Relaxing Days

On all three islands we stayed at the Intercontinental brand of resorts. They were very much first class in service, cleanliness, and activities....


And did I mention the expensive food prices? It wasn't just the Intercontinental alone, mind you. And not just food either. Everything in French Polynesia was pricey. So if you're planning a trip there, do save your pennies.

Nate and I quickly learned the secret to getting by on the cheap for breakfasts and lunches. There was a convenience store that was a very short walk from our resort--across the street from the resort entrance, in fact. We could place an order for fresh bread for mere nickels and dimes (a french baguette, chocolate croissants, etc.) at the convenience store and then go and pick up the bread the next morning. We'd grab some packaged lunch meat and cheeses, yogurt and the like, and walaa, instant meals! We also ventured down the road a bit on foot and visited a small grocery store, where we bought our own alcohol. Note to self: next time, pack booze!

These cool houses built into the hillside were right across the street from our resort.

And on the way to the grocery store, we came across these beautiful pink flowers (bougainvillea, perhaps?) covering this white picket gate, so Nate snapped a picture of me. It was pretty early in the day and already really warm.


Back at the resort, we checkout out the sand and sun. Our first couple days in Moorea were spent relaxing and soaking up the rays. It was always windy, so one would never get too hot....and if so, there was always water nearby!


Prior to the wedding I was always fantasizing about my definition of ultimate relaxation: reading my book on the beach. You can see my vacated lounge chair in the picture above--I was in heaven! It's all about the little things...

As I said, there was plenty of water and beach around the resort, so we had options. Lots of options...





While at the grocery store earlier in the day we purchased some orange juice to go along with our complementary champagne. Nothing like some late afternoon mimosas from our room balcony to add a little spice to the day.