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The first thing you think of when you
hear the name "Paul Gauguin" is Tahiti, and the m/v Paul Gauguin was purpose
built to
cruise these waters. If you haven’t been to Tahiti and the Society
Islands you should pack a bag and go.
 The islands are visually stunning
and unlike any island chain in the world.
I don’t think they have developed a
camera or film that can truly capture the greens of the islands or the
blues of the lagoons that circle most of these islands. It is not like
going to Hawaii or the Caribbean but a totally unique experience. You
won’t find the hustle bustle of these two destinations, in fact in
Raiatea on the day of our visit, a Sunday, the shops were almost all
closed and you couldn’t even find a taxi. Other than black pearls and
the traditional pareos there really isn’t much to shop for in any of the
islands.
I was fortunate enough to cruise on
the ship just after it completed it's 2009 major refurbishment and I am
happy to report that the ship has turned out really well. Nice and fresh
with tones that suite the whole island ambience so perfectly.
 The cruise can be as energetic or as
relaxing as you want to make it. In this island paradise setting
it's only natural that the ship offers all types of on-board water sports
as well as water related tours. The ship offers complimentary water
skiing, wind surfing, your own snorkel equipment that you can keep for
the week, and kayaking, scuba diving equipment is also available but
this is at additional cost and you will need to bring your dive
certificate.
Don’t miss some of the shore tours as well, such as off
-road
4X4s climbing the mountains to take some spectacular pictures, or even a
simple hike. And if you must, Moorea now has a nice new Jack Nicklaus
18 hole golf course. There’s plenty to do other than just going to the
beach.
The Paul Gauguin is 10 years young.
Having just come out of an extensive dry dock, which included adding
more balcony cabins, the ship looks like new. The designers realized
that since the ship would be cruising exclusively in Tahiti and that the
sights around you will be a huge part of your overall experience. All
of the public rooms allow you to continually remind yourself where you
are at, because most of them have floor to ceiling glass.
The Paul Gauguin has a total of 166
cabins making for 312 passengers based on double occupancy. Of those
cabins 89 have balconies including 9 suites. The standard cabin is a
comfortable 200 sq ft, when you add the balcony you have a total space
of 239 sq ft. The suites range in size from 303 to 588 sq ft including
your balcony. Most all cabins come with a full size bath and show,
stocked mini bars, flat screen TVs and all of the other standard
amenities.
Dining on the ship is a real treat
and lives up to the 5 Star reputation. Le Grill is the casual indoor
outdoor restaurant serving breakfast and lunch buffet style with egg and
pasta stations. In the evening it becomes an Asian a la carte
restaurant. The main dining room L’Etoile is for dinner only and offers
a wide selection of international cuisine including locally caught fresh
fish. The La Veranda Restaurant serves breakfast and lunch daily. At
night this room becomes by reservation only serving fantastic French
cuisine, and the great news for groups of 60 to 80, you can take it over
on a private basis. It also has a large wrap around outdoor dining area
which would be perfect for pre-dinner cocktails. The La Palette Lounge
serves Continental Breakfast until 11 am. Last but not least is 24 hour
room service.
Le Grand Salon will hold the entire
ship. There is nightly entertainment including bringing local acts from
the shore on the ship several nights during the cruise. If you need
meeting space for a larger group this is your room, and of course is
available for cocktail parties. One act you must see is the local
children of Raiatea dancers ages 3 to 18 years old, this is a must.
Other entertainment includes a
lively piano bar open before and after dinner. La Palette is a lounge
located on the upper deck aft of the ship which opens up to be an indoor
outdoor venue, open in afternoons and late night. Here you will find a
variety of evening entertainment including a band and late night disco.
There is also a small casino with blackjack, poker and slots.
For groups the Bar Au Soleil located
on the highest deck forward is an ideal location and very private. The
area seems to be readily available at all times of the day for private
functions.
Service on board is fantastic with a
crew to passenger ratio of 1.5. The international crew is also
augmented by the Les Gauguines who are local entertainers and give all
sorts of helpful information about the islands and customs. Gratuities
are included and not expected.
 Two highlights of the cruise are
Taha’a and Bora Bora. At Taha’a the ship hosts a great party at Motu
Mahana, this is a private island only for the guests of Paul Gauguin.
This is a great day at the beach with a bbq and various water sports or
just sitting in a chair in the water. In Bora Bora the Paul Gauguin
will take you to another Motu, while not private it is picture post card
perfect. In both cases open bars are included, with only fresh fruit
and snacks available off Bora Bora.
The Paul Gauguin rates include wines
with meals, open bar, mini bar and crew gratuities. As mentioned
earlier use of most water sports equipment is included as well. When
you also factor in that most every thing is included at the two Motus
you’ll find it hard to spend any additional money except for spa and
shore tours.
Tahiti is a 8.5 hour flight from LAX
and only a 8 hour flight returning to LAX. We left Ft Lauderdale at
6:45 am Saturday and arrived in Tahiti at 7:30 pm Saturday. This is
quicker for me than getting to Istanbul in most cases, and who complains
about an Istanbul to Athens cruise. We flew Air Tahiti Nui for the
first time and were most impressed. Great service, good in-flight
individual screen entertainment and a very young fleet of Airbus
340-300s.
The standard itinerary is:
Sat: Papeete departing at 10 pm
Sun: Raiatea 11 am to 6 pm
Mon: Taha’a 9 am to 5 pm beach party day
Tue: Bora Bora arr 8 am overnight
Wed: Bora Bora dept 6 pm
Thu: Moorea arr 9 am overnight
Fri: Moorea dept 5 pm
Fri: Papeete arr 7:30
Sat: Papeete disembark
I would highly recommend that groups
consider disembarking on Friday evening. This will allow you to have
dinner and then get to the airport to check flights back to LAX that
depart 10:30 pm or later. You get to LAX on Saturday morning then
continue on home. This gives every one Sunday to unpack, relax and get
back to work read to go on Monday.
I would highly recommend cruising on
the Paul Gauguin but avoid January and February as these are the rainy
months. The entire experience will exceed all expectations.
Check out
latest images of the completed refurbishment of
the "Paul Gauguin" |
