Tahiti deal: Flight and six-night stay for $1,298

If you’re longing for an island escape to a faraway place, Air Tahiti Nui may have just the ticket. The airline, partnering with tour vendors, is offering “early bird” pricing for trips next year to French Polynesia. You need to book by Sept. 24 and travel between Jan. 11 and June 11.

Deal: One of the cheaper packages starts at $1,298 per person, double occupancy, for a six-night stay at the new Manava Suite Resort Tahiti, near Papeete. The 121-room resort, which claims to have the South Pacific island’s largest infinity swimming pool, has been getting mostly good user reviews on TripAdvisor. In addition to the hotel, the price covers round-trip economy airfare from Los Angeles and daily breakfast; taxes are extra.

Tested: You can book by phone or fill out a form on the airline’s website. I tried both on Thursday, Sept. 10.

It took a few minutes to get through on the toll-free 800 number, and when I did, an agent for Pleasant Holidays, one of several vendors that work with Air Tahiti Nui, answered. I had no trouble getting the $1,298 price for a Jan. 30 departure; with taxes, it totaled $2,688 for two.

The online route worked well too. I entered my departure date (Jan. 23 for this test), plus my name, phone number, e-mail address, country of residence and number of travelers (2). Within minutes, I received an e-mail with a quote (again, $1,298 per person) and a phone call, both from an agent for Pacific Holidays, another Air Tahiti Nui vendor.

Caveat: Although it’s called the Manava Suite Resort, you won’t get a full suite or a kitchenette for the $1,298 package price, according to the Pleasant Holidays agent. You’ll get a standard room, with a queen bed or two twins, that measures 323 square feet. You can, of course, upgrade at additional cost.

Contact: Air Tahiti Nui, (800) 217-3300.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Photo: Infinity swimming pool at Manava Suite Resort Tahiti. Credit: Manava Suite Resort]

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 11, 2009 at 5:55 am by Jane Engle and is filed under Airline travel, Deals, Global, Honeymoon, Spa & Romance, Hotels, Islands & Beaches, Luxury Travel, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure, Pacific & Australia, Tours & Cruises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.