Relatively safe from international terrorism and other threats such as the SARS virus, the South Pacific islands continue to be a popular destination. Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga all registered their best tourism years on record in 2003, and Tahiti & French Polynesia showed significant gains. Along with the increased numbers have come numerous changes. Here's a recap of developments since we prepared the 9th edition of Frommer's South Pacific.
Planning Your Trip to the South Pacific
Northwest Airlines frequent fliers can now use their WorldPerks miles on Air Tahiti Nui (www.airtahitinui-usa.com) between Los Angeles and Papeete or Auckland, and between Tokyo or Osaka and Papeete or Auckland. U.S. Airways (www.usair.com) has joined the Star Alliance, which includes Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com), so its frequent fliers can use their miles on Air New Zealand's network of flights to, from, and among the islands.
U.S. East Coast travelers will be able to reach Papeete without changing planes in Los Angeles when Air Tahiti Nui begins direct flights between New York and Tahiti in June 2005. Direct flights between Tahiti and Sydney, Australia, will start at the same time.
Royal Tongan Airlines (www.royaltonganairlines.com) has stopped flying between Tonga and Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and the Cook Islands. It still provides domestic service within the Kingdom. Samoa Air has discontinued operations; Polynesian Airlines (www.polynesianairlines.com) has applied to fly its routes within American Samoa.
Air Pacific has a new website (www.airpacificusa.com) geared specifically to travelers in the U.S. and Canada.
Both Air Pacific and Air New Zealand have reduced fares to Fiji from Australia and New Zealand. The slashes come in reaction to Freedom Airlines (www.freedom.co.nz), the discount-fare subsidiary of Air New Zealand, and Australia's cut-rate Pacific Blue, a branch of Australia's highly successful Virgin Blue (www.virginblue.com.au). Freedom Air already flies between Christchurch and Fiji, and Pacific Blue has applied to start service from Australia in September. Neither carrier flies from the U.S. or Canada, so North Americans likely won't profit from the development. The cheap fares are likely to fill Fiji's accommodations, however, so book rooms as early as possible.
Once the most popular discount travel agent selling travel to the South Pacific, Discover Wholesale Travel has gone out of business. So has its subsidiary, Aus-Vacations.
Tahiti & French Polynesia
The wind-powered cruise ship Wind Star (www.windstarcruises.com) will stop sailing in French Polynesia at the end of 2004.
Look for improved signs marking the way to Tahiti's prime sights, especially in the interior of the island. They are part of a "green promenading" program designed to encourage ecology-minded tourism. Check with Tourisme Tahiti (www.tahiti-tourisme.com) or the Manava Tahiti Visitors Bureau (www.tahiti-manava.pf) for details.
In addition to the 165-room Raddisson Plaza Resort Tahiti (tel. 800/333-3333 or 83-55-14; www.radisson.com), which is scheduled to open in June 2004 on Lafayette Beach, a half-mile stretch of black-sand in Arue, Papeete soon will have another, as yet unnamed, luxury hotel, this one on the downtown waterfront near Place Toata. Le Méridien Tahiti (www.lemeridien-tahiti.com) has opened a new lounge restaurant between its sand-fringed swimming pool and the real lagoon.
The Inter-Continental Beachcomber resorts on Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora have new, more detailed web sites. Go to www.ichotelsgroup.com and select French Polynesia is the Hotel Search window. Bora Bora is slated to get another Inter-Continental as part of a high-end building boom which also will see new Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons resorts out on the islets surrounding one of the world's most spectacular lagoons.
Marlon Brando's Hotel Tetiaora has gone out of business, as has the Matavai Hotel, Resort & Sports Centre in Papeete.
For a vacation condo rental on Bora Bora, check out the Black Pearl (www.a1vacations.com/eratek/1/), where rates start at $1,400 a week for an over-water, one-bedroom, one-bath unit.
Tahaa is slated to get its second luxury resort with the 54-room Taimana Resort & Spa to be built on islets out on the reef. Tahaa already has one of French Polynesia's most luxurious resorts, the new Le Taha'a Private Island & Spa (tel. 69-84-00; www.letahaa.com), on a reef islet with a view of Bora Bora.
Out in the Tuamotus, the lagoonside Rangiroa Beach Resort (tel. 60-59-50, fax 60 59 51; www.polynesian-resort-hotels.com) was on schedule to open in May. It has 38 bungalows with a rack rate of 23,000CFP ($230) double. That's moderate by French Polynesian standards.
The Cook Islands
A New Zealand-based developer has taken on the troubled "Sheraton" hotel project and plans to complete the resort. The half-finished project has been rotting at Vaimaanga on the south coast for more than a decade.
Rarotonga's famous Friday night "pub crawl" is easier these days thanks to Mama Josie's Night Life Tour, which picks guests up at 7:30pm and spends 30 minutes at each of the island's top night spots. Book at your hotel activities desk when you get there.
Long known for its down-home style lagoonside restaurant, Aitutaki's Samade on the Beach (www.samadebeach.com) has added 12 comfortable guest bungalows.
Fiji
All e-mail addresses in Fiji now end with connect.com.fj after the dot instead of is.com.fj. For example, Hideaway Resort's address has changed from "hideaway@is.com.fj" to "hideaway@connect.com.fj." "Connect" stands for Connect Internet Services (www.connect.com.fj), which is now the country's sole Internet service provider. You can get your e-mail at Connect's cyber cafes in Nadi and Suva (tel. 670-7359 and 330-0100, respectively).
Senikai Spas (www.fijiresortspas.com) now provides pampering at the Tokatoka Resort in Nadi, Shangri-la's Fijian Resort on the Coral Coast, and on Blue Lagoon Cruises based in Lautoka. Nadi's Skylodge Hotel has been taken over by Nomads World (www.nomadsworld.com), the Australian backpacker travel operator, and is now Nomads Skylodge, a budget property.
Based in Savusavu in northern Fiji, Tui Tai Adventure Cruises (tel. 877/313-0536 or 885-3032; www.tuitai.com) is planning to add surfing excursions to the remote Lau islands to its list of 4-day eco-tour cruises from Savusavu to Koro, Taveuni, and Kioa islands. In addition to surf boards, the 140-foot sailing schooner Tui Tai carries mountain bikes, kayaks, and snorkeling gear for its 25 passengers to use.
Samoa
The Samoa Visitors Bureau is now known as the Samoa Tourism Authority (www.visitsamoa.ws). Its phone number has changed to 63-511. If you rent a vehicle, you'll now have to go to the Ministry of Transportation, in Vaitele on the outskirts of Apia (tel. 26740), instead of the police department to have your home driver's license endorsed for use in Samoa. There's a S$10 ($3) fee.
American Samoa
The American Samoa Office of Tourism has new phone numbers and Website address: tel. 633-1092, fax 633-2092; www.amerikasamoa.info.
All American Samoan taxis must have meters by July, thus taking much of the guess work out of how much it will cost to get around Pago Pago.