For those who pine for constant sunshine, turquoise waters and easy going island vibes, French Polynesia is a dream come true. Even the French are charming here (well, most of them), and with only 200,000 visitors a year, you’ll feel like you’ve discovered one of the last pristine places on the planet.

First of all, it’s important to note that all the islands are honeymoon hotspots, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a happening single scene anywhere. This is a place to slow down (and I mean really slow down), kick back and just enjoy the view. Expect that the highlight of your evening will be sunset, and without any TV, bars or liquor stores, you’ll surely be asleep by 9pm.

The world’s most famous lagoon destination, French Polynesia inspires with incredible translucent waters, shallow white-coral sea beds, explosive tropical marine life and a beautiful local culture where even the men wear flowers in their hair. Despite the high cost of living and lack of many modern conveniences, I think I could happily live out the rest of my days idling about on one of the many islands or atolls of this sun-soaked paradise.

As the name implies, everyone speaks French here so it was great practice for me… even though my newly acquired Spanish often interfered with every sentence. But since we were rarely in contact with anyone who spoke English, I had to muster up all the French I could remember if I wanted to talk to anyone else besides my Frenchie travel buddy.

Thanks to the fantastic planning of my good friend Nico, we managed to take in 4 islands and 1 atoll in just 10 days, highlighting Tahiti, Ri’iatea, Taha’a, Bora Bora and Rangiroa.

The trip started in Tahiti, where I stayed my first night with Nico’s aunt and uncle. My French was immediately put to the test as I tried to interact with our hosts and keep up with the ongoing conversation. Fortunately, they were very forgiving and kind, and with some work, we managed to understand each other.

The adventure then headed out for the other islands, fulfilling every dream I had of a true Polynesian paradise. Every day, we created new lifelong memories, with classics like our 40-mile bike ride along the eastern coast of Ri’iatea where Nico thought he was going to die, drift snorkeling over the coral garden between the Tepua and Tuari motus of Taha’a, chilling on one of Bora Bora’s only beaches (which also happened to be our front yard), swimming with sharks, learning the basic moves of Polynesian dance, eating still-squirming shellfish on the reef of Isle de Recifs, and snorkeling in a feeding frenzy during which Nico and I both got a couple bites from overly excited fish.

I’m happy to say, there were several occasions during this adventure that I wholeheartedly thought “this is the best life I had ever known.” From the incredible crystalline waters and hot sunshine to the smell of a Gardenia flower behind my ear, sound of water gently lapping against the shore and the inexplicable bliss of relaxing in a lounge chair half submerged in the lagoon shallows, I can’t imagine a better paradise than this.

April 26, 2006