I saved over $7,000 on a dream trip to French Polynesia with easy travel hacks. Here's how I did it.

Kara WilliamsDec 22, 2021, 18:42 IST

A sunset selfie at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, where we saved big on our accommodations.Kara Williams

French Polynesia is expensive, but I found ways to save money and still have a bucket list trip.
I saved money with travel hacks such as signing up for a hotel membership that earned free nights.

Idyllic and remote, French Polynesia is an expensive place to vacation.

Yes, the water really is that crystal clear in French Polynesia.Kara Williams

Flying to Tahiti, in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, will cost a lot, too.

From San Francisco, nonstop, round-trip airfare in a lie-flat business-class seat could cost close to $5,000 per person.Kara Williams

That said, there are ways to cut costs on a dream vacation to French Polynesia without sacrificing the over-the-top luxury for which the islands are known.

French Polynesia is famous for its luxury overwater bungalows, like these at InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort.Kara Williams

But we were happy to save money along the way, without feeling like we were depriving ourselves of our dream trip.

Eating at local restaurants can trim costs and offer fun photos, like this one at Fare Maheata on Moorea.Kara Williams

Instead of a hotel, we stayed in an Airbnb in Tahiti to kick off our French Polynesia vacation.

View from the patio at our urban Airbnb accommodations in Papeete.Kara Williams

We saved money on transportation by staying close to downtown Papeete.

Our Airbnb was a mile walk to the downtown Papeete Market with its fresh produce, baked goods, handicrafts, clothing, and souvenirs.Kara Williams

Our next stop on our multi-island vacation was Moorea. Instead of flying, we took a cheaper ferry.

Two ferry companies operate from Tahiti to Moorea with multiple trips daily.Kara Williams

We saved on lodging on Moorea by booking a package deal.

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa.Kara Williams

One night on Moorea, we ate off property instead of going to the hotel's expensive restaurant with entertainment.

We chose to support a local family business instead of paying for an overpriced hotel buffet dinner.Kara Williams

We opted out of a group snorkel trip on Moorea and brought our own equipment instead.

We snorkeled with stingrays right from our overwater bungalow’s deck.Kara Williams

In Bora Bora, we saved money by forgoing the expensive hotel-provided boat transfer.

We happily boarded the Bora Bora Navette to the main island, included in the price of our Air Tahiti inter-island ticket.Kara Williams

I signed up for InterContinental's Ambassador program and saved big with included perks on Bora Bora.

A view of the stunning aqua lagoon from our Horizon Overwater Bungalow at the InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana.Kara Williams

The ambassador program gave me a free night at what would have been our most expensive hotel.

French Polynesia is true paradise, even during COVID.Kara Williams

I was upgraded to an overwater bungalow with a plunge pool that was actually four room categories higher than the one I originally booked.

The Pool Overwater Bungalow at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa has a giant two-level deck and its own plunge pool.Kara Williams

At many resorts, we filled up at breakfast buffets and didn't need to spend money on lunch.

One station at the generous breakfast buffet spread at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa.Kara Williams

We fueled up on so much delicious food at breakfast buffet, we often didn't need to eat spend money on food again until happy hour or dinner.

This is just the first course of my typical buffet breakfast Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa. Not shown: a fruit plate and sweet treats, like chocolate croissants.Kara Williams

We purchased alcohol and snacks at local markets to forego pricey minibars or hotel happy hours.

Wine was plentiful at local grocery stores within walking distance of most of our accommodations.Kara Williams

For our final two nights in French Polynesia, we returned to the island of Tahiti.

Trudging from the Papeete airport to our budget hotel wasn’t fun, but it did provide plenty of laughs – much later.Kara Williams

For our final night, we moved to the more luxurious InterContinental Resort Tahiti.

Scenic swimming pool at the InterContinental Resort Tahiti.Kara Williams

At the end of our trip, we took our return COVID-19 tests at a local pharmacy instead of the airport.

We got our return COVID-19 test at a local pharmacy close to our final hotel.Kara Williams

All of these cost-cutting measures saved us $7,278 on our dream trip to French Polynesia.

My husband and I loved our vacation in French Polynesia, and we can't wait to return someday.Kara Williams

Ultimately, there's no one "right" way to spend money or time on vacation. That's the beauty of travel.

We’re glad we saved big on our five-night package deal at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa.Kara Williams

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