Moorea arrived more quickly to our floating resort than we expected. No, it didn't show up a day early, but it did slide into view while we were sleeping aboard Sapphire Princess, a large ship that glided effortlessly through the calm water on our approach.
Our previous visit six years ago had been aboard Windstar, a large sail boat that could navigate the shallow turquoise water rather than being relegated to anchor in the deep blue sea like our large ship. However, what we missed more than the anchorage position was watching the island, so beautifully framed in its coral reef, come into view, and that was our fault for sleeping in, a result of having too much fun the previous night.
That's the biggest trouble with cruises: there's so much to do that sometimes we accidentally miss something we planned to enjoy. Still, when we went out to our balcony and looked around, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of this island paradise.
Before being too harsh on Sapphire Princess and cruises, I should mention that had we spent the night in Moorea, entertainment would have been quite limited, and we wouldn't have had the pleasure of observing the island from the bay where we were anchored.
While Moorea is one of my favorite tropical cruise ports, I'm not sure how I would feel about spending a week there. Night time entertainment is light to say the least, and the prices on the island are expensive. When we stepped out of the taxi we had caught shortly after getting off the tender to shore, we met a hotel guest of the Moorea Hilton wandering down the street, looking for a market or donut shop to buy some breakfast.
Our taxi driver said the drivers were boycotting the Hilton because it was charging $75 for entrance. The beaches in Moorea are open to the public, but the access can be limited, and walking through the lobby of the Hilton was a direct route. Nobody at the hotel stopped us or asked us to pay, so I believe the cab driver must have been talking about an access fee for the taxi drivers. He said he would come back to the spot where he dropped us at 3 to pick us up, and when he didn't show, we walked back to the Hilton where the concierge called us a cab that arrived in a minute. The fare back to town was about the same ($20 or $25?) as it had been to get there, so there's no way that $75 was a fee to drive into the resort one time.
Of course, between the time of drop and the time of pick-up is where the essence of the experience lies. The time meandered by slowly, and words cannot hope to describe the perfection of the crystaline, warm water under the radiant glow of the sun that sauntered across the sky. As often happens when snorkeling, the exploratory first search paled by comparison to subsequent trips out, as Julie and I alternated between swimming and then laying in the sand to read or simply take in the views. I took the movie camera out in the water, wading far from shore in the clear water that stayed about waist deep. The brightly colored fish are often strangely invisible above the surface, but I could still see some dart around. With mask and snorkel in place, however, the underwater view is remarkable.
We love Moorea. And if you want to experience tropical paradise for a week, the Hilton is a gorgeous property. The overwater bungalows feature "Tahitian Television," windows that allow you to look down through the floor to the sea life below. And while the gentleman we met was hungry for cheaper meals, I'm guessing most people who can afford to reach that gorgeous lagoon won't begrudge spending a little extra to dine in paradise.
