A forgotten paradise in Tahiti

Visitors who stay a while on the largest of the Society Islands in French Polynesia will be rewarded

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa
The pool, “lagoonarium”, and Moorea in the distance
(Image credit: © Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa)

Tahiti is a stunningly beautiful island in the middle of the South Seas. Its interior is dominated by verdant volcanoes rising up through the cloud, while humpback whales swim off its palm-fringed coastline. The food is unmistakably Polynesian and the culture is vibrant. And yet, despite having so much to offer, so few visitors choose to stay a while. Whether that’s because they are pushed for time, or simply do not know what wonders awaits if only they hung around a little longer, most simply hop on another plane as soon as they land at French Polynesia’s only international airport. Then they fly off in the direction of one of the other 117 admittedly varied and gorgeous islands scattered among the archipelagos.

Not that Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a and Tetiaroa (the last being home to the ultra-exclusive resort The Brando) aren’t lovely. They are. But Tahiti, their much bigger sister in the Society Islands, deserves a little more attention from those passing through. You don’t even have to go very far from the airport to find a luxurious stay. The Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa lies nearby. That makes it the ideal base from which to see the whole of Tahiti before moving on to its smaller siblings. And the Intercontinental is, without doubt, the swankiest hotel on the island.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

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