Manihi is actually a string of islets where palm trees languish and white-sand beaches abound, bathed in an emerald water, is the perfect of all such places, a setting for a Stevenson novel. All of the islands that make up the Tuamotus are low lying and very different from the mountainous islands of the Society Islands . Manihi is a small remote hideaway made of coral reefs and located 330 miles from Tahiti . It is a refuge for those truly seeking to "truly get away from it all." The 450 inhabitants live in the village of Turipaoa , a boat ride across the lagoon, so privacy is easily attained.

 

Far from the modern world, the crystal-clear lagoon was once filled with mother-of-pearl and is the site of Tahiti 's first black pearl farm. Today, Manihi is still the leading supplier for the Tahitian cultured pearl industry. This is "farm country" South Pacific style. Instead of crops, over 60 farms here produce black pearls. Manihi's lagoon waters are among the most perfect on earth for cultivating black pearls because of the temperature, density, salinity, light, and overall climate. One of the fun activities on this island is to visit the pearl farm and see how the perfect black pearls are cultivated.

 

Besides the pearl farms, you can take a boat across the lagoon to visit and the main village of Turipaoa . There are few cars here so walking around the town square and along the coral paths is as peaceful and romantic as the lagoon itself. 

 

The island's only hotel is the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort and it is a treasure! I loved the ambience and the atmosphere of this resort. It is very laid back and comfortable.  The hotel is simple but beautiful. The rooms are decorated very tastefully with dark wood and shuttered windows. Each beach bungalow has a ceiling fan and netting but no air conditioning. The bathrooms include an outdoor shower open to the smells and sounds of the infrequent rains.

           The overwater bungalow is romantic! They are fully air conditioned overwater bungalows at the reef's edge. Fish life is abundant under the overwater bungalows.

This hotel has the best snorkeling with a reef edge right where the overwater bungalows are located. One side is the lagoon and the other side is the reef.

 

They have complimentary bike use that you can us to visit around the island. A really fun activity is to take the free bikes to the runway at sunset to enjoy a beautiful view. Nowhere else can you bike ride on a runway! Currently they have star gazing on the runway. It gives you a chance to see the Southern Cross. The Big Dipper is visible on the horizon around 8:00pm every night from the southern hemisphere. Take along a star chart and flash light to enjoy this unusual event.

 

They offer a wonderful 1 hour snorkel trip by boat for a "drift" snorkel. There are tons of fish to see so don't forget the underwater camera. There is also a scuba shop on property to take you out to visit with all those wonderful fish! Some fish including sand sharks are visible from the property wharf.