Next time you book a girl's getaway, consider a cruise holiday. Photo / Getty Images
Next time you book a girl's getaway, consider a cruise holiday. Photo / Getty Images
When life gives you an intimate Tahitian cruise and no significant other to share it with, invite your friend instead, writes Ivy Carruth
He looks truly pained when he says it, but say it he does. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go; I’ve got a work conference, and I can’t change it.” This is what my partner tells me when I invite him to cruise through Tahiti aboard Nautica, Oceania’s five-star ship holding just over 600 lucky passengers.
I can’t help but feel glum about it, but also see it as an opportunity. Right then and there, I decide that this will be a seafaring jaunt of a different stripe, a kicked-back casual luxe holiday in the truest sense of the word – and the ultimate girl’s trip to boot.
I phone one of my cruise-loving friends, Selena, and successfully tempt her into joining me for 10 days of trade winds, lounge chair loafing and ports of call at some of Tahiti’s most unique (and difficult-to-reach) islands. We’ll be visiting Moorea, Fakarava, Nuku Hiva, Rangiroa, Bora Bora and Raiatea before ending up back where we started, in Papeete.
We fly directly to Tahiti, landing at Faa’a International Airport in Papeete. It’s the capital city of French Polynesia, a scant five-hour journey from Auckland. Arrivals deplane on the runway, and stepping out of the arctic chill of the blissful canned plane air into the smack-your-face heat of the South Pacific is a rude awakening, indeed.
Consider layering so you can strip off as you queue for customs, which operates on Tahiti time, languid and unhurried like the ceiling fans wheeling above you. It’s not air-conditioned, and you’ll long for a wisp of something cooler than what feels like the surface of the sun. Don’t be like me and wear jeans.
Travelling with friends can be tricky. You can love someone to bits but be completely opposite personalities when it comes to how you “holiday”. I’m an introvert, and I love my alone time. There’s a meme that says something along the lines of :“A fun thing to do in the morning is not talk to me” ...
I’m not one to hit the ground running when the roosters crow. Lena and I have travelled together a few times, and even though she’s an outgoing social butterfly, she knows I need to regularly recharge my battery, and she respects that.
This is one of the things that makes us a great pair for travelling together. She’ll chat with anyone. When we’re in groups, and I’m inching towards depletion, she’ll do the talking for both of us, and she’ll do it happily; that’s pretty brilliant in my book.
Plus, it’s a cruise. Cruises are perfect for travelling with friends because there are a host of things to do. While Nautica isn’t the overwhelming amusement park that some cruise ships are, it does have a gym, library, computer centre, pool deck, nightly entertainment, esteemed speakers, daily high tea, and dining options galore. This means I can head to the spa for a massage, and she can pop to the pool deck for some sun and a cocktail, and everyone’s happy.
We spend our first night in a local hotel, arriving the night before we sail so we can board in the morning. Much of the check-in process is done online ahead of time, making it a breeze to embark; I’m impressed.
The ship, Nautica, is elegant without being snooty. She was completely remodelled in April 2022 with Euro-inspired nuance and a flair for neutral but sumptuous furnishings.
We saunter around a bit, orientating ourselves to the layout and the amenities, and since our luggage won’t be in our room yet, we sink into a tufted Weimaraner grey sofa with cappuccinos for the most out-of-this-world skim capps and French pastry called canelés de Bordeaux.
Oceania is known for its cuisine, and at our first taste of these utterly perfect bites of nirvana, we know that this reputation is well-deserved.
We’re duly caffeinated, so we roam a bit longer, checking out the curio shop and the pool deck. We remark immediately on the abundance of loungers. There will be no fighting for a chair, no 5am wake-ups to run and save one with a book or a bag and towel for fear of missing out.
Finally, we go to the spot we’ve been most curious about, the one where we’ll be claiming space for the next 10 days. Selena and I head to our stateroom, a concierge level verandah with two single beds, and after seeing it, giggle a bit madly at our home for the next 10 days.
Best view in the house and it's from the verandah on Oceania Nautica. Photo / Supplied
Our stateroom is glorious, and the bed is so incredible that they sell them the world over. We’ve each taken full advantage of the 32kg weight limit, unpacking, settling in, and cracking our bottle of complimentary champagne.
At the concierge level, we enjoy a few perks, including room service at any time, laundry, priority bookings at specialty restaurants, non-alcoholic beverages, priority embarkation and access to the spa terrace and its large whirlpool.
Oceania Nautica's walking track is the perfect spot for an evening stroll. Photo / Supplied
Our week goes quickly; too quickly. We enjoy dinners of whole lobster, fat pillows of gnocchi, wagyu steak, fish tacos, oysters Rockefeller and more. I find myself, even now, craving the Philadelphia pepper pot soup and the Thai watermelon cucumber salad.
On the days that we’re feeling a bit sunburnt or over-cocktailed, we simply order room service and enjoy the best view in the house right from our shaded balcony before deciding if later we’ll head down to hear the night’s comedian. (We do, and he’s a ripper.)
Deserted beaches for days and days. Photo / Supplied
We soak up the South Pacific sun, wander the ports, shop for black pearls and meet fellow cruisers who marvel at our gumption in doing a trip together to Tahiti. “The islands of love?” they query. Of honeymooners and couples and partners?
“Of course,” I tell them. What better than a trip with a friend? It’s an institution that deserves celebration and nurturing, not unlike a marriage or partnership.
