from our wardrobe. I don’t know why, but my guess is that for the first time, I left the AC on all night and the wood must have…

For our very first full weekend in Tahiti, JB and I wanted to go somewhere that looked like a postcard. I spotted several 5-star hotels on the island and chose the Intercontinental Resort Tahiti for its proximity to Papeete and its dreamy setting. The hotel offers various pool pass / day pass to give us access to its many pools and restaurants, namely: Huriama Sunset Pass Te Tiare Pass with lunch Le Lotus Pass with lunch We chose the Day pass Lotus with lunch at the Lotus restaurant because the restaurant’s menu is crafted by chef Bruno Oger, twice starred. You can book the pass by email writing to [email protected].…

When I settle somewhere new, I write a “first impressions” post, and usually there are no “second impressions”—we just skip straight to the “wrap-up.” I hope this time it’s different and I’ll actually have things to share about Tahiti. We’ve only been in Tahiti for 10 days, but it feels like a month. We have an Airbnb in downtown Papeete. For some context, French Polynesia is made up of 118 islands (76 of them inhabited) spread over an area the size of Europe. The largest island, and home to the international airport, is Tahiti Nui. Tahiti Nui connects to the peninsula of Tahiti Iti. Papeete is the capital of Tahiti—it’s…