Shopping in paradise!!!!

My mother was an Olympic gold medalist in shopping. I got the gene. Seriously, I am a world-class shopper (just ask my friends) and I am happy to share the results of my investigation/research on shopping in French Polynesia.

Oils and soaps – by far the least expensive place to buy Monoi Oil and soaps was on Moorea (cheaper than the market in Papeete). The name of store is Lendroit, located in La Petite Village.

Vanilla – best place was on Raiatea with Bruno where he took us to a vanilla plantation. It was fascinating to see how it is grown and dried. Fortunately for all of you, the owner of the plantation (who is Dutch) sells his vanilla on the motu in Tahaa on the motu day. Buy it there.

Pareos – They are everywhere. My preference was for the rayon (not cotton) hand painted pareos. Average price was between 2800 and 3200 XPF. If a “designer” is involved and the piece is signed, they can range from 4900-5900 XPF. Beware – the less expensive ones are printed – they are still beautiful and they are abundant in the market in Papeete. They are about 2200 XPF for one and go down in price the more you buy. Bargain.

I bought some pareos on the ship in La Boutique (they were a bit more expensive but I had to use up my OBC somehow). They do not replenish stock during the cruise so go early. The standard size hand painted rayon pareo was $35. They had an oversize style for $45. The ship also sells the book on pareo tying for $5 – cheapest anywhere.

Cynthia, who runs the boutique, is fabulous. She has an interesting story to tell – she was Marlon Brando’s personal assistant for 22 years – until he died. You will all love her.

I found the best selection on Moorea and I recommend 3 stores. For the best selection, check out Coco Blanc and Boutique Oceane (they are across the street from one another, east of Cook’s Bay). I bought all of mine (17!) at Nancy’s in La Petite Village. She had 2 qualities – the lesser quality had hand painted designs that were not as crisp (I really could not tell the difference) and were only 1900 XPF. These are perfect for gifts so I loaded up. Her higher quality pareos were 2850 XPF (and I negotiated a better deal for quantity)

Pearls. I think I am almost an expert. We stayed on Tahiti two days prior to the cruise and we must have gone into 15 pearl stores on Tahiti alone. I really did my homework prior to the cruise and my husband’s daughter, who is a jeweler, gave me lots of info on pricing. We went into nearly every pearl store on Bora Bora and Moorea as well.

What you will learn is that there is no “standard” for grading pearls. Each shop grades its pearls as it sees them. An A grade pearl in one shop could be a B in another. It comes down to your “eye” and trust. I have formed some strong opinions about where to buy pearls – others will have their favorites – this is simply my view based on my experience.

If you want great design (not a classic strand) – a piece that others will ooh and aah over -- then buy something from Tahia Collins. She is by no means the best bargain, but her designs are spectacular and her prices are fair. She has a shop on board and shops on Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea (the largest). She uses only top quality pearls. I bought a fabulous necklace (Tahitian Waterfall) from the shop on Moorea – several of the ship’s officers commented on it. It is a WOW. You can bargain a bit on price.

Another very reliable and well-respected designer is Eva Perle on Moorea (she is walking distance from Cook’s Bay). Her designs are subtler and she uses only the best quality pearls. She is patient and loves to explain the world of Tahitian pearls to customers.

For loose pearls (or a single pearl on leather, neoprene or wire) a pearl farm is your best bet. I bought some loose pearls on my excursion with Bruno and the prices were excellent. The owner is Monique Champon (http://www.tahitipearlonline.com). Email: champonb@mail.pf. Be sure to have loose pearls drilled or you will not be able to take them home with you.

For a strand – any quality, any length – the absolute best bet is Sarl Gem Pearls on Moorea. The shop is located in La Petite Village next to Eurocar. The owner got Ron Hall (Island Fashion) started in the pearl business and has spent more than 30 years as a farmer and retailer on Moorea. He not only owns his own farm, he sells at a price between wholesale and retail. He has some special wholesale prices on strands. He uses only the Mikimoto grading system – top quality. I bought a bracelet there. If I had not already owned a strand, I would have bought one in a heartbeat. The government standard is .8mm nacre – his is a full 2 mm. The store has a website – I will find the information as soon as I unpack and post it.

I do not recommend buying pearls in the Marche, on the motu or from a street vendor.

Have a great time shopping - I certainly did.

They do business as Pai Moana pearls.

Their website is http://www.paimoanapearls.net

Email - maringland@mail.pf

For more information on the vanilla plantation in Tahaa (La Vallee de la Vanille) you can email thevanillavalley@vanillamarket.com

Excellent post! I'm not a world class shopper, but I did do a bit on our trip and I completely concur.

Got my oils in Moorea, got my vanilla in Huahine (not a bargain), got pareos on Moorea - at the same store! Coco Blanc was my favorite store of the trip. I actually got my pearls there as well, two lovely necklaces (photos on the review linked below).

Found that most things were cheaper on the outer islands than in Papeete.

Ah.... I'm ready for another trip!!:)

I actually followed your lead to Coco Blanc - their designs for casual pearl necklaces were wonderful.

We are going back in 2012 -

Pacheco:

Great shopping review.... I didn't go pareo nuts like you even though we are in Phoenix and you'd think....

Now that I've had a month to sit with all my purchases and rue the ones that I didn't take advantage of... I would agree with almost everything you said. THe SO used part of the shipboard credit and more to get me a ring from Tahia. I gravitated towards the pearls that had a lot of blue/green in them as they reminded me of the waters there. We looked at 3 of her stores, met her (lovely lady) a few times and thought for a "statement piece" hers were great. At Coco Blanc bought leather thong bracelets for the teens/early 20's girl that they seem to like. Two necklaces (one gift) that were on simple silver settings that I wear on either a silver chain or black rope..... Only comment on coco was that their exchange rate was by far the worst when I got my credit card bill. THe vendor at the dock the same day quoted almost 95 per dollar and their rate was in the 70's once I got the bill. Wish I would have gotten a cheap set of studs on Moorea....

Only find that you didn't cover was a jeweler that was on the dock in Moorea.. Her hubby does intricate carvings of animals and she does handcrafted jewelry that is a combination of ivory (mastadon-not live) with semi-precious stones with some lattice silver or bronze treatment. Really felt like a was getting a piece of local artistry. One of them is two sea turtles swimming with some stones with it.... Not cheap but not Tahia pricing either. Picked up a pretty baroque pearl from her as well. Very Unique...

DREAM OF MAUI- did you post a recipe for Vanilla Creme Brulee??? I can't find it. I LOOVVED it and have to admit I had 2.5 of them the one day they had them at lunch. Wish I would have begged them for more during our dinners...

Did CIndy (shipboard) tell you about the Brando resort? Guess it will be ready in 2012.. and the PG owner is involved.. Really hated the Radisson and our $30 hamburger and hope that is an option.

Great shopping review...brings back memories....

Thanks - shopping is my passion.

Possibly that vendor was not there when we docked.

Or - I was so focused on pearls and pareos that I was blind to all else LOL

Pacheco:

 

Great shopping review.... I didn't go pareo nuts like you even though we are in Phoenix and you'd think....

 

Now that I've had a month to sit with all my purchases and rue the ones that I didn't take advantage of... I would agree with almost everything you said. THe SO used part of the shipboard credit and more to get me a ring from Tahia. I gravitated towards the pearls that had a lot of blue/green in them as they reminded me of the waters there. We looked at 3 of her stores, met her (lovely lady) a few times and thought for a "statement piece" hers were great. At Coco Blanc bought leather thong bracelets for the teens/early 20's girl that they seem to like. Two necklaces (one gift) that were on simple silver settings that I wear on either a silver chain or black rope..... Only comment on coco was that their exchange rate was by far the worst when I got my credit card bill. THe vendor at the dock the same day quoted almost 95 per dollar and their rate was in the 70's once I got the bill. Wish I would have gotten a cheap set of studs on Moorea....

 

Only find that you didn't cover was a jeweler that was on the dock in Moorea.. Her hubby does intricate carvings of animals and she does handcrafted jewelry that is a combination of ivory (mastadon-not live) with semi-precious stones with some lattice silver or bronze treatment. Really felt like a was getting a piece of local artistry. One of them is two sea turtles swimming with some stones with it.... Not cheap but not Tahia pricing either. Picked up a pretty baroque pearl from her as well. Very Unique...

 

 

DREAM OF MAUI- did you post a recipe for Vanilla Creme Brulee??? I can't find it. I LOOVVED it and have to admit I had 2.5 of them the one day they had them at lunch. Wish I would have begged them for more during our dinners...

 

Did CIndy (shipboard) tell you about the Brando resort? Guess it will be ready in 2012.. and the PG owner is involved.. Really hated the Radisson and our $30 hamburger and hope that is an option.

 

Great shopping review...brings back memories....

Hi Mariah 27,

I'd like to second your comments about the pearl vendor on the dock at Moorea. Her designs were original, unique and the quality of her pearls seemed very good. I was sorry I had already finished my Christmas shopping. Her pearls were just a little too expensive to say 'what the heck' but it retrospect, there was a pendant I wish I had bought.

I'd recommend stopping at her "tent" when the PG stops at Moorea.

rieski

Thank you so much for posting your shopping advice!!!! This information will surely be helpful on my honeymoon trip in May!! :D

Quick question, do you know the best place to buy Christmas ornaments??? I always buy Christmas ornaments on every trip I go on and would love to buy a few from my honeymoon. I like buying ones that are elegant looking, hand painted/handmade. Thank you! ;)

I don't recall seeing any - but I wasn't looking

La Marche (the big market) is probably your best bet.

Strand of pearls would look great on any tree LOL

You could be creative and buy some shells or mother of pearl pieces (sold everywhere) and turn them into ornaments

Thank you so much for posting your shopping advice!!!! This information will surely be helpful on my honeymoon trip in May!! :D

 

Quick question, do you know the best place to buy Christmas ornaments??? I always buy Christmas ornaments on every trip I go on and would love to buy a few from my honeymoon. I like buying ones that are elegant looking, hand painted/handmade. Thank you! ;)

I look for ornaments everywhere we go too, and unfortunately, I didn't come home with anything on this trip. Good luck looking and let us know if you find anything!

Can any of you please tell me how do I get to these stores in Moorea?

Is their some kind of shuttle or do I go by taxi?

Thanks!

Rent a car. The island is small. You can circle it in 4 hours if you choose to with stops for shopping. You do not have to circle the whole island to find these shops. They are located along the north, from east to west.

Rent a car. The island is small. You can circle it in 4 hours if you choose to with stops for shopping. You do not have to circle the whole island to find these shops. They are located along the north, from east to west.

Thanks for that tip, but I don't want to drive myself. Do you know of any other way? Are there taxis waiting at the ship?

There will be several taxis waiting until about 10:30 am. Availability seemed to thin out after that. One driver offered to give us a tour at $60 US/hour. We opted to rent a car because the car rental "office" (a local woman who worked at a small table) was less expensive and we liked the freedom it offered. We rented a small car for four hours for abut $80.

If you are concerned about driving, you needn't be. The drivers were very polite and barely exceeded the 40mph speed limit. We actually saw a radar trap on Sunday afternoon around 5:00pm. There's only one main road around the island so getting lost is not an issue either.

The taxis are pricey in Moorea. We paid 2,000 xpf to go one way to the Hilton. The day we rented a car we paid 8,000 for 5 hours of use, automatic with great air. They drive on the right as I do in the US so it was not a problem.

The taxis are pricey in Moorea. We paid 2,000 xpf to go one way to the Hilton. The day we rented a car we paid 8,000 for 5 hours of use, automatic with great air. They drive on the right as I do in the US so it was not a problem.

I paid 8000xfp for 8 hours - but I arranged the rental in advance. I used Alberts

We rented a car as well on Moorea and also Bora Bora. Similar rates as listed above. Loved having my own car as I could do whatever I wanted. I wanted to stop for a lot of photos and sometimes we just pulled off to the side of the road, so it served our purpose well!