INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT, TAHITI

Here’s one of our favorite early-morning shots, taken just after the sun came up in Tahiti. This was taken at 7am, but it’s pretty much paradise all day long at the InterContinental Tahiti.

It’s of the main pool, off the lobby which is the resort’s centerpiece, with most of the dining options flanking it (including an especially nice Tiki lounge). The pool is big, with views of wide open sea and the island of Moorea in the distance. Naturally, there are umbrellas and lounge chairs, rocky decks, and even a waterfall:

Just across a footbridge is a sandy-bottom lagoon,  swim and snorkle-ready, alongside some over-water bungalows:

There’s  another pool on property, recommended for adults-only, with its own sandy-bottom mini lagoon:

And of course, a swim-up bar which is a lot more happening after breakfast:

If you’re planning at trip to French Polynesia, you probably wouldn’t want to spend your entire vacation here. It’s beautiful and relaxing, but not as secluded as the other islands. Just ten minutes by taxi from the airport, it’s a great spot to rest between inter-island jaunts, and to start “peeling away those first few layers of the onion,” as one local put it. Hard to believe it gets better than this, right? It does…

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