French Polynesia Honeymoon: Moorea & Bora Bora

A magical day exploring Moorea's spectacular lagoon together. A boat trip carries you across the brilliant-blue water to snorkel over vibrant coral gardens alive with tropical fish and turtles, and to the shallows where you can swim among gentle stingrays that glide up to be touched, their velvety wings brushing past, while harmless blacktip reef sharks circle nearby, a safe, exhilarating and unforgettable shared encounter. Between swims, you take in the jaw-dropping views of Moorea's jagged green peaks rising above the lagoon, and perhaps land on a motu for a picnic just for two. The warm, clear water and abundant marine life make the lagoon a magical playground, and floating among the rays and fish hand in hand, with the island's soaring skyline as a backdrop, is the stuff of dreams. As the sun sets over the peaks, enjoy a romantic dinner beside the lagoon, perhaps with the electrifying rhythms of a Polynesian dance show.

A day to enjoy the beauty of Moorea at a romantic pace. You might take a 4x4 safari or hike together into the lush interior, climbing to the Belvedere lookout for breathtaking views over Cook's and Opunohu bays and the soaring peaks, tour a vanilla plantation and taste the island's produce, or explore ancient marae ceremonial sites. Back at your resort, a couples' spa treatment, lulled by the lap of the lagoon, is a blissful indulgence, or you might simply relax on your overwater deck, slipping into the warm water whenever the mood takes you. Moorea's relaxed, authentic atmosphere and dramatic scenery make it a wonderful place to unwind and reconnect. As the sun sets over the peaks in a blaze of colour, enjoy a leisurely, romantic dinner beside the lagoon, and toast the beauty of the island and the beginning of your married life together.

A free, romantic day to enjoy Moorea however you wish. You might snorkel or dive the lagoon, take a lagoon cruise to a motu for a private picnic, kayak or paddleboard the calm water, take an optional dolphin or whale-watching trip (in season), or simply relax together on your deck, taking in the view of the pinnacles and the endless blues of the water. Moorea's beauty and unhurried pace make it a wonderful place to do gloriously little, and there is always time to swim, snorkel and soak up the surroundings. As the sun sets over the soaring peaks, enjoy a leisurely dinner beside the lagoon and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to Bora Bora, perhaps the most beautiful island on earth, where five nights of pure romance in an iconic overwater retreat, with Mount Otemanu as your backdrop, await you as the crowning highlight of your honeymoon.

This morning you transfer for the short, scenic flight to Bora Bora, and as the plane banks over the island, its breathtaking lagoon unfurls beneath you, a hundred shades of turquoise and jade encircling the dramatic peak of Mount Otemanu, dotted with palm-crowned motu and iconic overwater bungalows, a view that sets hearts racing. On arrival you are transferred by boat across the lagoon to your resort, often on a motu with Mount Otemanu as a backdrop, and welcomed with a tiare flower. Settle into your romantic overwater bungalow, opening onto the luminous water, and spend the rest of the day sinking into paradise together, swimming in the lagoon, snorkelling the coral, or simply admiring the peak from your private deck as the sun sets in a blaze of colour. Bora Bora lives up to and exceeds every expectation, and you settle in for the romantic heart of your honeymoon in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Today you share the wonder of the Bora Bora lagoon on a cruise, gliding across water in a hundred shades of blue beneath the dramatic peak of Mount Otemanu. You stop to snorkel over vibrant coral gardens alive with rainbow fish, and to the shallows where you swim among gentle rays and reef sharks, an exhilarating, unforgettable encounter you share together. You land on a palm-crowned motu of blinding white sand for a barbecue lunch of freshly grilled fish, and simply drink in the astonishing beauty of the lagoon, its endless blues, its coral, its soaring peak. The crew share island legends and music as you go, and the whole day unfolds at the gentlest, most romantic of paces. Floating hand in hand in that warm, brilliant water with Mount Otemanu as a backdrop is the very essence of the South Pacific dream, and a cornerstone memory of your honeymoon, the kind of day you will treasure for the rest of your lives.

A day to enjoy Bora Bora's beauty at your own romantic pace. You might arrange a private picnic on a deserted motu, just the two of you on a perfect beach with the lagoon all around, take a couples' spa treatment in an overwater pavilion, snorkel the coral straight off your deck, or take a jet-ski or outrigger canoe tour around the island. Equally, you might do nothing more than relax on your private deck, slipping into the warm lagoon whenever the mood takes you, taking in the endless colours of the water and the dramatic silhouette of Mount Otemanu. Bora Bora's beauty and seclusion make it the ultimate romantic setting. This evening brings a highlight, a private candlelit dinner on the sand or your deck, your table set with flowers and lanterns, the stars overhead and the gentle sound of the reef, a truly magical romantic celebration of your honeymoon in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

A blissful, unhurried day to enjoy the incomparable beauty of Bora Bora together. You might take a last lagoon excursion, snorkel or dive the coral, take a 4x4 safari into the island's lush interior with its viewpoints over the lagoon, enjoy another spa treatment, or simply relax on your overwater deck, taking in the view of Mount Otemanu and the endless blues of the water. By now you have surrendered fully to island time, and the days pass in a happy blur of swims, sunsets and each other's company. As the sun sets behind the peak in a blaze of colour, enjoy a romantic dinner beside the lagoon, savouring the beauty of this most spectacular of islands and the barefoot bliss of your honeymoon. There is no more beautiful place on earth simply to relax and celebrate your love, and every moment feels precious in this incomparable setting.

A final full day to savour the beauty of Bora Bora together before your honeymoon draws to a close. Spend it swimming in the luminous lagoon, snorkelling the coral, taking a last excursion, enjoying a spa treatment, or simply relaxing on your private deck, taking in the endless beauty of the water and the dramatic peak of Mount Otemanu. You might take a sunset cruise across the lagoon, a champagne toast as the sky and water blaze with colour and the peak is silhouetted against the fire, a perfectly romantic finale. The beauty of Bora Bora, and the sense of having celebrated your love in one of the most spectacular places on earth, are profound. As evening falls, a special farewell dinner celebrates the days of pure island romance and the beginning of your married life, and you watch one last unforgettable sunset over the water, hand in hand, deeply content and already dreaming of a return.

After a final morning by the lagoon, perhaps a last swim beneath Mount Otemanu, you transfer by boat and fly back to Tahiti for your onward journey home. You leave rested, radiant and sun-kissed, having celebrated the beginning of your married life in the most beautiful islands on earth, the dramatic peaks and lagoon of Moorea and the incomparable beauty of Bora Bora. The images stay vivid long after you land, the overwater bungalow framed against Mount Otemanu at sunset, the rays gliding through the shallows, the private beach dinner beneath the stars, the hundred shades of turquoise. French Polynesia has a way of capturing the hearts of those who visit, and you depart hand in hand, already promising each other a return to these islands of jagged peaks, jewel-like lagoons and warm Polynesian hospitality, having had the honeymoon of your dreams.