Destinations in region: South Pacific
Romantics from around the world have laid claim to this island where the castle-like Mount Otemanu pierces the sky. Lush tropical slopes and valleys blossom with hibiscus, while palm-covered motu circle the illuminated lagoon like a delicate necklace. Perfect white-sand beaches give way to emerald waters where colored fish animate the coral gardens as they greet the giant manta rays. This could be easily be described as the center of the romantic universe, where luxury resorts and spas dot the i...
A deep, crystal-clear lagoon surrounds the Huahine island while magnificent bays and white-sand beaches add drama and solitude to their virtues. Relatively unchanged by the modern world, Huahine offer a slower taste of old Polynesia. With only eight small villages scattered across the island, the few residents welcome visitors with great kindness. Not surprisingly, this fertile world offers rich soil providing the local farmers a bountiful harvest of vanilla, melons, and bananas. Hotels in Hua...
Raiatea, meaning "faraway heaven" and "sky with soft light", was first named Havai'i after the homeland of the ancient Polynesians and is the most sacred island in the South Pacific. This, the second largest Tahitian isle, was the center of religion and culture over 1000 years ago and still lends enchantment to ancient legends told to this day. The green-carpeted mountains include the celebrated Mt. Temehani, a sort of Polynesian Mt. Olympus. ...
Taha'a, with the rich aroma of vanilla lingering heavily in the air, offers a glimpse of the traditional, tranquil life of the Tahitians. The flower-shaped island's simple beauty is charmed by soft mountain shapes and surrounded by tiny motu with bright sand beaches. In the fertile valleys cutting within the island, local farmers grow watermelon, vanilla, and copra. ...
Moorea soars magically out of the ocean in an explosion of green velvet - what you would imagine a South Seas island to be. A few minutes from the island of Tahiti by plane, and only thirty minutes by high-speed catamaran. ...
Tahiti, often called The Island of Love, is the largest of the 115 islands and atolls that comprise French Polynesia. The 1,042 sq. km. (402 sq. miles) of Tahiti's surface area consist of mountain peaks reaching over dense rainforests of soft ferns. Waterfalls cascading into cool rivers and streams as well as flat coastal area contraining fields of taro and tropical flowers. The beaches on the island of Tahiti vary, you will find black sand beaches on the north east cost and white sand beaches o...
The magic of Fiji’s natural beauty is matched only by the world-famous friendliness of its people, and their diverse, captivating culture. Fiji lends itself to all genres of travel. Honeymooners, divers, backpackers, families, bird-watchers, adventurers, independent travellers and tour groups all flock here to make the most of the stunning landscape and abundant sunshine. Luxury beachside resorts and private transport cater to tourists looking for pure rest and relaxation with minimum effort. ...
Pincer-shaped Christmas Island contains 48% of Kiribati's land area and is the world's largest coral atoll. Flying in over its multiple shimmering salt flats and lagoon shallows is a wonderful experience: the dry, windswept landscape of salt bush and coconut palms is glaringly bright and dusty, and impressively desolate. The island is one of the world's great seabird sanctuaries, home to millions of birds of 18 species, and the lagoon hosts a dazzling array of marine life. ...
Sure it's got deadly spiders, snakes and sharks, but they don't stop people from coming here, never mind living here. And for good reason. From the prehistoric gorges of Kakadu National Park, to the white sails of the Sydney Opera House, Australia is a country as big your imagination. Kick back on a beach as white as your mother's wedding dress in Western Australia; lose yourself in the labyrinthine laneways of culture-rich Melbourne or be humbled by red desert sunsets over Uluru. ...
