Overnight at Le Méridien Tahiti

Our flight on Hawaaian Airlines was just long enough that we were happy to have made the decision to fly as far as HNL on UA. Interesting to make little comparisons among airlines. The plane itself was a big 767 with a surprisingly small First Class section. We of course were back in Economy.

They did serve a complimentary dinner, and we bought a half bottle of a decent California wine for $14 to share, quite superior to the typical little mini-bottles in terms of quality. Their inflight entertainment includes entertainment for which you have to pay $5 each, even if you've brought your own headphones (we passed). They also rent little dvd players for $15 with a variety of entertainment included. Again, we passed, listened to music on our iPod, and played a few games on our iPod Touch.

Going through Immigration and Customs wasn't too bad, although the line was somewhat long and the room was hot. We've never seen so many large coolers on a baggage belt before, obviously the property of returning locals who'd stocked up on cheaper food during their trip to Honolulu. There was a party atmosphere as friends and relatives waited for the arrivals, reminding us of the Saturna Island ferry dock on a Friday night.

We caught a taxi to the hotel and received a pleasant surprise. They were booked up and placed in one of the very few over-the-water bungalows for the night. Quite an "airport hotel" experience for us.





Nothing like surveying a view like this through the little security doo-dad on the door...



We breakfasted on a baguette from the relatively close market, and savored the instant coffee.



Now we're having lunch in the oceanside restaurant before taking a taxi to the ferry. It's not too hot here and a pleasant breeze is cooling us further.

So far so good!