How this guide
is made.

What it covers

Polynesian Compass is a guide to French Polynesia. It covers fifteen islands across the five archipelagos, five experiences, three kinds of accommodation, four planning subjects, seven culture subjects, and ten short articles explaining things visitors see and ask about.

How it is researched

Facts come from primary sources wherever one exists: the statistics institute ISPF for populations and hotel prices, Météo-France Polynésie for climate normals, Air Tahiti and the ferry companies for timetables, Tahiti Tourisme for operator listings, UNESCO for the heritage sites, and the operators themselves for their own prices. Prices are given as ranges with a date. Where something is not true of an island, the guide says so.

Timetables, prices and openings change often in a country with one small airline and a lot of weather. Confirm every practical detail with the operator before paying for a room that depends on it.

The pictures

The pictures on this site are artworks made for it. Each one was generated with an image model from a reference photograph of the exact place, taken by a photographer, so that the geography, the landmarks and the viewpoint are those of the real island. The light and the weather are the best you could hope for on the day. The reference photographers are credited, picture by picture, on the pictures and credits page.

What it does not do

It does not sell anything. There are no affiliate links, no sponsored placements and no advertising. If that changes, this page will say so first. Hotels and operators are named because they are worth knowing about, for no other reason.

Corrections

If something is wrong or out of date, we want to know. The islands change and the guide should too.