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We would have liked to stay longer in Papeete and environs. The park along the waterfront is beautiful, the restaurants good, the locals welcoming. The central market is great fun. It was neat to see the fresh fish and fruits and vegetables and there were many vendors sellling everything from leis to pearls! Wish we had had more time to see more of the island.

When you fly from the US, planes land in the evening. You're going to spend at least one night in Tahiti. When you come back, the planes leave late. You're really temping fate (and Air Tahiti) if you don't fly in a day early, so you're going to spend another night there. The captive audience is not great for the quality of the hotels or the business. Did I forget to mention the cruise ships? Schedule you time around them if you can. There's lots of restaurants in Papeete, most of them mediocre at best. The national dish, Poisson Cru (raw tuna, cucumber and stuff in coconut milk), is excellent but that's the beginning and the end of great food in French Polynesia. On the other hand, the place is remarkably clean (opposite of Latin America) and the locals are really sweet (different from Hawaii).

Other than flying into the airport and overnighting, I don't recommend the city. I spent two nights as I needed one day to regroup and get organized after flying from the States. I did walk as I didn't have a car, nor wanted to bother with a taxi, to the downtown area. Walking along the oceanfront, off of the main road was great as it was beautiful, well-kept, and so interesting. I loved watching locals paddling just offshore. An interesting stop is the Robert Wan Pearl Museum. A bit outdated but still worthwhile. Next time, I would spend one night and get on the ferry the next day to Moorea.

Papeete is overpopulated with very busy traffic. The town feels very "tired" with many areas in disrepair. The prices of everything are outrageously expensive. Unfortunately the locals have to pay the same prices. Finding places to eat was also difficult as there was no where to park close to the venue. Apparently tourism in Tahiti is not doing so well. I'm not surprised with the cost of everything. The so-called scenic sights were a let down and any "must-do" activities cost you an arm and a leg. Should have been there twenty years ago. Would not recommend going to Tahiti. The Cook Islands are a better option in my opinion.

The location, climate and waterfront is great. The actual town of Papeete, one street in from the waterfront, is shabby, bordering on slummy with lots of homeless people sleeping on the streets. That said, we didn't as a family, encounter any bother from the homeless.

We had a very good time , we rented a car for 2 days and took a boat tour 1 day . The boat tour was way too long in choppy water (3 1/2 hours one way ) and nothing interesting there . Too shallow water for swimming and some birds to look at . Way too long trip for nothing . Tahiti itself has some waterfalls and the black sand beach . For me 2-3 days there is enough