A Romantic Adventure to Japan and French Polynesia

DAY 2 OSAKA - KYOTO

Arrival in Osaka. Train to Kyoto from the airport. Four-night stay in a very beautiful hotel with a warm, comfortable, contemporary design, whose discreet, efficient and considerate service is particularly pleasant. Its central location is another asset; its Zen garden is another.

Days 3 TO 6 KYOTO

Spend the next few days discovering the city with a private guide. Recommended tours during your stay in Kyoto include: the Philosophers' Path, the Ginkaku-ji, Kyomizu-dera, Sanjusangen-do, Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji temples, the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Hall (pottery) museums, the Fureai-kan Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts, Hosomi Art Museum (Shinto and Buddhist Art), the Nomura Museum (paintings, tea ceremony utensils, ceramics), the Kampo Museum (traditional arts), the Hashimoto Kantetsu Memorial Museum (painting), the Costume Museum, the traditional quarters of Gion and Pontocho, the picturesque streets of Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka. Also Fuka stores (specialising in the production and sale of fu or wheat gluten for 130 years), Iriyama Tofu (tofu), Nishimura (Ukiyo-e art), Ippo-cho (tea), Nakanishi Toku Shoten (antique dolls) or the gardens of the temples that can be found everywhere in the city.

Take part in a private introduction to chanoyu, a tea ceremony, in a traditional house. The art of tea is one of the aspects of Japanese culture that often appeals most to Western travellers, a ritual that seeks to create a moment of harmony and calm. We can also arrange for you to visit one of Japan's oldest sake distilleries, including a production demonstration and tasting.

DAYS 7 & 8 KYOTO - TOKYO

Head to Tokyo aboard the Shinkansen Nozomi high-speed bullet train. We’ll take care of transferring your luggage to your Tokyo hotel, while you enjoy the scenic views between the two Japanese cities (we recommend sitting on the left to catch the best views of Mount Fuji passing by) . Upon arrival, stay in a stunning hotel perched in the new Toranomon Hills tower in the business district for four nights. In addition to stunning views of the city - the panorama from the rooftop pool is particularly impressive - the hotel offers impeccable service and quality cuisine. Inside, common areas and guest rooms feature elegant and modern design. The concept is a very successful blend of modern art and Japanese style.

So that you don't get lost - literally or figuratively - we've planned a day with a private guide, who will be at your disposal with no pre-planned route, so you can discover their city as you wish.

DAYS 9 & 10 TOKYO

Recommended tours during your visit to Tokyo: The Tower of Winds, the Spiral Building, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the Tokyo International Forum, the Odaiba district, Roppongi Hills; also the Asakusa Temple, the Meiji-jingu Shinto shrine and garden, the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, the Mori Art Museum, the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ueno districts, Ameyoko Market and the Tsukiji fish market (get there in the early morning!).

DAY 11 FROM JAPAN TO POLYNESIA

Catch a train to the airport for your flight to Tahiti. Once you arrive at Papeete Airport, you will be privately transferred to the port. Then catch a short ferry ride (around 30 minutes) to Tahiti's sister island of Moorea. Spend three nights at one of the best beaches in the world on the edge of a crystal blue lagoon. Bungalows on stilts look out onto the ultramarine blue of the Pacific ocean and the island of Tahiti. Special mentions go to the architecture, which is all wood, woven bamboo and pandanus, as well as to the fantastic spa, with fragrances of tiare flowers (Tahitian gardenias).

Days 12 TO 14 MOOREA

Moorea’s gentle way of life has always attracted painters, sculptors, writers and poets. Spend a few days enjoying Moorea, Tahiti's sister island, combining the pleasures of the lagoon with eco-tourism.

Included in your itinerary is an authentic dinner at the home of a Polynesian couple living in the village of Haapiti. This offers the opportunity to discuss daily life in Polynesia and to share a slice of life with a couple passionate about their island. Optional activities include a unique and unforgettable encounter with the Dolphin Centre's dolphins, with a guide, or a quad bike tour of the island's back roads, complete with spectacular views. For the rest of your time, enjoy a mahi-mahi on the beach, attend traditional dance shows, nap on the sand or by the pool, snorkel to see the multicoloured reef fish, take a catamaran ride, have a flower treatment in the spa, take a cycle ride around the island or embark on a romantic getaway at sunset.

DAYS 15 & 16 RETURN FLIGHT

Transfer by boat to the airport and fly to Papeete, where you can catch the first of your international flights home, arriving the next day.

DAYS 17 & 18 BORA BORA

Bora Bora: home to a majestic mountain, an idyllic lagoon and a splendid hotel in an almost surreally beautiful spot. Spend two days exploring Bora Bora and enjoying time peacefully passing by. Included in the itinerary is a day with a private guide spent on a 4x4 safari through the island's interior, swimming with rays, black-tipped sharks and multicoloured fish, and lunch with your feet in the sand at a renowned island restaurant. Other options can include a private helicopter ride to discover the island and its lagoon from the sky, or a private half-day boat tour of the lagoon, punctuated with stops to observe the majestic rays or dive among the colourful corals and tropical fish. During your remaining time, you can take a snorkelling trip to a coral reef, indulge in an open-air Polynesian massage on the beach cooled by the calm trade winds, try parasailing to admire the spectacular scenery from above, go kayaking or take a ride in an outrigger canoe.