Tahiti
It is definitely worth spending a couple of days on this island to explore this land of steep mountains, dramatic waterfalls and lush valleys. Tahiti, itself, may not entirely match up to your imagined idyllic, romantic hideaway, as it is much larger than some of the other islands. However, it does have some beautiful black sand beaches and Papeete, the capital, is a busy little metropolis with a delightful French flavour. It is the best island for nightlife and shopping with chances to experience some local colour in the markets and restaurants.
Papeete has lots of markets where spices, soaps, coconuts and other local produce are on sale. The town is extremely busy as people from the nearby islands all converge on Papeete to do their shopping. French Polynesia is renowned for its black pearls, although we would recommend that you purchase from a specialist jeweller to make sure that you get the real thing.
Tahiti is the best spot if you are looking for some local colour. We particularly recommend that you pay a visit to “Les Roulottes”, which is a very typical Tahitian experience. This is “the” place to eat out in Tahiti and it’s certainly what the locals do, so should be a great recommendation.
Every night in the town square by the port, stalls are set up serving every kind of food imaginable. Tables and chairs are set up all around, so that each member of the party can choose something from a different stall and then all eat together. It’s a fantastic experience for seeing how the locals live as they crowd around with friends and family and prices are incredibly cheap (especially by Tahitian standards). Crepes are a speciality – both savoury and sweet and fish (usually mahi-mahi) is a staple dish.
