Bora Bora or Italy?

[kstar512]

With the wedding nine months out, FI and I are starting to plan our honeymoon. We both LOVE to travel so this has been a tough decision. Here are our options

Bora Bora,Tahiti- 7 days in an over water bungalow. Pro''s: Beautiful Location. Very Romantic. Con''s: It would only be a week. I love the beach, but hate fish, lol, so I''m not to big into the whole snorkeling thing.

Italy and the coast of France- two and half weeks traveling around by train. Pro''s : We love Europe, Italy is supposed to be very romantic. Much longer trip. Cons: FI has already been there, it kind of seems more like a trip we can take once we have been married a while. Not as "honeymoonish"??

Just wondering if anyone went to these places for their honeymoon. Any suggestions? If anyone has any pictures of their trips I would love to see them.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I would go to Bora Bora. It is more [not sure this is a word but I'll use it in any case] honeymoony IMHO.

Disclaimer: I have never been to Bora Bora, in particular, but have been to that part of the world on a number of occasions. I was born in Italy and have been back hundreds of times [both for business and pleasure]. It has changed a ton, especially recently - lots of 3rd world immigration, etc. It is not the romanticized place it used to be. And travel by train for 2.5 weeks - eek! I think that would be quite stressful. If you really want to go, then just go as a vacation some other time. In fact, I had been planning to buy a house over there to use for regular vacations and have decided not to. We have sold all of the family real estate and lo longer have a footprint there.

Hope this helps!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Do you love beach vacations? How relaxing do you want your honeymoon to be? Are you typically active travellers?

If it were me, I'd go to Europe over Bora Bora in a heartbeat. I've never been to Italy or Bora Bora, but I do love Europe and we are very active travellers--while Bora Bora is absolutely beautiful, it is much more a trip focused around relaxation (as my friend says, she found it Bora-Boraing) For a person who just wants to sit on a beach in paradise, Bora Bora would be perfect. I'll take overnight trains, busy days, tons of walking and exhaustion anyday!

 

[geckodani]

Since one of the things I must do before I die is go to Bora Bora, I''m going to lean that way.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Boy, we''re a lot of help! ROTFL!

 

[galvana]

If I could afford it, i would do Bora Bora - no question.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

BTW, I absolutely adore Italy [maybe because it should feel like home - along with the rest of Europe, I might add] and it pains me to see what is happening over there.

 

[panda08]

I don''t think you can go wrong with either place but I''ve had friends tell me that, after the run up to the wedding, they were glad to just veg out on their honeymoons; so I say Bora Bora.

 

[Mediterranean]

So, I''m guessing that your fella isn''t any more decided than you, huh? LOL! It would have been so easy to toss the ball over to him for the tie breaker, KWIM?

It''s going to be a hard one. All I can give is my opinion. Personally, I''d totally want the longer trip. So, I''d say Europe. But then I again, I grew up in (and currently reside in) a city that is a beachy, tropical tourist destination, so my inclination is always going to be to do something different from that, so I''m biased...

 

[EricaR]

I''d lean towards Europe, too. I am not a "lounge on the beach" sort of girl and after a day of that I''d be ready to move onto bigger and better things.

 

[kstar512]

Oh Geez..... thanks for all the quick responses. Here''s the thing, we both travel together a lot and love to be on the go and do things. We have backpacked Europe, done Greece, canada, Most of the US , and like to see and do as much as we can in each place. We have never done a Bora Bora like trip together. I know I love lounge around vacations, and haven''t been on one since FI and I have been together. My only concern is that he would get bored. I''ve done some reasearch online and it seems like there are a good amount of activities we could try, like jet skiing, parasailing, hiking. I know I would have fun at either place I just need to make up my mind!

NewEnglandLady- The type of traveling you enjoy is just like what we have always done. I guess I kind of feel like maybe we could try things the way I was used to traveling before we were together. I''ll have a blast either way. I traveled Europe two summers ago and cant wait to do it again.

Diamanteblu- Thanks for your input, it is always interesting to hear input from someone who is actually from that country.

Mediterranean- He is as confused as me! He can''t deny that Bora Bora looks amazing. He is just afraid he will get bored. I kind of think he doesnt know how to just relax, lol. By the way, where are your from? I live in Southern California, so defently feel you as far as living in a tourist destination.

 

[violet02]

I have traveled a ton too and I would definitely do Bora Bora! Nothing like relaxation and time to focus on each other!

I''ve gone on so many sight seeing trips I''d love to do one pure island vacation trip. We''re actually going to spend a week of our honeymoon in Santorini doing next to nothing to relax! The other two weeks will be sight seeing.

I would love to do Bora Bora on a future vacation!

 

[mia1181]

Date: 1/16/2009 2:11:14 PM
Author: kstar512
Oh Geez..... thanks for all the quick responses. Here''s the thing, we both travel together a lot and love to be on the go and do things. We have backpacked Europe, done Greece, canada, Most of the US , and like to see and do as much as we can in each place. We have never done a Bora Bora like trip together. I know I love lounge around vacations, and haven''t been on one since FI and I have been together. My only concern is that he would get bored. I''ve done some reasearch online and it seems like there are a good amount of activities we could try, like jet skiing, parasailing, hiking. I know I would have fun at either place I just need to make up my mind!

NewEnglandLady- The type of traveling you enjoy is just like what we have always done. I guess I kind of feel like maybe we could try things the way I was used to traveling before we were together. I''ll have a blast either way. I traveled Europe two summers ago and cant wait to do it again.

Diamanteblu- Thanks for your input, it is always interesting to hear input from someone who is actually from that country.

Mediterranean- He is as confused as me! He can''t deny that Bora Bora looks amazing. He is just afraid he will get bored. I kind of think he doesnt know how to just relax, lol. By the way, where are your from? I live in Southern California, so defently feel you as far as living in a tourist destination.

It sounds like you are leaning toward Bora Bora! But have you ever heard of Moorea?

We went to Moorea, French Polynesia (Near BB and Tahiti) for our honeymoon and stayed in the overwater bungalow and it was amazing! We chose Moorea over Bora Bora because the snorkling is better. I saw that you don''t like fish or snorkling, but does FI? That would give him something to do while you relax on your deck. I loved snorkling, but couldn''t do it for the hours that DH spent right below our deck swimming with the fishes. It was cute, he was like a little kid popping his head up and saying "did you see that? An octupus just went right by me!" while I just lounged around.

We made friends with another couple who stayed a garden bungalow at our hotel, buit when on to stay in a OWB in BB. They said they wished they had the OWB in Moorea instead, because there was much more to see from the deck. BB doesn''t have a lot of coral, so there aren''t a lot of fish. But you hate fish so maybe that''s a plus. Moorea also has more activities than BB, the hiking is better because there are mountains. The couple that we met said there was much more to do in Moorea.

Either way, you can''t go wrong, they both are gorgeous and true paradise. I''m just wondering if Moorea is a better compromise for you.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I think relaxation sounds like what you want most, and I think after the wedding you will need it.

One other thought - my DH and I actually took two honeymoons. That''s not as extravagant as it sounds though - we did a 4-day special at a local B&B we loved right after the wedding - super relaxing, laid-back, no major planning or packing involved, just drove 1 hour from home to Northern California wine country and spent a super relaxing week there. It was perfect for right after the wedding because we were exhausted - I don''t think I''ve ever slept that well before or since.

Then a couple of months later, we went to England for two weeks and did lots of sightseeing, museums, theater, etc...

This was perfect - we got the best of both worlds, so something to possibly consider if you could afford it and have someplace nearby that would work - I think it would be a shame to go to Italy or some other really cool place with lots to do and be too tired to appreciate it!

 

[Bia]

I'd go to Tahiti!

For a honeymoon, I want to be lounging and swimming and basking in the sun...but that's just me. Plus, Tahiti (and those little bungalows) is supposed to be amazing! Very romantic and relaxing in my opinion--with the rat race of NY, quiet relaxation is what I am going to look for in a honeymoon.

However, Europe is fantastic too. But it sounds like you want to do something different. I say research as much as you can, find activities that you can do together, and apart, and go to Bora Bora!

 

[radiantgirl]

I would definitely go to Bora Bora. It''s not cheap, but if you have the funds, I would definitely go. We went there for our honeymoon back in late April - May 2007. Our itinerary was 1 night in Tahiti, 3 nights in Moorea, and 4 nights in Bora Bora. It was our absolute dream honeymoon. I would split up the islands if you think you may get bored. I would do Moorea and Bora Bora. Tahiti was just one night when we first landed, so there really isn''t much to do there. I was so stressed out and tired from planning the wedding that I wanted to relax as much as possible. We plan to go back for our 10 year anniversary. I have some pictures you want to see them.

 

[mia1181]

mini threadjack- Radiant, where did you stay in Moorea? We stayed at the Sheraton and loved it!

 

[brendaman]

We''re thinking of Bora Bora for our honeymoon, but after reading what radiantg Mia1181 and Radiantgirl have to say, I think we''ll do the 1-night-Tahiti then rest of stay split into Bora Bora - Moorea in OWBs (probably the Intercontinentals for all 3 locales). I''m a diver, and he loves to snorkle, but may try diving. In all three locales, I read that there are 4x4 trips to the center of island to see view, wildlife, etc. Even if you don''t buy any black pearls, it would be neat to see where they come from and how they dive for them. There''s also some shark swimming experience if you are into that kind of adventure. I don''t think it''s too dangerous as they''re only nerf sharks, I think. In Bora Bora, there''s also some underwater aquarium which you could swim in as part of the experience. I know you don''t like fish, but it would be an experience to swim/snorkle in an aquarium filled with tropical fish, sharks, turtles, rays, etc. When I was reading about French Pollynesia, it seemed like we wouldn''t have enough time to fit everything in one week, so am considering longer time and that''s without even thinking about any dive trips.

Also, the Tahitian vacation is more relaxing after the whirlwind of wedding planning, events, receptions. You wil be refreshed and ready to send those ''thank you'' notes.

I''ve traveled for work and pleasure all over the world and so has FF. I''ve gone back-packing and I''ve done first class. I''ve been to Italy several times (used to have an Italian BF who lived in Florence, but that''s another story). And I''ve done the traveling through Europe by train. Even before I leave for Europe, I like to plan things down to knowing which train to take. There are so many options with itineraries (should I do Rome first in the Spring when the heat is tolerable and then go to Florence, but then I want to visit Ischia off the coast of Naples or should I just go down to the Amalfi Coast). You want to be flexible also, but then if it''s high season, you need to secure reservations or even if it is not high season, some places are in such high demand. OK, I can go on and on, but you get the gist of it. FF and I will do Italy (he''s been only once) one day when our heads have cleared of the wedding planning/logistics haze. For the honeymoon, I want to breathe and not have to worry about catching trains. Of course, if you were to do SoFrance/Italy by car, well, that''s a different story. Then that would be more romantic as you can just map out a route, staying in little country inns.

 

[mia1181]

Okay might as well just post this, our honeymoon video.... oooh that sounded bad

Well I made this video so our family could see where we were since none of them had ever heard of Moorea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA_43VEW5VA

As you can see we swam with the sharks which was amazing! We also wanted to scuba dive, but we heard it wasn''t necessary because you see all the same fish right off your deck. As you can see, we swam (is that a word?) with all kinds of fish, an eel, and octopus, puffer fish, big fish, tiny fish, and rays. We were even surprised when the boat for our shark feeding excursion anchored right in front of our hotel! We had been swimming in that very spot (far past the drop-off) every day, but I think the sharks know to go to the boat for food. Brendaman this is obviously more for you since, I don''t think kstar likes fish!

But we also went horseback riding and the shark tour had ray feeding and a motu picnic also. I highly recommend it!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Cool video!

 

[brendaman]

Mia - I love it! Gonna show FF tonight. Where did u stay?

Kstar - Sorry to hijack your thread. I did know you''re not into fish, but I was trying to say that maybe you gotta do the fish at least once, if they throw in a shark, etc. in the mix.

So, my vote is Bora Bora. And if you have two weeks for Medi Coast of France and Italy, I''d vote for car rental, but you probably will still need to do some research/planning and do logistics for such a trip, whereas Tahiti would be relatively simple planning of stepping into the office of a travel agent specializing in South Pacific vacations.

 

[Elmorton]

We slept for the first day of our honeymoon - turns out, weddings are exhausting! While I love europe, it takes a lot of energy. If you have an option for a honeymoon where an entire day can be happily wasted by not moving more than 10 yards, I''d say go for that.

 

[kittybean]

I vote Italy, but I might be a little biased, since that is where FI and I are planning to go on our honeymoon. We are going to rent a car (FI has nerves of steel) and drive down the Amalfi Coast, with day trips to Capri and Ischia, then we''re ditching the car and hanging out with FI''s relatives in Rome.

We decided not to go the tropical vacation route because we''ve already been on quite a few sand-and-sun vacations together. We wanted to do something different, and Italy should be a great fit. I''ve been a few times, plus I speak Italian, so I think it will be fun for us. FI''s relatives probably won''t come to our wedding, and he hasn''t seen them since he was in junior high.

I say rent a car and see Italy!

 

[mia1181]

Brendaman- we stayed at the Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort. Personally, I thought it had the best water of the hotels on the island. The water around the Pearl was gorgeous, but no coral= not a lot of fish. Some of the bungalows at the Intercontinental were on a more greenish water rather than turquoise which I don't think I would like. The one side did have pretty turquoise water though, and we stopped near there to do the ray feeding (I believe) so I bet there are a lot of rays around there. We did walk through the intercontinental which was very pretty, because DH wanted to get a tattoo there

luckily the booth was closed! We saw the grounds and the beach which I thought was nice. Anyway if you or FF have any more questions, I can start a new thread and answer any that you may have.

ETA- thanks diamante! Shhh trying not to be a big fat stinkin' threadjacker!

 

[BigDiamonds]

As other people have said, I think you should be honest about what kind of honeymoon you really want. FI and I are "travelers" too and tend to take very active trips, but we decided on a Mexican beach resort for our honeymoon. The deciding factor was about a year before the wedding when we flew to Bali, and when we finally arrived at the resort after 28 hours of travel, I looked at him and said, "We have to go somewhere close and easy for the honeymoon." I think by the time the wedding comes and goes I''m just going to need a break!! Running around and catching trains, standing in lines, braving crowded tourist sites, etc. is just not what I''m going to want, I think. Of course either trip sounds great, and I''m sure you''ll have fun no matter what you do!

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 1/16/2009 1:02:16 PM
Author: geckodani
Since one of the things I must do before I die is go to Bora Bora, I''m going to lean that way.

Big fat DITTO! It''s one of my dream vacations!

 

[brendaman]

Mia - Many thanks again for the tips. We''re 10+ months away from wedding and not even engaged, but I''m already doing research on honeymoon. Will definitely have to check out Sheraton.

After the wedding, we''re staying at the same hotel the reception will be (or nearby hotel as we''re still debating which reception site) and sleeping in late and do as little as possible following the wedding day. We''ll probably leave for the honeymoon the day after. I''ve heard this is a must.

 

[Harriet]

Hi,
We considered Bora Bora for our honeymoon, but chose Italy instead. This was because the last time we stayed at a resort, we got mighty bored. So, we started off in Ravello and cruised the Mediterranean after that. It was an itinerary that we''ve done before, but that didn''t matter. We can''t wait to go back to the hotel in Ravello.

 

[kstar512]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. After a bunch of you guys brought up Moorea I did a little research online and it looks awesome too. We called and talked to a travel agent who had some packages with a couple nights in Moorea and a couple nights in Bora Bora. This is for sure the way we would go if we decide on Bora Bora.

Mia1181- Thanks so much for posting your video. Your trip looked amazing! I have to say though, like I said before, I dont like fish, and those sharks kind of scared me ! lol. It looks like you guys had a really good time.

Brendaman- Now you have me thinking, renting a car would be a lot of fun. We did that when we went to Greece and it was really convienent. We are used to doing most of the leg work doing the planning. We have never used a travel agent before, so the thought of just booking a package through an agent for Bora Bora did sound nice. By the way, your dog is sooooo cute, Its a maltese right? I have a maltese too that looks a lot like your dog. They are really good dogs.

 

[sap483]

kstar- We''re going to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora for 5 nights each at the end of June for our belated honeymoon since we ran out of vacation this year. From my research, it looks like there''s definitely a lot more to do besides lounging on the beach and water sports on Tahiti than the other islands. I think it will be enough for us, as our main objective is just to spend that time relaxing together. So if that''s your objective, I think a trip to that region is a good way to go.