Tahiti Nightlife

So I ventured out one night with my buddy to the "locals bars". Though hitchiking to the bars was very pleasant where we were greeted by a friendly local named Ziggy the locals in the bars were not so welcoming. First the punks sitting outside the bar were saying things to us in Tahitian, probably something nasty while others laughed. Once inside some big fatso knocked into me pretty hard, I thought he was just drunk and it was an accident, but when he turned to me and said "What theeee ***" (in a thick accent) I realized this was no accident. We left that bar to avoid this guy and didn't have any further problems but we were definately extra careful after that. I do not recommend venturing too far from you hotel at night, it just doesn't seem safe for tourists.

Dress Code: Islandwear!

The night life is very busy, and the majority of the revelers are locals.

There are several bars along the Waterfront across from the ferry terminal on Boulevard Pomare, between Avenue Prince Hinoi and Rue Clapper. Our taxi driver advised us that these bars are the safest for tourists, and that we should not go to any bars off the waterfront.

However, the night clubs and good music can be found in the enclave between Boulevard Pomare and Rue Albert. Several pedestrian alleyways between the two streets have a variety of places, but most seem to have cover charges.......so a pub crawl is prohibitively expensive.

A good Salsa and Latin dancing bar was near the corner of Rue Albert and Avenue Prince Hinoi. Experienced dancers will only enjoy this place.

More european dance clubs were on the Alleyway down from the Corner of Prince Hinoi and Boulavard Pomare, near the Heineken Bar.

The streets don't feel completely safe in these alley's, and I would not advise foreign women to venture down here alone.

A can't do a nightlife tip without including a sunset. To me, the most enjoyable shows are provided by mother nature herself - nothing is as spectacular as watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon while changing the colour of the sky from pink to yellow to orange to blood red and through purple to a wonderful bluey black hue. Wonderful!

Tonight is Tahitian Dance Show night at the hotel. We went along to the restuarant this morning to book our table. I asked for one with a really good view of the stage, and when she wrote it down she put the table number in brackets with VIP next to it! She was right. We have a fabulous ring side seat, right at the edge of the elevated section.

It is a small, but well staged show, set against a back drop of the twinkling lights of Papeete and the Pacific Ocean.

During the show is the obligatory audience participation, and one female artist gets more than she bargained for with the tourist she picked on. I can only assume he is a professional dancer - he completely steals the show!

The dancers are really flexible and agile, it makes you wonder how they can walk. One girl in particular is shaking her hips from side to side and backwards and forwards like they are not attached to the rest of her body.

If you want to find out about nightlife in tahiti, there is a website that does just that : http://www.tahiti-agenda.com