Huahine, also known as The Garden Isle, is one of the least visited islands in French Polynesia and retains a strong sense of early Polynesia.
We are staying in Lapita Village. Lapita refers to the ancestral culture of the ancient Polynesians. The village consists of thatched bungalows built around a natural lagoon in the style of an ancient Polynesian Canoe House.
In addition to jaw dropping natural beauty, the area is an important archeological site, with settlements and artifacts found nearby dating from 750 AD. Lapita Village maintains an onsite archeological museum.
Huahine is essentially tropical jungle, exotic flowers and fruit are growing everywhere in abundance.
Our accommodations here are far more lux than in Raiatea, in that we actually have AC and island critters can’t enter our abode, and beds, through all the open nooks and crannies! Woo Hoo! I have never loved AC this much! Not to mention beds shared only with my husband!
Far nostalgia purposes, here is a look at our over water bungalows in Raiatea. Pretty? Yes. Comfortable, errrrrrr….. AC and closing those nooks and crannies would work better for me in summer in Polynesia. Oh, and scraping the coral off the dive ladders would work too! My up close and friendly coral cuts still prevent me from going in the ocean.
Am I complaining? No. It is gorgeous here and the food is fabulous so I am a happy non-camper!
Cheers to you from our ‘very cool’ abode in gorgeous Huahine~
.
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Your photographs are so beautiful Cindy.
You are so kind Ranu and I greatly appreciate YOU!
Well I can see I’ve been missing some good posts here! Beautiful photos!
Depends how much you consider infected coral cuts interesting reading!!! LOL………
I need to backtrack and see what goes on! My PC crashed and I’m just hobbling back. Infected coral cuts? Not fun!
Actually, no fun at all!
Wow….you’re in paradise! ٩(˘◡˘)۶
Yes indeed! Finally!
Cindy, I am having such a great time travelling with you, and the best part is, I take up no space! Huge hugs
No the best part is having you along! <3
They are such beautiful photos, Cindy. Your flower images are stunning.
Awwww, so encouraging and appreciated!
Love the blue water and glorious flowers (enhanced by your excellent photography.) But I really like the bungalow picture. That would be one to frame!
Those are the oldest bungalows in French Polynesia! I am so glad you see the rustic beauty. Thank you~
Absolutely beautiful…So envious 🙂
Remember infected coral cuts! Jim is out snorkeling and I am here typing. LOL!! Even paradise has is flaws~
Full diving suit it is then lol! 😀
Beautiful pictures of the beautiful place. I second andry1076’s comment.
Awwwww, you are such a good friend!
Gorgeous captures – and careful with those coral cuts – drinking more cocktails might help! 🙂
Oooooh, I didn’t think of of that! Thank you so much, the etoh will act as a disinfectant……of course. I am heading over to the bar now!!!! 😉 😉
I’m a wealth of knowledge Cindy, lol, only too happy to help! 😉
Even my hard to impress husband was impressed with your suggestion, but then, don’t tell anyone, he can be a bit of a tippler~ 🙂
Reblogged this on Spirit In Action and commented:
Thank you Cindy! What beautiful places you find! As much as I am enjoying our brief spell of non-hot and muggy weather here in Florida, your photos and descriptions inspire a longing for island hopping!
Wow Cindy, it looks like you found paradise there 😀 Enjoy and take good care of yourself. Amazing beautiful photos. I join you from Spain, also without extra for you.
You make my trip so much more fun! Cheers to you in gorgeous Espana!
Cheers Cindy 😉
Love Polynesian island life. Just finished writing a post about Samoa, remembering and loving the heat, and then loving being able to go to our AC’d room!
Sounds like you’re having a wonderful time.
Alison
The heat is wonderful, when your abode has AC! 😉 Heading off new to read your post about Samoa. Cheers & happy travels~
Just finished writing, haven’t published yet. Will publish in a few days.
Just read your last post, hugs, prayers & hopes to both of you!
Gorgeous, Cindy! Your narrative was fun to read to.
(BTW, you have posted many photos in the last couple of years. Has your ‘Media’ space gotten full yet?)
Quelle horror!!! I hope that never happens! 😉 I did pay for extra space, but I should check on it when I return. Thanks for the heads up~
These pics are so beautiful. I really loved them 🙂
Awwwww, makes me happy! Cheers to you~
Reblogged this on Everyday Amazing Stories and commented:
nice……………..
Absolutely beautiful! I would love to go there!
I hope you do, you will not be disappointed!
I would if I could afford to! 🙂
Wonderful pictures again Cindy. An even more idyllic place. I just wish your coral graze would heal.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Very kind and appreciated! Cheers to you~
WOW!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with fun and family – enjoy!
The colors are quite beautiful, and the place has so many fantasy of shapes, thanks.
Spectacular!!! A great way to end my day. Truly paradise. 🙂
You are a remarkable person who I am so happy to have met here in the blogsphere! <3 <3
You are a kindred spirit that brings joy to my days!!! Hugs
Awwwww cheers and all good things back to you Rebecca~ <3
For once, I can’t even find the words to describe the beauty of this place! I’ve been to some tropical paradises like Hawaii (Oahu) and Thailand but your pictures convey a surreal quality. And those first two photos… so lush green and vibrant! 😀
Wonderful. Hope your infection is all gone. 🙂 Beautiful, beautiful photographs.
Super super, Cindy! 🙂
This is such a beautiful part of our world….thank you for another interesting post.:)
How beautiful is the evening ❤️
Have I ever mentioned that I want your life?!? Beautiful pictures Cindy!
Klasse Fotos. LG. Wolfgang
Oh, for my own water bungalow!
Omg! So beautiful!! I want to visit this place! 🙂
Pure, unadulterated paradise Cindy. You find all the very best places for your stays and the photos are stunning so we can share the experience with you.
You have come with me on so many trips! You are such a perfect traveling companion! Jack is too of course. Give him my best~
I will pass the message on Cindy
You have found a true gem here, Cindy. Gorgeous photos. It sure looks like a tropical paradise. Maybe the South is not that bad at all. 😉 All in all a perfect setting for licking one’s wounds – I hope yours have healed by now.
Take care. xo
Not healed yet, takes a long time in the tropics I hear. And yes, Huahine is a VERY special place. Totally unspoiled and sparsely populated. Paradise indeed~
Another beautiful spot. Some storm clouds in the background? Are you getting a daily downpour of gorgeous tropical rain?
Today it is monsoonal. I have never seen rain this intense. You can read the tropical skies can’t you! And yes, each day we get a lovely burst of tropical rain that last briefly and are delightful. Today is water world. It may just now have tapered off but it has lasted for hours…..
As a child I used to love standing outside in a tropical downpour. 🙂
Reblogged this on Roviond and commented:
A Must-Reblogg
Ecstatic!!! Specially the Garden Isle.
Wow… that took me far away. Hugs!
You can travel anywhere you want in your imagination. I even do this while actually traveling! 🙂
French Polynesia is a place I’ve always pictured as romantic and serene and your photos only reinforce my fantasies of a paradise island – Gorgeous! Anita
Tickled you liked them and hope you go someday!
What a beautiful place.
Perfect descriptor!
You’re sharing some lovely flora with settings that are serene and tranquil. Thanks.
The people here move around slowly. It is probably the mellow atmosphere…..course it could also be the tropical heat! 😉
Wow Cindy, this are just incredible photos ~ and such a peaceful, beautiful place…
Really jazzed you think so & thanks too~
I know envy is a wasted emotion, but when I saw your first photo, my heart just leapt out! Oh, to be sitting in that tropical paradise 🙂 Thanks for letting me travel vicariously. Glad you are more comfortable and hope your scrapes are healing well. <3
No gain without pain! I highly recommend Lapita Village in Huahine if your are interested in traveling here. Built in 2011, it is just gorgeous with incredible food. Cheers to you~
Sounds wonderfully idyllic!
It is just that! Cheers to you~
Oooh… Wish to visit there in the future. Thank you for these exquisite photos of this beautiful place.
Thank you more for the appreciation!
Every scene a treasured treat –
So thoughtful & so appreciated!
Cindy, your photos are fantastically gorgeous and brought warmth to this cold day in Montreal. 🙂
I am so glad! Stay warm by the fire!
What a gorgeous place! I was even telling my husband, “Wow…this place is amazing!” and then I read cramped and no ac…lol…I’ll just look at your beautiful photos. 🙂
If you want to visit and non-touristed island with all the amenities consider Huahine.
Thanks Cindy…I wrote it down.
Trade you my grass hut for your grass hut, Cuz !
This second grass hut is a big move up in the world from the former one! Laughing…….
Definitely making me want to visit Polynesia. –Curt
Can’t wait to see and hear about it!
Eye candy for us winter dwellers! Those coral cuts must be quite deep…but if the ocean water is clean, you can still go swimming. The salt helps to clean out and heal the wound (I’m speaking from experience).
Lucky you! I am absolutely verboten to go into the water until the infection is under control. The ocean has bacteria that can make it much worse. It is pouring today so the inability to swim is less annoying! Thanks for the tip though. Normally the ocean is good for cuts, but not infected coral cuts.
So sorry, this really puts a shadow on your vacation in paradise.
What a place! I think you need to write a book about all your adventures. GORGEOUS photos! Amazing destinations.
It is now pouring here in Huahine! I have never seen rain this intense. Think Monsoon and you’ll get the idea! I’ kinda enjoying it…. 😉
Cindy, this looks so serene! Hugs! Veraiconica
Back at U X 2 my friend! <3
Beautiful pictures! This makes me reassess my wish of seeing Hawaii one day as I love the more traditional cultures. Thank you for sharing this information 🙂
Looks like paradise on earth, Cindy. Gorgeous pics. I’m not jealous…….much. 🙂
Why would you be, you go more places than me! <3
Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
Your continuous kind thoughtfulness leaves me grateful and humble. Thank you~
Cindy – Your camera captures passion and we step into another world. Thanks for taking us with you.
You are someone I sincerely admire on many levels Sheri. Let me know if you want to escape for awhile. I’ll set it up. Think about it~
. . . and now I do have tears. You are ever so kind. A dear friend sent me her 24 yr old daughter, who happens to be between jobs and who Tom already knows, in hopes that Sarah could both run errands for me and perhaps take care of Tom and I could get out for a couple hours here and there. I know Tom isn’t trying to be difficult and he admits I need a break. However, the two times I’ve tried to have coffee with a friend, it lasted 45 and 20 minutes respectively before he called me home. I plan to talk with his psychiatrist this coming week. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I missed this comment too while traveling. I am so sorry Sherri. I so know you need time for you. <3 <3
Reblogged this on darkpathunion.
Ahhh, I missed this while traveling. So sorry, Heading over to your blog now.
I’m sorry to hear your cuts aren’t healing fast enough to allow you time in the ocean. Your land photos are stunning, though.
Oh I am so sorry I missed your comment. Reflection of the limitations of wifi as a tourist in polynesia. Heading over to your blog now…….miss you.
You have such an impressive following, and yet you graciously respond to all of us. Please don’t ever worry about a missed comment.
Missed comments bug the heck out of me, you are my friends and I love talking with you.
Coral cuts… sheesh! I hear they can be quite nasty! Hope they are healing nicely!
I stayed in a beach house in Santa Marta, Columbia for a couple of weeks, once. Had to share my bed with critters there. Crrriiinnngggge.
Looks like you’re having a great time!
The coral cuts are major bad news and have beached me, no ocean time, for over a week now! I am not big on finding mice droppings in my sheets in the morning either!!!
Seems like you are visiting in an alternate universe. The brightness and colors are amazing! 🙂
Yes, it feels that way too! Cheers to you~
Gorgeous! My first thought after admiring the beauty of the first two shots of the thatched huts in the lagoon was of how stifling they might be when the sun is at its zenith. And of how the critters tend to overrun open accommodations at night in tropical areas. (My memory was of St. Lucia.) But then to read you have all this beauty and the luxury of AC? Oh my, you ARE in paradise! 🙂
Yes, finally. It is paradise here. The place we stayed before here though was exactly as you described and not so fun for six nights!
Hi Cindy. How you bring these places you visit to life. Thank you for liking my poem ‘ Shuttle!’ Best Wishes. The Foureyed Poet.
Cheers & all the best to you~
Breathtaking beauty!!
Merci beaucoup!
I like your positive Pictures, thank you very much Cindy….💗💗💗
Thank you more for the appreciation!
Every photo is a gem.
So thoughtful & so appreciated Jack!
Cindy, blogul tău are o frumuseţe paradisiacă.
Mi-ar place să trag o fugă până la tine,şi unul lângă altul, să-mi descrii minunile de pe blog, cu aceeaşi însufleţire, de care sunt convins că te caracterizează.
Eşti o fiinţă admirabilă!:)
Onu
Esti o persoana foarte drăguț să spun astfel de lucruri frumoase pentru mine! Va multumesc foarte mult și bună sănătate și fericire pentru tine prietenul meu ! <3
Raspunsul tau este atat de frumos, incat imi va asigura o noapte cu vise color.
Iti doresc si tie, la fel! 🙂
Onu
<3 <3
What a beautiful garden! I’d have no trouble living with that!!
Very easy on the eyes and spirit! Cheers to you my friend~
I can hardly believe there’s still such unspoiled solitude and beauty on this earth. My word, that is heaven. I snickered at the recap of Raiatea, I’m not a camper either. Been that, done that when we were youthful and broke. AC sounds just grande to me. Happy Travels x Oh and the florals are wonderful.
Yes, camping & roughing it are happily memories from my past as well. AC and critter proofing is all I need! 😉
beautiful…:-)
As are all your photos my friend~
I LOVE traveling with you through your blog!
I love having you along. You make things more fun and I LOVE your new snowwoman gravatar. She is the best looking snow woman I have ever seen!
LOL – Thanks 😀
<3
Those flowers look great! 😀
Mil grazi!
Nice!
<3
This is just breathtaking, I just wanna jump on a plain straight away! French Polynesia is definitely on my bucket list from now on.
Oh good, be sure if you visit more than one island like Bora Bora, to visit one of the less touristed islands, to get the real Polynesian experience. Huahine is a very good choice!
Such a stunningly beautiful place.
Huahine is a truly magical and uncrowded Polynesian paradise!
Oooooh….amazing!!! Very beautifull…💗 💗💗