Thinking about vacationing or Honeymooning in French Polynesia but not quite sure if seasonality makes a difference? We visited during shoulder season (April 1 – 10) for our Honeymoon and give a run down below, plus I’ve combined internet research and advice from our travel agent for other times of the year!

The calm before the storm during Aqua fit class at sunset

High Season: May to October in French Polynesia

This is prime time in French Polynesia for a few reasons:

• It’s “winter”, which means less humidity + rain, more sun and dry heat
• It’s wedding season in many parts of the world and Honeymooners will be there
• French tourism is huge – they take summer holidays in July and August

Keep in mind it’s more crowded at resorts and for activities at this time and more expensive (though I’m not sure what the delta is). I haven’t experience it personally but if your budget can swing it and timing works out this may be your best bet.

Low Season:December to March in French Polynesia

This means peak heat, rain and humidity. I purposely avoided this bullseye time frame even though it’s winter in Toronto and a prime time to escape the cold Canadian winter. I’m glad I did because we went in April and I found it too hot and humid then, so I can’t imagine if it was worse than that. That being said, you should be able to get the best deal during this time of year with the least amount of tourists.

Cloudy Skies at the Sofitel in Moorea

What Moorea and Bora Bora Feel Like During Shoulder Season: April & November

Our Internet research and desire to travel six months after our September wedding lead us to April’s shoulder season. Keep in mind I personally don’t like extreme heat. Here’s what the weather was like:

• Daily highs in Moorea and Bora Bora were between 30 and 32 degrees celsius during the day and 25 overnight
• Humidity was at 70 – 75% daily – sometimes it felt like a sauna or hard to breathe
• Mostly sunny days despite the forecast showing rain 24/7 – if it rained it was in the evening, overnight hours or first thing in the morning
• There was very little breeze (3 – 6km /hr) in Moorea especially at the Manava Resort where we stayed – this made it VERY hot and sticky during the day, even in the warm ocean water.
• That being said, Bora Bora had refreshing winds (20 – 25 km/hr) and partly sunny skies on the motu (we never made it to the mainland), which is more in line with what I’d expect of an island

Waterclogged pathways at Manava Resort in Moorea after storm during shoulder season in April

In Moorea it rained a couple times heavily overnight and in the evening, with a couple short-lived showers in the morning during a Safari tour. We heard the Western sides of Moorea and Tahiti experience more rain – we stayed on the Eastern sides of both islands.

Sunny skies greeted us in Tahiti to start our Honeymoon April 1st

Our travel agent told us the weather is great all year-round and she wasn’t wrong. Hope this helps you plan your travels!