Go Tahiti Logo

Travel Tips and Facts For Tahiti and Her Islands

Historically, tipping has been contrary to the Tahitian custom of hospitality. While tipping is still not a common practice, it is beginning to be seen in some restaurants and hotels on the larger islands of Moorea, Bora Bora, and Tahiti. Still, there are no hidden service charges, prices quoted on menus, hotels, or shops are all inclusive, and you need not tip.

Although not expected, tipping is appreciated and accepted if you receive service above and beyond your normal expectations. Additionally, we would recommend tipping if you use the services of a hotel butler or concierge for special requests during your stay on the islands.

Most hotels have 220v systems. You will find some hotels accommodations with one 110v plug for your use. The majority of hotels offer complimentary hair dryers for guest use. For appliances such as curling irons, iPod, camera or laptop chargers, a combination electrical converter and adapter kit will usually be needed. French Plugs are used and have two round prongs. It’s wise to always inquire at the hotel desk about the compatibility of your appliances before you attempt to use them.

Casual, informal dress is standard in Tahiti and her islands. Clothing should be light, even in the evenings which remain pleasantly mild.

Men are most often dressed in shorts (possibly slacks for dinner), sport shirts or T-shirts, sandals or tennis shoes.

Woman can wear everything from shorts to skirts to sun dresses to pareos (wrap-around cloth garment). Pareus or pareos are brightly colored and versatile hand blocked or painted fabrics 2 yards long by 1 yard wide, and are worn at home, at the beach or around the hotel pools. Some are elegantly tied for eveningwear. Pareus are not recommended for downtown Papeete, as the city is rather cosmopolitan in dress code. Bathing suits and short shorts are also out of place in Papeete.

You will also find that outside of Papeete, shoes are seldom worn by the locals or visitors. Instead, sandals and "flip flops" tend to be the "norm" for this casual environment. If you plan on hiking, some walking shoes or closed sandals are advisable.

We recommend taking along a couple of swimsuits each, a hat or sun visor, rubber-soled shoes for walking on coral (reef shoes) hat, sunglasses, and a waterproof bag. You may need a light plastic rain-coat or an umbrella for the odd tropical downpour.

Sunscreen, oils and lotions tend to be very expensive in French Polynesia. A bottle of sunscreen can easily cost $25+ in a store. We suggest you be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen with you. It is also suggested you bring insect repellant as a precautionagainst mosquitoes, which can occasionally be annoying in the interior sections of the islands. Aspirin,band-aids,other personal medications, as well as a driver’s license (if you decide to rent a car) are also handy to have with you.

You may want to purchase a disposable underwater camera to take pictures while snorkeling or during a shark feeding excursion. These disposable underwater cameras can be purchased for around $8 in most chain stores in the United States or Canada. However, these cameras cost as much as $40+ in French Polynesia. It is also a good idea to bring plenty of extra batteries, memory cards or film for your camera, which are also expensive to purchase locally. Reef or water shoes, mask and snorkel equipment (most hotels and cruise ships will have loaner masks and fins) can also be handy to have along.

Dining in French Polynesia does not mean to have a quick meal, it is considered an experience that must be savored and enjoyed. Therefore the service in most restaurants in French Polynesia slower paced than in the US.

With the exception of a more cosmopolitan Papeete, you won’t find much in the way of fast foods on the islands. However, you will discover a palate-pleasing variety of native dishes including Chinese, French, Polynesian, European and American cuisine. You’ll delight in the abundance of seafood, fish, tropical fruits, and fresh vegetables. You can eat at fine restaurants or outdoor cafes, partake of Polynesian feasts and beach barbecues, or even arrange for a gourmet picnic on a secluded motu. Please refer to the Islands page of our web site for additional information regarding restaurants on each island.

Food tends to be a bit expensive in French Polynesia (on par with New York, London, Los Angeles or Honolulu prices) and the hotels tend to charge higher prices than local establishments.

On Manihi, Rangiroa, Tahaa/Raiatea, and Huahine there are virtually no restaurants outside the hotels. Therefore, we would recommend including a full or partial meal plan from your hotel during your stay.

Moorea, Bora Bora and Tahiti each have several good restaurants located outside the hotels. These restaurants range in service from small, simple, family owned businesses to large, elegant dining. In many cases the restaurants outside the hotels tend to be less expensive than hotel restaurants and offer excellent food selections. We encourage you to try some of the local restaurants, not only to give you a wider selection of atmosphere and food, but also to make it easier on your wallet!

Breakfast can range from $5 per person for croissant and coffee to $25 per person for a large buffet breakfast. A nice dinner for two persons, each having appetizer, entree, glass of wine, coffee and sharing a dessert will cost about $75 on Moorea or Tahiti and about $85 on Bora Bora. The price includes tax and there is no tipping. There are many less expensive options available for dinner as well, but these prices will serve as a guideline when going for a good dinner at a "popular" restaurant.

There are small grocery stores on each island. You can purchase soft drinks, fresh baguettes, cheeses, croissants, pastries, snack foods, juices, etc. at prices that are not much higher than in North America. After a few days of expensive hotel breakfasts and paying $5 for bottled water at your hotel, you may wish to visit these stores to stock up on items that would allow you to prepare your own simple "in room" breakfast or lunches and help spare your wallet.

The main tourist office is in the center of Papeete, on the waterfront opposite the Vaima Shopping Center. The tourist office offers complimentary maps, brochures, and accommodation information for most islands and are staffed by very helpful English speaking employees. Please refer to the Islands page of our web site for information regarding the local tourist office of each particular island.

The address of the Tahiti Tourist Office is Fare Manihini ( 689 / 42-96-26), Boulevard Pomare, BP 65, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. For their US (LA) office, call : (310) 414 - 84 84.

Generally, offices and shops are open Monday – Friday from 8am-12pm and from 1 pm to 5 or 6 pm. In the suburbs, smaller family corner stores may not close until 10 pm. Shops close at 11 am on Saturdays. Most stores and shops are closed on Sunday including many restaurants, except for the Papeete marketplace.

Banking hours are 7:45 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday, and some banks (eg. the Bank of Tahiti) are open on Saturday from 7:45 to 11:30 am.

There is a luggage storage facility located along the front sidewalk of the main airport terminal. When exiting the terminal, the luggage storage facility will be to your right. You may wish to use this facility if you have a long layover period in Papeete. In addition, you may wish to catch the public transport “Le Truck” right in front of the airport and head downtown or perhaps to the nearby InterContinental Hotel for dinner. As you walk out of the front of the airport and up to the main road: the Le Truck heading to your left (as you face the road from the front of the airport) will go downtown and the Le Trucks heading to your right will go toward the InterContinental.

The French Polynesian postal system is on par with any standards. The mail delivery is efficient, but count on one week to ten days for mail to and from the US. The main post office is very modern and located on the waterfront boulevard. It offers all types of services including photocopying, fax and telegrams as well as "poste restante" where you can have your mail delivered. They also sell sets of beautiful collectors stamps. Hours are 7am to 6 pm on weekdays and 8am to 11am on Saturdays.

Tahiti is very safe by any standard, and violent crime is a rarity. Theft and petty crime theft can happen. As with any travel destination, don’t leave valuables unattended in your room, bungalow or car. Nearly all hotels have in-room safes for you to store valuables, jewelry, cash, cameras, passports and wallets. Always use a hotel safe or in-room safe for added security. Be careful not to leave your valuables unattended while at the beach, pool, or other public places.

All the first-class hotels in Tahiti and her Islands have laundry service, and there is dry-cleaning service on the major islands.

The local telephone system in Tahiti is excellent and very easy. There are many public phones in Papeete and on most islands. Most of them are operated with phone cards (telecarte) which can be purchased at the airport coffee shop, in some bars (bar- tabacs), at some magazine stands, gift shops, the Post Office and from the duty free shop on most Air Tahiti Nui international flights. You will find these phones everywhere in French Polynesia, even in the most remote atolls.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MANY HOTELS CHARGE VERY HIGH RATES FOR LONG DISTANCE CALLS TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. HOTEL LONG DISTANCE RATES CAN BE AS HIGH AS $16 A MINUTE!

When using the local telephone system you should consider using a calling card, public phone, or a prepaid phone card that can be purchased in many places in the islands.

In addition to the local service, there is also a mobile alternative. As part of Tikiphone, a whole subsidiary of the Office des Postes et des Telecommunications, there is a GSM mobile network in Tahiti which is known as "Vini". The Vini network is a Uni band 900 MHz GSM network which provides coverage in 97% of the most populated areas. This coverage includes all of the districts in the main island of Tahiti and districts and villages in the major islands of French Polynesia. To use your mobile phone in Tahiti you will need to know if your mobile operator is one of the Roaming Partners: USA - T-Mobile and Cingular; Canada - Microcell and AT&T Wireless.

There are Roaming Partners in other countries - please feel free to ask us for more details.

Internet service is normally available at most major hotels on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora. Some hotels offer a business center where guests can purchase an access card for usage by the minute or in blocks of minutes. Alternatively, some hotels offer wireless internet connections in your room or WiFi throughout the resort. We do not recommend using dial up internet service from your room as the per minute rates are extremely expensive and service is not reliable. In lieu, internet cafes may be found on the major islands.