Vacation to Paradise

I recently returned from Paradise! I know people say that all the time but I have travelled extensively and I have to say the islands of Tahiti are truly the most beautiful I have ever seen.

After arrival from Toronto to Los Angeles I made an easy connection to Air Tahiti Nui to fly to Tahiti (Papeete).  The flying time from LA was 8hrs and the flight was fine. Upon arrival we were met with a handmade flower lei, which I quickly found out was a tradition upon arrival at all hotels. We were taken to the Intercontinental Papeete, which was only minutes from the airport. It was dark upon arrival so it wasn’t until the next morning that we realized how breathtaking this hotel and grounds truly were. The view across the water to Moorea was amazing. This hotel had all categories of rooms, lots of activities, a beach, infinity pool, wonderful food etc. everything you could ask for. The next night we stayed at the Radisson Papeete which was just as nice but with a black volcanic beach. Both of these properties are excellent hotels for 1 or 2 nights before you start island hopping.

The island of Tahiti is the largest as it is the youngest of the islands. There is only 1 road (126km) around the island, which is the same on all the others as well. The island has many different historical sights and the landscape and gardens are beautiful. The city of Papeete is a large city, but very clean and safe.

From Papeete we took a 45min ferry to Moorea. The ferry is very large, modern and very clean. Up on the top deck you can be outside and enjoy the sight of leaving Tahiti and the view of arriving in Moorea.

Moorea is an island that has many activities from dune buggy rentals, to ATV adventures, to scooters, or swim with sting rays, or whale watching (in season) to a fruit distillery, just to name a few. The island itself is lots of fun to explore by foot on hikes or by the only road that circles the island (56km). The water is magnificent as well since this island is known for its reefs and snorkeling.

We stayed at the Pearl Hotel, in an overwater bungalow. What a treat! The room itself was large and its décor was very Tahitian. The water surrounding the bungalow was so clear, teal blue and right on the edge of the reef so lots of fish to see. Inside the room there was a glass floor to view the sea life as well. This hotel was my favorite in Moorea. All the room categories were wonderful…the garden had a private pool and the beach bungalows where just that on the Beach. The grounds, and infinity pool were so inviting and the service and food were excellent.

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Moorea as well which was every bit as nice, but a little larger and the overwater bungalows only had their decks over the water. If you love marine life though, they are the only hotel that has the “Dolphin Experience”. This is and up close and personal educational experience with one of the 3 dolphins they have on property. Be sure to pre book as it books up fast. Also they have lots of areas for snorkeling and the actually have a Sea Turtle hospital where they care for the turtles and release them back into the ocean. Also right out front of this property is where you can go swim with the Rays. And in July-September you can see and actually take a tour to swim with the whales!

Our next stop was Bora Bora which meant a ferry back to Papeete and then a 45min. flight on Air Tahiti.  When you take this flight be sure to sit on the left side of the plane as the views are spectacular of the islands and the many colours of the water.

Bora Bora is only 26miles around again with 1 road. The island is the smallest of the 3 we visited. Many of the resorts are located on the motus which are small islands surrounding the main island. There are many overwater bungalows on Bora Bora because the water is so shallow.  To get around the island and the motus you must take the hotel water shuttles or the public shuttle for a fee.

We stayed at the Intercontinental Maroma which is a very small hotel and budget. The hotel itself is located on the side of the hill and not the easiest to walk to. They do have some overwater bungalows that are very nicely decorated but they are across the road from the main hotel along with the restaurant and the beach area. We did see families at this property, as it is small and more economical.

We also visited the St. Regis…..the highest star rated hotel on the island and it is all that and more. Very high end and amazing! The grounds, the rooms, the spa….everything was to perfection. This is where many famous stars stay i.e. Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman, Carrie Underwood & Mike Fisher etc. I can’t say enough about this property.

Next stop was the Intercontinental Bora Bora. Just as beautiful as all the rest, but a bit more traditional, very Tahitian. The setting was tropical with its infinity pool, waterfall, palm trees on the beach, bar and restaurant on the waterside. Our room was a beach bungalow, very large and traditionally elegant décor. The overwater bungalows were just as great and stretched out into the water in front of the beach. Once again we did not go hungry, the French pastries and breads along with everything else met our expectations.

Last stop the Pearl in Bora Bora, my favorite for this island. The grounds were so tropical, you felt like you were in your own paradise. Our room this time was a garden bungalow, which meant you walked into an enclosed backyard with a small pool, picnic area and gardens. The bungalow itself was large with Tahitian décor and a huge bathroom that led out to an outdoor shower. This hotel had an amazing spa set back in the jungle with amazing views. This hotel had more activities going on….mini golf, rent DVD’s, kayaks, canoes, bikes, pool tables, and a tree top bar area that actually had music playing. Of course this hotel had many beautiful overwater bungalows as well.

Some adventures we did while on Bora Bora were jet skiing around the island for the afternoon. This was a great way to see the island, and lots of fun at the same time. This took about 2 hours. We also did a tour which included snorkeling on a reef, swimming with many Rays and the topper was swimming with sharks! Yes they threw small fish around us and the sharks showed up….lots of screams and laughter, something I will always remember.

This brought our trip to an end. This meant travelling by air back to Papeete, then to Los Angeles and back to Toronto a total flying time of 14hours with a couple of stops on route.

This trip to the South Pacific and the islands of Tahiti was truly the most beautiful destination I have ever been to. It is quiet, romantic, and truly relaxing.  This is a perfect destination for couples of all ages. I look forward to helping my clients plan their vacation so they can experience what I did.

Check out our Facebook Page for more Photos from Tahiti
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kemp-Travel-Group/52774757803?sk=photos


Lorie Partridge – South Pacific Specialist
Kemp Travel
905 668 7955
lorie@wesleystravl.com

Costa Rica

Sheila and Erin from our Bowmanville office just took a trip to Costa Rica, here’s what Erin had to say about her family trip.

We’ve just returned from our family trip to Costa Rica and it was GREAT! There’s plenty to do and see and we weren’t disappointed.

Infinity Pool on deck - Pacuare Lodge

We flew Air Canada into San Jose and the flight was great, on time and great onboard service. We arrived in San Jose and were taken to our hotel. We stayed at the Days Hotel, the food was great and the rooms were very nice. The town of San Jose is mainly an industrial city. There are many tours you can do from San Jose, canopy tours, rappelling, city tours to see basilicas, museums and theaters and much more.

Canopy Bed - Pacuare Lodge

We only stayed in San Jose for the night and then we were off to the Pacuare River to go river rafting. It was a 2 hour drive to the river. We stopped at a great local restaurant for breakfast up in the mountains which had a great view of the valley. When we arrived at the river we packed our luggage into dry bags and the guides strapped them down to the raft.
We hopped in a separate raft with our guide for the next three days. We rafted down class 1 and 2 rapids and stopped at a waterfall for a quick swim and continued on our way. We arrived at the Pacuare Lodge were we stayed for 3 days, 2 nights. The lodge was gorgeous, located right on the river was their restaurant and bar where you ate all your meals. Our room was located up in the mountain over looking the river. The

River Rafting - Pacuare River

room was amazing, claw footed bathtub, indoor and outdoor showers, canopy draped king size bed, loungers on the enormous deck complete with a large infinity pool over looking the jungle and the river but it was a hike up the mountain to get to the room but well worth it. The food at the Pacuare Lodge was great, actually amazing considering that there are no roads into the resort and all food has to come by water!!

Rappelling - Arenal Area

We were able to walk 5 minutes with our guide to a waterfall where we were able to swim in the natural pools below it. Another day we were walked to another small river where we were able to slide down the natural rock slides into different pools. There are several different tours you can do at the lodge (rappelling, zip lining and also massages) but just sitting on your deck taking in the sounds around you and the occasional swim in your private pool is an excellent way to spend your afternoon. We rafted again out of the lodge on the third day, on class 3 and 4 rapids. We stopped again at a great waterfall for a quick swim and some pictures in the falls. We also stopped along the river for lunch that day.

Bathroom - Tree House Lodge

We then went to Puerto Viejo, Limon to stay at the Tree House Lodge. This was a truly unique place; we stayed in the Beach Suite. It was an open air design with a large Flintstone like bathroom. The highlight of the washroom was the hot tub that filled up through the mouth of a sea horse, and the shower that was wrapped by a large snake and the water fell from its mouth. The Beach Suite has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, kitchen, living space, lower deck with hammocks and a large deck on the roof. The beach suite was a 2 minute walk from the Caribbean ocean and right on the beach. The beach out front was a natural beach, but just a short walk down the beach was a lovely beach great for swimming and the water was very warm. The town of Puerto Viejo was a little town right on the ocean. There are many small restaurants on the beach and little shops to look through. We stayed at the Tree House Lodge for two nights and then moved on to the next place.

Hot Springs - Tabacon Grand Spa & Resort

We then drove to Arenal to stay at the Tabacon Grand Spa and Resort. The drive was about 5 hours through the country side of Costa Rica. The Tabacon is a gorgeous resort and is most well known for its natural hot springs. The Spa and the hot springs are definitely the highlight of the resort. We were also able to see the Arenal Volcano from our room which was gorgeous. The best time to go in the hot springs in my opinion would be later in the evening as it is very hot during the day and getting into the hot water makes its seem even hotter. The restaurants were very nice and the food was delicious. We did a volcano hike from the Tabacon and it was great, but very HOT. The views are great and it’s a nice way to see some of the wildlife. We also did a canopy tour from Tabacon at Ecoglide.  They have 12 cables and a Tarzan swing, and the Tarzan swing was by far the highlight of the canopy tour. You stand on a platform and the guides hook you up to a rope and you jump and swing up into the tree tops it was great and such a rush, you have to try it if you have the chance. We also did a rappelling tour from Tabacon which was also a lot of fun. We rappelled down four waterfalls and two of them much higher than I imagined they would have been. Our stay at the Tabacon lived up to all our expectations and the hot springs exceeded all my expectations.

Sunset - Borinquen Resort

We then travelled to Rincon de la Vieja where we stayed at the Borinquen Mountain Resort. The grounds at this resort were gorgeous, up on the mountain at the base of an inactive volcano. They had pools, thermal pools, mud baths and a natural steam room. The accommodations again here were great, our own little houses up on the hill. The restaurant had great food and the service was excellent. We did a tubing and horseback riding tour from the Hacienda Gauchipelin. The drive from the Borinquen to the Hacienda was about an hour on a rough road but worth the time for the tour. We had a 45 minute horse back ride to the Rio Negro where we gathered our tubes and floated down the river and the rapids. The scenery was great and well worth it. We spent two nights at this resort and it was a blast.

Beach at the Four Seasons Guanacaste

We then traveled to the Pacific Coast to stay at the Four Seasons Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo. The drive was about an hour and a half to the resort. The Four Seasons was gorgeous and we got upgraded to a 3 bedroom bungalow when we got there!! They have two beaches and 3 pools, which you can see both beaches from the main pool. The restaurants are great and the food is fantastic!! The room we stayed in was gorgeous bigger than any other hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Three bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, indoor and outdoor kitchen, large living room, big Jacuzzi bathtubs and French balconies in every bedroom it was amazing! We were only there for one night and none of us wanted to leave. You could hear howler monkeys from our room at night and early in the morning. It was definitely a treat to stay here!

We flew out of Liberia on United, with a quick layover in Chicago and on to Toronto. The trip was great and I would love to go back. It was great place for the whole family, in fact for people of any age and anyone could enjoy this great country. Give us a call if you are interested in a trip to Costa Rica.

905-623-3182 or by e-mail at sheila.kemp@kemptravel.ca  or erin.kemp@kemptravel.ca