French Polynesia: Tahiti: Now Boasts Luxury Hotels and a Wide Variety of Cuisine

Though Papeete used to be little more than an overpriced, touristy town travelers got stuck in since all flights to French Polynesia stop there, it now boasts luxury hotels and a wide variety of cuisine. As the capital of all 118 French Polynesian islands, Papeete holds a unique position of which its tourist board is only beginning to take advantage. Additional police surveillance has kept crime down as well as assured tourists that they don’t need to fear for their safety in Papeete. Still, only 100,00 people visit Tahiti per year, compared with the 6 million who go to Hawaii.

This might change when they realize that resorts galore beckon in Papeete, including Sheraton, Sofitel, and Le Meridien, which shows off a swimming pool with a floor made of sand. "Le tiare," Tahiti’s omnipresent official flower, fills the rooms with a heady gardenia-like scent. Many hotels sit right on the beach, providing easy access to warm water custom-made for swimming and snorkeling. Beware of sharks, however; if you want to see them from a safe distance, some hotels offer shark-sighting trips.

A traditional Tahitian meal may include shrimp, papaya pudding, and "poisson cru" (raw fish flavored with lime juice and coconut milk). Distinctive foods and spices, especially fresh vanilla, command shoppers’ attention at Le Marché, the local marketplace. To enjoy Papeete’s culinary delicacies as the Tahitians do, stop at "les roulottes," restaurants that prepare food out of vans. "Les roulottes" serve all manner of food, from fish to pizza to scrumptious crepes. While Papeete may not yet have convinced the rest of the world of its allure, it is now dispelling rumors that kept away tourists.