Luxury Cruise Bible

Sailing the Marquesas Islands Aboard the Paul Gauguin

Note

Regent Seven Seas Cruises managed the m/s Paul Gauguin at the time of this review. Paul Gauguin Cruises took over the line on January 6, 2010.

Submitted by: Wanderer from Canada

Cruise Details

• Cruise line: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Ship: Paul Gauguin
• Date of sailing: 10/4/2008
• Number of nights: 14
• Embarkation point: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
• Debarkation point: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
• Ports of call: Rhodes, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Fatu Hiva, Hiva Oa, Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva, Taha’a, Moorea
• Stateroom category: B
• Stateroom number: 805
• How did you book your cruise? Traditional travel agent
• Travel agent: Brown & Keene
• How many times have you sailed with this line? 8
• What other cruise lines have you sailed? None
• What is your favorite cruise line? Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Magic Aboard the Paul Gauguin

Ratings

• Overall Rating 5
• Ship Condition 3
• Public Rooms 4
• Stateroom 4
• Food & Wine 4
• Spa, Gym, and Salon 4
• Entertainment 2
• Enrichment Program 1
• Internet & Phone Service 3
• Excursions 4
• Service 5
• Value 5

Just a brief summary: It was a magical trip, our fourth on the Paul Gauguin. The ship’s staff and crew are in excellent spirits, and this is reflected in the level of service we received, and the quality of the dining.

This was our first time to the Marquesas, and they were breathtaking. I’m so glad we did this itinerary. I can’t imagine ever being anywhere else in the world so far from civilization, so remote.

A good time was had by all; by the end of the cruise (almost) all the pax were incredibly relaxed and happy, and having 14 days to get to know each other was great.

The itinerary is practically perfect—having the motu day towards the end of the trip is fabulous, the sea days were great, visiting Bora Bora first a good choice. The only weakness in this itinerary is that there’s only one day spent in Moorea. That should be remedied with a pre- or post-cruise visit, for sure. Moorea remains our favorite island, although Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas is now in contention.

I would do this itinerary again in a heartbeat.

The Ship, Service, Staff, and Dining

If I had to choose a single word for this cruise experience, it would be “extraordinary”. Not to say that any trip on the Paul Gauguin would be “ordinary”, but this one was special. Probably as special as our first trip on her in 2000. In most ways, the practical aspects of this cruise equaled or exceeded that first trip.

We were blown away by the service, foremost. The staff, including the crew, hotel staff, and wait/cabin staff were all on the top of their games. I was a bit apprehensive about this, having witnessed low staff morale in June of 2005 after the Grand Circle purchase created a lot of uncertainty about the future of the ship and its employees. No sign of any of that, despite the announced withdrawal of Regent in 2010. It’s my guess that the staff believe they will either continue to have jobs on the PG, or will find jobs on other Regent ships. We had no trouble making desired reservations in the two specialty restaurants.

[Editor’s Note: As of January 6, 2010, Regent will no longer manage the Paul Gauguin. Ship owner Paul Gauguin Cruises will take over all aspects of the cruise ship, from marketing and reservations to staffing and ship management.]

The food was great. With a couple of forgivable exceptions (first and last nights were pretty pedestrian), L’Etoile for dinner was very good, often excellent, and sometimes amazing. Le Grill was much better than last time, and La Veranda still is a very nice dining experience. By the end of the cruise we were feeling like blimps and skipping the odd meal; we just couldn’t cope.

In general, fish was excellent, meats were great, the variety was very good.

The Staff

As I said, the staff were all very attentive and seemed happy and productive. I am missing having my napkin unfolded on my lap, my plate carried, and my wine glass filled.

The staff who stood out for us: Engelbert (hotel manager), Martha Hanley (guest relations), Craig (maitre’d of La Verandah), Francisco at the Pool Bar, Jorge (George), and Michael in L’Etoile, and our two tireless stewardesses (April and Rhea) who, instead of throwing out everything placed even close to our vanity wastebasket, retrieved things from the basket that they thought we had put in there by mistake (err on the side of caution.) Jim’s butler, Abner, stood out; he was very attentive and accommodating.

Phil Butterworth, the travel concierge manager was really great at his job, and quite charming; he headed for the Voyager world cruise after this stint. I’m wondering if he was sent to beef up this operation on the PG after complaints in recent months, so also wonder who replaced him in this role.

And of course, Arnold, who was maitre’d of Le Grill. Arnold goes back to the Song of Flower days, and we first encountered him on Navigator. Very efficient in this role, and quite a character. He also left at the end of our cruise, flying on our flight back to LA, presumably for a holiday or another assignment.

But all over the ship, I continue to be in awe of how hard these people work, and what a great attitude they have.

Overall Condition of the Ship

The ship was in good form, despite going into dry dock in January.

On the subject of mildew-y smells, something that has been brought up repeatedly on online forums: Yes, there is a mildew-y smell in the halls and stairways. It’s mostly fairly subdued, and I remember that smell from the year 2000! Yes, it’s always been there. The smell was pretty heavy in the deck 7 corridors, so hopefully they will change those carpets during the dry dock.

The carpets generally look fine, although they have that “brushed the wrong way” look that many carpets on all the ships seem to develop. In general the ship looked its usual fabulous and upkeep was ongoing in the wee small hours by the guys we call the “umpa lumpas”, the maintenance crew. But now that the dry dock is done, I would love to see what they did.

Dining

• L’Etoile: At its best, although the dessert called the “Bounty” is no more. Dinners were mostly wonderful, although the first night was just okay (common on the first night). As usual I can’t come up with a litany of what I ate, and will have forgotten all the details in another week or two. But some really amazing stuff. All beautifully presented and served. A couple of minor service glitches during the 14 days. Buffet meals on disembarkation day were just okay, but this again is pretty normal.

• La Veranda: We had two dinners there, and they were great. The menu changes every week so we had a different menu on our second visit, but both menus had sufficient options to keep diners happy for multiple visits. The last night there David and I split entrees, a mushroom risotto, and some type of fancy entrecote, both excellent.

• Le Grill: Interesting and wonderful Polynesian and Asian fusion food. Nicely prepared and presented. Service was terrific, partly thanks to Arnold at the helm as maitre’d. Ambience was very nice, I’d forgotten how romantic it is. Much improved from last time.

• Wine: Wine was good most of the time. Sometimes very good, once in a while just so-so. California, New Zealand, Australian, French, Chilean. I can’t really comment on whether the wine selections are worse than previous, they were fine with me. Fewer Californian wines I think.

Breakfast and Lunch

We alternated between Le Grill and Le Veranda for breakfast and lunch, depending on the weather. I love to eat outside, but often the calm and cool of the internal dining room prevailed, especially since the weather was fairly hot, particularly when anchored. Lunch buffet is the same in both places, and were mostly themed. These were very nicely done; particularly liking the German, Polynesian, and Italian days. David frequently had his Eggs Bennie in La Veranda for brekkies, and always his corned beef hash. Of course, La Veranda continues to have its a la carte menu, rather short, but adequate.

And of course there was the “breakfast club”, La Palette for coffee and croissants in the early morning. A band of regulars who got to know each other over the two weeks, reading their little newspaper flyers and watching sunrises and sail-ins.

Cabin Specifics

We were in a B Veranda cabin this time. This was after getting a C guarantee and being upgraded. Very nice to be on deck 8 next to the pool deck! Same bathroom and cupboard layout as the standard cabins. King-sized bed, more room around the vanity, full-sized love-seat and easy chair in the larger living room area. Nice verandah, deeper than standard. Only complaint was I wish they had reclinable deck chairs. Anichini sheets (amazing, I want some!) and bathroom products (the Regent products were supplied as well.) We had a team of two room stewardesses who did the whole corridor of deck 8 (18 cabins)—not sure how the regular rooms were handled.

Flat-screen TV, ipod dock (not great, certainly not Bose.)

Having a butler was interesting, although we didn’t use him much. We found it easier to make restaurant ressies with the maitre’d because then we could make a decision on the spot depending on what was available. We got our daily canapes, although after a few days it was a bit much—too much food everywhere!! Our friend Jim across the hall used his butler, Abner, a lot, and he quite enjoyed having this service (now he’s spoiled forever.)

The Boutique

Lots of beautiful pearls, as usual. This gift shop has the advantage of a single year-round destination, so they can stock things that people will want in a tropical paradise. The concession is run entirely by Tahia Collins now, so some things have changed. For example, the room right at the back on the left, which used to be full of expensive perfume is now full of flip flops and crocs. An improvement as far as I’m concerned, but they had run low on sizes. Lots of nice men’s shirts (Jim bought a couple), hats, T-shirts, skirts, pareos, etc. The pareo selection got completely cleaned out during the two weeks. I loved prowling around in there on sea days to ogle the pears (but didn’t buy any.)

The Bars

The new Piano Bar is a huge improvement. It’s like the Navigator Lounge (think I’ve got that right), but better, more open. A real gathering spot before and after dinner. La Palette is also nice, and host to lots of events, and is the late-night disco (although we never made it, Jim did!) And the pool bar, the old standby, it too has improved with the roof “wings” that have been added on both sides fore on the pooldeck for shade.

All the lounges were heavily used. Only a couple of real drunks on board, although a certain person who will remain nameless sat almost motionless in a chair on the motu after a late night in La Palette.

Entertainment

The Gauguines, as ever, were great and did several really nice shows. Their presence is one of the great touches on this ship, beautiful young Polynesian entertainers. And although we missed Hal Fraser, Bruce (Tildon), did a great job as the piano-man, despite getting laryngitis halfway through the trip. Kudos to him.

The band was fairly uniformly awful. My son, the struggling musician is buoyed by this information. Any of the bar performers that we see regularly here in Toronto could blow these babies out of the water. The “Skyline” band were all young, and perhaps decent musicians individually (except the drummer who was dreadful), but they had obviously been thrown together, and had not rehearsed much. They were fronted by a girl singer, who had not a bad voice, especially when she sang soul music—she certainly deserved a better backup band. The one time they did a creditable job together was in our amazing sail past Taha’a, with the setting sun shining on the island. This was magical and the band on the pool deck managed to capture this. So Siglo was sadly missed, not a perfect band, but very versatile (although if they never play another Queen song it will be too soon.)

Heather Kreuzman, who was a Social Hostess also performed, and did two shows, and although her voice isn’t bad, it’s not good enough to fill the Grand Salon, and I left after a few songs. Or maybe I just didn’t like that sort of music.

They had a (somewhat fading) opera diva on board, and although we did not go, Jim did, and although he enjoyed the Edit Piaf evening, the opera evening was less successful.

Two great folkoric shows—the standard O Tahiti E on the last night, and a great troupe on Bora Bora.

All in all, then, the entertainment was spotty, and fairly disappointing.

Oh, one great counterexample—the Liars’ Club. They did two of these and they were very funny and entertaining.

Lectures

Mark Eddoes, the anthropologist was absent. That pretty well says it all for anyone who has been on the PG. I missed his lectures on the Polynesian culture and history. They had their art historian on, a Paul Gauguin expert, and although I learned something about his life and painting, I found her insufferable. Sorry, just my opinion. Lucky her for getting such a great gig.

Denis Schneider, the dashing and handsome French marine biologist from Bora Bora also lectured. We had been previously on his Coral Preservation trip, so knew about him. He talked about, get this, coral preservation. It was very interesting and he is a very engaging fellow.

Shipboard Games and Diversions

We had fun playing “name that tune” (our group won). The pool deck fair that they put on during a sea day was noisy and hot, so we demured; frankly I can’t see the point of this event other than to fill a sea day which is better filled with relaxation, in my opinion. At sunset, one main diversion for lots of folks was watching for the “green flash”. Captain Zupan (what a guy!), worked at trying to arrange this. One day we witnessed it dipping behind a clear horizon. Later, he tried again, but seeing he was going to fail, turned the ship so that we were facing dead on to Bora Bora as the sun set behind the island. Amazing.

They need a new jigsaw puzzle. About 10 days in, the ol’ puzzle was completely stalled, and a little girl, seeing it lying out thought she would be tidy and dumped it back in the box. Good riddance.

We got invited to the bridge for a private sail-away party sailing out the gap at Rangiroa. Although we failed to see the dolphins (saw their splashes sometimes), that was fun. The guest relations officer, Martha Hanley, was fun to talk to, and the guys hung around the instruments, natch. Again, Captain Zupan is a lot of fun, a real riot. We didn’t eat with any officers—we turned down an invite because we were traveling with Jim and he didn’t get invited.

Miscellaneous

The weather was amazing. It’s the best time of year to go to the Marquesas, and they delivered on this promise—apparently the ship can tender into Fatu Hiva only 30 percent of the time. One island was a little choppy, and the captain had to move the ship. But we had really only three rainfalls: late night in Papeete before sailaway; a downpour at the Arboretum on Ua Huka; and a brief lingering drizzle on motu mahana—a little welcome shade in a lovely day. The Societies were definitely hotter and muggier than I’m used to—the Marquesas about the same, but presumably it’s hotter at other times of the year. It was plenty hot and humid, that’s for sure. Sun avoidance was the name of the game.

In general, the passenger complement on this trip was great. I think the staff responded to it. After the first few days, almost everybody was relaxed and happy, and by the end of the trip, completely blissed out. A very nice bunch, aside from the usual tiny group of, ahem, problem passengers. There was a fair-sized Vantage/GC group on board, and they were, as before, very nice as well. There were a fair contingent of French passengers, and some Quebecois as well, which made the ship pleasantly bilingual. Another couple we met at dinner, Barb and Charlie, cruise about a third of the year (!), and are off in the first week of January on another 34 day cruise around the Pacific on HAL. Wonder if I could get used to that?

I had a deluxe manicure in the spa while Jim had the “man” mani/pedi package. It was very nice, but as usual very expensive. The quality of the manicure, however, was very high, better than I usually get here at home—she actually listened to me when I asked her not to cut my cuticles, and did a nice polish job plus some bonus massage.

Logistics, Travel

We did Air Tahiti Nui Business class this time, booked with Regent. On the way over it was nice—the Asia Pacific lounge at LAX is very nice, and the check-in seamless. Lots of construction, they have added a new arm to the terminal, so lots of walking right now. Staff on board were attentive, lots of hot washcloths. Food was fine. Seat layout is similar to Lufthansa business that we’ve flown.

On the way back, not so good. Check-in was very slow. The lounge lady was too busy talking to her friends on the phone to check us in promptly. The A/C was barely adequate, and the snacks consisted of tiny pieces of cheese wrapped in foil, crackers and peanuts. Chairs were very comfy however. On board, no hot cloths, seats mildly broken, food was fine. No free pearls, either direction.

We did a two-night pre-cruise at the Radisson. Arrived at 3 am (never again!). We first stayed at this hotel 5.5 years ago, months after its opening. The service has improved tremendously. Apparently they have someone really savvy managing the place now. Check-in was incredibly fast, they simply swiped a credit card and handed us our keycards. The rooms were great—we had one of the two-story jobs, while Jim had one with a jacuzzi. Nicely maintained, very clean and luxurious.

Breakfast was included, and a light lunch buffet the last day, as part of the package. Prices for everything else were high, as expected, but very pleasantly done.

Transfers were the usual chaos, it’s always been like that in Tahiti. For the first time we had to wait to get on the ship, there was a bus ahead of us. It turned out there were groups from both Grand Circle and Vantage on board with us (and at the hotel.)

Disembarkation was after lunch, and then we did the bus tour (again), since our friend was new to this place. It is worthwhile for the first-timer, but I would definitely just go to the hotel and hang around the pool next time. Once at the Radisson we hardly had time to have a drink, a swim, and a shower before we had to check back out of our dayroom and face the nightmarish transfer and then zoo that is Fa’aa airport.

I still prefer to stay on board until Saturday and enjoy the ship. But one pair of shipmates had the best idea—get off in Moorea in the afternoon, and head for the Pearl for a week’s post-cruise trip. Now that sounds perfect!

The Itinerary

First stop was Bora Bora, where everybody got their first immersion in the islands. It’s a great place to start, since newcomers begin to realize they’re not in Kansas any more!

Then we did the haul over to Rangiroa, which is really two half sea-days, arriving about noon. The transit through the pass is fun, and lots of people saw dolphins (not us.) It’s definitely a water island.

Then a sea day up to the Marquesas where the serious fun began, one island per day.

Fatu Hiva first, the most remote, and awesomely beautiful. The Bay of Virgins. Wow, only 500 people.

Ua Huka, the desert island, full of horses and goats. Stunning scenery.

Hiva Oa, the Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel island.

Nuku Hiva, the most populous, and the Hermann Melville Island. If you go there, make sure to read Typee.

Then two blissful sea days, going across the Marianas Trench, 36,000 feet deep!! Sea like glass at times!

Then Motu Mahana!! This was great, as usual, but it was fun having it at the end of the cruise instead of the beginning.

A day in Moorea, and that was it!

Excursion Details

• Bora Bora: We overnighted there, so I had time to get in the water. I went to the motu and beached myself, then David and I did the stingray ballet for the third time, and it was still great.

Hardly any time to shop, so I didn’t buy a thing there, although noted that prices have gone up (along with excursion prices, ouch!) As always, after I got home, I wished I had purchased more little gifts for friends—so my advice, if you see something you like, buy two!

Oh, and Mariner shared the lagoon with us for a while, and visits were traded back and forth between the two ships one afternoon. We didn’t make it, but lots did, including Claudia, the Cruise Director, whose husband works on Mariner.

• Rangiroa: Definitely a yachter’s and diver’s paradise. We didn’t get in the water, I got lazy and cooled off in the pool. We did do the black pearl excursion, which was interesting, but not nearly as good as the one we did on Manihi eight years ago. Lots of folks made purchases that day, however. I love looking at pearls!

Pretty water, mostly a water destination, for sure. Lovely transits through the pass.

• Fatu Hiva: Our favourite Marquesan island, I think. We didn’t do an excursion there, but just wandered. We missed most of the performance put on by the natives, but heard it. We people watched, shopped, didn’t make it to the waterfall because it was too darned hot! I finally bought a tapa cloth there, and then lost it in LAX—David says that means we have to go back! The entrance to Hanavave (the Bay of Virgins) is spectacularly beautiful. With a population of only 500 people, life seems pretty calm and relaxed there. The shore is mostly rocky and wild, although one guy actually went out snorkeling in the bay, by himself despite warnings about sharks.

• Hiva Oa: We did 4×4 excursions on the remaining three islands. Hiva Oa is the Paul Gauguin island, where he lived. We were taken around the island to see a marae and some tikis, then to a church with a beautiful lookout on a beach. Then back for shopping opportunities (natch). We didn’t do the Paul Gauguin museum, or go to the grave site, or visit the Jacques Brel museum, just wandered the shops and then headed back to the ship. Very lush and pretty island, and quite large. We obviously saw only a small part.

• Ua Huka: A desertified island. Much of the original tropical vegetation has been destroyed by goats, introduced by the Russians some centuries back. Beautiful red sandstone-like hills and cliffs. Valleys are tropical and lush, hills look like part of southern California, the shorelines like Big Sur. Lots of wild goats, and mostly domesticated horses. We saw uninhabited valleys where there used to be villages—Mark Eddoes alert! It was Sunday, and everybody was out and about in their shiny 4×4 trucks coming and going to and from church. This island is known for its wood carvings, of which we saw many. I bought a beautiful rosewood cheeseboard that I’ve already put to use. I’m already wishing I had a whole set of them.

Seas were a bit choppy that day, so the captain made the decision to move the ship, making the tender ride back a bit longer. As on the other islands, brave souls walked and bicycled out of town, up and down the hills, in the heat.

One of the stops was the Arboretum, which was lovely. Trees, especially fruit trees, of many varieties. Star fruit lying on the ground, mangoes and papayas all over, a grove of citrus trees. This is where we had our little deluge. We waited in the little reception area, eating fruit, watching the locals, and examining the wood in the wood musueum (yes, I said wood museum.) This is where I confirmed that my cheese board is rosewood.

• Nuku Hiva: The most populous island in the Marquesas: 2,500 people. I had read half of Typee, by Hermann Melville, then promptly left the book in our hotel room in Papeete. A must read if you take the Taipivai valley trip, which we did. I would imagine this would be the easiest island to get to and stay for a while, since there is better infrastructure. The trip took us up from Taiohae across the island to the north east, through the valley. High up with lots of switchbacks, and amazing scenery. We saw the valley where Melville was (allegedly) held captive. This trip included an English-speaking guide, who lectured about what we were seeing at scheduled stops, like the top of the valley. Wonderful. We ended up on a beach in a pretty bay, around the corner from where Survivor was filmed.

A highlight of the trip was the cathedral, built from rocks taken from six different Marquesas islands, and full of wood carvings. Very beautiful, in a lovely setting. Again, lots of horses, well-taken care of for the most part.

This would be a great island to have a motorcycle. But alas, you can’t rent any. And it’s difficult and expensive to rent a car.

• Sea Days: Two glorious seadays ensued. Highlights included going across the Marianas Trench (depth 36,000 feet), a few hours when the sea was almost like glass, and sunset over Bora Bora. Hours spent on our lovely verandah, sleeping, walking the deck, you get the idea. We arrived in Taha’a the second evening, raring to go for the next day’s adventure.

• Motu Mahana: Ah, the motu day. Great weather, and I kayaked finally—great way to see the fish, very relaxing and easy. Since we were near the end of the cruise, everybody was pretty relaxed. Lots of friendships had already formed, so the group was easy-going and familiar, and had already gotten used to the sun.

The coral was not in bad shape; there were sufficient fish to see, and some active coral heads, although all the coral everywhere is in distress. I spent a huge amount of time in the water that day, and had no bones left in my body when we got back to the ship on the last tender. The last folks on the tender were hauled out of the water minutes before it left.

Then we had a real treat. A sail-past of Taha’a, with the late evening sun shining on the island. The band played on the pool deck, and everybody ogled the beauty of Taha’a and then Raiatea on one side, with Bora Bora in the distance on the other side, beckoning people to return. This was a magical moment for many people on this cruise. By this time it was getting tough to get dressed in time for dinner, what with sunset gazing and pina colada drinking by the pool.

• Moorea: With one day only in Moorea, it was tough to choose what to do. We’ve been there lots before, but Jim, on his first visit, chose to do the waverunners. He was very happy he did that. He saw lots of the coastline, had a blast, and was impressed with the beauty of the island. It’s now his favourite, as it still is ours, at least of the Societies. We did a catamaran and snorkeling tour, and I must say it was the best snorkeling of the trip for me. Lots of fish, spaced-out coral heads with nice white sand between. One person, however, spotted crown of thorns starfish, the culprit currently preying on the coral in Moorea. The sailboat was pleasant: nice to be out on the water.

Excursions in General

The excursions in general were well run. Beware, however, the prices are way up. The excursions on the Marquesas are pretty well limited to 4×4 trips around the island, with a French-speaking driver, and no guide (the exception was Nuku Hiva where a guide accompanied the jeeps). These trips in particular are pricey, but very worthwhile. If you don’t have any French, read up on the island so you know what you’re seeing. Other ways of getting around are pretty limited and pricey.

Again, the weather, the itinerary, the people, but most of all just those wonderful islands made this trip magic for us.

For More Information…

…talk with your travel agent, call Paul Gauguin Cruises at (800) 848-6172, or visit their website.