South Pacific As A Romantic Getaway?

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of andVery safe. "Terrorists" would stand out like sore
Bookpleasures.com, is pleased to have as a guest wellthumbs on these smallislands. Violent crime (muggings,
known author, travel writer and expert on the Southetc) is almost unknown, but petty theft doesoccur.
Pacific, David Stanley. David is the author of MoonNothing will go astray if a few simple precautions are
Handbooks South Pacific.taken. Contraryto the image fostered by Hollywood
Good day David and thank you for accepting ourand in the tourism brochures, the islandsocieties are
invitation to be interviewed.socially conservative and scanty dress is frowned
NORM:upon. Womentraveling alone should avoid staying in
Please tell our readers something about yourself, yourisolated bungalows or wandering off ondeserted
expertise and thebooks you have authored pertainingbeaches.
to the South Pacific.NORM:
David:Could you give our readers an idea of the costs
I've earned a living from travel guidebooks since 1979,involved if traveloriginates from the USA or Canada
when Moon Publications of Rutland published the 1stand how accessible is it to fly to the South
edition of SOUTH PACIFIC HANDBOOK .Pacific?
In November 2004, Avalon Travel Publishing ofDavid:
Emeryville,One-month roundtrip airfares from Los Angeles or
California, brought out the 8th edition of MoonVancouver to Tahiti,
Handbooks South Pacific. I'vealso written Lonely PlanetRarotonga, or Fiji start around US$1,250 in the low
guides to Eastern Europe, Cuba, and Canada'sseason, provided you bookat least 14 days in advance
Maritime Provinces. Lately I've been exploiting theand are willing to accept a 35 percent cancellationfee.
power of the Internet withsites like SOUTHIf you fly on shorter notice during the high season
PACIFIC.ORG: MAP SOUTH PACIFIC and(December to
CUBA PICTURES.February), you'll pay around US$2,000. The weekend
NORM:travel sections of majornewspapers carry ads for
When we talk about the South Pacific what exactlydiscounted fares, and websites sometimes sell
are we referring to andwhere is it situated in relation toticketsfor considerably less than the prices quoted by
the USA or Canada?airline agents over the phone.
David:For example, I recently flew from Vancouver to
The "South Pacific" brochures printed by tourAmerican Samoa for US$700roundtrip on an Internet
operators often focus onspecial. Such offers are routinely announced in
Australia and New Zealand, but those countries arethenewsletter of the South Pacific Tourism
quite different from thetropical Pacific islands. MoonOrganization, available at
Handbooks South Pacific covers 15 insularcountriesSOUTH PACIFIC TOURISM ORGANIZATION.
and territories from Easter Island to the Solomons.NORM:
People tend toconsider this region remote, yet it takesIf you had to choose 6 unequalled venues in the South
only two hours longer to fly from LosPacific for aromantic getaway, honeymoon or
Angeles to Tahiti than it does to fly to Honolulu. Fiji iswedding destination, what would they be and why?
midway betweenDavid:
Hawaii and New Zealand, to the west of Tahiti.My first choice would be:
NORM:Tahiti and its neighbours Moorea and Bora Bora.
Would you consider the South Pacific a good choiceThe soaring green peaks and brilliant reefs of these
for a romantic getaway or wedding and honeymoonislands are unsurpassed,and the "exotic" French
destination? Why?atmosphere combines well with the charm of
David:Polynesia.
All of the main South Pacific destinations haveFiji is a very close second for its stunning variety and
attempted to marketthemselves as wedding orfriendliness.
honeymoon destinations. Fiji and the Cook IslandsThen there's Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
havebeen the most successful as weddings can beThis is long a favorite holiday destination for New
arranged locally with little fuss.Zealanders. Rarotonga is small enough to explore in a
In French Polynesia, marriages can only be performedweek, and the facilities are excellent.
for persons with 30 daysresidency, which excludesMy fourth choice is Easter Island. Although for those
most tourists. Instead, French Polynesia hasdevelopedinto hiking or archaeology, it should come first. Travel
an active honeymoon industry with Bora Bora highlyagents often book three-night stopovers on Easter
favored by bridalmagazine writers who enjoyed theIsland, but only the highlights can be seen during such a
hospitality of luxury resorts. In my opinion,short stay.
Moorea is Bora Bora's equal in all but name and is farFinally, I should mention Vanuatu for those looking for
less expensive. For aromantic getaway, I recommendsomething really different. This little known Melanesian
Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. There is a lot toseecountry offers a colorful mix of scuba diving, tribal
and do within a compact area, and prices are fair.culture, active volcanoes, and the South Pacific's most
NORM:beautiful capital city,
What is the best time to visit the South Pacific fromPort Vila.
the point of viewof weather, costs, crowds, and theNORM:
availability of flights from the USA, CanadaandWhat resources are available on the Internet pertaining
Europe?to weddings and honeymoon vacations in the South
David:Pacific?
Officially, the hurricane season in the South Pacific isDavid:
from Decemberto April, although with global warmingObtaining independent information on weddings and
it's starting earlier and ending later.honeymoons isn't easy as resort and tour company
Winter (May to October) is generally cooler, drier, andwebsites only promote their own products. That said,
less humid throughoutthe region, the best time to go.HONEYMOON FIJI and HONEYMOON VANUATU
May to August is the off-season in Australiaand Neware worth a look, and TRAVEL MAXIA is useful in
Zealand; hence Air New Zealand's low season Souththat it covers the entire South Pacific. It's also well
Pacific airfaresapply those months. So by a happyworth perusing the official tourism websites of the
coincidence, you can enjoy the best weatherfor theisland visitors bureaus, all of which are linked to
lowest price if you schedule your trip at that time.SOUTH PACIFIC.ORG
NORM:NORM:
How safe is it to travel to the South Pacific?Is there anything else you would like to add that we
David:have not coveredpertaining to the South Pacific?