Honeymoon in French Polynesia

Today we fly towards Fakarava. On this island the airport is by far the smallest we have ever come across in the whole of Polynesia. The Raimiti guesthouse, the place chosen for our stay, is located on the other side of the airport. A car takes us to the port, where a young man waits for us and takes us to the Raimiti on board a small boat. The crossing is quite long…about 1 hour and 20 minutes of sailing….but honestly it's really worth it. As soon as we arrive, Malua (the daughter of Eric the owner), her little daughter and Charlotte the little dog come to greet us. Completing the staff are 3 young Polynesian boys busy with the daily work of the guesthouse — cooking, boat, cleaning etc… Total guests present: ZERO! The only guests will be US! The guesthouse is similar to a campsite…very simple bungalows, a bed wrapped in a mosquito net and a bathroom.

A particular feature of the guesthouse is that there is no electricity in the rooms. It's only in the bar where you eat and in the kitchen. In the evening you go around with solar-rechargeable torches and oil lamps. One particular thing characterises the Raimiti…the silence and the flat sea. In the evening the sunsets are truly spectacular, the sea as flat as a board! The food is very good and the whole staff is really friendly and affectionate! The day after our arrival Malua decides to take the whole staff, me and Selene on a picnic. They prepare the food and, having got on board the boat, we head towards a deserted beach near the Tetamanu pass. The two dogs come with us too!...what places, guys…the sea beyond words.

Meanwhile the staff on the island were preparing a first-rate little lunch…cold pasta, fish, chicken…there was something for every taste! In the afternoon, before returning to base, we decide to go snorkelling at the Tetamanu pass. In the morning it wasn't possible because in the morning the current tends to push you out into the open sea, whereas at midday it changes direction and tends to push you inside towards the lagoon. A snorkelling session here in Polynesia is equivalent to a dive, so great is the beauty of the corals and the quantity of fish.

Among them you often come across sharks too…yes yes you understood correctly, sharks swimming a few metres from us…? Well yes, blacktip reef sharks are not dangerous to humans…in fact sometimes they're even afraid of us…at first I wasn't entirely convinced by this theory, indeed I was quite hesitant, but once we got into the water this fear vanished immediately….in fact we didn't want to get out any more. Among the various fish you come across, Napoleon can't go unnoticed…the typical Polynesian fish…a great big fish!!! The following day, however, the incredible happens. Right after breakfast they take us to a deserted island all to ourselves. Not even 30 minutes later they come back to collect us because the local airline was going into a general 3-day strike and there was a risk of being stranded on the island.

Not that this bothered us, but then there was the whole business of the intercontinental flights to sort out etc… So we return to the guesthouse…we hurriedly pack our bags and immediately get on the boat heading for the airport. It was really sad to leave in this way; they were kind and lovely right up to the last moment, preparing us a packed lunch to eat on the boat! The Raimiti was an unforgettable experience too. These people don't have much here in Polynesia, but that little they have they want to pass on to you right up to the last moment…a warmth that's hard to forget! Fortunately the plane is there and now the most important thing is to reach Papeete, also because with the international flight to Los Angeles there wouldn't have been any problems…the strike was only local, with the planes connecting the various islands of the archipelago.

Having arrived in Papeete we decide to stay again at the Hotel Tahiti Nui, already tried and tested on our arrival in Polynesia.