Honeymoon - Day 3 - Tahiti

May 3, 2014

We made sure that we woke up bright and early after calling it an early night.  We wanted to make sure to catch the sunrise during our one morning in the bungalow, so we were up a little before 6.  We didn’t feel like it was that early because of the time change, so after waking up, we headed to the back of our peer to watch the sun rise.  The sunrise was absolutely beautiful because there were some clouds in the sky to reflect the light.  The fish were also very active in the morning so we enjoyed seeing some different fish from the day time.  

After the sunrise, we headed back to our room and Joe read his book on the back porch while I did some yoga outside.  It was the most peaceful and beautiful view for yoga as we listened to the waves crash and enjoyed the bright blue water.  After I finished up yoga, we headed to breakfast.  Since I am a diamond member, we got free breakfast, and it was absolutely amazing.  They have so many fruits to offer, as well as meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, and so many different jellies!  They had banana jelly, passion fruit, coconut and pineapple, and so much more!  They also had a homemade peanut butter that was amazing!  

Once we finished up breakfast we were both so full so we decided to work off our meal and did some paddle boarding since the water was very calm.  It was so fun picking up the paddle boards and then riding out to our hut with them and around the whole property.  After finishing up with the paddle boards, we headed back to our room and did some snorkeling right off of our dock.  The fish were so active and everywhere!  We loved trying to catch some pictures on our cameras as we chased the fish around.  

After wrapping up with the snorkeling we relaxed for a bit and sipped on some champagne and then headed in and showered and got ready for the day and packed up.  The concierge came to pick up our luggage and we got all checked out (and received beautiful shell necklaces!) 

We took the hotel taxi back to the dock (2400 XPF for both of us) and then enjoyed some fresh bananas from the local farmers market before heading back to Tahiti.  The shuttle was about a 30 minute trip back and we had purchased round trip tickets, so we got back to Tahiti around 12.  We could not board the cruise ship until 3 so we dropped off our luggage at the dock for the ship before exploring Pappette for a bit.  The city is interesting, and you can definitely tell it is not very developed.  There were a lot of closed shops, but everyone we met was very friendly!  It was interesting to see how simple of a life the Tahitians live, but are all so happy.  We heard crime was virtually nonexistent, and although we were walking through streets that were very run down with expensive cameras, we never felt like we were unsafe like you do walking through many places in Atlanta!  After walking for a bit and realizing there wasn’t too much to see, we found a small bar where we sat down and Joe enjoyed some Tahitian beer while I enjoyed freshly squeezed juice from a fruit that I am unfamiliar with!  It taste a bit like grapefruit, but is a light green yellow color!  It was so refreshing.  After enjoying some time at the bar, we headed back to the dock where there was a small park.  At the park there were some young kids riding around on their bikes doing tricks and others practicing/learning how to break-dance, and we had such a good time watching.  Before we knew it, it was time to board so we headed to the ship. 

We were one of the first to board, and it was such a different experience than boarding a carnival cruiser!  We were welcome by some Tahitian music and dancers and received a flower and a lavender towel.  After running our carry on through a scanner quickly, we were ushered to a room where we were welcomed with champagne and then quickly called up to get checked in.  We received our keys and were escorted to our room where our luggage was already waiting for us!  After dropping off our carry on, we headed to The Veranda where we made reservations for dinner (the ship is all inclusive with food and alcohol but you still make reservations at two of the three restaurants on board) and grabbed a midafternoon snack. They had a fruit bar open as well as a pasta bar and some small amazing bite sized sandwiches which we enjoyed!  They also had a very cute mini desert bar that had about 20 different small desert options!  After finishing up our snack, we explored the rest of the ship and enjoyed our first cocktails at the bar (I had a Bellini while Joe enjoyed a French 75) before heading to our room to get unpacked.  

Watching the break-dancing

Boarding the boat!

Getting Checked In

The room is absolutely amazing.  We got a room with a big window, but were also welcome with a bowl of a fresh assortment of fruit and a bottle of champagne.  Our fridge was stocked with drinks and beers and water so it was a nice change from the carnival cruise!  The bathroom is beautiful and the shelving in the rooms was spacious to where Joe and I had plenty of room to hang up our 4 suitcases that we packed!   

After unpacking, it was time to head to our muster stations for a drill before heading back to our room to get ready for the evening.  After getting dressed we headed to the bar and enjoyed the night view (we were still docked until about midnight) and then headed to our dinner reservations at 7:30.  Dinner was amazing!  We started off with three appetizers, a foie gras and ahi tuna serving, a mushroom pastry serving, and an asparagus cream cheese pastry.  They all had much fancier names, but the menu was a replica of a French restaurant in Paris that has 2 Michelin stars.  Needless to say, everything was amazing!  After our appetizers, Joe had ordered a Mahi Mahi in an amazing mushroom cream sauce and I ordered a Lamb Chop with mashed potatoes, baked tomato, and a deep fried crust filled with a butter olive oil sauce.  After the main course, we finished up with a crème burlee and a chocolate almond ice-cream concoction.  The crème bruelee was absolutely amazing and Joe enjoyed the chocolate desert!  After dinner we headed to the bar that featured a piano player named Dan that was amazing and enjoyed some music before heading downstairs to bed.  It had been a long day without any naps so we called it an early night!

Our gift of Fresh Tahitian Vanilla!