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A honeymoon in Tahiti is expensive mainly for two reasons: it is far away (24 hours flight), and the cost of living there is very high. Here are the tips to divide the price of your honeymoon by two.
Organize your honeymoon in Tahiti
The agencies
Contrary to what you might think, although agencies negotiate their rates, and they have access to lower rates than public rates, it will generally cost you much less to organize your trip yourself.
Nevertheless, it is advisable to go and meet some of them, you never know… And then it will give you ideas.
Organize your trip yourself
start by buying one or two guidebooks (lonely planet or routard), and get there in advance (6 months), because the best spots, with the best quality/price ratio, are often small and few on each island.
The plane
To get there: two solutions, Air France or Tahiti Nui, both via Los Angeles. The second one is usually a little cheaper.
On the spot, Air Tahiti offers multi-island packages, depending on the archipelagos you intend to visit. Taking a package on one archipelago is generally sufficient, unless you are going for two months, otherwise your trip may turn into a marathon.
Compare prices
And whatever happens, compare prices! There might be a good promo or a flash sale going on.
Hotels
Preferably, you should stay in a small and less expensive hotel by the sea (about 100 euros per night). Of course, there will be no swimming pool… but we don’t go to Tahiti for the pool.
You will be able to pay for a night on a stilt at the Intercontinental in Bora Bora. But be careful, the first prices start at 600 euros.
The food
You will find food in the many small mini-markets. You can also buy a lot of exotic fruits for almost nothing at the roadside.
Excursions
Excursions (sharks, rays, diving, 4×4…) will be at least 10% more expensive if you go through your hotel. The same goes for cabs. It is better to go directly to the place or to make a phone call.
Souvenirs to bring back
You will find the same souvenirs in supermarkets as in markets, but 4 times cheaper. Sarongs (made in Indonesia), shell necklaces (made in China), jams (local), vanilla (vanilla tea assembled in New Zealand)…