Tahiti A life-enriching family program in the cultural heart of french polynesia
On this family-friendly adventure, spend a week exploring the magnificent island of Tahiti.
Parents can enjoy me- and we-time amidst a community of like-minded folks while kids and teens have fun doing outdoor activities like:
- Learning to surf on a black sand beach with warm waves, stunning vistas, and expert instructors
- Snorkeling amidst sea turtles in the crystalline waters of the lagoon
- Paddling traditional Polynesian outrigger canoes while seeing stingrays and colorful fish
Together we’ll stay at one of the nicest resorts on the island of Tahiti. You can start your day with swimming, tennis or kayaking in the lagoon. There will be plenty of options to invigorate your spirit.
Tahiti's Finest Resort
For one magical week, you will stay at the Intercontinental, one of the best resorts on the island of Tahiti. Your room will be near this pool overlooking the island of Moorea. Elsewhere on the grounds you'll find tennis courts, kayaks, and a lagoon full of tropical reef fish. Plenty to inspire you and your kids.
An Unforgettable Welcome Dinner
This might be one of the most memorable dinner events of your life. Casual attire, warm air, shimmering ocean. Fascinating people you would never meet otherwise. An alchemy of food, beverage, beauty, and social interaction, leading to magical moments for grown-ups and kids alike.
Like Paris? You'll Love Papeete
In recent years the capital city of French Polynesia has been going through a renaissance, with new cafés, boulangeries, and boutique shops burgeoning near the waterfront. They exhibit all the charm and sophistication of Paris but with a warm, laidback Polynesian vibe. You can experience the best of both worlds while discovering all sorts of fabulous new spots.
The Hottest Restaurants & Cafés
Rather than staying in a secluded enclave, you'll have plenty of opportunity to experience the vibrant culture. Some evenings, as the setting sun begins to fill the sky with golden light, you can head out to hip outdoor restaurants at the water's edge. The style in Tahiti is casual; even the fanciest places can be described as "flip-flop chic". Enjoy happy hours at local eateries with so much character they will imprint themselves on your psyche and palate. Grab dinner at the roulottes (food trucks) as the kids bubble to tell you their adventures with new friends.
World-Class Hiking
Tahiti’s interior is home to some of the most exquisite hikes in French Polynesia. If you wish, you'll have the opportunity to discover spectacular waterfalls, striking mountain peaks, lush valleys, and ancient ruins.
Sunset Catamaran Cruise
On Wednesday at 4pm (7pm Pacific) we'll throw on our bathing suits and head into the lagoon. Black spotted eagle rays may dart by as the setting sun casts mango-colored light upon our sails and we toast to a day well lived.
Culturally-Immersive Programming for Kids & Teens
Our youth-oriented cultural adventures have been created to provide visiting families with an inspiring, educational and holistic view of French Polynesia for their kids (aged 5 to 12) and teens (aged 13 to 18). While the programs feature exploration and adventure, our priority at all times, in every activity, is safety for your children. For detailed program descriptions, click the Youth Programs link above.
Beautiful Workspaces
If you need to get some work done, you can enjoy a wide range of private and public co-working spaces with breathtaking views, inspiring design, abundant natural light, and fiber-optic internet.
Don't need to work? You're in for a treat. Enjoy abundant recreational and wellness options on your own or with interesting members of our group. We'll get you connected even before the retreat to foster camaraderie.
Babysitting & Daycare
Got a toddler? You'll love that we've lined up babysitters through the Intercontinental resort. These ladies are available to provide onsite daycare for kids aged 3+.
Farewell Dinner
By the time we have dinner together at this stunning restaurant over the lagoon, we will have shared unforgettable experiences and connected in unforeseen ways. You and your loved ones will be flyin' high!
Your Hosts
You and your kids will be in amazingly good hands. Born and raised in French Polynesia, Alexandrine is on a mission to help visitors step away from the clichéd postcard images of the islands to experience them, and get to know their residents, in a more authentic way. As CEO of Nani Travels, French Polynesia’s first inbound tour operator specialized in sustainable tourism, Alexandrine partners with NGOs to preserve cultural and environmental heritage while enabling visitors to immerse themselves and contribute in life-changing ways. As a mother herself, she is excited to welcome other parents, and their children, to her homeland. Meanwhile, Sam lived in Tahiti from August 2020 through June 2021 with his wife and two kids. Now, as CEO of Working Without Borders, he is passionate about enabling other families to discover the magnificence of Tahiti.
What's Included
- Assistance to understand and fulfill French Polynesia’s COVID-19 travel requirements.
- Transportation from the airport to the resort.
- 7 nights deluxe lodging for 2 adults and 1 child under 15 years of age at the most fabulous resort in Tahiti.
- Delicious American breakfast each morning for 2 adults and 1 child under 15 years of age.
- An unforgettable Welcome Dinner in the Hiurana garden next to the lagoon (excluding beverages) for 2 adults and 1 child under 15 years of age.
- A scintillating Farewell Dinner at the overwater Lotus restaurant (excluding beverages) for 2 adults and 1 child under 15 years of age.
- Wireless internet access in your room and public areas.
- Sunset boat cruise for 2 adults and 1 child under 15 years of age.
- Daily mineral water in your room.
- All tips and gratuities.
- Guidance and support from the WWB Team.
- Greenhouse gas mitigation for your roundtrip flight and local transport.
Optional Add-Ons
- Kids & Teen programs (click on Youth Programs at the top of your screen to learn more).
- Babysitters, day camps, tutors
- Parent participation in kids and teen educational program activities
- Portable WiFi router (in addition to included fiber-optic internet)
- Access to local health & wellness experts and programs
- Coaching (Life, Career & Relationship)
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Personal, medical or trip cancellation insurance
- Lunch and dinner (except for the Welcome and Farewell dinners!)
- Beverages during Welcome and Farewell dinners.
- Transportation back to the airport, although we will assist in getting you back.
The Cost
The cost of this trip is based on the type of room you choose and the number of people in your family. To see the packages, click on Room Options at the top of the screen.
If you are travelling as a single parent with one child, the cost will be reduced by $500. After you make your deposit, please contact Sam ([email protected]) and let him know your party consists of you and one child. He will reduce your amount due.
When and How to Apply
The application process consists of answering questions about your family and submitting our online form. Only 10 families will be accepted.
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After a delicious breakfast, the head of the youth program, Alexandrine Wan, together with her enthusiastic and energetic team, will meet with kids and parents for an orientation. Together we will talk about the legend of Maui and the amazing treasure hunt we will experience during the week. The team will explain everything and answer any questions. 
After breakfast, we meet for a quick orientation with the kids before going on our first offsite activity -- call them “expeditions”. We will take your kids high into the mountains where trees will be our playground: we will do zip-lining at our beloved .jpeg)
After breakfast, we will meet with the kids for a quick orientation before launching our second expedition. Today we venture into the Tahitian lagoon, with its crystalline blue waters and thriving sea life. First we will meet with a local organization that works to preserve coral reefs. We’ll learn all about Tahiti’s marine biodiversity, seeing some of the hundreds of species of fish and coral which inhabit our waters. Then we’ll jump in the sea ourselves. Closely supervised at all times by experienced divers, your kids will snorkel with countless tropical reef fish in every color of the rainbow. We might even see sea turtles, moray eels, or eagle rays. After this fun time in the lagoon, we will picnic under the shade of palm trees on a white sand beach. Upon returning to the resort, we will do arts & crafts, dance, and play athletic games, each activity linked to the Maui legend and our ongoing treasure hunt. 
Today your children are in for a real treat. We will spend the day with local kids at a pedagogical gem called Eco-Place (“Eco-Lieu” in French). Located not far from the resort, Eco-Place is a not-for-profit educational center focused on supporting kids as they learn about nature, culture, and wellbeing. Amidst tropical gardens and many different outdoor stations for self-directed learning, a team of trained and passionate supervisors stimulate children's creativity, intrinsic motivation, critical thinking, and autonomy. All together, expats and locals, we will share our stories, forge new friendships, and enjoy a vegetarian lunch, grown organically, mostly onsite. Based on their preferences, kids can choose to focus on activities involving art, science, nature, cooperation, DIY building, and more. They will have lots to share with parents after this culturally-immersive day!
After breakfast, we will meet for a quick orientation before setting out on today’s expedition to a beach that’s perfect and safe for learning to surf. Upon arrival, we will meet with representatives of a local organization dedicated to protecting the local biosphere, who will teach the kids how ocean currents are bringing plastic waste to our shores and what this means for our ecosystem. After joining local kids in an enthusiastic beach clean-up, we’ll reward ourselves for a job well done by heading into the warm waves, with the soft sand beneath our feet. Kids who know how to swim will practice surf skills under the watchful eyes of our expert instructors, led by Tereva, one of the best surfers in the islands, a surf coach for young professional surfers around the world, and member of the most respected surfing family in French Polynesia. Kids who don’t know how to swim can bring their floaties so they can boogie board on the small waves lapping the beach. Then we will picnic at the beach before returning to the resort. 
Today is our last day and the climax of our week-long treasure hunt! The legend of Maui is now alive in the minds of your kids, and we are ever so close to discovering the treasure. We will depart the resort at 9am, take a short hike to some waterfalls, pop into some local homes to get hints and clues from residents about where the final items on the hunt might be hiding. Then we’ll board a sailboat to ride the winds to another very special beach, as the ultimate venue for finding the hidden treasure. In the end, every kid will discover a treasure of their own, filled with lots of local art and crafts along with special goodies to take back home as treasured souvenirs. 
Relax by the pool. Play tennis. Go kayaking, scuba diving, or hiking. Meet the other parents and kids who have come on the trip. We’ll have the chance to tell you more about their adventures to come. Warning to hard-working parents: you’ll envy the many adventures which await your kids!
After a delicious breakfast, we will gather all teens together for a quick orientation before going to meet a Polynesian elder named Herves, one of the most renowned and respected leaders of the local community. He will host us in his humble home, nestled between two rivers in a lush valley. Teens will learn about traditional Polynesian life-ways, like how to start a fire, to navigate with the stars, to plant based on the soil and moon, to cook with produce from the garden, to fish, and hunt. They will come to feel a bit like a Polynesian, and grasp the beauty and depth of Polynesian culture. 
Today we venture into the Tahitian lagoon with its crystalline blue waters and thriving sea life. Supervised at all times by experienced divers, your teens will snorkel with countless tropical reef fish in every color of the rainbow. We might even see sea turtles, moray eels, or eagle rays. Then, after lunch, we will visit one of the island’s beaches that is perfect for learning to surf. Before jumping in the water, your kids will learn how ocean currents flow in the Polynesian archipelagos, including the unfortunate side-effect of bringing plastic waste to our shores, and what this means for our ecosystem. After joining local teens in an enthusiastic beach clean-up, we’ll reward ourselves for a job well done by heading into the warm waves, with the soft sand beneath our feet. Together with their new Polynesian friends, your kids will practice surf skills under the watchful eyes of our expert instructor, Tereva. 
Today your teens will explore the magnificent treasure of Moorea’s coral reefs, and do their part to restore damaged reefs, too. We’ll grab our snorkeling gear and jump on the ferry to Tahiti’s sister island. In the morning, our resident naturalist, Genevieve, will explain the fragile reef ecosystem, describing the nature of coral, the diverse creatures which inhabit them, and the threats our reefs face. She will show and explain what they can expect to experience underwater, safety precautions for the dive, and cutting-edge scientific work that’s being done to restore the health of the reefs. Then we’ll go snorkeling as a group, and together, lend a hand to restoration efforts by carefully cutting fragments of resilient corals so they can be grown in a gene bank nursery, then get transplanted to restore damaged areas of Moorea’s reefs. We will have a tasty lunch together and then canoe, kayak and snorkel some more before returning to Tahiti in the late afternoon. 
After breakfast, we’ll head to the southern side of the island, Tahiti Iti. But our mission today is not playing in the waves. Your teens will help implement an important project of great meaning to the local people. Together with their Polynesian counterparts, they will contribute their time to build and furnish a community center for women who have suffered domestic abuse. We will construct benches, tables, gardens, and a veranda. Then we will have lunch together, celebrating our hard work and the lasting impact our efforts will have on the community. 
Time has flown and we don’t want this island adventure to end! But today is our last day together and we have something special planned. We’ll take all of the teens, expats and locals, up into the rainforest. There nature and history meet adventure! We’ll hike on mountain trails to reach one of the highest and most wondrous waterfalls in all of Polynesia. In the heart of the jungle, a naturalist will explain the biology and geology of this remarkable island ecosystem. And yet the teens will do more than just listen and watch. A day of cool, wet fun awaits them: water slides and fresh springs will be their playground. We’ll have a festive picnic lunch, then continue playing in the crystal-clear pools. After an unforgettable afternoon, we’ll descend the mountain to reunite with parents. 
