Bill Goodwin's Travel Guides

The third edition of Frommer's Tahiti & French Polynesia has been published and is available online and in bookstores.

French Polynesia has experienced 10 changes of government since 2004, with power shifting among those who favor independence from France, those who prefer local autonomy within the French system, and various coalitions. The changes have had no impact on visitors.

One of the France-leaning governments reinstituted June 29 as Internal Autonomy Day, a public holiday.

France has officially designated French Polynesia and its other possessions as "overseas communities", as opposed to overseas departments, territories, or countries. The move allows the French government to enact laws specific to each, rather than being bound by national standards.

Books about French Polynesia and other Pacific islands are available from Editions Hare Po in Papeete (tel. 689/58 26 36; www.harepo.com). Some are republications of out-of-print books, and many are in both French and English.

Air Tahiti has installed self-service check-in kiosks at Tahiti-Faaa International Airport. Passengers with e-tickets can get their boarding passes from the automated machines rather than stand in line at the check-in counters. The airline plans to install kiosks at the airports on Bora Bora and Raiatea.

Air Tahiti now has a "Z" class fare which allows passengers to carry up to 50kg (110 lbs) of luggage, as opposed to 20kg (44 lbs) under its Y class economy fare.

Air Tahiti also has a department known as Islands Adventures specializing in tour packages to French Polynesia, including stays at small hotels and family pensions.

CRUISING AND SAILING

The Aranui 3 (www.aranui.com) has added sport fishing to the list of activities on its 14-day cruises from Papeete to the Marquesas Islands. Ranging from three- to eight hours, the expeditions go after wahoo, tuna, marlin, mahi-mahi at sea and various species in the lagoons.

The luxurious, 318-passenger Paul Gauguin is now owned by Pacific Beachcomber, the same company which operates the InterContinental resorts in French Polynesia. It has a new website (www.pgcruises.com) and toll-free number in the United States (800/848-6172 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800/848-6172      end_of_the_skype_highlighting). Refurbished in 2009, the ship makes cruises from Tahiti to the Society, Tuamotu, and Marquesas islands in French Polynesia as well as to the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand.

All other major cruise lines have ceased sailing in French Polynesia on a regular basis, including the tall ship Star Flyer. A staple in these waters until it vacated the premises in 2009, Princess Cruises has announced plans to send its ships to the islands on a irregular basis beginning in 2011.

TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN

It's getting easier to take your kids to French Polynesia. Le Taha'a Private Island & Spa off Tahaa and the Pearl Resorts on Moorea, Bora Bora, Manihi, Tikehau, and Nuku Hiva now welcome children with such features as a cartoon TV channel and age-appropriate DVDs in each unit. While adults continue to get their welcome baskets full of tropical fruits, youngsters now get their own stash of candies.

The Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti (www.radisson.com/aruefrp) allows kids under 16 to stay free and dine for 50% off. It's a welcomed money-saver.

TAHITI

In Marina Taina on the west coast is the Pink Coconut (tel 41.22.23), an open-air restaurant with a terrific view of Moorea. It's owned by Steven Baker, son of an American father and Chinese-Tahitian mother, so English is not a problem. The French and Tahitian fare is very good.

In my Tahiti chapters I mention that a Paul Gauguin painting fetches in excess of US$6 million on the rare occasion when one goes on sale. Make that US$43 million, the price paid recently at a Christie's auction for Gauguin's "Man With an Ax."

A multi-year project to improve Papeete's ferry docks is underway. When completed, a bridge will connect the new terminal with a parking garage on the mainland side of Boulevard Pomare.

MOOREA

Tahiti Expeditions (tel. 28.37.22; www.tahitiexpeditions.com) has a variety of adventures led by Frank Murphy, an American biologist who moved to Moorea in the early 1990s as manager of the University of California's Gump Research Station. The expeditions range from one-day coral reef excursions to extended sailing trips to the Tuamotu Archipelago. Emphasis is on the ecology and history of the islands.

The Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa is now Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa (tel 800-HILTONS begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800-HILTONS      end_of_the_skype_highlighting; www.hiltonworldresorts.com). All of its bungalows have received a make-over with new furniture and bathrooms.

The InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa has undergone a major renovation which includes a new infinity swimming pool. The bungalows have been spiffed up and their patios or balconies expanded.

The Moorea Pearl Resort & Spa now has a coral nursery consisting of 63 artificial reefs in its lagoon. The project is designed to repopulate the lagoon and to educate guests about the fragile lagoon ecosystem.

Tamara Kindynis is no longer operating her pension, La Baie de Nuarei, but new owners Corinle and Philippe Guerty have improved Fare Vaihere (www.farevaihere.com). Philippe is a diving instructor and plans to have his own operation at this lagoonside pension.

The Moorea Green Pearl Golf Club, at Temae near the airport (tel 56.27.32; www.mooreagolf-resort.com), has opened all of its 18 holes. The Jack Nicklaus Design course is French Polynesia's second links, joining the Olivier Bréaud International Golf Course on Tahiti.

Moorea has two less restaurants now that La Petite Maison (Chez Lydie) and Maria Tapas have gone out of business.

BORA BORA

Economic hard times have contributed to the closures of the Club Med Bora Bora and the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa. Neither is scheduled to reopen.

The Hotel Bora Bora is also closed, ostensibly for extensive renovations.

New on the scene is the over-the-top Four Seasons Bora Bora (www.fourseasons.com), on Motu Tehotu, a long island on the northeastern side of the lagoon. Facing the north side of Mount Otemanu’s tombstone face, its pool and beach are tops among Bora Bora resorts.

The Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa is now the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa (tel 800-HILTONS; www.hiltonworldresorts.com). It has added two new presidential overwater villas, each with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a large deck around its own swimming pool.

Long managed jointly, the Sofitel Marara and Sofitel Motu have officially merged into one resort known as the Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach & Private Island. The Marara on the main island has the best beach, while the Motu is more private and intimate.

Le Meridien Bora Bora has added an over-water wedding chapel, a large infinity-edge swimming pool with its own bar and sun deck, and an ecological education center near the resort's award-winning sea turtle sanctuary and nursery. Eight of its beachside bungalows will be combined into four two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas with plunge pools. Decks of the premium over-water bungalows will be enlarged, and all units will have 32-inch flat screen TVs and wireless Internet access.

Le Meridien's award-winning Turtle Sanctuary has been cited again, this time by Green Hotelier magazine, which named it as one of the world's most eco-friendly resort practices. It's also the most child-friendly resort in French Polynesia.

The Bora Bora Beach Resort has dropped its affiliation with the Novotel chain.

The second edition of Frommer’s Fiji is now in the bookstores and available online. Following are developments since we finalized the new edition.

While some tourist destinations have suffered during the worldwide economic recession, Fiji has been welcoming visitors at a record pace. Tourism Fiji (www.bulafiji.com) chairman Patrick Wong attributes the success to aggressive marketing, discounted deals offered by hotels and travel agents, and the addition of Continental Airlines flying to Nadi from Honolulu and Guam, Jetstar from Sydney and Melbourne, and Air Pacific from Hong Kong.

Occasional diplomatic spats with Australia and New Zealand aside, Fiji continues stable and peaceful under Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who has ruled the country since leading a military coup in 2006. Bainimarama is censoring the local media and restricting political debate, but he has promised to write a new constitution and hold elections in 2014.

In keeping with Bainimarama's policy of promoting sustainable, environmentally-friendly tourism, Tourism Fiji has launched a "Clean Me, Green Me, Fiji Me" campaign. It includes support of a government effort to plant 1 million trees around the country.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

You can see what the country has to offer at Tourism Fiji's new video-based website www.fijime.tv. The site features five channels of 3-minute videos provided by participating resorts and travel agencies. (Tourism Fiji is the new name of the Fiji Visitors Bureau.)

Pacific Sun, the country's domestic airline (www.pacificsun.com.fj) has stopped flying between Nadi and the Mamanuca Islands, and it has scaled back its service between Suva and Levuka from daily to twice a week. That means you must take a shuttle boat to and from the islands, and you can no longer make day trips to the old capital.

Air Pacific (www.airpacific.com) is once again flying non-stop between Auckland and Suva's Nausori Airport. The flights are convenient for business travelers headed to Fiji's capital city and for casual visitors connecting to Taveuni and Savusavu.

United Airlines is code-sharing on Continental Airlines flights between Nadi and Honolulu, with connections to the U.S. mainland. United and Continental have proposed to merge. Air New Zealand is also now code-sharing with Continental. ("Code sharing" means you may buy a ticket from United or Air New Zealand, but you will fly in a Continental airplane.)

Lomani Island Resort (tel. 666 8212; www.lomaniisland.com) has opened five new bungalows on the western end of the property. Each has an outdoor shower and front porch overlooking the beach. With one guest unit per bungalow, they are more private than the resort's other accommodations.

King George Tupou V of Tonga was among the first guests at the Club InterContinental, the swanky executive level villas of InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, which opened at Natadola Beach in 2009. With butler service and its own swimming pool, the club is like a resort within the resort.

Tambua Sands Beach Resort (tel. 650 0399; www.tambuasandsfiji.com) is now owned by the Warwick hotel chain (www.warwickhotels.com).

The shuttle bus between The Warwick Fiji Resort & Spa (tel. 653 0555; www.warwickfiji.com) and The Naviti Resort (tel. 653 0444; www.navitiresort.com.fj) now costs F$5 per person a day. It used to be free.

Tokoriki Island Resort (tel. 666 1999; www.tokoriki.com) has added three bungalows to its luxurious "Sunset Pool" collection. They have their own private pools, but unlike the earlier Sunset Pool models, they are not directly beside the beach.

The New Zealand dollar, the coin of the realm in the Cook Islands, has dropped from US80¢ to about US57¢ since I prepared the eleventh edition of Frommer's South Pacific, with similar decreases against other major currencies.

Australians and New Zealanders can save by buying special add-on packages to Aitutaki through June 2009. Contact the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (www.cookislands.travel).

The Cook Islands departure tax will be included in the price of airline tickets beginning in September 2009. You won't have to worry about saving enough New Zealand dollars to pay the tax in cash at the airport before departing.

Sunday is no longer a day of rest for Air Rarotonga (www.airraro.com), which is flying between Rarotonga and Aitutaki on the Christian Sabbath. The Sunday flights are in demand, so reserve as early as possible.

After getting your local drivers license at the new Avarua police station, a modern facility funded by the People's Republic of China, do not ride two abreast on your motorbike. The local traffic cops have been cracking down on bike riders who ride side-by-side, which is illegal.

Digicell, the Caribbean-based mobile phone company which already has moved into Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, has announced plans to buy Telekom Cook Islands, the local phone company.

Telecom Cook Islands already had announced international cell phone roaming agreements with T-Mobile USA, Vodafone New Zealand, and Telstra Australia. Similar arrangements were in the works with Optus/Sing Tel of Australia, 02 of Germany, SingTel of Singapore, and Orange and T Mobile of the U.K.

And it already costs less to call home from the Cook Islands. It's a bit complicated, but you can make international calls from 10 minutes to 1 hour to the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Fiji for NZ$10, or to New Zealand for NZ$5. You still must pay by the minute for calls of less than 10 or 5 minutes, respectively.

Rarotonga Brewery has gone out of business, putting an end to Cooks Lager, the local brew.

The Cook Islands Parliament has proposed to completely ban smoking on the premises of all hotels, restaurants, bars, including their beaches and other outdoor areas. Fines would be NZ$2,000 per violation, prompting Jack Cooper of Trader Jack's Restaurant and Bar to predict "it would be cheaper to smoke dope."

Formerly known as Tamanu Beach Village, Aitutaki's Tamanu Beach (www.tamanubeach.com) has opened a new beachside restaurant and bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and staging an island night feast and dance show on Thursday evening. The building is trimmed with local tamanu (mahogany) timber.

Also on Aitutaki, the phone number for Tuano's Garden Cafe is now 31-562. Tuano and Sonja Raela have stopped serving dinner but they still open 3 to 5pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for afternoon tea. Their fruit and vegetable market and souvenir shop (featuring Tuano's woodcarvings and Sonja's paintings and pareus) are open daily 10am to 5pm. They also conduct plantation tours daily with prior reservations.

The tsunami which struck the Samoas and the remote northern islands of Tonga on September 29, 2009, caused extensive damage on the south coasts of the islands in both Samoa and American Samoa. The death toll for Samoa alone exceeded 140.

Both Coconuts Beach Club Resort & Spa (www.coconutsbeachclubsamoa.com) and Sinalei Reef Resort & Spa (www.sinalei.ws) were damaged but both have reopened.

The southeastern coast of Upolu was devastated. At the great Lalomanu Beach (see photo at right), Boomerang Creek Beach Bungalows and scores of popular beach fales were demolished.

The "Survivor Samoa" television series had completed filming on the south coast a few days before the waves hit.

In Apia, the Hotel Tusitala has reopened as the Tanoa Tusitala after extensive renovation by its new owners, Fiji's Tanoa Hotel Group.

Samoans now drive on the left side of the road, as in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

The Samoa Shipping Corporation is operating Talofa Cruises (tel. 26695; www.talofacruises.com) out of Apia on the Lady Filifilia, a 150-passenger fast catamaran. Four cruises are offered including one around Upolu Island and another to the east coast of Savai'i. Prices range from US$115 to US$150 per adult, less for children 5 to 12.

The corporation also has hiked fares on the Lady Naomi ferry between Apia and Pago Pago by an average of US$30.

Captain Chris Donato's Samoa Sport Fishing Adventures (tel. 41-069; www.samoasportfishing.com) now goes offshore in search of blue marlin, sailfish, mahimahi, tuna, wahoo and other species. Fishing is from the Black Pearl, a 31-foot Ocean Master.

Built with aid from Japan, a new visitor center has opened at O Le Pupu-Pu’e National Park on Upolu's south coast. The parks' hiking trail to Togitogiga Waterfalls has been upgraded, and toilets and changing rooms have been added.

Samoa is observing Daylight Savings Time from the first Sunday in October until the last Sunday in March.

Planning a trip is easier now that the Samoa Hotel Association has its own website, www.samoa-hotels.ws. You can search for hotels by price range and by date.

The Apia area has two new hotels. Manumea Resort (tel. 685/27-755; www.samoa-hotels.ws/Manumea_Resort; manumea@ipasifica.net) is on the Cross Island Road in Vailima. Its 12 suites have ocean views from this refreshingly cool perch near the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.

Closer to the central business district, the boutique-style Samoa Marina Hotel (www.samoa-hotels.ws/Samoa_Marina_Hotel) occupies a century-old home opposite the yacht harbor and main wharf. Opened in February 2009, it will have 14 rooms when completed.

Ian and Lyvia Black have relocated their terrific Sails Restaurant and Bar from the old building where Robert Louis Stevenson once lived to new quarters on the seawall near the Apia Yacht Club on the Mulinu'u Peninsula.

Samoa has new TV and radio stations. Star Television broadcasts over-the-air, as does FETU FM, which emphasizes original music by local performers.

It’s easier to buy local SIM cards for your unlocked GMS mobile phone now that Digicel Samoa (www.digicelsamoa.com) has installed several vending machines, including one in the arrivals area of Faleolo International Airport.

Savai'i

Over on pristine Savai'i, Kuki and Sara Retzlaff have completely rebuilt their Le Lagoto Beach Resort (www.lelagoto.ws) into a terrific boutique hotel. Most of their 12 units are in Samoan-style fales with intricately lashed ceilings. An infinity pool augments the fine beach.

Warren Jopling of Safua Tours is now charging US$50 per person for his fabulous guided excursions around Samoa's big island. They are worth every cent and more.

Vailoa village has built a road to Olemoe Waterfall, near the historic Pulemelei Mound near the island's south coast. The village charges a small admission to use the road and visit the falls. Unfortunately there is no longer a track from Pulemelei Mound to the falls.

Green Turtle Tours and Ecotour Samoa have both ceased operations.

The tsunami of September 29, 2009, swept onto the south coast of Tutuila Island and into Pago Pago Harbor. Damage was extensive. Reports are sketchy, but Sadie's by the Sea sits beside the harbor so I must assume it was damaged. As you can see from the photo at right, nothing blocks the hotel from the sea.

The local government has changed the territory's Tourism Office, formerly a division of the Commerce Department, into a quasi-independent authority known as the American Samoa Visitors Bureau. The bureau has been slow to get off the ground, however, and does not have an official website. In the meantime, information is available at American Samoa Tourism.

Chicken of the Sea has announced that it will close one of the two tuna canneries in Pago Pago at the end of September 2009.

The American-based fast food chain Checkers has joined McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken in American Samoa. The new drive-through restaurant is in the Sen. Daniel Inoye Industrial Park on the airport road in Tafuna. And McDonald's has added an outlet in Pago Pago.

More than 90 passengers died when the ferry Princess Ashika sank off the Ha'apai Islands on August 5, 2009. More than 50 people survived. The Princess Ashika operated in Fiji for 20 years before moving to Tonga.

An undersea volcano erupted just 7 miles (12km) north of Tongatapu on March 17, 2009. Smoke and ash could be seen belching out of the sea from the town of Nuku'alofa. No damage was done on Tongatapu. Air New Zealand switched its night flights to daylight hours so its pilots could see and avoid the plume.

Chathams Pacific: The Friendly Islands Airline (www.chathamspacific.com) is the only airline flying between Tongatapu, Hapai'i, and Vava'u. It is operated by Air Chathams (www.airchathams.co.nz), which has flown between mainland New Zealand and the Chatham Islands for 20 years. Airlines Tonga and Peau Vava'u have both gone out of business.

Tonga is issuing new currency notes bearing the image of King George Tupou IV, who assumed the throne when his father, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, died on September 10, 2006, at age 88.

Henceforth August 1st will be observed as a public holiday in honor of King George's proclaimed birthday. His actual birthday, May 4, is no longer a national holiday. The annual Heilala Festival, which marked the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou's birthday on July 4, continues as the country's premier event.

Also, the country will take off July 12 to honor the birthday of Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, the childless, bachelor king's younger brother and now heir to the throne.

Reconstruction of downtown Nuku'alofa, which was severely damaged during riots in 2006, is underway.

Downtown Nuku'alofa already has a new hotel, the 24-room Loumaile Lodge (www.loumaile.com), on Taufa'ahau Road opposite the Royal Tombs. The rooms are on the top two floors of the building, above a Chinese restaurant and bar, a massage parlor, and shops. It was built by Siosaia Moehau, a successful Tonga businessman who also owns the Black Pearl Suites.

Another newbie is the 11-room Little Italy Hotel & Restaurant (tel/fax 676/25-053; www.littleitalytonga.com), on Vuna Road a 15-minute walk west of the Royal Palace. It's the creation of Angelo Carpanzano, a Milan native, who with his Tongan wife Meleseini founded Little Italy Pizzeria in 1996. The restaurant is now on the ground floor of the hotel. Upstairs, half the rooms have balconies overlooking the lagoon across Vuna Road, while the other half face the swimming pool out back.

The long-delayed Royal International Hotel has opened near Fua'amotu International Airport. It's handy if you arrive in the middle of the night and must wait for a flight to Vava'u the next morning. Otherwise, I cannot imagine staying in the middle of Tongatapu Island.

In other news, Japan has announced plans to open an embassy in Tonga, and the United States will begin processing visa applications in Nuku'alofa.