French Polynesia – Aranui 5

[redlilly]

Happy Sunday all. Looks like it is going to be a sunny one!

We are looking at booking a cruise on the Aranui 5 for next March 2024, around the Austral Islands. Any experience of the Aranui 5 from HFPers? Tried searching and nothing came up, only threads about French Polynesia. If not, anecdotal information/experience via third parties would also be welcome.

We’re in our mid 30s, and not exactly in to the cruise life, but this is different. We loved doing the overnight cruise of Milford Sound in January this year, and also the Nile River cruise in April this year. I also did a trip down the Amazon on a similar cargo boat to the Aranui 5, a few years back (sleeping in a hammock), and absolutely loved the experience!

Trip starts and ends in Papette, and runs from Saturday to Tuesday (11 days). After the cruise we were then thinking of heading to Bora Bora until the Saturday/Sunday (4/5 days) when we plan to return to London. Any advice on hotels would be greatly received, we like smaller hotels away from busy spots etc.

Thanks all.

[u07ch]

I can’t speak to Aranui 5; except I have been contemplating pressing the button on taking it to Pitcairn. There are a number of YouTube videos on it which you should check out. The age of the passengers in most of the videos looks to be retirees which may be an issue for you; the activities onboard look a bit 80s Club Med.

Have been to Bora Bora several times and its definitely one of my favourite places; unlike Maldives that the Pandemic forced me into visiting you can get away from your hotels and have choices on where to book activities which can make things cheaper. The coral and sharks are levels above the Maldives; there are plenty of living coral, and lemon sharks to get your attention – also FP claims no one has been killed by a shark in their waters unlike the maldives …

For me the nice thing about bob is that number of diving and snorkelling sites and operators you can choose from each with their own sites; and other water activities you can do all day – and then watch the sunset with an awesome view and you don’t need to be trapped in your hotels island prison. There are also star gazing round the island jet skis amongst the available activities.

Hotels; Four Seasons (100 rooms) is very good; big rooms and great food, impeccable service – they know your name and have been lifelong friends in a matter of days. I’m not so sold on the view you get a view of the mountain; the sunset is weak compared to my preferred choices as it doesn’t set behind the mountain. The food is probably the best on the island; the ferry boats are definitely the best.

My personal preference would be to stay at the Intercontinental Thalasso (88 rooms) or the Le Meridien. Both of these will see the sun set over Mt Otemanu which is awesome each night; you can also walk to the ocean side for views of Tahaa on the horizon. Rooms are much bigger and more spaced apart @ the Intercontinental.

I haven’t tried the st regis or Conrad so can’t comment. Neither of them look to give that Mountain View I crave when I visit.

If you want to be on the island the Main intercontinental (which could do with a refurb if they haven’t done one since 2016) was comfortable and has a great spot by the big Matira beach. The rooms aren’t as nice as the Sofitel (the Sofitel used to include the minibar in the rate which is great when you get in) The Sofitel and IC are close by so you can go eat out if you like; or get a taxi to Bloody Marys.

The IC is a small hotel though and though the rooms could do with a refurb, or I just didn’t gel with the authentic Tahitian vibe, it had a tiny living coral garden and fish in the shade of the rooms which was great to jump out and find fish when you felt like it. The proximity and ease of doing things on the island makes it a fun stay; also cheaper as you can access supermarkets etc. For sunsets the IC is closer to Matira beach and its bars which is another great place to watch the sunset.

If you are an IHG person you can mix and match the two IC’s and they have a boat that runs between them; all hotels will pick up from others for guests if you ask though. All the privately booked water activities will stop at any of the hotels on the motu so don’t use that as a reason to stay on the mainland.

If you do take Aranui 5 please post a trip report as I am interested in more first hand experiences too. For the main FP islands there are other cruise options though.

[tw33ty]

The thing to remember about that ship is, it’s not just a cruise ship, it’s part container shipper, part cruise liner.

It moves cargo between the islands, and has cabins at the rear, it’s a unique ship.

[redlilly]

u07ch wrote:

I can’t speak to Aranui 5; except I have been contemplating pressing the button on taking it to Pitcairn. There are a number of YouTube videos on it which you should check out. The age of the passengers in most of the videos looks to be retirees which may be an issue for you; the activities onboard look a bit 80s Club Med.

Have been to Bora Bora several times and its definitely one of my favourite places; unlike Maldives that the Pandemic forced me into visiting you can get away from your hotels and have choices on where to book activities which can make things cheaper. The coral and sharks are levels above the Maldives; there are plenty of living coral, and lemon sharks to get your attention – also FP claims no one has been killed by a shark in their waters unlike the maldives …

For me the nice thing about bob is that number of diving and snorkelling sites and operators you can choose from each with their own sites; and other water activities you can do all day – and then watch the sunset with an awesome view and you don’t need to be trapped in your hotels island prison. There are also star gazing round the island jet skis amongst the available activities.

Hotels; Four Seasons (100 rooms) is very good; big rooms and great food, impeccable service – they know your name and have been lifelong friends in a matter of days. I’m not so sold on the view you get a view of the mountain; the sunset is weak compared to my preferred choices as it doesn’t set behind the mountain. The food is probably the best on the island; the ferry boats are definitely the best.

My personal preference would be to stay at the Intercontinental Thalasso (88 rooms) or the Le Meridien. Both of these will see the sun set over Mt Otemanu which is awesome each night; you can also walk to the ocean side for views of Tahaa on the horizon. Rooms are much bigger and more spaced apart @ the Intercontinental.

I haven’t tried the st regis or Conrad so can’t comment. Neither of them look to give that Mountain View I crave when I visit.

If you want to be on the island the Main intercontinental (which could do with a refurb if they haven’t done one since 2016) was comfortable and has a great spot by the big Matira beach. The rooms aren’t as nice as the Sofitel (the Sofitel used to include the minibar in the rate which is great when you get in) The Sofitel and IC are close by so you can go eat out if you like; or get a taxi to Bloody Marys.

The IC is a small hotel though and though the rooms could do with a refurb, or I just didn’t gel with the authentic Tahitian vibe, it had a tiny living coral garden and fish in the shade of the rooms which was great to jump out and find fish when you felt like it. The proximity and ease of doing things on the island makes it a fun stay; also cheaper as you can access supermarkets etc. For sunsets the IC is closer to Matira beach and its bars which is another great place to watch the sunset.

If you are an IHG person you can mix and match the two IC’s and they have a boat that runs between them; all hotels will pick up from others for guests if you ask though. All the privately booked water activities will stop at any of the hotels on the motu so don’t use that as a reason to stay on the mainland.

If you do take Aranui 5 please post a trip report as I am interested in more first hand experiences too. For the main FP islands there are other cruise options though.

Thank-you for such a detailed breakdown on the hotels – that’s really helpful. We were nearly going to do our honeymoon later this year in Bora Bora, but cried out because of the trip length of the flight after such an intensive wedding experience, and are heading to Africa for 2 weeks instead. The prices in Bora Bora are quite something aren’t they! I am 100% sure it will be worth it though! The mountain views look and sound incredible.

Re. the Aranui 5 – we did a bit of research via Youtube and blogs, forums etc. previously, and whilst the boat does look pretty dated, and whilst some of the people do look quite old in some of the photos and videos, we’re willing to risk it for the experience. I have read that since they opened up the dorm rooms on the boat, it is attracting a few young folk. I think we’re going to take the plunge this week. I will of course provide a detailed trip report back, after the visit over Easter 2024. We are going to do the Austral islands, which I saw you will go via on the cruise to Piticarn (if you do decide to take the plunge).

Thanks again, and will report back.

[redlilly]

tw33ty wrote:

The thing to remember about that ship is, it’s not just a cruise ship, it’s part container shipper, part cruise liner.

It moves cargo between the islands, and has cabins at the rear, it’s a unique ship.

Hi – thank-you, we are aware. I previously did a similar boat trip down the Amazon, though in much more basic conditions, sleeping in a hammock for 10 days straight with no phone signal to speak of – my poor mother (!). Some people were in cabins. I really enjoyed/appreciated the fact that you were arriving in to tiny small communities in the middle of no where with their life line. In every village we arrived in to along the River, it was like Santa was turning up, it was such a celebration – and certainly made me appreciate the most basic things that we can sometimes take for granted. The boat I was on had everything from motorbikes, generators, grain, Havianas, watermelons, beer to nappies and clothes.

Do you have any experience of travelling on the Aranui 5? Really keen to hear from personal, or anecdotal experiences.

[YC]

I did bob earlier this year and the Conrad was terrible and st regis significantly better. Doing it on points is much more economical (even if you buy them in the sale). There is the westin (refurbished le meridien) that is opening so that could be a good option. Amazing part of the world but my god it’s far from the UK.

You can save a few £ if u fly with air Moana as it’s a new airline (1/2 planes in its fleet!). With a tiny fleet, u run a higher risk of potential delays/cancellations but it was all very smooth for me.

[ChinditaSingh]

Hi,

I’m afraid like other posters I don’t have any direct information about the Aranui cruise. But I can give some general insights to visiting smaller islands. We spent three weeks island hopping in the Society Islands. Some of these have very very little development. Maupiti and Tahaa were our favourite islands. I will warn you however, that the cost of food or other items for tourists is marked up significantly more than locals pay. If you want any kind of service, expect to pay a lot of money, and even then you’ll likely receive very little.

We didn’t go to Bora Bora, and having met people on trips who were going there, it confirmed our decision. Seems to be a mix of loud and brash Americans who have too much money. Don’t forget, it’s not ‘that’ far for someone in LA, and with how wages have boomed in the US in recent years there were lots of ‘benidorm type’ honeymooners. It’s one place that has certainly made me appreciate how far wages in the UK have fallen behind the US.

[u07ch]

Last time I was there I snipped an image of flights in the eastern pacific, FP just isn’t popular with Americans; it’s the Waitrose of pacific island chains. If money is an issue try the Cook Islands; nowhere near as polished but considerably cheaper and somewhat similar landscapes.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/u07ch/47886709671/

[redlilly]

Thank-you All. We have landed on booking the Aranui 5 to the Austral Islands, I think it should be fab. We have also booked our flights now too. I would love to try out some of the other Pacific Islands, but given we got back from 6 weeks in Aus and NZ earlier this year, I think we should wait a few years for going that way again. Perhaps on another extended trip.

@ChinditaSingh, thank-you for the hat tip about the Society Islands… whilst we do enjoy the nice things in life, we also enjoy smaller more private hotels and spaces, therefore, I think we might look at some of the islands you have suggested instead of Bora Bora. Or in addition too. We leave the ship on a Tuesday and fly back to London on the Sunday, so plenty of time to enjoy one or two of the islands.

[u07ch]

Off the beaten path try Tikehau or Rangiroa – diving the pass at rangiroa is amazing and the lagoon has its own Pantone colour. Tikehau has a 4* hotel which is pretty new and the overwater bungalows are great. Rangiroa is a bit more pacific but the lagoon is amazing

[redlilly]

Good evening from Moorea where we landed this morning, having finished up on the Aranui cruise. What a beauty this island is.

Review of the cruise as follows…

TLDR: Stunning, memorable, remote and simple with Polynesian flare.

Hospitality throughout the cruise top notch. The main draw of the cruise are the incredible staff, who mix in with the guests, and the cultural immersion in some of the most remote islands in the world.

The “classic” Aranui cruise is to the Marquesas, which we had heard from from 2 seperate couples (before booking) was incredible. Due to timing, we opted on the 11 day trip around the Austral Islands (of which there are 5), and what a trip of a lifetime it was.

The Aranui is part cargo ship part passanger ship. The boat has 103 cabins/230 passanger capacity. But we only had 150 passangers on board our cruise, plus the c120 or so staff. The Aranui does not have a licence to distrubute cargo to the Australs, so it was only ferrying passengers around the 5 remote islands.

Of the 150 or so passenger’s, french speakers were in the majority (c75%). This included those from Metropolitan France, local French Polynesians, and those from Canada and Switzerland. Then came the English speakers, of which there were about 20 of us. I was the only Brit on board, along with my Portuguese OH. Everyone else was from the USA, Australia and NZ. Then there was a collection of German speaker’s (Austrian, German and Swiss). This made for an interesting experience, but also very refreshing to not speak the primary language. One of our guides (english speaking), started out as a waiter in the onboard restaurant, which goes to show how they value and give progression to their team. Generally, most of the passenger’s were above 50, however there were quite a few younger solo passenger’s and also families with 2-3 kids.

The majority of the staff are French, either from the Hexagon or French Polynesia, and the captain of our ship is 33 years old.

First leg, leaving Papette to Rimatara island took c24 hours and was very, very bumpy. Lots of people on board were not prepared for this, and no one else on the boat had experienced similar conditions (I think it is comparable to some Portsmouth to Northern France crossings). Sleep was difficult. Understand from the captain, when we visited the bridge, that this is pretty normal for sailing within the Australs. There were a few medical injuries for those who were falling over etc. Apart from days 1 and 2, we felt sea conditions were not too bad.

Food was overall top notch. The deserts and bread were better than what you get from some of our local bakeries in Hackney – and these were made on a ship! Food wise, some people complained about the quality of fish cookery and sauces, but I am not a fussy eater and can eat most thing’s, so was happy. There was a lot of classic French cooking, with a Polynesian twist. However, given there are c150 on board, the crew have a lot of people to cater for in one dining area. There is a seperate kitchen team for the crew.

The ship is pretty small. We stayed in a medium sized room, with no balcony, but a larger window, on deck 5. There are 8 decks housing rooms – decks 2-9 and then deck 10 is where the bridge is located. The room was comfortable, with a double bed, wardrobe, desk and bathroom. Being in the middle of the boat, the swaying at night was ok. The cabins housing staff were in the middle of every floor opposite the guest rooms.

Due to the extreme distances we had to travel around the Austral islands (the most southern part of French Polynesia), there were a few days at sea only. The cruise put on quite a few Polynesian cultural activities and lectures from a guest lecturer who specialised in Polynesian archaeology, which was great.

The islands themselves were memorable and stunning. The islands in the Austral archipelago commonly feature a couple of “villages”, lagoons, reefs, and beautiful white beaches. A personal favourite was Rapa, the only island we visited that didn’t have an airport (the mayor doesn’t want one – and it is a 24 hour sail from the nearest island) or a “beach”, but we swam with reef sharks around the boat during down time. At every island, there was a welcome ceremony with locals and a speech by the Mayor in Taihitian and French. All immediately translated for English speakers.

Not one of the 5 islands featured a restaurant or a shop. When it came to eating, the islands put on big bbqs or prepared food and we ate around big plastic tables and chairs. The “boulangerie” was a village bread oven. There is no visible poverty, due to being part of France. Inhabitants live off the land, and share everything. A lot of the kids had Iphones and electric bikes!

Island based activities were good, but expensive and probably needed a bit more finnessing. Despite the high cost per passanger, we were forgiving on this as we understand that the Aranui has been to the Australs only a handful of times. On Raivavae we went to the most stunning island on the edge of the lagoon, for snorkeling. Not every island had a paid activity, for some islands the guides would give recommendations for different activities including hiking, swimming etc. For every island there was a free tour, commonly to a moorea and other cultural sites. We were transported around the islands in local school buses!

The Aranui also does a cruise of Pitcairn (as mentioned above). However, the next cruise to the Pitcairn is on hold until 2026 when the second ship will begin service. The current boat will be dedicated to the Marquesas, and the new boat the Australs and Pitcairn. We are already looking at options for the Marquesas, which is popular, however apparently a little less authentic. Accordingly, I understand that an international airport is being built on one of the Marquesas islands, so will soon get built up with hotels etc., and no doubt futher lose some of their authenticity.

The owner of the boat Philip Wong was on the ship, with some representatives from the Marquesas islands who had never travelled to the Australs. He would mingle with customers over lunch and in the bar. There is one restaurant, with 2 sittings for both meals, a bar, a pool deck (most of the water tipped out during the crossings), and a few breakout rooms. Wifi is available during set hours in the evening for free, and phone reception was non existant on most islands (they mostly had satellites).

Overall – this cruise isn’t for everyone. It is very unique, and doesn’t have any luxuries, but for those who enjoy travelling off the beaten track and love islands and learning about different cultures in a unique setting, I would definitely recommend.

Fun fact: the Aranui is where those taking part in the surfing at the Paris Olympics will be staying, during the games.

[u07ch]

Thanks for the update and great ship report. Had been wondering where the Pitcairn trips had gone next year; and you answered that for me too 🙂

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

What a great write-up @redlilly – really enjoyed it and may have added another trip to my bucket list thanks to you!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Polynesia 🙂

[masaccio]

A pacific cruise is not my bag, but I am looking at a RTW that spends most of the time in the pacific. I’ve been put off French Polynesia by its Maldives-level pricing for product that looks considerably more American in scale and when there are overwater villas, the reefs look a long way away. Our trip will be a month and I’d rather not drop £1000+ a night for that duration, but that seems to be what plenty of this thread’s hotels want.

Aside from a couple things we really want to do in Hawaii, we’ll spend little time there was the American monster hotel vibe fills me with horror.

So current plan is more Fiji, New Caledonia and my ultimate target Chuuk with whatever stops are needed in between. Is that foolish?

[redlilly]

@masaccio – it completely depends on what you want and how much you want to travel for it (not including a cruise). If you want to stay on points or at an IHG/Marriott/Hilton/Accor hotel, then you’re right French Polynesian prices are extremely high. I don’t know how they compare to American scale.

However, the review was about me visiting islands in French Polynesia that don’t even have any restaurants or shops… which is so very far from what you’re describing on product more American in scale. 4 out of 5 of the islands I visited had airports, so they are still accessible from Taihiti. Some of them had “Fares” or “Pensions” that you can stay at, and the majority of them had easily accessible, out of this world, beaches and coral.

I am staying at an amazing airbnb right now on Moorea, for £200 a night on its own private beach with coral fit for snorkeling in front of it. We didn’t even consider Bora Bora, due to the crazy prices you’re stating.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not cheap to holiday… think Metropolitan France prices for groceries and dining out (though probably comparable to some of the other places you’re stating). However, French Polynesia is the size of Europe and is absolutely stunning in its nature and culture… I wouldn’t write all of it off just because of a handful of extremely expensive hotels.

[E]

Thank you for coming back and reporting on how this was @redlilly. I’m not a fan of cruises but this sounds different to a ‘standard’ cruise and intriguing.

[masaccio]

Thanks @redlilly I will take a deeper look. It’s a retirement blow out so I am open to something very, very special in a couple of places. I just hate spending a fortune on something that is so samey across the world. I considered the Brando but I am still struggling with getting my head around $3500 a night.