Oh my 40!

So on September 17th I entered that dreadful club! It's funny because up until about two years ago I was pretty happy with my aging process but in the past couple years, all those summers I spent as a teenager basking in the sun have finally come back to haunt me and the wrinkles, sun spots, and permanently squinty eyes from squinting all those years not to mention the gray that is finally making it appearance on my head have arrived in full force!!!

To help ease the pain, I booked Jack and I a trip to French Polynesia. I've always wanted to go to Bora Bora but when we lived on the east coast it was just too painful of a flight and now that we've been on the west coast I knew I had to do it! As a side note I want to be clear that I had our trip booked before the Bachelorette season even began so no, I didn't choose Bora Bora because Ally gave out her final rose there... :)

We started the trip flying down to LA and meeting up with some friends for dinner. Then it was off on the dreadful 8+ hour flight across the pacific. I don't know what it is about flying over water for so long in the dark but it creeps me out. As if having to make an unexpected landing above ground would be any better...

Once we arrived in Tahiti we headed over on a puddle jumper plane to our first stop, Moorea. I had read countless reviews and learned that Tahiti is actually just a pit stop for travelers. I also learned that when people say they are going on vacation to Tahiti, 9 times out of 10, they only stay one night, if any, in Tahiti and continue on to some of the other islands. I think the plane we traveled on when we went skydiving was bigger than this plane. It was tiny and the only directions given came on a sign as you entered the plane that said, 1. fasten seat belt 2. brace for impact. Not what I wanted to read just minutes before arriving in my dream destination. Thankfully we arrived in one piece and the trip began. There are only four main hotel chains in Moorea and aside from the Intercontinental, I had barely heard of the other two. We chose the Hilton because it was rated as the top resort in Moorea and was known as being one of the best destination resorts for snorkeling right off your bungalow. It was truly breathtaking. We spent our days kayaking in the early morning, snorkeling throughout a chunk of the day and relaxing in the sun for the remaining part. We swam with rays, eels, black tip sharks (harmless), the most diverse fish I've ever seen, and even found ourselves surrounded by a whole school of dolphins one morning as we kayaked in one of the bays. Our bungalow was beautiful and the people so friendly. It was just heavenly! The weather in Moorea was perfect. One day we decided to rent a car for a half-day which had been recommended to us since it only takes a couple hours to drive around the whole island. On our travels around we actually drove by two LDS church buildings which was fun to see. We were surprised to see that most of the locals spoke French. Too bad I hadn't brushed up on my high school French before we arrived. Which reminds me that one of my favorite things about the French are their crepes. The hotel had a bar that would serve crepes in the evening. They were obscenely expensive but worth every cent!

Oh we are finally here! You can see all the coral in the water here. Around each piece of coral you'd find all sorts of diverse fish.



Our bungalow, #89 and the always talked about glass bottom coffee table:




Daily adventures:



Our dolphin encounter:



We enjoyed many amazing sunrises and sunsets...



Belvedere look-out point: One of our stops during our round the island tour. Our resort sat on the other side of the mountain between both bays:



These photos don't do these waters justice. We actually did HD underwater video most of the time because it captured the underwater life so much better but here are a few. The two bottom ones of the shark and ray were actually taken from walkway leading to our bungalow...




So then it was time to leave Moorea. I was trying to manage my expectations of Bora Bora after having such an amazing time in Moorea. We knew the snorkeling in Bora Bora wouldn't compare but it's the lagoon and the amazing colors within the lagoon that draw people to Bora Bora. The water in Moorea was fantastic and it was hard to believe the water could get much prettier but sure enough as we landed in Bora Bora, it was as if the lagoon glowed. Seeing all the different shades of blue was amazing. And there would be a straight line across the lagoon where the water would change from one shade to another. It was crazy to see how quickly the ocean bottom must drop off causing such a change in water color. It's a bit scary landing in Bora Bora because the airport is located on its own island. The only way off the island is via water taxi but interestingly enough there was one small fire engine located onsite for I guess any emergency. When you first land you are greeted by the traditional Tahitian band and your hotel concierge team. They assist you with your luggage and then escort you to their private boat which they refer to as the water taxi. It was about a 20 minute boat ride through the lagoon before we reached the first resort we'd be staying at in Bora Bora, the Intercontinental Thalasso. (Since I couldn't decided between a couple resorts we decided to stay a little longer and spend time in both.) Our room at the Thalasso was absolutely amazing. We thought the Hilton had an amazing bungalow but the Thalasso took the cake. It was huge (1200 sf), contemporary and elegant. We spent our first evening taking the water taxi over to the Thalasso's sister property on the main island and then catching a ride to Bloody Mary's, a famous fish restaurant we had heard about and wanted to experience. The next couple days we did a shark/ray/snorkel excursion, floated around in the lagoon, and enjoyed the beach.

Here's a photo taken of Moorea as we left and one of Bora Bora as we were arriving:



Here we are being met by our greeters at the Thalasso and you'll notice the golf carts ready and waiting! I'm guessing French Polynesia makes up the biggest market for golf carts. At each resort, most employees were found driving either a golf cart or a three wheel bike with a big basket attached to it. I loved watching the housekeepers maneuvering their bikes down the pontoon walkways with all their cleaning supplies in tow. If interested, you could call concierge any time for a golf cart pick up to take you to a restaurant, spa, gym, etc.



Our bungalow, #222:




I could have floated on this raft all day and every day. I was bummed I had left mine at home but thankfully the concierge team found one that they said I could use for our visit. Both the Thalasso and the Four Seasons had these small little islands that everyone enjoyed swimming or wading out to. We were surprised at all the fish and rays that would surround them. There was a big octopus that hung out near this one:



On the day of our shark and ray excursion the weather was a bit stormy. Of course the tour guide said that didn't matter since we'd be looking down under the water. Indeed within a couple minutes of entering the water, we were surrounded by a couple dozen sharks swimming around us. It was creepy but cool.



Never could seem to get tired of this view:



Next stop was the Four Seasons. Like the Thalasso, this resort was also located on its own private motu in the middle of the lagoon. The beauty of staying on one of these private motus is that the resort stares directly at the beautiful Bora Bora mountain. The only drawback is that the only way to get to the main island of Bora Bora is water taxi. Again though, we arrived to find ourselves in another beautiful bungalow. It was a tad bit smaller but again very elegant and just a different look than that of the Thalasso. We spent our days here enjoying fabulous food, taking in a couples massage, doing a jet ski tour, taking out the kayaks and paddle boards, and relaxing in the sun. Their beach service was amazing. Every day the staff would come around with yummy shot sized glasses of various virgin styled drinks along with fruit samples. It was always so peaceful. All three resorts were at 90% capacity or above yet never did we feel there were many people around. In fact in most of my photos you'd think we were the only people at the resort. I do think everyone in the world that got married the week before our trip was in French Polynesia for their honeymoon. During our whole trip, we only met maybe three other couples who were not honeymooning. We were shocked that the majority of the people we met had traveled 30+ hours to come to this paradise including our new Swedish friends Mattias and Farhad. They were our next door neighbors at the Hilton and we became instant friends with them (and yes, they were honeymooning too)! We traveled with them on the same flight from Moorea to Bora Bora and later met up with them at the Four Seasons once we checked in there. They were great and we shared many laughs with them. We feel pretty confident our paths will cross again with all the travel they do. We may just have to make up an excuse to go to Sweden so we can visit them...



Bungalow #105:



Good times:






I don't know what I'd do without my mom who always so willingly offers to come at a drop of a hat to watch our kids. This time since we were going to be away for so long, my dad joined her for the first week and then she continued like a trooper for the second week as the solo caretaker! The kids had a great time and I knew they were in good hands which helped the worrier in me!!!



I have to say how lucky I am to have Jack as my partner in crime. We had so much fun. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my 40th. Here's to another 40 with him!!! Next on the list is a combo trip to Dubai and the Maldives... a taste of cool architecture and amazing beaches! We'll see if we can pull it off for next year. That story to be continued...