honeymoon resort 2: intercontinental moorea
The next 4 nights of our honeymoon is at the Intercontinental Moorea Resort. We were lucky b/c they had just finished renovating just two weeks earlier so we were one of the first to experience the resort at its best. The people are super friendly and speak 3 languages: Tahitian, English, and French. We did pick up some French and Tahitian along the way but it was all very basic. We got around just fine using English only. Now…scroll down for the next half hour to share in our adventures in Moorea.
Day 1 at the resort we just hung out, explored the resort, and planned out our adventures for the next few days. They greeted us with 2 very yummy tropical drinks. The pineapple was soo good. I ate both pieces.
Say hello to our home for the next 4 nights.
Living room with a couch, desk, tv and stocked mini bar. Huge sliding glass door opens up to our own deck.
Bedroom was nice and cozy with a ceiling fan and A/C unit.
His and hers sinks with a bathtub and open shower.
Front yard view from our bungalow deck.
Beach bungalow neighbors
His and hers loungers
Me enjoying the view and nice weather.
Beautiful lagoon view from our deck. Spot anything funny?
One of my favorite shots. Think I can sell it to a postcard printer?
Day 2 we left (I know what you’re thinking…how the heck could you leave a place like that?? but we had to do something else we’d get bored) early after breakfast to catch the lagoon tour which included a sharks and sting ray feeding as well as a picnic bbq on a motu.
Our view at breakfast. How could you ever beat that??
Rob’s wild hair during the lagoon tour ride.
View of the Hilton. It is on one of the nicest spots in Moorea.
If you’re interested in what our resort looks like from the water lookin in, check out this video.
Yes, those are sharks! No, I did not steal this photo off the Internet.
Lots of people for the sharks and sting rays to feed on.
Can you spot Rob and how close he is to the sting ray?
Rob in the water with the sting rays.
Save me! The sting ray is on my chest!
So glad there are all those people between me and about 10 sharks. Eeeks!
Video of the shark feeding. Crazy how close they are huh?
Check out the lovebirds behind us. Get a room!
I modeled for Rob since he always does for me.
Click on this image to view the panoramic shot Rob took.
Rob can survive on a deserted island by living off of coconuts now. Check out that action shot of him cracking open the coconut with just a stick.
Rob with his proud coconut.
How gorgeous is this?!?
Day 3 we decided to do an ATV tour of the island. Each ATV is a 2-seater so one can drive while the other enjoys the view and snaps photos.
Click on the image below to view the almost full 360 panoramic shot I took.
I never knew pineapples grew out of a bush! These little guys are so cute!
Pot belly pigs are even CUTER!
The view after a long ride up the mountain.
rob with the rainbow
What did we do after riding? Drink, of course! Bringing our own bottle was a genius idea! Saved us tons of money.
Day 4 we woke up early for mass at 8am. We rented a scooter for the day and took ourselves to church and then on a self guided tour around the island.
Church sign that indicated the only mass time all week.
I love how we were able to stage this. Tripods are the best but are such a drag to lug around. We couldn’t have taken so many photos of ourselves without it though.
This is Moorea’s public beach. Why don’t we have public beaches like this in Cali?
If this were a public beach in Cali I’d go at least once a week.
Me in paradise. Can I be here everyday? Please?
Jumping for joy.
After scooting around town we sunbathed for a bit.
Newlywed indeed I am. How long am I allowed to sport this before putting it away for good?
Then got ready for dinner.
Shot this at dinner. Without a macro lens.
Day 5 is our last day in Moorea. Realizing that we didn’t shoot around our resort enough we woke up bright and early to shoot at sunrise and also to maximize our last hours at the resort.
Back at home I’m never up early enough to catch the sunrise. I now believe sunrise is the best hour to shoot–even better than sunset. The colors are so soft and delicate. You just can’t capture that at any other time of the day.
The bungalows on the hillside is from the Legends Resort. It may not have direct ocean access but can you imagine the incredible view?
Our unit for the last 4 days. We miss it so much!
The lighting on our deck is amazing!
My breakfast before shooting some more.
Swim up bar
What an awesome pool, huh?!?
Need a tattoo done? There’s a place on the resort.
Thanks, Helen & Cat, for the bikini!
Rob and Mimi sunbathe.
Mimi gets in some Internet time shopping for more make-up.
Rob looking pretty chummy about heading to Bora Bora.
Sunset as we land in Bora Bora.
The next post on Bora Bora shouldn’t be as long but the photos will look even more awesome than what you’ve seen of Moorea.
Filed under Blog | Comments (4)honeymoon resort 1: tahiti
Rob and I flew out of LAX for a direct 8 hour flight to Tahiti. Our highlight (more like my highlight) of the evening was spotting Salma Hayek with her husband and daughter, Valentina, at the Tahiti airport. They were walked straight thru customs and I ended up recognizing Valentina before I realized it was Salma under that hat! My dslr was on my hip but I was not quick enough to turn it on to snap away. They were whisked away pretty quickly.
Since we’d be arriving in the evening our first night would be at the Intercontinental Resort on the main island before hopping over to the island of Moorea the next morning. In the short time we spent there all that we had time for was breakfast and a quick photo opt around the beautiful resort.
Rob with our boarding passes at LAX. I’m still not used to that ring on his finger. Makes me happy seeing it.
Me with Mimi in tow.
Air Tahiti Nui
Our standard hotel room (that’s how it was categorized).
mimi right in between us.
My sunnyside up eggs look delish!
photo op time! isn’t the lagoon beautiful?! fish were just feet away from us.
the view out into the pacific ocean
i did not want to get up off this hammock. i coulda stayed there for hours doing absolutely nothing!
spot the tripod, bag, and sandals!
rob lookin’ very resorty
the view of our resort from up top
we board this tiny plane to moorea which is literally a 10 min plane ride.
good-bye tahiti!
hello moorea!
A short 30 sec clip of our plane ride to Moorea.
I realize this is a very short post but it acts as a teaser to the next 2 blog posts which will be quite extensive. We will be breaking it down by resort/island and the photos only get more and more amazing. You guys are gonna ooogle your eyes out!!
Filed under Blog | Comment (0)on honeymoon
Silly me forgot to bring my transfer cord so I am unable to post photos from my (pro) 5D camera. You’ll have to live with these sneak peek pix from Rob’s camera phone until I can get home this weekend to share more from our amazing honeymoon in paradise. So far weather has been more than awesome. Only downside is the high price tag on everything. Shall share more later. Aurevoir!!
Rob’s view while suntanning outside our beach bungalow in Moorea.
Me on our beach bungalow deck suntanning. In case you can’t tell…the back of my bikini bottom encrusted in crystals says “newlywed”. A gift from my new sis-in-law, Mary.
Now we are off to Bora Bora! Can’t wait to be in the paradise of all paradises!
Filed under Blog | Comment (1)our honeymoon
We booked our honeymoon! With Anne’s diligent help we were able to make this an unforgettable trip. From August 4th – 13th we’ll be spending our time relaxing in Tahiti on the islands of Bora Bora and Moorea.
Our first stop is the Intercontinental Resort & Spa Moorea. For 4 nights we’ll be in a bungalow beach room with access to the beach right outside our terrace. Breakfast included on all 4 mornings and a black pearl pendant is gifted to us.
Our second stop is the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa. The first night will be in an overwater bungalow and the last 2 nights we have our own beach suite. Breakfast included on all 3 mornings. The best part of the beach suite is our own private outdoor garden-enclosed jacuzzi!! On top of that, located on the other end of our suite is direct access to the sandy beach. And since we’re on our honeymoon there will be complimentary champagne and a gift of a single loose black pearl. I’ll prob have it mounted into a ring or a necklace to commemorate our time spent there.
Check out the floor plans.
Can’t wait!! Can you feel my excitement?!? Now it’s time to plan our activities. Woohoo!!!
Thanks soo much for your help, Anne!!
Oh…our alternative was a 12-day Princess Mediterranean Cruise from Rome to Venice. We’ll save Europe for another time when we can explore it on land vs from port to port.
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