SOUTH SPECIFIC

FRENCH POLYNESIA

Artists and poets like Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel once called French Polynesia home, inspired by the archipelago’s 100-plus volcanic islands uniting pearls, powdery beaches, and opalesque lagoons. It’s easy to see what lured them here. With a warm, laid-back island culture and achingly beautiful scenery, this French overseas collective comprises five archipelagos (including the Society Islands, the most popular of which are highlighted below) and innumerable possibilities for romance and adventure.

• Tahiti

The largest of French Polynesia’s islands, turtle-shaped Tahiti is as appealing for its dramatic black stretches of sand as it is for its mountainous interior—a wild realm of mystical valleys, clear streams, and high waterfalls. For unparalleled opulence, it’s hard to look past all-inclusive (). This upscale eco-resort on Marlon Brando’s private atoll Tetiaroa—a 20-minute flight from the capital Papeete—comes with its own environmental research station and lavish thatchedroof pool villas. Tahiti is not short of upscale restaurants like (), a hilltop tree house set in the hills outside Papeete where the sunsets are as memorable as the food. More casual are the food-truck offerings in Papeete’s Vaiete Square—try the raw French Polynesia’s most famous dive site, , lies off Tahiti’s west coast; in addition to three artificial wrecks, expect flamboyant fan corals and hundreds of species of tropical fish. And if you’re visiting the island in July, be sure to take in the , a month-long celebration of Polynesian culture.