Fast Facts

The following facts apply specifically to Tahiti.

American Express -- The American Express representative is Tahiti Tours, on rue Jeanne-d'Arc (tel. 54.02.50; fax 42.25.15), across from the Centre Vaima in downtown Papeete. The mailing address is B.P. 627, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.

Bookstores -- Librairie Vaima, on the second level of the Centre Vaima (tel. 45.57.57), has some English-language novels and a wide selection of books on French Polynesia, many of them in English and some of them rare editions. It also has maps of the islands. Le Kiosk in front of the Centre Vaima sells the International Herald Tribune, Time, and Newsweek, as does La Maison de la Presse, on boulevard Pomare at Quartier du Commerce (tel. 50.93.93).

Business Hours -- Although some shops stay open over the long lunch break, most businesses are open Monday through Friday from 8 to 11:30am and 2 to 5pm, give or take 30 minutes, since "flex hours" help alleviate Tahiti's traffic problem. Saturday hours are 8 to 11:30am, although some shops in the Centre Vaima stay open Saturday afternoon as well. The Papeete Municipal Market is a roaring beehive from 5 to 7am on Sunday, and many of the nearby general stores are open during those hours. Except for some small groceries, most other stores are closed on Sunday.

Camera/Film -- Film and 1-hour color-print processing are available at several stores in downtown Papeete. One of the best is Tahiti Photo, in the Centre Vaima (tel. 42.97.34), where you can get help in English.

Currency Exchange -- Banque de Polynésie, Banque de Tahiti, and Banque Socredo each has at least one branch with ATMs on boulevard Pomare, along with many suburban locations.

Drugstores -- Pharmacie du Vaima, on rue du Général-de-Gaulle at rue Georges La Garde behind the Centre Vaima (tel. 42.97.73), is owned and operated by English-speaking Nguyen Ngoc-Tran, whose husband runs Pharmacie Tran on Moorea. Pharmacies rotate night duty, so ask your hotel staff to find out which one is open after dark.

Emergencies/Police -- If you are in a hotel, contact the staff. Otherwise, the emergency police phone number is tel. 17 (but don't expect the person on the other end of the line to speak English). The central gendarmerie is at the inland terminus of avenue Pouvanaa Oopa (tel. 42.02.02).

Eyeglasses -- Papeete has several opticians, including Optique Vaima, in the Centre Vaima (tel. 42.77.54).

Hairdressers/Barbers -- The staff of the beauty salons in the Inter-Continental Resort Tahiti speaks English.

Healthcare -- Both Clinque Cardella, on rue Anne-Marie-Javouhey (tel. 42.80.10), and Clinic Paofai, on boulevard Pomare (tel. 43.77.00), have highly trained specialists and some state-of-the-art equipment. They are open 24 hours.

Internet Access -- Every hotel here has Internet access for its guests, but you will have more fun at American expatriate Nina Piermatti's Tiki Soft Café, on rue Paul Gauguin at the Rond Pont de L'Est traffic circle (tel. 88.93.98). At Nina's computer terminals, you can check your e-mail while sipping a cup of French roast java or a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice (or munching on a healthy salad or sandwich). Dial-up access costs 250CFP (US$2.50) for 15 minutes, 1,000CFP (US$10) for an hour; high-speed or wireless laptop connections are 350CFP (US$3.50) for 15 minutes, 1,000CFP (US$10) per hour. Open Monday through Wednesday from 8am to 8:30pm, Thursday and Friday from 8:30am to 10:30pm. Nina has wine tastings here Wednesday from 5 to 8pm. Friday night is gay friendly.

Cybernesia Tahiti, on the second level of the Vaima Centre (tel. 85.43.67), has both dial-up and wireless access for 20CFP (US20¢) for the first 10 minutes, 15CFP (US15¢) per minute thereafter. It has English keyboards and the Skype telephone program on some of its computers, and it will also burn your digital photos to CD. Open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 4pm. La Maison de la Presse, on boulevard Pomare at Quartier du Commerce (tel. 50.93.93), also has English keyboards. It charges 250CFP (US$2.50) for each 15 minutes spent online.

If you need to check your email after dark, the business center at Faaa airport (tel. 83.63.88) is open until midnight Monday through Saturday (from 8am Mon, Wed, and Fri; from 6am Tues, Thurs, and Sat). It charges 300CFP (US$3) for 15 minutes and can also put your photos on CDs.

Laundry -- Laverie Gauguin, 64 rue Paul Gauguin, at Pont de l'Est (tel. 43.71.59), has wash-dry-fold service for 2,200CFP (US$22) a load. Open Monday through Friday from 7am to 5:30pm.

Libraries -- The Office Territorial D'Action Culturelle (Territorial Cultural Center), on boulevard Pomare, west of downtown Papeete (tel. 42.88.50), has a small library of mostly French books on the South Pacific and other topics. Hours are 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday, except on Wednesday when it closes at 4pm.

Post Office -- The main post office is on boulevard Pomare, a block west of the Centre Vaima; open from 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday, 8 to 11am Saturday. The branch post office at the Tahiti-Faaa International Airport terminal is open from 6 to 10:30am and noon to 2pm Monday through Friday, and from 6 to 9am on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.

Restrooms -- Both Tahua Vaite (the park by the cruise-ship terminal at rue Paul Gauguin) and Place Toata (on the western end of downtown) have free and clean public toilets.

Safety -- Papeete has seen increasing street crime in recent years. The busy parks on boulevard Pomare along the waterfront are generally safe, but be very careful if you wander onto the side streets after dark.

Telephones -- The main post office, the cruise-ship terminal, and Place Toata all have pay phones, where you can use a télécarte to make local and international calls.

Visitor Information -- The Tahiti Manava visitors bureau (tel. 50.57.12; www.tahiti-manava.pf), in the cruise-ship welcoming center on the waterfront on boulevard Pomare at the foot of rue Paul Gauguin, is open 7:30am to 5pm Monday through Friday, 1 to 4pm Saturday, and 8am to noon on holidays. It's also open on Sunday if cruise ships are in port.

Water -- You can drink the tap water in Papeete and its nearby suburbs, which includes all the hotels, but not out in the rural parts of Tahiti. Bottled water is available in all grocery stores.