Dreams of Tahiti

Day	Where	What we see	Arrive	Depart	Platform
1	Papeete, Tahiti	Papeete Market, then sail at 5:30 PM	1:00 PM	5:30 PM	—
2	Raiatea	Morning sail, then the Sacred Island; Signature Onboard BBQ in the evening	1:00 PM	overnight	—
3	Motu Mahaea, Tahaʻa	Daytime private-motu beach day: barbecue lunch, swimming, snorkeling and watersports	8:00 AM	5:00 PM	Beach watersports
4	Bora Bora	Arrive in the lagoon	9:00 AM	overnight	✓ Expected
5	Bora Bora	Private-motu feast and fire dancing; sail 9:00 PM	—	9:00 PM	✓ Expected
6	Huahine	Villages, marae, and some of the best snorkeling of the week	7:00 AM	5:00 PM	✓ Expected
7	Moorea, then Papeete	A last day in the lagoon, then sail back to Papeete	7:00 AM	4:30 PM	✓ Expected
8	Papeete	Disembark	—	8:00 AM	—

Aboard Wind Star

A sailing yacht, not a traditional cruise ship

Wind Star under sail in a Tahitian lagoon — Wind Star — four masts, under sail in the lagoon

The pool deck on Wind Star at sunset — The pool deck at sunset

148Guests

74Cabins

105Crew

4Masts

440 ftLength

Wind Star is the original Windstar yacht — a 148-guest sailing ship with four masts and six working sails. The sails aren’t just for show; they actually help propel the yacht when conditions are right. Small enough to feel personal, Wind Star has more of the atmosphere of a private yacht than a traditional cruise ship.

Every stateroom has ocean-view portholes rather than a balcony, but this isn’t a ship where we’ll spend much time in the room. With only a few decks and 148 guests, we’re just a couple of minutes from the open decks, with the ocean and islands all around us. There are few crowds, little formality and an open-bridge policy that lets you visit the bridge when conditions allow.

In Tahiti, Polynesian cultural ambassadors come aboard, alongside yoga, Pilates and relaxed evening entertainment.

Wi-Fi, gratuities, all dining and non-alcoholic drinks are included in the fare.

What makes a small ship different

The Watersports Platform

One of Wind Star’s best features in Tahiti is its watersports platform. When the ship is anchored and conditions allow, the stern opens directly onto the water, letting you step straight into the lagoon.

Complimentary equipment includes kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel gear, floating mats and a small sailboat. You can also simply swim straight from the yacht. On the private-motu day at Tahaʻa, the watersports equipment is brought ashore instead.

The platform operates only while Wind Star is at anchor and conditions are suitable, so I’ve marked the days in the itinerary when it is likely to be available.

Where we eat

Where We Eat

Amphora, the main dining room on Wind Star — Amphora

Veranda, breakfast and lunch on Wind Star — Veranda

Yacht Club cafe on Wind Star — Yacht Club

Dining aboard Wind Star is relaxed and entirely complimentary, with open seating and no assigned dining times.

Amphora is the main restaurant for dinner, with a changing menu served course by course. Veranda is the casual indoor-outdoor setting for breakfast and lunch. In the evening, it becomes Candles, an intimate steak and seafood restaurant under the stars by the pool. With only about 30 seats, reservations are required.

Room service is available 24 hours a day. Menus incorporate Tahitian ingredients such as vanilla, coconut and local fish, along with plenty of non-seafood choices. Dietary restrictions and allergies can be accommodated with advance notice.

Pricing

Cabins and fares

Porthole stateroom on Wind Star — Porthole stateroom · 188 sq ft

Porthole stateroom on Wind Star before the refurbishment — Porthole stateroom before the refurbishment.

Wind Star has 74 porthole cabins.

Categories B and BX are on deck 1. Categories A and AX are on deck 2. BX and AX are in the middle of the ship.

Fares start at $3,224 per person, including gratuities, Wi-Fi, all dining including the specialty restaurant, and the non-alcoholic drinks — bottled water, sodas, juices and mocktails — plus $300 onboard credit per cabin.

Fares are per person, based on double occupancy. The $300 onboard credit is per cabin and is included with the cruise fare. Cabin availability as of 9/27.

Wind Star · 12 April 2027

Category	Per person	Cabins left
Category B	$3,224	1
Category BX	Unavailable	—
Category A	$3,789	1
Category AX	$4,055	8

After the cruise

Optional Stay in Moorea

Wind Star docks in Papeete the morning of Monday 19 April, and the Moorea ferry leaves from the terminal beside the ship. Stay as long as you like — everything below is priced for five nights, 19–24 April.

We don’t have to all stay in the same hotel — they are within about 30 minutes of each other.

All four hotels below include kayaks and snorkel gear at no charge.

Sofitel Kia OraBest beach & most private overwaterFrom $3,724 Cook’s Bay Hotel & SuitesDramatic mountain and bay viewsFrom $2,741 Manava Beach ResortBest walkabilityFrom $2,554 Green LodgeBest budget optionFrom $2,181

Hotels are listed from highest to lowest price. Every figure below is the quoted total per room for the five nights, 19–24 April — not per person. The ferry and scooters are separate.

Best beach & most private overwater

Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort

Temae Beach, the northeast corner of the island · fourth night free at these rates

See the resort

Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort from the air, on Temae Beach — On Temae Beach — the best beach on the island

Overwater bungalows at Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea, spread along the lagoon — Overwater bungalows, spread out and private

Inside an overwater villa at Sofitel Kia Ora, with the glass viewing panel set into the floor — The glass viewing panel in the floor

What stands out

Directly on Temae Beach — the best beach on the island
A brilliant turquoise shallow lagoon, sandy underfoot at the water’s edge — no reef shoes needed to get in, and the coral is a short swim out
The overwater bungalows are more spread out and more private than at the other resorts, each with a glass viewing panel in the floor
Renovated in 2026 — reception, pool, restaurant, bar and spa, and every villa category bar one
Complimentary minibar, restocked daily
Champion supermarket about 8 minutes away by car or scooter

Worth knowing

Half the Luxury Garden Villas are still to be renovated — that is the entry room below. Everything else at the resort is done
The current along Temae varies and can run strong — snorkel into it and walk back along the sand
Cars and scooters can be arranged, and a scooter can be delivered to the hotel

See the rooms

Room	Total · 5 nights
Luxury Garden VillaThere may be noise from ongoing renovation work	$3,724.39
Superior Ocean View Villa	$4,036.39
Luxury Overwater VillaGlass viewing panel in the floor, steps into the lagoon	$6,746.81
Superior Overwater Horizon VillaOnly two rooms left	$7,422.00
Luxury Overwater Horizon Villa	$8,337.00

Booked through Virtuoso, the rate carries daily buffet breakfast for two, one $100 food and beverage credit per stay, an upgrade on arrival, and early check-in or late check-out. The upgrade and the check-in times are subject to availability, and the credit has no cash value if it is not used. Taxes and fees are included in the totals.

Hotel map of Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort, showing garden villas, beach bungalows and overwater bungalows — Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort — hotel map

The map uses Sofitel’s older names. Every ‘bungalow’ in the legend has since been renamed a ‘villa’, so the green Luxury Bungalow with Garden View is the Luxury Garden Villa priced above, and the blue Luxury Overwater Bungalow is the Luxury Overwater Villa. Watch the one pink Luxury Villa Ocean View — despite the name, that is the two-bedroom family villa, not any of the rooms in the table.

Dramatic mountain and bay views

Cook’s Bay Hotel & Suites

Directly on Cook’s Bay · the newest rooms of the four

See the hotel

Cook's Bay Hotel & Suites on the water at Cook's Bay, with Moorea's steep green peaks rising behind it — On Cook’s Bay, the peaks behind

A one-bedroom suite at Cook's Bay Hotel & Suites, opening onto a terrace above the bay — A suite opening onto the bay

Cook's Bay Hotel & Suites from the air, showing the suites, the pool, the small beach and the restaurant out on the pier — Pool, small beach and the pier restaurant

What stands out

The view is the selling point. Directly on Cook’s Bay, ringed by Moorea’s steep green mountains — one of the most dramatic settings of the four
Excellent snorkeling straight off the property — out from the pontoon, with a bridge over the reef where you can watch fish and octopus
A large infinity-style pool looking down the bay
Modern, newer suites with a full kitchenette — refrigerator, microwave and induction cooktop
Tour boats collect from a jetty within walking distance, and there are restaurants and inexpensive local food nearby
Supermarket about 3–5 minutes away by car or scooter

Worth knowing

The beach is small and there is coral in the shallows — you can wade in, but water shoes help here, and the hotel does not supply them
Breakfast is not included
Cars and scooters can be rented on site

See the suites

Suite	Total · 5 nights
1 Queen Suite, Ground Floor	$2,741
1 Queen Suite, Sea View	$3,163
Upper Floor 1-Bedroom Suite with Solarium	$3,585

Water shoes are recommended here, as there is coral in the shallows.

The Sea View suite is the one I would book here. It is a small step up from the ground-floor suite, and the view over the bay is the entire reason to pick this hotel over a beach resort — paying to look at it seems like the right place to spend the money.

Best walkability

Manava Beach Resort & Spa Moorea

Maharepa side · the most walkable of the four

See the resort

Manava Beach Resort & Spa Moorea from the air, showing the infinity pool, the small beach and the overwater bungalows — Bungalows over the reef, the beach behind

Overwater bungalows at Manava, set close together with the mountains behind — Bungalows set close together, mountains behind

Inside an overwater bungalow at Manava, opening onto the deck and the lagoon — Inside an overwater bungalow

What stands out

A large lagoon-front infinity pool
The Garden Pool Bungalows have their own private plunge pool
Very walkable — restaurants, food trucks, cafés and shops are right there
Good snorkeling off the resort
Supermarket a 5–10 minute walk — no car or scooter needed

Worth knowing

The beach is much smaller than Sofitel’s stretch of Temae Beach
The overwater bungalows sit closer together, and the lagoon water here is generally deeper and darker
Breakfast is not included except on the Garden View Room
Scooters rent through the resort or next door; cars can also be arranged

See the rooms

Room	Total · 5 nights
Garden View RoomIncludes breakfast and the $111 resort fee payable on arrival	$2,554.28
Garden Pool BungalowPrivate plunge pool	$3,657
Beach Bungalow	$4,008
Overwater BungalowOnly two left at this rate	$5,707
Premium Overwater BungalowMore of these available	$6,374

Only Sofitel and Manava have overwater bungalows. Manava only has two rooms that are at the cheaper rate. The next category’s rate is comparable to Sofitel’s.

Shorter stays are available too — the totals above are for five nights. Ask for a one- or two-night rate if that suits your plans better.

Best budget option

Green Lodge

A small Polynesian lodge · 2–3 minutes from Temae Beach

See the lodge

A wooden beachfront bungalow at Green Lodge, with a veranda and loungers under the palms — A beachfront bungalow

Green Lodge from the air, a small waterfront property with a jetty on the shallow lagoon — Small, and on the water

Inside a Green Lodge bungalow — woven walls, a high pitched wooden ceiling, and sliding doors onto a deck above the water — Warm wood, and doors to the water

What stands out

Breakfast is included
Small, quiet and rustic: a Polynesian lodge rather than a resort
Waterfront bungalows and a small pool
Temae Beach, the best beach on the island and the same one Sofitel sits on, is only 2–3 minutes away by car or scooter
Champion supermarket about 8–10 minutes away by car or scooter

Worth knowing

The shoreline immediately in front is rocky and not good for swimming, but Temae is minutes away and sandy underfoot
The current along Temae varies and can run strong — snorkel into it and walk back along the sand
Cars and scooters can be arranged, and a scooter can be delivered
No resort pool deck, restaurants or spa to fall back on for a whole day

Room	Total · 5 nights
Beachfront BungalowOnly one room available for our dates	$2,181.33

This is a great option for anyone who expects to be out exploring or down at Temae most of the day and would rather not pay for a room they are barely in. You get the same beach as Sofitel for a fraction of the rate — you just have to travel two or three minutes to reach it.

When to go

Why April

April falls between French Polynesia’s wetter and drier seasons, with generally improving conditions for spending time out on the lagoon.

Weather is never guaranteed in the South Pacific, but April gives us a good balance of weather, water conditions and timing for this sailing.

Lone Peak Travel · Karen Kinghorn · 801 836-8610

Port times are the operator’s published schedule and are always subject to weather and the captain’s discretion. Tender operations, and the watersports platform in particular, are the first things cancelled in swell.

Getting there and home

Flight Options

There are several flight options to Tahiti. Since the cruise leaves on April 12, the safest option is to fly out on April 10. This gives us a cushion in case of flight delays or cancellations and, if everything goes as planned, a full day in Tahiti before boarding Wind Star.

Alaska — What We’re Doing

We’re going with Alaska. It’s the longest overall travel day, but it’s less expensive and we can purchase the extra-legroom seats on all of the flights.

The Honolulu–Papeete flight has two seats on each side of the plane rather than three. For us, having two seats together is worth the longer layover in Honolulu. (I’m very allergic to perfume, so it’s safer for me.)

Although the total trip is longer because of the layover, we actually spend less time in the air.

Outbound · April 10

SLC 8:30 AM → Honolulu → Papeete 9:30 PM
17 hours total · 4 hr 15 min in Honolulu

Return · April 24–25

Papeete 11:30 PM → Honolulu → SLC 10:45 PM
19 hr 15 min total · 7 hours in Honolulu

United

United is considerably faster on the way to Tahiti and has a daytime departure, but the transpacific plane has three seats together.

Outbound · April 10

SLC 9:45 AM → San Francisco → Papeete 6:55 PM
13 hr 10 min total · 1 hr 49 min in San Francisco

Return · April 24–25

Papeete 9:10 PM → San Francisco → SLC 4:50 PM
15 hr 40 min total · 5 hr 30 min in San Francisco

Delta

Delta only offers an overnight flight to Tahiti, arriving early the following morning.

Outbound · April 10–11

SLC 8:45 PM → Los Angeles → Papeete 5:30 AM
12 hr 45 min total · 2 hr 14 min in Los Angeles

The return is much less convenient.

Return · April 24–25

Papeete 7:40 AM → Los Angeles → SLC 8:54 AM the following day
21 hr 14 min total · 11 hr 10 min in Los Angeles

Wind Star returns to Papeete the evening before disembarkation. Windstar can request early disembarkation from the Port Authority, but approval is not guaranteed. If approved, the airport is only about ten minutes from the quay.

Because of the 11-hour overnight layover in Los Angeles, this option would also mean getting a hotel near LAX. For anyone staying in Moorea after the cruise, Delta’s early-morning departure would require returning to Papeete the day before.

Taxi: The airport is about 10 minutes from the hotel, depending on traffic. Expect to pay around $20–$25.

Seven nights in the Society Islands

The cruise is the trip. Moorea is optional.

Seven nights aboard

Stay as long as you like

A sailing yacht, not a traditional cruise ship

The Watersports Platform

Where We Eat

Cabins and fares

Optional Stay in Moorea

Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort

Cook’s Bay Hotel & Suites

Manava Beach Resort & Spa Moorea

Green Lodge

Why April

Flight Options

Coromandel to Fiordland