Le Taha'a Island Resort | casual luxury in Polynesia

view from a Beach Bungalow at Le Taha'a Resort (c) 2014 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

When I picture the perfect beach resort, the black and white photo above pretty much says it all for me. Sand and sea, a hammock hanging underneath shady palm trees, a clear view of the horizon, and a few overwater bungalows to lend perspective to the view.

I had the pleasure of visiting Le Taha'a Island Resort one morning during our Paul Gauguin cruise of French Polynesia's Society Islands. Le Taha'a is the perfect resort if you're seeking totally casual luxury, a sand-between-your-toes kind of existence where you just lay back, relax, and enjoy. This is a place I'd love to spend a week.

Fans of the former Kona Beach Resort (on the Big Island), or the Napili Kai resort (on Maui) will know exactly what I'm talking about. With just 60 suites, Le Taha'a is situated underneath the palm trees on a sandy knoll of land jutting out into the sea. While Four Seasons Bora Bora has a manicured elegance, Le Taha'a is laid back and casual. A wonderful spa takes advantage of a wholly natural setting, and you'll enjoy the great food you'd expect from a Relais & Chateaux resort.

No crowds whatsoever and no other resorts in sight, Le Taha'a is a place to go snorkeling and enjoy life in your own overwater bungalow. But if you want to take the path even less travelled, stay in one of the resort's Beach Bungalows — spacious suites with private plunge pools and a backyard that's exactly like the picture above.

Your Virtuoso travel consultant can provide you with valuable amenities (daily buffet breakfast, 75€ spa credit, a cocktail voucher, and an upgrade if available) in conjunction with some great promotions available for longer stays.

Special promotion just announced — stay 5 nights and save 50% on all room categories except the overwater suites. Includes breakfast for two daily. Travel dates: 1APR-30JUN, 1OCT-31MAR of 2016. A great reason to stay in a Beach Bungalow!!!

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Bora Bora | overwater honeymoon bungalows

view from the beach at FS Bora Bora  — (c) 2015 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Where to stay in Bora Bora? I've enjoyed two different visits to this idyllic atoll with its incredible blue-green water, and while there's a resort for most every budget, here are my impressions of the three resorts I visited during my December trip to Bora Bora.


Four Seasons Bora Bora is by far the resort I am most frequently asked about, so I was glad to be able to spend a day last December. Only 5 years old, the resort is beautiful and will only become more impressive as the extensive landscaping matures. FS Bora Bora has a warm, informal elegance with a contemporary Polynesian feel.

There are 100 overwater bungalows and 7 beach bungalows. The OWB we were shown was spacious with separate bedroom and living room.  Rooms are decorated using natural light woods on the walls, darker wood floors, and bamboo ceilings. Connecting bungalows are available for families.

But the best part was the beach — large and uncrowded — and you can swim and snorkel in the various inlets and the coral garden. We spent the afternoon between the beach and the spa — heaven!

Other features are an impressive spa, complimentary laundry facilities, free programs for children and teens, and a wonderful Relaxation Room that guests can use if their bungalow is not ready in the early morning when their flight arrives.

Book through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner to get even more value for the same price!


InterContinental Thalasso is a five star "trendy" option on Bora Bora (with a bar designed by Philippe Starke). Public buildings are constructed with coral rock, providing a sense of place, and natural woods are used extensively in the interiors. The spacious guest rooms have a contemporary feel with a cool color scheme using quiet, subtle shades of blue and grey. The best part of the design: your bed directly faces a floor-to-ceiling glass window with a dramatic view of Bora Bora's incredible lagoon. Book an Otemanu Diamond room for the most breathtaking views when you wake up each morning.

Why consider IC Thalasso? The top reason is the spa! The Thalasso Spa uses sea water for treatments, and if you book a treatment, you get the use of the innovative spa facilities for the entire day. (Or you can buy a day pass, but a treatment is just slightly more).

The food is wonderful (we enjoyed our lunch), and prebook one of the 14 tables at Corail, Thalasso's new signature restaurant with Michelin-starred chef.


InterContinental Moana is a good choice for price conscious honeymooners on a four star budget. IC Moana is an intimate four star resort with a family ambiance and a traditional Polynesian feel, more relaxed and "comfortable" than Thalasso's "trendy" styling. It is located on Bora Bora's central motu, great if you'd like to explore the island and eat dinner at Bloody Mary's or the exquisite La Villa Mahana.

Just 50 overwater bungalows and 12 beach bungalows, each is 36 square meters in size. Rooms are very pleasant with rattan walls and bamboo ceiling beams. Bathrooms have an open-air shower that may appeal to some! A sliding door can close between the living room and dining room, and the sofabed can accommodate one child in an OWB or two children in the beach bungalows.

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

my stay in a floating hotel in Tahiti

Actually, the title of this article may be a bit deceptive. I was invited on a educational trip aboard the Paul Gauguin as it sails on a seven night Tahiti and Society Islands cruise. Actually, if anyone would like to take the same cruise and meet me, we'll be departing PPT on 13DEC and returning 20DEC, and fares are as low as $3,995 per person.

I've never been on a cruise before, although I did enjoy a barge trip in Southern France aboard L'Impressioniste. I'm frankly not a cruise person, but I'm willing to give it a try. I will of course share my impressions, comparing my experience aboard the Paul Gauguin cruise to the luxury hotels I enjoy frequenting.

So why this cruise? In addition to an opportunity to take my wife back to Tahiti (she loves snorkeling in the warm waters of the atolls), I'm looking it as an opportunity to do some site inspections of hotels I didn't get to see back in 2007. Here's my original site inspection report, very much out of date as a new hotel has opened (Four Seasons Bora Bora), two hotels have closed (Hotel Bora Bora, Bora Bora Lagoon), Bora Bora Nui is now a Hilton, and St. Regis Bora Bora is now Virtuoso (it wasn't in 2007).


Le Taha'a Island Resort. A Virtuoso property close to Bora Bora, I've booked it but never seen it. We'll spend a couple of hours there the morning of December 15th.

Four Seasons Bora Bora. This resort was still under construction during my last visit (click here to see a picture I took from the water), but we'll be spending a day there on December 16th. FS is picking us up at the dock at 10 a.m. and returning us at 4 p.m. We'll get to see rooms, enjoy the beach, have lunch, and we've even booked spa treatments.

InterContinental Thalasso (on Bora Bora) is owned by the same company that owns Paul Gauguin cruises, and we'll be seeing it on December 17th.

InterContinental Moorea also has the same owner as the Paul Gauguin cruises. We'll be visiting this property the morning of December 18th, followed by an afternoon site inspection of…

Hilton Moorea. There are really two recommended properties on Moorea, and this will give me the opportunity to see both in a single day — quite helpful in helping clients consider their choices on Moorea.


What about cruising aboard the Paul Gauguin as a way to visit Tahiti? It's certainly economical, as all meals and beverages are included in the price of the cruise — and you only have to pack and unpack once while you enjoy visits to Huahine, Taha'a, Bora Bora, Moorea, and Papeete.

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

round the world by private jet

Wouldn't this be be the ultimate luxury, traveling round the world by private jet in 22 days, enjoying Four Seasons brand of hospitality in each destination, and exploring some of the most exotic locations on earth? Here's the itinerary:

Los Angeles — welcome dinner at Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

The Big Island, Hawaii — two nights at Four Seasons Hualalai with a choice of activities

Bora Bora — three nights at Four Seasons Bora Bora in an overwater bungalow

Sydney, Australia and Ayers Rock — two nights at Four Seasons Sydney with your choice of activities, plus a trip to Ayers Rock

Bali — three nights at your choice: Four Seasons Sayan or Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay

Northern Thailand — three nights at Four Seasons Tented Camp or Chiang Mai

India and the Taj Mahal — three nights at Four Seasons Mumbai along with a tour of the Taj Mahal

The Pyramids and the Sphinx of Egypt — See the Pyramids and the Sphinx while staying at Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza

London — Farewell gala dinner and overnight at Four Seasons London at Park Lane


We all know the typical stress of international travel. This is a chance to escape all that in a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. Sit back, relax, and be pampered as you enjoy some of the world's most iconic sights. You will have a choice of personalized excursions in each destination, arranged by Four Seasons concierge staff. Whether you wish to take a cooking class, visit a local school, hike off the beaten path, or spend the afternoon at the spa, simply ask and your itinerary will be custom-tailored especially for you.

Cost per person is $66,950 (single supplement is $8,500) and includes all private jet transportation in a VIP-configured Boeing 757, deluxe Four Seasons accommodations, all meals, ground transportation, excursions, and taxes. This trip is limited to 78 travelers; trip begins in Los Angeles on October 29 and ends in London on November 19, 2011.


round the world by private jet (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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full solar eclipse | July 11 in Tahiti

As if you needed another reason to visit one of the most idyllic spots on earth, French Polynesia will experience a total solar eclipse on July 11, 2010. A solar eclipse occurs when the new moon passes directly in front of the sun, blocking out its light and creating a mystical "twilight in the middle of the day" experience. According to Nasa's eclipse website, "the southern coast line of French Polynesia's Tahiti lies a tantalizing 20 km north of the eclipse path and experiences a deep 99.96% magnitude partial eclipse at 18:28 UT."

Tahiti and Moorea will experience a 98% eclipse of the sun. There is room availability on both islands that evening, and you can spend the rest of your Polynesian holiday on Bora Bora. The warm waters of its lagoon are the most incredible shade of aquamarine, and this is one of the best places on earth to snorkel. My recommended places to stay? Four Seasons Bora Bora (the ultimate five star resort with a distinctly Polynesian flavor) and Bora Bora Lagoon Resort (an Orient Express property with reasonable prices and the best snorkeling anywhere).

Never look directly at the sun. The only time that the Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye is during a total eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun. It is never safe to look at a partial or annular eclipse, or the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, without the proper equipment and techniques.


Bora Bora (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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