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The tranquility of Bora Bora

by Ciambella , 4 more photos

Favorite Thing: Every time we are back on the islands, it feels like coming home. We would look for each curve on the road to tell us where we are. When we stay at Club Bali Hai, which is most of the time, we could know the distance from any point between the airports to the hotel and we could feel ourselves become more relax with each kilometre.

French Polynesia does that to you, even if you are not a frequent visitor.

On the first visit, you will feel awed by the beauty. You will go snorkelling, swimming with the dolphins, riding around the island, buying pareo, postcards, and souvenirs, watching a Polynesian show, snapping a lot of pictures, the usually tourist stuff.

On the second visit, you will still feel awed by the beauty but you also expect the tranquillity that comes with it, you will do snorkelling and taking pictures but you will feel less inclined to do many other activities, and writing postcards become an obligation instead of pleasure.

On the third visit, you will just take in the beauty without being overwhelmed by it, and you will not buy a single postcard.

With each frequent visit, you will do less and less. You will think a quiet swim by yourself or snorkelling with your companion is enough activity for the day. When you call Moorea your second home, you will become part of the land and the people, you will do as little as possible and feel not a tinge of guilt about it.

After all, you are on the islands; there is no must-see or must-do here. Just let yourself be, and that is enough. Drop your luggage in the bungalow, go outside to lie on a hammock, and take a snooze. When you wake up, just listen to your body. It will not demand for a swim with the dolphin, believe me. If you listen to your body and your mood, you will have the best of vacation whence you do nothing but feel very full and content about it.

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General Tips: Find Tranquility And Romance In Manihi

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Updated by Ciambella

on Dec 11, 2005

The beach

by Ciambella , 4 more photos

Favorite Thing: I absolutely love Manihi, I love it even more than Moorea where we have spent many months of our lives.

Manihi is not an island but an atoll in Tuamotu. The water is Manihi is not blue, but true emerald, different shades of it. There is only one hotel on the atoll, and that's Pearl Resort. There is never a sound to be heard. There is rarely a person to be seen. The sea breeze is always soft, the lagoon is always calm, and the fish are always playing just below the surface of the water. When one is on the veranda of one's own water bungalow, the privacy is so special that one feels removed from the mundane of every day's living.

If there is a place that is closest to heaven on earth, that would have to be Manihi.

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General Tips: The Many Shades Of Blue In Bora Bora

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Updated by Ciambella

on Dec 17, 2005

Bora Bora

by Ciambella , 2 more photos

Favorite Thing: Seeing Bora Bora from the air for the first time is an experience to which nothing can compare. The island looks just like a necklace of emerald and pearl on a background setting of turquoise velvet.

Then the plane lands, you board a motor launch to get to the island, and the incredible sight from the air suddenly becomes nothing when comparing with what lays ahead.

The world breathtaking is neither an exaggeration nor a figurative term to describe this spectacular lagoon. There is not one shade of blue, or two, or three. The many shades of blue are like waves that come upon you, one after another, and the crystallized water only makes you feel more overwhelmed with its beauty. More than likely, your first thought would be, "This must be heaven."

No, it's not heaven. It's only Bora Bora, but that makes it even better than heaven because it is within reach.

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General Tips: The Arrival And Departure Point

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Updated by Ciambella

on Apr 7, 2006

Sunset on Maeva Beach

by Ciambella