Unique in the world is the experience of staying in an overwater bungalow in French Polynesia. The sounds, the colors, all the animals, the sunrise and sunsets, and the privacy all combine to create a stay unlike any other you have ever tried.

In the most beautiful of Islands in the world the impact of floating over a sparkling clear lagoon can be mesmerizing. Even at night, hundreds of multi-colored fish swim in fascinating patterns directly under your very own coffee table. The glass top made exclusively to be removed so that you may feed your aquatic friends as you please, most amazing!

And for breakfast, have your meal brought to you upon demand in an outrigger canoe, loaded with juice, coffee, baguette and glorious fruit.

Oh, and I forgot one thing, the silence, in the evening on your lower deck, surrounded by the moon and white puffy clouds, all you will hear is the incredible sound of silence, most romantic!                     

The word tattoo comes from Tahiti. Tohu, god of tattooing, painted all the fishes in beautiful colors and patterns. As early as the 18th century European navigators indicated the existence of tattooing in Tahiti.

Tattooing was prohibited at the time of the missionaries, but it didn't disappear completely. For Polynesians, tattooing is a means of asserting their ma'ohi cultural identity and it favors the use of black color to the detriment of others. Inspired from vegetable or animal geometry, most of the time a tattoo has symbolic meaning. Men and women display the tattoo like jewelry.

Thus, contrary to the "occidental intimist" approach, the tattoo was first meant to be seen at first. For several years now, there has existed a new generation of particularly gifted tattoo artists in Tahiti and her Islands whose talents are more solicited by the passing tourists. In addition, these tattoo artists now export their art by participating in various shows abroad.

The underwater world in Tahiti is an extraordinary experience. It is unique not only for water clarity, fish species, and gorgeous living reefs but also one of the few places left in the world rich with big animals.

Species include; Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Manta Rays, Giant Wrasse, Moray Eels, and of course multiple types of sharks. Depending on the Island you are staying on you will be able to swim with; Black Tip, Grey Reef, White Tip, Nurse, Lemon, Hammerhead, and even Tiger Sharks.

Begun in the mid 80s, shark feeding tours are now commonplace in French Polynesia and a great way to experience these most perfected of fish species. Normally these are half-day tours whereby you are taken out to an outer reef, don snorkel and flippers, slip into the water and watch Tahitian divers hand feed Black Tip reef sharks right before your eyes!

Born in the warm lagoon waters of Huahine, Taha'a, and throughout the Tuamotu Atolls Tahitian Pearls have become a symbol of elegance and beauty the world over.

Commonly known as "Black Pearls" the color and beauty of Tahitian Cultures Pearls are simply found nowhere else on earth. These wonderful jewels vary widely in price, shape, and color including; shimmering green, aubergine, blue-tinged, reddish-bronze, pinkish, and steel grey.

For those traveling in Tahiti it is just great fun to visit multiple Pearl retailers. There you can become educated about the quality style and design of these beautiful gifts from the Sea.

My personal recommendations for retailers include the "Father of Tahitian Cultured Pearls" Robert Wan, plus the stores of Tahia Collins. Both offer superior quality reputation and stunning design.

Blessed with powder white sand beaches, cobalt blue lagoons, lush verdant valleys, exotic tropical vegetation, and dramatic volcanic mountains, it is no wonder Tahiti is considered the "Islands of Love".

And what more perfect place to have your wedding, anniversary or  renewal of vows than French Polynesia.

It is important for future brides and grooms to understand that these weddings are not legally recognized or binding in the United States. Can it still be done? Yes, but the local Polynesian laws are very specific and require at least a minimum stay of 40 days in Tahiti prior to your official wedding ceremony.

Having said that, these Tahitian wedding ceremonies are truly an extra special experience and can be as elaborate or as simply as you so desire. They are all intimate and very romantic. As an example, at Tiki Village on Moorea basic wedding ceremony would include; wedding ceremony conducted by the Chief of the village and the High Priest, a band of local Musicians and villagers, beautiful leis and crowns of flowers for the couple, Marriage certificate made of Tapa, Champagne, photographs and return transportation.

For a destination possessing so many superlatives one would be hard pressed to pick just one word to conjure up an image of Tahiti. Paul Gauguin is this "one word".

Born in Paris June 7 1848, Paul Gauguin ultimately became one of the leading French painters of the Postimpressionist period, whose development of a conceptual method of representation was a decisive step for 20th-century art. After spending a short period with Vincent van Gogh in Arles (1888), Gauguin increasingly abandoned imitative art for expressiveness through color. From 1891 he lived and worked in Tahiti and elsewhere in the South Pacific.

Gauguin's art has all the appearance of a flight from civilization, of a search for new ways of life, more primitive, more real and more sincere. During his first stay in Tahiti (he was to leave in 1893, only to return in 1895 and remain until his death), Gauguin discovered primitive art, with its flat forms and the violent colors belonging to an untamed nature.

And then,......with absolute sincerity, he transferred them onto canvas.

"Arearea"