Overwater and Underwater

​In the final chapter of the Moorea wedding week, the scene shifted from the mountainside AirBNB villas to the oceanside Sofitel hotel. Here, we spent two nights at the peak of French Polynesia luxury – in the iconic overwater bungalows. The cost of accommodation was covered by the bride and groom, which was an extremely generous gift to us family members. We knew how special it was to stay there and savored every moment.

​Our group, still numbering 13 at the beginning of the day, drove our caravan of 3 rental cars from the northwest corner of the island to the southeast corner. Google Maps sent us down an incorrect dirt frontage road, but we eventually arrived at the entrance of the Sofitel. The welcome included fresh flower leis, cold towels, juice, and a temporary wifi code while we awaited check-in. The wall behind the front desk had an enormous mosaic of pearl shells, cut into squares and arranged in a giant grid. Around the property, the pathways were lined with palm trees and cheerful native flowers. The only menace here was a tough looking crab.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the group could stay the extra days. Kim and Matteo started their journey back to Germany, while my Uncle and Grandma started the journey to California. Over the course of the afternoon, they returned one of the cars, took the ferry from Moorea to Tahiti, and all caught the same flight to SFO. Before leaving, they got to enjoy lunch at the Sofitel. The shaded patio had excellent views of the beach, lagoon, bungalows, and all the way across to Tahiti. It even had some friendly chickens! Or "jungle fowl" as they were called in my dad's birding app.

The bungalows were ready for check-in, meaning we could get our first peek inside. I stayed in a bungalow with my mom and dad, which turned out to be the very first one as we walked down the boardwalk. The other three bungalows were a little further down.

Inside, there was one main room with a large bed, a small day bed by the window, and a bathroom. The plumbing and electricity worked well, something I didn’t take for granted given the fact we were in a wooden structure with only a single boardwalk connecting it to land.

In the middle of the floor, a small square window offered a view into the water below. There was even a special light switch to turn on the light below the bungalow.​

​Everyone’s favorite hangout spot was the back patio, which had a comfortable wicker chair and overlooked the lagoon. It was the perfect place to enjoy a Hinano beer from the room’s fridge.

​From the patio, a concrete staircase led directly into the water, meaning we could launch a snorkeling expedition from the room itself. The hotel had a dive center where we borrowed fins and masks for the duration of the visit.

​It was amazing to be this close to the aquatic world. Instead of bird watching, I spent time fish watching. We saw a long, thin fish that Google Lens identified as a houndfish. Where else in the world do you get houndfish in your backyard? I had never even seen a houndfish before, and yet there I was watching one from the hotel room.

​Dinner was with a smaller group, as a few folks were exhausted from the busy day (and past week!) Bucking the seafood trend, I tried the Sofitel's roast duck. It was served with a crispy almond coating, a rich tangy sauce on the side, and pureed sweet potatoes. I savored each bite of this meal that channeled the “French” in French Polynesia. Also of note were the hibiscus gin and tonic, and unusual dessert with lime and chocolate.

​The next morning, the breakfast buffet was staggering in scope. There were typical American, European, and Asian breakfast foods, plus tropical fruit and a crepe station. I had everything from dumplings and dragon fruit to bagels and banana juice.

​After sleeping above the water for a night, I was excited to get out into the water. One didn’t need to go far to encounter beautiful coral and fish. The support pillars underneath the bungalows were teeming with life! A small black fish, likely some kind of cleaner wrasse, would even nip at our legs while getting in and out. There were schools of long-nosed fish floating in the shadows of the boardwalk, tiny blue fish nibbling at the columns of coral, and an occasional feeding frenzy when food mysteriously appeared from the heavens above (i.e. someone throwing food into the water from a patio). The vertically mounted coral was like a natural art gallery, vibrant and eye-catching.

​The snorkeling at the Sofitel had some of the best animal sightings of any snorkeling I’ve ever done. There were plenty of old friends like the banded triggerfish, raccoon butterflyfish, clownfish, and parrotfish. Some new friends included a large school of convict surgeonfish, their jailbird stripes mesmerizing en masse, and an enormous titan triggerfish picking up coral fragments in its mouth.

​We swam alongside sea turtles at close proximity, matching their unhurried pace. The water was clear and calm, with a current going towards the bungalows. Eventually the turtles latched onto the current and were whisked away.

​I was stunned to spot a moray eel. At first, it was swimming completely exposed above the reef, enormous and billowing. When it saw me, it retreated into the forest of coral, where it was extremely well camouflaged. I eventually located its head within the bramble, its jaw slightly agape in a stereotypical eel grin. I normally think of moray eels hiding in a rock hole, so seeing one in the open reef was unexpected and lucky.

​Arguably the star of the show was the spotted eagle ray. More diamond-shaped than the rounded stingrays, the eagle rays were fast and hard to keep up with. Kicking with all my strength, I was able to follow one going at a leisurely speed. Suddenly, with a flick of the wings, it doubled its speed and disappeared. There several eagle rays that we all got to spend time following them. It was incredible to see them in the wild. Many years ago, I had a fantasy baseball called the Eagle Rays, or E-Rays for short. At long last, I got to meet my official mascot.

I'm particularly proud of this video reel that I made using my GoPro footage:

There were multiple ways to enjoy the lagoon that didn’t involve snorkeling. Roy and Gri rented a paddleboat. My brother tried to sneak up on them from the water, but the paddleboat was faster than he bargained for! Cheryl rented a kayak, while Rachel paraded on a stand-up paddleboard. The lagoon could also be accessed by a public beach. I would definitely return to the lagoon even if I wasn’t staying at the Sofitel.

We continued to eat our way through the Sofitel’s lunch and dinner menus. There were some tasty tuna bowls, noodles, ceviches, and burgers. The burger orders were met with some uncalled-for snark from the waitress (“you came all the way here to have a burger?”) but otherwise, the wait staff was friendly. We occasionally were approached by a charming orange cat, which the wait staff scooped up and relocated.

The food was tasty, but often when the plates arrived, they weren’t instantly recognizable – a little too abstract. On the final evening, our special chocolate dessert looked nothing like we expected, yet was packed with all the advertised flavors. After so many months of budget travel and basic meals on the road, going to the same resort restaurant for 2 days straight was a pretty big change of pace for me. While the convenience and quality was hard to beat, the portions and prices were not missed.

​Being with a fun group really elevated the stay. We played a raucous game of ping pong, made more difficult by the dull ball and the players’ consumption of alcoholic Tahiti drink. We also debuted a brutal card game called Uno: No Mercy, provided by Cheryl, in which players are knocked out by reaching a 25 card limit. There were some dramatic eliminations, cheeky smack talk, and a final showdown that had everyone on the edge of their seat. It was an instant favorite.

From there, our group divided once again, with four people continuing their vacation in Bora Bora, and the other five of us returning to the US. Those going home checked out in the morning, but stayed at the Sofitel property until it was time for the ferry. We had a light snack at a nearby beach hut, also run by the Sofitel. The wraps were delivered from the main kitchen via golf cart. A rainstorm arrived, which made us appreciate how lucky we got with the weather on our activity days. ​
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It was time to leave paradise behind and once again face the woes of transportation. The rain had picked up and it was a Saturday afternoon, both contributing to the chaotic scene at the ferry terminal. People tried to keep their bags (and selves) out of the downpour, while large groups became bottlenecks at the ticket gate. But the chaos had a lively, local energy. People with musical instruments found a corner of the cabin and had a jam session.

It was dark by the time we reached Tahiti. One of the forklifts, carrying three luggage containers, nearly lost control of the stack. There was no Uber on the island, so we waited at the taxi rank. The taxis weren’t big enough for 5 people with luggage, so we had to take two. In our taxi, Rachel had a great conversation with the driver about different islands in the archipelago. As we drove through the city, there were Olympic banners on display. Since France was the host country for the 2024 Olympics, the surfing events would be taking place in French Polynesia. The games were just a few weeks away – the driver seemed excited.

Vince and Rachel had warned us that security could be strict at the Tahiti Airport. Sure enough, I was pulled aside for an extra screening. When I picked up my checked suitcase, it had an inspection card inside, though I could tell it had been opened from the way my stuff was shuffled around. At security, they even took some of the group’s souvenir jams, which was a bummer.
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Boarding the flight required crossing the tarmac in the rain. The agents handed us umbrellas at the building exit, which was a nice touch. Soon, we were in the air, headed to San Francisco.

​After 8 months, I finally set foot in California again. Though even the last leg of the journey was an adventure. With a little ambition and persuading of a skeptical driver, we squeezed 5 people and all of the luggage into a single Uber XL, riding with heavy suitcases on our laps.

However, the world travels didn’t end there! The visit to California was just a transition week. While I did enjoy the comforts of home, like a burger and shake at In-n-Out burger, the week was focused on Vince and Rachel’s local wedding celebrations. We went to SF City Hall for their legal ceremony and hosted a gathering of friends at the local swim club.
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My dad, an avid swimmer, found returning to the pool to be quite disappointing after the amazing fish in the Sofitel lagoon. His comment underscored what a special time we had in French Polynesia. I’ll never forget the eagle rays, turtles, eels, and tropical fish that were just a staircase away.