Sisters in Luxurious French Polynesia

I can't speak highly enough about the staff and crew aboard the MS Paul Gauguin.  This is a luxury vessel that somehow manages to never feel stuffy - Polynesian hospitality at its best!  Our room attendant knew us each by name before we had ever been introduced in person - I was thoroughly impressed and immediately felt at home on board.  I'll list just some of the many ways we were completely won over by the Paul Gauguin crew throughout our 8-day cruise.

You might find a few favorite waiters and always request to be seated at their tables.  For us it was Jaypee & Flo:

The bartenders may come to know your favorite drink and have it ready for you when you walk in the door - for me it was a Manhattan (with extra cherries!):

You might giggle like a school girl around the Les Gauguines performers and learn them each by name and attend every one of their enrichment sessions throughout the week (dance classes, shell bracelet making, Polynesian culture Q&A, musical performances).  We were their biggest fans:

 

Let’s talk shore excursions!  Every day you’ll awake to views of a new island to explore and a menu of excursion options to choose from.  Shore excursions are an additional cost on all Paul Gauguin cruises, and they can be booked in advance to ensure availability.  You’re always welcome to add more on board, but the more popular tours do tend to sell out before departure.

What are your options?  Snorkeling, galore!  ATV & off-road 4x4 tours.  Island biking.  Catamaran sailing with BBQ lunches.  Wave runners.  Helicopter rides.  Pearl farm & Tahitian vanilla tours.  Just to name a few.

My sister and I opted for a few shore excursions during our 8-day cruise in French Polynesia.  We loved our e-bike tour of the island of Moorea - the stunning Belvedere lookout was the final destination:
 

And our group did a fantastic 4x4 off-road excursion for one of the two free days on Bora Bora, visiting local Pareo artists and beautiful lookouts along the way:
 

And for travelers who might prefer to wander and explore independently, there’s still plenty to do on your own!  My sister and I had a few days where we chose to do just that.  We stumbled upon cute little local towns and shops to peruse, beautiful public beaches, and cheap bike rentals to explore on two wheels ($10 for 2 hours on Bora Bora):

The excursion times are scattered throughout the day, so about every half hour there's a new group of guests coming and going.  I never once felt like the Paul Gauguin guests were overwhelming the local population, which is something I've experience before on those 1,000-passenger cruise ships (pre-Adventure-Life), and have tried to avoid ever since.  Whether you wanted advice on which excursion to choose, or recommendations for activities to do on your own, the excursion desk on board was always so helpful in pointing us in the right direction.

 

The South Pacific islands are incredibly remote, and very few airlines offer non-stop flights to this region, so Paul Gauguin partners with Air Tahiti Nui to ensure that all cruise guests have a direct itinerary option from the get-go.  This is an additional cost but is easy to add on!  95% of the guests on board will have no reason to stray from this itinerary.  It's non-stop, it's easy to connect in LAX, and they take care of all the details.  If you're adding this airfare package to your cruise, your transfers from the airport to the ship and back to the airport are all taken care of.  If the group flight arrives into Papeete, Tahiti at 5am and embarkation doesn't begin until 3pm?  Not to worry!  They'll arrange for a day room at a local hotel, where you'll have access to a beautiful pool, delicious meals, and the opportunity to relax and freshen up after a long flight (8.5 hours to be exact).

The rainbow welcoming committee upon arrival at the Intercontinental, our day-use hotel in Papeete before embarkation.

Complete with delicious breakfast and lunch buffets.

If guests are wanting to connect through Hawaii, San Francisco, or perhaps are planning for more extensive, independent travels before or after the cruise, the flight & transfer package can easily be removed from the published cruise fare.  Day rooms and transfers can then be added back in as needed, in a more a la carte fashion, or the more independent traveler can arrange all those details on their own and simply meet the ship at port in time for embarkation.

There's a time and a place for the on-the-move, fit-in-as-much-as-possible kind of trip.  And on the other end of the spectrum, the kind of trip where you stay put and focus on....well....nothing but relaxation.  I met a couple on this cruise that made the distinction between the two.  The former: TRAVEL!  The latter: VACATION!  

What is "Travel?"
Travel is characterized by movement.  Flying or driving to a new location every few days, daily excursions to see a new area, most likely an agenda or bucket list involved - check those boxes!  I can really get behind a trip like this; I've traveled this way in Peru and Costa Rica and Thailand and the Galapagos and on and on.  It's exhilarating to see a new country this way!  Sometimes your must-see list is so long, it necessitates this kind of travel style.  You might need a vacation after your vacation, but at least you'll have some excellent stories and photos to share!

What is "Vacation?"
Vacation is characterized by relaxation.  Stay put in a resort or lodge for a week with the sole purpose of recharging.  Sleep, read a great book, eat delicious food, have a fruity cocktail (or three), and turn off your phone.  Do this really well, and you'll be ready to tackle your old routines with a new-found energy.  You might not have as many stories or photos to brag about, but the goal of vacation isn't to fill your Instagram with jealousy-inducing moments.  The goal is to sleep in, reset, disconnect, and probably gain a few pounds (or is that just me?).

A Perfect Marriage
I've never been on a trip before that was such a perfect marriage of TRAVEL and VACATION.  This cruise seriously had it all.  Was there movement?  Oh yes!  A new island to explore each day!  We went snorkeling and stand up paddleboarding, rented bikes, went 4x4 off-roading, and wandered in local towns.  And yet... No internal flights to catch.  No need to pack up our things for the next hotel.  No rental vehicle to drive from place to place.  This was as worry-free as it gets.  Which leads me to the relaxation.  Oh, the relaxation!  Sleeping in, room service, luxurious bathrobes, naps on the beach, pre-dinner cocktails, evening entertainment, no meal planning or cooking!  It was dreamy.  Seriously the best of both worlds.  We fit in so much, yet had no agenda from day to day.  We ended up with some pretty nice photos and stories, too, if I do say so myself....

Taking in a local public beach with a book in hand.  Total VACATION!

Enjoying a slow morning with room service.  VACATION strikes again.

Turning up the pace with an off-road safari!

Meandering through Bora Bora on rented bikes.

Ah yes, there's that beach-with-a-book scene again.  Never gets old.

Until next time, MS Paul Gauguin!

 

Paul Gauguin cruises have been operating in this region since 1998, and they have developed connections with the local culture that are unmatched in the industry.  The most obvious is their onboard group of hosts and entertainers, Les Gauguines.  They are called Polynesian ambassadors, and we soaked up as much of their performances and interactive sessions as we could!  There were daily opportunities to simply spend time with Les Gauguines and get to know them by name which for me was the cherry on top of an already spectacular cruise.

We attended their Q&A session about life in Polynesia and asked all of our burning questions.  What island did you grow up on?  Where do people go for college and medical treatment?  How important is the family unit?  How do most people make a living?  What do you love about the lifestyle?  This was just the beginning of a great week getting to know these fine folks!

They taught us about the many uses of the coconut and its importance to local culture.

We tried to imitate their dance moves to varying levels of success.  But they were excellent teachers!

They serenaded us before dinner with local song and dance.  It was mesmerizing!

They welcomed us to a new port each day with a smile.

They performed every few nights and shared the dances that are so central to the Polynesian culture.  

Scattered throughout the cruise, we also had the opportunity to see dance troupes from the local islands.  A great way to support the local communities and see some adorable children.  I mean really, it doesn't get much cuter than this!

All of these things of course were completely optional activities.  No one was forcing us to attend dance lessons or shell jewelry making, but for us it was what elevated the cruise experience to a higher level.  In all honesty - you ask me my favorite part of the entire cruise, and at first I'll think about the mountains and white sand beaches and gourmet food, but I'll tell you that Les Gauguines were my favorite.  And that's what makes the Paul Gauguin experience so special.  Until next time!

 

The food aboard the MS Paul Gauguin certainly deserves its own post.  I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed I was with options!  Okay, twist my arm.  Here we go......

Breakfast: a meal I typically end up skipping during my routine at home, but on the cruise an opportunity to indulge in some of my favorite things.  Made-to-order omelettes with every topping imaginable.  Strong coffee - oh, how I love strong coffee!  Bagels with lox and tomato and onion and capers.  Fresh pastries.  Fresh fruit.  Fresh-squeezed juice.  Did I mention fresh?  The occasional mimosa (or every morning if you'd like - it's vacation!).  What a way to start the day.  Did I mention that you can order breakfast via room service?  Just in case you wanted to sip coffee from your balcony...

Lunches.  Just when you thought you couldn't possibly be hungry again, it's another meal time!  Each day brought a new theme for lunches - local Polynesian, American, Italian, Greek - each one somehow better than the day before.  I'm telling you, there is something on this ship for every picky eater and dietary restriction.

Dinners.  Just like breakfast & lunch, you can choose one of three restaurants on board for dinner.  All three serve essentially the same thing for breakfast and lunch, but the menus vary for dinners.  La Veranda and Le Grill, the smaller of the three, require reservations for dinner, but it's not difficult to find availability.  I had the best steak of my life at Le Grill (sorry, no photo, must have scarfed that down quickly!).  And I'll share some photos of our meals at La Veranda here (this is the most upscale of the three):

The third dining option on board is called L'Etoile, the largest of the three and no reservations required.  You can request a table for two if it's privacy you're looking for, or go for the larger shared tables to meet new friends.  We had a blast meeting other guests on board and swapping stories of our days in paradise (our waiter Flo was quite the character!):

Les Gauguines often surprised the dinner crowd with live music:

And of course scattered throughout the day are tea times.....

And pre-dinner appetizers at the bar...

Elastic waistbands recommended!