I d have to caution business people, too, because the Internet service in Tahiti is spotty at best.

People have been lauding this South Pacific discount florida hotels island as the most beautiful in the world for so long, you almost can t believe it can be that good. Until you re on a boat approaching the island, or staying at a nearby island and waking up in the morning to see the giant spires gazing at you in the morning mist. Or, even better, when you wake up at your beach bungalow and look out over the impossibly turqouise lagoon and see the puffy clouds and blue sky and thick, green mountains and rugged peaks.
The overwater bungalows are really an experience and a half. My unit at Le Taha a Resort had a clear panel at the end of the bed where you could gaze down at the fish in the lagoon. Many overwater bungalows have them, but this one you could lift up and look directly into the lagoon and not simply through the glass. It also gave a nice boost of fresh air.
The food on the trip was, for the most part, wonderful. But expensive? Oh, my. A lot of entrees discount florida hotels at hotel restaurants run $40 Canadian or higher, and that includes fish that you would think would be plentiful in the surrounding waters and thus a little (or a lot) more reasonable. And don t even think or buying a bottle of booze; it s about $80 for a good bottle of rum or Canadian Club at the supermarket, so best to bring your own or stick with the local beer, most likely Hinano.
You can save a ton of dough in Papeete, the capital, by eating dinner at the bayside trucks called Les Roulottes. I had sliced veal and frites for 1000 French Polynesian Francs, about $14. They said it was veal but it tasted more like pork. Of course, eating at the food trucks involves a visit to Papeete, which they say is cleaner than it used to be but is still a pretty big, sprawling city and not what most of us travel discount florida hotels that far to see.
National Geographic Traveler recently dumped on Tahiti. I understand their point that Papeete isn t the South Seas idyll some imagine. But dumping on Papeete misses the point, which is that you can go elsewhere on the main island of Tahiti and see things the way they were 20 years ago. Or go to Moorea or Huahine or Raiatea or Taha a. Bora Bora is an island many natives say they avoid because of overcommercialism. But the main town of Vaitape still has a ramshackle charm, and you can avoid the crowds at any number of smaller villages or outlying motus (small islands). Honolulu is a big city, but that doesn t mean you should avoid the north shore of Oahu or the outlying islands of Hawaii, Kauai or Maui.
There are a few bargains if you stick to the pensions or smaller hotels, but the bigger, discount florida hotels glossier hotels are expensive and the overwater bungalows tend to cost about $1,000 a night. Great for honeymooners, but pretty pricey for regular folks.
I d have to caution business people, too, because the Internet service in Tahiti is spotty at best. Many hotels don t offer wireless or even a business centre connection. discount florida hotels Others say they have it but it doesn t work. And most places that do have wireless charge a leg and an arm; sometimes $10 for a half hour but occasionally as much as $40 per hour, which is outrageous. And even then it took me 15 minutes to file a photo that drops into my blog here in Toronto in, oh, about two seconds.
Those issues aside, it s as lovely a place as I ve ever seen and all that I dreamed about for the last couple of decades. If you re a fan of warm water, beautiful lagoons and beaches and towering palm trees and tropical breezes, not to mention Tahitian dancing (ii-yay-yay, you should see those girls) discount florida hotels and culture, it s awfully hard to beat.
The outrigger canoe race I covered, the Hawaiki Nui Va a, was an incredible scene; like no other sporting discount florida hotels event I ve witnessed. They take their canoeing seriously in these parts, as witnessed by the dustup prior to Friday s medal ceremony. Apparently fans of a team that got bumped or disqualified started mixing it up with fans of another squad, and a few seemingly harmless punches were thrown. The event was carried on TV and on radio, and dozens of cars would line the various islands to get a glimpse of the athletes.
I ve seen five Olympics, a number of World Series, a ton of football and basketball games and a few hockey games, but nothing involving nearly 100 outrigger discount florida hotels canoes racing up to four hours a day for three days in a row, all surrounded by Pacific swells and the chop and wave action created by perhaps 1,000 boats filled
with cheering, partying fans. The finish line (see photo) was sheer bedlam, with boats of every kind and thousands of fans partying in the lagoon at Bora Bora s Matira Beach. A real testament to the popularity of this race, it was. Highly recommended.
Air Canada Jazz will begin daily service on March 28, 2010 to Iqaluit with non-stop service from Ottawa and same-plane service from Montreal. Tickets are now available for purchase at www.aircanada.com or through travel agents.
Madera County is California 's gateway to Yosemite, where the big draws are Yosemite National Park and Bass Lake . Madera County is also home to a wide range of resorts, inns and B Bs and most have have special deals for the winter months. At Miller's Landing, you can get 20 per cent off cabin rentals through May 15 (www.millerslanding.com). Madera Valley Inn in Madera is offering 25 per cent off room rates, as long as you mention the Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau when you book (www.maderavalleyinn.com). At the five-star Chateau du Sureau discount florida hotels in Oakhurst, the discount is 30 per cent off room rates for stays Dec. 1 – 19 (www.elderberryhouse.com). And at Paradise Springs, also in Oakhurst, third nights discount florida hotels are half price with a two night stay, with no holiday black out dates ( www.paradisespringsmountain.com ). Regional tourism information is available at www.yosemitethisyear.com .
Jim Byers is the Star's Travel Editor. He has been writing travel stories for more than a decade, covered five Olympic Games and spent years covering the Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors and the PGA Tour. He's been everywhere from Bonavista discount florida hotels to Vancouver Island, discount florida hotels as well as China, Hong Kong, Australia, the Caribbean, Thailand, Mexico, Tahiti, New Zealand, Vietnam, a dozen countries in Europe and just about every major city in the U.S. Okay, he was only in Liechtenstein for a couple hours in a rental car and his only visit to New Orleans was when he was 12, but you get the picture.