CANNOT decide- Fiji or Tahiti (Moorea/Bora Bora)?????

girlinchicago

Ladies, I need your help. I have a problem- it's a GOOD problem, but a problem nonetheless...help me make sense of this! FI and I are eloping and honeymooning next summer. I started out dreaming about Bora Bora (which I first read about when I was 10), but when I saw the prices and realized how crowded/kid friendly some of the hotels are, I got a little turned off. Then I found Fiji and really liked the looks of it. We can do 12-14 nights at 5 star hotels with meals included and have an amazing weddingmoon. BUT, I am afraid the beaches, water and scenery won't have the same dramatic oomph of Moorea and Bora Bora. I've been in contact with an amazing TA for Fiji, but just for kicks I emailed a Tahiti TA yesterday and she came back with a quote for the Hilton Moorea (5 nights overwater) and 5 nights at the Four Seasons Bora Bora (overwater) for just below the quote for Fiji. It includes some meals, but not all. If we go to Fiji, we can get legally married at one of the resorts. FP is working on getting it legalized, but as of yet, it would just be a symbolic ceremony. I just feel so conflicted. Since we're not doing a "traditional" at home wedding, I feel extra pressure to make sure this is perfect. I love the idea of going to Fiji for longer and staying in adults-only resorts where the max number of guests is 32/90, food is paid for and we can get legally married. BUT, I can't help but think that Moorea and Bora Bora are that "ideal honeymoon experience." What would you do? Where would you go? Thanks, ladies!!

alithebride

i think at this point you have to stop wondring if this place or that place will be the 'ideal honeymoon experience'. it's not the PLACE that makes it, it's YOU and FI. and quite frankly you could be wondering that for the rest of your lives so put it out of your head :)now-as for what to do-is it important for you to get married there? if yes-there's your answer. if no-then you have more work to do.ahve you also considered the seychelles or maldives? not as kid friendly  but gorgeous. not sure about getting married there.and what's a weddingmoon? if you're there after you get married isn't it a honeymoon? or can't you do both? a combo of fiji (to get married) and then off to bora bora? a few days in each.

girlinchicago

Ali, I totally agree that I need to get over the "this place or that" thing ASAP. I am naturally indecisive and I know it's about FI and I, but I obsess over travel no matter what the circumstance is. Seychelles or Maldives would be amazing- we have to go in the summer, which puts Maldives out of the running and I can only assume Seychelles is way out of budget. A weddingmoon (I know, crazy term!) is where you go to a destination and get married AND honeymoon, similar to a destination wedding but we're eloping. I looked into doing a combo Fiji/Tahiti trip, but it's a huge pain because of flight schedules. Strange that two relatively close destinations are difficult to travel between!

mic.ripo

TAHITI!!My opinion is biased because we are honeymooning in Tahiti (Bora Bora, Moorea & Taha'a). We looked into Fiji as well, but FI and I have always had our hearts set on the overwater bungalows and amazing scenery of French Polynesia. And as far as I know, there is only one resort in Fiji with OWBs? We're heading there in October - I'd be happy to share reviews when we get back!

SuMmErKuTiE

I vote Fiji! Just like pp I'm bias because that's where FI and I are honeymooning. We fell in love with the private bures and the honeymoon beach option at our resort, and all our meals are included. HTH! :0)

girlinchicago

mic.rip- If we go to Fiji, we'll be spending part of the trip at the resort that has the OWBs. The difference is in FP hotels will have 50 OWBs and in Fiji there are only 10...I like the idea of less people...a Fijian honeymoon will be way less crowded, but FP has those amazing lagoons....I can't decide.

prokadima

Personally I would choose Tahiti, without hesitation!!! You said yourself that you feel the scenery there would be amazing! I have always dreamed of staying in one of their over water bungalows. If you have that opportunity, I would take it! I was in Fiji this summer for 3 days in route to Australia and New Zealand. We stayed at the Sofitel Resort which is on the same part of the island as other top resorts and time shares such as Wyndam, Sheraton, Marriot, etc! It is very relaxed and pretty and the resort was right on the ocean and very nice. However, I must admit I was a bit disappointed by the scenery. I have been to Hawaii numerous times and found Hawaii to be way more gorgeous than Fiji. Fiji was not at all what I expected. It reminded me more of what I see when I go to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. It was very rainy while I was there and so it was cloudy most of the time. Perhaps that was a factor or maybe it was just the part of the island we happened to be on. But this was the experience I had. The people there are UNBELIEVABLY friendly and helpful. Personally, though, I would not spend my money going back there before visiting other destinations.

jamieandmegan

I honeymooned in Moorea and Bora Bora and LOVED it. We spent 4 days on each island. Stayed at the Sheraton Moorea and then Bora Bora Nui. Moorea is great for doing a lot of sightseeing and ocean activities. You can rent a car to drive around the island and really get a sense of what local life is like (as well as go pearl shopping for the perfect trip souvenir). We also did a whale watching and shark encounter which was the total highlight of the trip. We got within 30 yards of a momma and baby whale and they seemed to be ok with us lingering because they never swam away. Then our guide said, "Who wants to get in?" Swimming with humpback whales was the coolest thing ever. We were so glad we had our underwater camera so that we could catch some photos and video clips (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIw-DFJT0Kc). In terms of the other people at the resort, there were mostly honeymooners and Europeans. The resort never felt crowded or overrun with kids. At Bora Bora, our focus was total relaxation. Most resorts, including the Four Seasons, are on motus surrounding the island of Bora Bora, so getting to the main island requires a boat trip. We spent most of our time soaking up the sun on the deck of our overwater bungalow... which was sooo amazing. That was my experience without boring you with the nitty gritty details. Hope this helps in making sense of the FP side of the deliberations.

Mrs.C4/07

If you have always dreamed of going to Bora Bora, and you do have the chance now, do you think you will regret it later if you don't go? Yes Fiji is not as expensive as Bora Bora but still fairly expensive. I would personally choose BB. We stayed at Pearl Beach in BB and we maybe saw one or two families with children, but only when we went to breakfast. Honestly, they were not in our way at all. We stayed in an overwater bungalow and there were no children there. We just saw them at the pool.

SarahNE

I've heard of people having the wedding in Hawaii and then honeymoon in FP. You could look into that.I would totally pick Bora Bora though

AmoroAgain

Just as an FYI, you can't get legally married in the Maldives.