As boomer travelers, I suppose this photograph I captured of Carol standing on the deck of the m/s Paul Gauguin cruise ship, completely enthralled by the beautiful sunset over Bora Bora, about says it all.  Baby boomer travelers are looking for magical memories as their numbers begin to explode upon the luxury segment of the travel industry.

Well, magical memories is what Paul Gauguin Cruises delivered to us in spades as we cruised French Polynesia’s Society Islands.  We were completely gobsmacked by Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Taha’a, Huahine, and a private coral motu owned by the cruise line.

Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the award-winning luxury cruise ship m/s Paul Gauguin, providing a luxury cruise experience tailored to the unparalleled wonders of Tahiti, French Polynesia and the South Pacific.

The renowned, 5+-star m/s Paul Gauguin was built specifically to sail the waters of Tahiti, French Polynesia and the South Pacific. Launched in 1998, The Gauguin is the longest continually operating year-round luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific. No other luxury ship in history has offered this level of single-destination focus and expertise on a year-round basis for such an extended period of time.

We were surprised to learn that Papeete, the capitol city of Tahiti, was a mere eight-hour flight from Los Angeles.  Somewhere in my mind, I figured it was certainly a flight well over 12 hours.

We hopped a red-eye from Los Angeles at 11:59 p.m.  After crossing 4,125 miles of Pacific ocean, we found ourselves in Tahiti for breakfast.

Highlights and Favorite Memories of our Paul Gauguin Cruise

• The m/s Paul Gauguin recently received over $32 million in renovations.  Everything felt brand new!
• The ship accommodates 332 guests with a staff of 217.  We absolutely loved the smaller ship experience and the great attention of the staff.
• The food was phenomenal.  In fact, the m/s Paul Gauguin has earned a #1 ranking in the small ship category by Cruise Critic’s 2011 Cruisers’ Choice Awards.
• No formal-wear required.  Bring it if you like, but dressy resort-casual is the norm.  We like that!
• All inclusive means all inclusive on the m/s Paul Gauguin.  We enjoyed complimentary 24-hour room service, complimentary beverages including select wines and spirits, soft drinks, bottled water and hot beverages served throughout the ship; an in-room refrigerator replenished daily with soft drinks, beer and bottled water, and all onboard gratuities were included in our fare.
• We had our own butler!  Guest in category B and higher will enjoy this.
• There were no kids on our cruise.  Not that Paul Gauguin Cruises are against children, but we sure enjoyed the serenity of an all-adult cruise.
• We will never, ever, ever forget the turquoise color of the waters surrounding the island of Bora Bora.  Absolutely breathtaking.  Click here.
• Mrs. Roaming Boomers came home with a string of Tahitian black pearls around her neck.  She liked that!
• The French Polynesian people are perhaps the friendliest we have ever encountered.  There was always a smile, and the countenance of the people was peaceful, and seemingly joy-filled.  We never encountered an uncomfortable feeling on the islands.  The only possible exception was the more metropolitan city of Papeete.
• We didn’t do any cruising during the day.  This left us with very long days to explore the islands.
• Standing atop Magic Mountain and the Belvedere Lookout, on the island of Moorea, was breathtaking.
• School children, from the island of Taha’a, came aboard and shared local songs and dance with us.  They were so beautiful that I found myself in tears.
•  Sunsets each evening were unbelievable.  Click here.
• We enjoyed great Polynesian entertainment most nights.  Click here.
• We played on a private island one day.  Click here.
• We made a lot of new friends from around the world.

I could go on, and on.  We are huge, huge fans of the Hawaiian Islands, but these islands in the south Pacific have a whole different charm and natural beauty.  Even as I sit here writing, I’m longing to be back on the island of Bora Bora.

I want to again swim with my bride in those warm turquoise waters.  I want to once again find myself speechless as I gaze at the stars brightly shining in the dark skies of French Polynesia.  I want to again walk in a land where everyone seemingly has a smile on their face.  I want to again hear the beautiful dialect of the native peoples.

We now understand why the artist Paul Gauguin and writer James Michener fell in love with these islands.  We have certainly too fallen under the spell of Bali Ha’i and want to go back!

Can you hear her singing?  Here am I, your special island.  Come to me.  Come to me. Bali Ha’i.  Bali Ha’i.  Bali Ha’i. 

We give this experience our absolute highest recommendation.  You simply must go!

Disclosure: our incredible experience was provided by the very kind folks at Paul Gauguin Cruises.  Thank you!

Update: now that Carol and I own a travel agency, we’d love to help you plan a wonderful trip to Bora Bora.  We know the area well, and we’ve got some wonderful complimentary VIP perks for your stay as well.

Call our travel agency at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
 
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