The best way to island-hop & honeymoon in French Polynesia, where love is blessed by the sea
From the welcome tiaré flower to the final “māuruuru” (thank you), Paul Gauguin Cruises immerses travelers in French Polynesia’s culture and awe-inspiring beauty. The cruise line has called the region home for over 25 years, visiting more than a dozen ports on year-round itineraries while working with locals in every destination.
Unlike traditional cruise ships, The Gauguin was purpose-built for the shallow lagoons of French Polynesia. Its small size allows access to islands and anchorages that larger ships simply cannot reach, including Bora Bora, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, and Taha’a, often with longer stays and overnight calls.
The South Pacific islands are naturally beautiful and easy to love, Paul Gauguin offers meaningful experiences for those celebrating their honeymoon or anniversaries with complimentary Polynesian blessings, and additional ceremonies available.
The best travel tip for island hopping or honeymooning? Start planning today!
Book with a Montecito Village Travel advisor to receive exclusive perks like $100 onboard credit!
For travelers searching luxury cruises in Tahiti or French Polynesia cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises consistently stands apart for these reason:
- Fewer crowds and more time ashore
- Authentic island rhythms, not rushed port stops
- A more intimate connection to place
The Gauguin’s Stylish Updates
One of the most magical aspects of The Gauguin is the private veranda
French Polynesia evokes a serious “settle in and soak up the beauty” air, but that doesn’t have to mean sticking to one resort and never leaving. Boarding The Gauguin is like checking into a floating five-star hotel: The ship boasts an impressive 1:1.5 crew-to-passenger ratio, including around-the-clock butler service (available in select rooms) that handles everything from spa reservations to laundry. Every stateroom has an ocean view, and most feature private balconies with a view that changes every morning, even though you’ve unpacked only once.
A boon for families: The Gauguin added eight new connecting staterooms – as big as 588 square feet – that make ideal accommodations for the line’s Moana Explorer Program, naturalist-led island and beach excursions for children and teens through a partnership with Te mana o te moana.
Other upgrades include a refreshed Le Grill (the ship’s casual poolside restaurant), a pool deck and pool bar makeover, and sustainable technology upgrades, including a new seawater treatment system that will help eliminate the need for single-use plastics.
Polynesian Blessings & Symbolic Ceremonies
Even though a legal wedding isn’t performed at sea, Paul Gauguin Cruises offers a variety of romantic, Polynesian-infused celebrations that are perfect for couples in love:
✨ Complimentary Onboard Polynesian Blessing
If you’re celebrating a honeymoon or anniversary, you’re invited to a special gathering hosted by Les Gauguines & Les Gauguins (the ship’s troupe of Tahitian entertainers). At sunset, couples are:
- Wrapped in a tifaifai (traditional hand-woven quilt symbolizing love and acceptance)
- Toasted with champagne
- Honored with love songs and a heartfelt poem
🪷 Optional Wedding & Renewal Ritual Packages
For couples who want a more formal symbolic ceremony (which doesn’t create a legal marriage but feels extraordinarily meaningful), Paul Gauguin Cruises offers optional packages:
🏝️ Motu Mahana Ceremony
Held on Motu Mahana, the cruise line’s private islet off Taha’a, this package includes:
- Private Polynesian blessing ceremony
- Congratulatory letter from the captain
- Invitation to dine with the captain or hotel director
- In-stateroom champagne
- Reception cake + chocolates
- Heis (flower crowns) and deluxe floral arrangements
- A professional portrait to commemorate the day
It’s a dreamy setting: white sands, gently lapping lagoons, and palms swaying like nature’s confetti.
Note: These ceremonies are symbolic and not legally binding, but they feel deeply soulful and embody the Pacific’s aloha spirit.
🌺 Bora Bora Chapel Ceremony
Another option is a symbolic ceremony at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa:
- Arrive by traditional outrigger canoe
- Tahitian blessing by a local priest, at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa’s air-conditioned chapel with glass floors showcasing the lagoon below, and splendid views of Mount Otemanu
- Flower leis, a tapa certificate with your Polynesian name, and a love lock to attach in the “Secret Garden of Love”
- A romantic lunch and access to resort facilities afterward
🍾 Honeymoon & Anniversary Touches
Even outside of dedicated wedding ceremonies, Paul Gauguin Cruises makes romance feel inevitable:
- Complimentary honeymoon package includes a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine, Polynesian blessing, and a captain’s letter onboard.
- Anniversary celebrations can include cakes and special shipboard recognition.
- A gift registry lets friends and family contribute toward shore excursions, spa treatments, private dinners, and other honeymoon enhancements.
French Polynesian Cultural Connections
Outside every stateroom and suite on The Gaugin, stone tiki statues keep a watchful eye over guests, just one of the many big and small details that signal the line’s deep connection to the region.
Les Gauguins and Les Gauguines – The Gaugin’s Polynesian culture ambassadors, dancers, and onboard hosts – mingle with passengers, lead craft workshops (kids love making woven leaf headdresses), and share ancestral stories. In the evenings, they perform traditional dances and songs at La Palette, the ship’s top-deck lounge. The ship also invites local performers on board throughout each sailing; one highlight is the dance troupe Mamas and Papas, who join passengers, bearing handcrafted leis for everyone.
Cultural touches extend to the ship’s dining rooms: The dinner tasting menu at upscale French restaurant La Veranda often ends with a crème brûlée imbued with rich Tahitian vanilla, while at the dinner-only L’Etoile fresh seafood pairs well with the sea breeze.
Unlimited Island Time
Even with all the cultural immersion on board, the ship is still a vessel for getting travelers immersed in the islands.
A seven-night, roundtrip-from-Papeete sailing explores the Society Islands, with one night moored in Bora Bora for an opportunity to spy the iconic sunrises and sunsets backdropped by Mount Otemanu.
More in-depth island immersion awaits on an 11-night, roundtrip-from-Papeete sailing, from Tahiti’s lively markets to Huahine’s secluded beaches. In the Cook Islands, travelers snorkel or scuba dive near Aitutaki’s colorful coral reefs before visiting Rarotonga, where they can join a guided tour with a local healer or visit a cultural village. During an overnight in Moorea, excursions include booking it to the beach or staying on the water for a dolphin-watching cruise with a marine biologist.
There’s even more marine life on a 14-night, round-trip-from-Papeete sailing through the Marquesas, Tuamotus, and Society Islands. The UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Fakarava in the Tuamotus brims with endemic seabirds and rare underwater fauna. Snorkeling or drift-diving the nearly mile-wide Garuae Pass, with its crystal-clear waters, allows travelers access to one of the world’s most stunning arrays of healthy, colorful coral.
In contrast to the Tuamotus’ low-lying coral islands and atolls, the Marquesas rise from the water as jagged, jungle-covered cliffs. The biodiversity hot spot is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where travelers can see vibrant coral reefs while snorkeling or diving. UNESCO’s designation applies to the Marquesas’ culture too, and travelers can learn more about the islanders’ intricate tattoos, traditional wood carvings, and massive stone tiki sculptures during an excursion on Atuona, Hiva Oa. The empty stretches of black-sand beach? Those are just a bonus.
Why Book Through Montecito Village Travel
A travel advisor becomes a bridge between you and this once faraway destination — and they have insider knowledge that elevates everything that follows. They can offer lived-in experience that you cannot find from a website, like suggesting a guided tour in a certain city – travelers often say that their tour guide was the highlight of their entire trip — someone who felt like a new friend by the end of the day.
