French Polynesia holidays

French Polynesia is the world's most-iconic overwater-bungalow archipelago — 118 islands and atolls spread across an area the size of Western Europe in the South Pacific, with the indelible image of Bora Bora's emerald lagoon and Mount Otemanu backdrop at the centre of the offer. The country (technically a French overseas collectivity) divides into five island groups: the Society Islands (the headline — Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Taha'a, Raiatea); the Tuamotu atolls (Rangiroa and Fakarava UNESCO for diving and Polynesian pearl farming); the Marquesas (the remote, rugged, culturally most-distinctive — Hiva Oa and Nuku Hiva, accessed via the 12-day Aranui passenger-cargo ship); the Gambier and Australs (rarely visited). The classic UK trip combines Tahiti or Moorea with 4-7 nights at an overwater bungalow on Bora Bora, often with extension via cruise on Paul Gauguin or Windstar to add Marquesas and Tuamotus.

A 12-14 day French Polynesia trip: Papeete on Tahiti (1-2 nights — Marché de Papeete morning market, Pearl Museum, the Black-Pearl-of-Tahiti showrooms, optional Tahiti island-circumnavigation day-trip to the Arahoho blowhole and the Faarumai waterfalls) → ferry to Moorea (2-3 nights — Belvedere Lookout for the Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay twin-bay view, the ATV jungle tour, the Tiki Village cultural show, ray-and-shark snorkelling lagoon excursions) → fly to Bora Bora (4-5 nights at an overwater bungalow — Four Seasons, St Regis, Conrad Nui, InterContinental Thalasso, the Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts; the Bora Bora lagoon catamaran tour, the Matira Beach sunset walk, the Mount Otemanu helicopter or 4x4 mountain safari, manta-ray and reef-shark feeding) → optional fly to Taha'a (the "Vanilla Island" — Le Tahaa Le Taha'a or Vahine Island for the quieter sister-island experience, 2-3 nights). Inter-island flights operate via Air Tahiti.