Product Description

Award-winning travel writer Robert Kay offers this all-new guide for those seeking adventure on Tahiti and throughout French Polynesia. From the "Bounty" to "Bali Hai," no place symbolizes escape like Tahiti. With over 130 islands spread across an area larger than Western Europe, French Polynesia is an entire world of secluded retreats. Hidden Tahiti is the perfect guide for those seeking an island adventure or a soul-rejuvenating getaway. Illustrations and maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #695734 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 520 pages

Customer Reviews

The ultimate sourcebook
My wife and I took the first edition of this book on our honeymoon in 1997. Let's just say that another couple we hooked up with wound up not doing a thing without consulting "the book". We are not adventure travellers per say, but we don't like exquisite resorts that cater to you hand and foot. We like to explore, meet/see the people, etc. Well, this book got us to a waterfall on Moorea, the lagoon passes of Rangiroa, the village on Manihi, and nothing it recommended led us astray.

A Stylish Guide to Some Stylish Islands
As the author of Moon Handbooks Tahiti and one of Rob Kay's competitors, I'd like to say that his book has class and I recommend it to the traveler who carries two guides. Rob's coverage of top end food and lodging is unrivaled, and his cultural and historical vignettes convey the full flavor of Polynesia. It's great pre-trip reading and very useful in deciding when and where to splurge. It complements well the web and email addresses, tour and transportation listings, budget tips, and detailed maps in my book. After checking accommodations prices (which Rob doesn't provide) in Moon Handbooks Tahiti, you can get a well thought out second opinion about conditions on the ground from Hidden Tahiti. I hope this helps bring our 'rival' titles into focus.

The only book we used...
We bought 3 books and always seemed to rely on this one. Mr Kay gives great info on restaurants and hidden lodgings, which are the 2 most important topics for us. We actually stayed in one place that he labeled "hidden" and he was right! We could not find the entrance and when we did they were not open to the public, but they decided to let us stay and we were the only guests for a week. No other guide book listed this hidden lodging. Mr. Kay has a more personal approach and gives great descriptions, which the other guide books lack. And as far as not giving exact prices, it's useless to do so as these things change so much anyway. All you need to know is this: you stay in a big hotel where all the other tourists stay you will pay big money for not so much, if you venture out to where the real people live, you pay less and get better service, food, and memories.