French Polynesia & Fiji
Fourteen August nights: The Brando on Tetiaroa, Four Seasons and The St. Regis on Bora Bora, then Kokomo Private Island in Fiji.
Météo-France Polynésie defines the cool season as May to October. In August, Tahiti averages close to 24°C, with highs near 30°C and nights around 17°C. The trade winds are drier and steadier than in the warm season, and rain is rare outside passing fronts. The south-easterly mara'amu can still freshen the lagoons for a day or two. Tahiti Tourisme notes that humpback whales migrate to these waters from August to November. Fiji keeps the same calendar: its Meteorological Service counts May to October as the cool, dry season.
Begin with four nights at The Brando on Tetiaroa, 53 km north of Tahiti. Brando first saw the atoll while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in 1961 and bought it in 1967; long before, it was a favoured retreat of Tahitian royalty. There are 35 villas on Motu Onetahi, cooled with seawater and powered in part by the sun. Guides from the Tetiaroa Society, which runs a research ecostation here, lead walks among nesting seabirds and turtle beaches.
Then three nights at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora on Motu Tehotu. Overwater bungalow suites with plunge pools face Mount Otemanu across the lagoon. The resort's Lagoon Sanctuary, home to more than 100 marine species, is run by marine biologists who take members snorkelling and coral grafting.
Two nights at The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort on Motu Ome'e bring a change of motu and of pace. Its overwater villas, from 1,550 square feet, are the largest in French Polynesia, with glass floor panels over the water. A private Lagoonarium shelters reef fish, coral and Napoleon fish. Dinner at the Lagoon Restaurant sits over the water, facing Otemanu.
On the flying: Tahiti Faa'a (PPT) is the airport of entry, with an 11,220-foot runway suited to long-range jets. Slots apply, private flights need a permit from the territory's civil aviation service, and business aviation has faced restrictions at airline peak times. Air Tetiaroa flies from its private terminal at Faa'a, roughly 20 minutes to the atoll in 14-seat Twin Otters, for Brando guests only. Bora Bora's airport sits on Motu Mute with a 4,937-foot runway, domestic flights only and limited fuel, so the long-range aircraft waits at Faa'a. Air Tahiti takes about 50 minutes from Papeete to Bora Bora, and Air Tetiaroa will charter the same route. From Motu Mute, the Four Seasons boat takes 15 minutes and the St. Regis boat 20.
From Faa'a the long-range aircraft heads west to Nadi (NAN) on Viti Levu, Fiji's airport of entry, with a 10,518-foot runway; landing permits may apply to private flights. Aircalin puts the scheduled crossing at about five hours. At Nadi, Kokomo's own transfer lounge leads to its Twin Otter seaplane or AS350 helicopter, 45 to 60 minutes to the island. Arrivals need to land at Nadi by 3pm to connect the same day, and OUIJETS sources each aircraft and times the legs around that window.
End with five nights at Kokomo Private Island on Yaukuve, at the northern end of the Kadavu group south of the main island. Its 140 acres hold 21 beachfront villas and five residences, the villas with their own infinity pools. The Great Astrolabe Reef lies alongside, and divers go out for manta rays, reef sharks and turtles. The Kaji Kids Club keeps younger members busy while the adults take a private-island picnic on Namara, before the final seaplane back to Nadi.
Ask your advisor about a private Air Tetiaroa charter to Bora Bora; the long-range crossing from Tahiti to Fiji; the Buy-Out, from Tetiaroa to the Great Astrolabe Reef.