French Polynesia and the Panorama II

Our Tahitian adventure started with a bang…of thunder! Escaping Nashville meant a pre-dawn wake-up call courtesy of some very insistent sirens (2:45 AM – not the pre-vacay vibe we were going for!). The drive to the airport was an adventure in itself, dodging flooded roads and seeing cars underwater. But hey, we made it! And our flight was actually on time!

Most flights to Tahiti start on the West Coast of the US: Los Angeles, San Fransico, and Seattle all have flights. We were flying Delta through LAX.

After a quick stop in LAX and a dash to the next terminal, we were on our way to PPT, sinking into those sweet, sweet Comfort+ seats. Bonus? The back of the plane was practically our private lounge. Arrival in Papeete (Airport Code: PPT) was a breeze – down the stairs and onto the tarmac! Immigration was a bit of a "tropical time" experience (slow and very thorough – they'd never heard of our boat!), so be sure to a) pack a pen to fill out the forms on the plane they hand out, and b) but very thorough with the form! Once admitted, we snagged some cash at an ATM (smart move!) and a taxi to the Maitai Express Tahiti Hotel. Some taxis do not take credit cards and you just can't tell from the taxi rank which ones do and which ones don't. So stop at that ATM and grab some French Pacific Francs.

Our hotel was in the main part of Papeete near the Ferry Terminal and Cruise Ship Terminal, but we needed rest. The room was great, large comfy bed plus a sitting area with TV and couch.