An overwater bungalow at Sofitel's Bora Bora Marara Beach Resort
Photo courtesy of Philippe Bacchet

by Wendy Perrin

Question from reader CathyB0820:

"Hi Wendy, I am a devout follower of your postings and thought you might have just the answer I am looking for. Do you have any advice on great places to go and fabulous deals at the end of October? I am looking for something truly spectacular for about 9 days total (including travel from California). Additionally, do you have any recommendations for great places to find business/first-class airfare sales? Thank you so much for any advice/guidance you can provide."

You'll find more details, including the cost of this 9-day adventure, after the jump.

Visit Bora Bora on a Regent Seven Seas cruise, rated one of the world's best cruise lines by Condé Nast Traveler readers. Image courtesy of rssc.com.

by Kathryn Maier on Travel Deals

If you're a regular reader of The Perrin Post, you may feel like you're old friends with frequent commenter and "Where's Wendy?" contest winner LoriB. Known offline as Lori Bruns, she's also a blogger and travel agent, and she let us know about a cruise available this summer and fall that's a steal: a Regent Seven Seas cruise in the South Pacific that's more than 70% off the brochure rate. Normally starting at $8,005 per person (including taxes, and based on double occupancy), this sailing now starts at $2,305 per person, and the third passenger in the cabin sails for free. 

The cruise is a seven-night itinerary on the Paul Gauguin that starts in Papeete and visits Raiatea, Taha'a, Bora Bora, and Moorea. Meals, drinks, and gratuities are included in the cost; shore excursions are additional.

Departs on: August 22. Departures on September 12, 19, and  26 are almost as deeply discounted, starting at $2,405 per person (including tax, based on double occupancy).

Book by: June 19.

For more information: Contact Lori at 800-806-1367 or lbruns@macystravel.com

by Wendy Perrin

I just entered Air Tahiti Nui's 10th-anniversary contest. Seems each week the airline will be giving away 2 free tickets to Tahiti and 2 free nights at Le Meridien Tahiti. Cool.

Kleon Howe, of The Art of Travel, at Bar Bambino, Saturday, June 2, 2007.

by Brook Wilkinson

I had lunch at the new Bar Bambino in San Francisco's Mission District this past Saturday with Kleon Howe, French Polynesia travel agent extraordinaire. (He's on Conde Nast Traveler's list of the world's best travel specialists, Wendy featured him in the accompanying article back in 2004, and our readers rave about him.) Kleon fell in love with French Polynesia and the Cook Islands early into an 11-and-a-half year sailing trip around the world -- the Cook Islanders were so impressed that he arrived there under his own power than they gave him a Polynesian name: Fai Nui, or Big Manta Ray.

Kleon loves to introduce his clients to the local cultures of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, and one of the best times to do that, he told me, is mid-July. That's when Heiva takes place, a huge festival with traditional dancing and sport competitions. Teams from all over French Polynesia's 5 archipelagos congregate on Tahiti around Bastille Day to show off their singing, dancing, drumming, tattooing, weaving, canoeing, and other traditional skills. I'd love to see the spear-throwing competition, when the athletes aim at a coconut on top of a tall pole. I'm a sucker for local festivals (like the Pushkar Camel Fair) anywhere in the world, but Kleon told me that Heiva is a particularly great time to be in Tahiti because the French Polynesians are usually a bit reserved, and this is when you can see them at their most relaxed. The only hitch is that you must have a flexible schedule, because each year the specific dates aren't released until May -- but if you're looking to go somewhere next month, Kleon can still get you flights and accommodations during Heiva 2007.

What other tidbits did I pick up from Kleon?