If you want to go where the...

If you want to go where the action isn’t , try the island of Raiatea in French Polynesia (profiled today on our front page). This is one of those sleepy isles you dream about on a hectic day at work. Endless summers. One small town, Uturoa. Sweet solitude.

Years ago on Raiatea, I nearly sank a freighter with a borrowed VW when the brakes failed at the dock. I spun the wheel furiously. The car went crazy, stopping only inches from the hull. The airline chaps would call it a near miss.

Life on the island is as peaceful as the day the volcanoes stopped huffing and puffing. At high noon, little stirs. (At noon these people are at home sleeping.)

There’s a first-rate restaurant in town called the Quai du Pechers. The owner, Jean-Pierre Constant, is an affable fellow. Serves fresh-caught fish. Quai du Pechers is a block from the spot where the freighters tie up. A Tahitian strums a guitar. Customers sing. Good atmosphere, good grog, first-class fare.

Yacht Charters

A couple of miles beyond Jean-Pierre’s restaurant, Henri Valin rents sailboats at The Moorings. You cruise among the Leeward Islands (Tahaa, Bora Bora, Huahine). Raiatea is your home base. Valin has 19 yachts ranging from 37-footers to 51 feet. They carry two to eight passengers. Valin will meet your flight with flower leis, deliver you to your yacht. His boats are ready to sail, complete with fuel, linens, nautical maps, a barbecue setup. If you contact him in advance, he’ll put aboard food, liquor, windsurfing/scuba diving gear. Rentals with or without skippers. Rates from $255 per day, weekly from $1,785. These are great escapes. Drop anchor in a lagoon and watch the sky burst into flame at sunset.

The Moorings, B.P. 165, Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia.

Day Tours

Delphine Harris and Tony Yao will take you sailing through the lagoon at Raiatea aboard their outrigger to motus in the lagoon or to the neighbor island of Tahaa. The motus are small, deserted islets with white-sand beaches. Delphine and Tony will leave you and your companion with a picnic lunch and return in the afternoon to deliver you back to Raiatea. These are settings straight from the pages of a romance novel. Other trips up the Faaroa River, or there are night fishing cruises by outrigger. Write to Delphine Harris c/o Havai’i Tours, P.O. Box 300, Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia, or call Islands In The Sun toll-free in Newport Beach, (800) 854-3413.

Tahaa

By ferry, Tahaa is about 30 miles from Raiatea and it’s even sleepier. Locals ride bicycles. It’s either that or walk. This is a great place for snorkeling, sunbathing, studying other islands on the horizon. The sunsets are simply stunning. No hotels. Only a handful of pensions. Local crafts are sold on Tahaa: wood sculpture, shell necklaces, hand-woven hats, baskets. The main village of Patio is little more than a wide berth in the road (a post office, school, store). Excursions can be arranged with the locals. Primarily, though, this is a place to unwind. Little action, loads of tranquillity.

Huahine

Raiatea’s other neighbor island, Huahine, is also outlined today on page one. For bargain hunters, there’s a choice of small hotels with reasonable rates:

--In the village of Fare, the Hotel Huahine is a bit ramshackle, like the setting for one of those old South Seas flicks that turn up on the late, late show. Bogart would have loved the place, Grace Kelly would have been appalled. Three floors, 10 rooms. Simple furnishings. Just a bed and a dresser. Downstairs there’s a restaurant/bar. Room rates: $25/$35 per night. It’ll cost you an extra $5 for breakfast, $12/$25 for dinner. With minimal amenities, the Hotel Huahine is strictly for the adventurer/backpacker.

Hotel Huahine, Fare, Huahine, French Polynesia.

--Pension Enite is the better choice. Eight rooms on the waterfront, a shared bath. Popular with both budget travelers and backpackers. Tapa cloth at the windows, fans that make do as air conditioners. The simple life but clean--and high marks for the meals. (There’s also a good snack bar, the Te Mara, next door.) In the lobby you can sink into a rocker and read or watch TV. The proprietor is a Frenchman, Martial Lafourcrade. Rents out sailboards, bicycles, operates island tours. Rates: $55 a day with three meals.

Pension Enite, Fare, Huahine, French Polynesia.

--While both Hotel Huahine and Pension Enite are in the village of Fare, the Bellevue (another budget hotel) does business outside town on a bluff overlooking a lovely bay. Rates from $35 (bungalows $70, double occupancy). A restaurant and bar. Riding, fishing, trips to the island’s landmarks.

--Hotel Bellevue, Fitii, Huahine, French Polynesia.

For archeological buffs, Huahine has a scattering of ancestral shrines dating to the era of island chiefs. An entire village (circa AD 650) was unearthed a few years back (the oldest archeological discovery on Huahine).

Huahine rivals Bora Bora for its beauty. Gorgeous bays, marvelous beaches, the best surfing in French Polynesia. If you need wheels, a couple of companies rent cars. Inquire at the airport.

Trip Details

If you decide to go to Tahiti, you’ll need a passport/visa. (Visas are issued on arrival at Faaa Airport in Papeete.)

Climate: In summertime, November through March, temperatures average 86 degrees. The rest of the year they hover in the low 80s.

Time zone: Tahiti and the other islands of French Polynesia are two hours behind the West Coast (same as Hawaii), three hours during daylight saving time.

Currency: The exchange rate for the dollar is about 106 Pacific French francs. Trade your dollars at the bank rather than the hotels; you get a better deal.

There’s still no tipping or sales tax in Tahiti or other islands in French Polynesia. This isn’t to say that Tahiti is cheap. It isn’t, so you’d best shop around. Ask your travel agent for a package deal. Call your travel agent or Islands In The Sun at (800) 854-3413.

Trip Services

Travel Assistance International provides pre-trip information services for journeys throughout the world. Rates for members: $40 for eight days, $120 for a full year. Medical benefits are valid whenever members are 100 miles or more from home (coverage in both the United States and abroad). Other services: information on ski conditions, visas, passports, weather, currency exchange rates, tipping, shopping, restaurants, transportation. In addition, TAI will relay emergency messages to or from members. More than 200 offices in 160 nations (60 million subscribers).

Call Travel Assistance International, toll-free (800) 821-2828.

Small Hotels

Beverly Beyer, weekly co-author of “Footloose” in this section, has updated her pocket-size paperback, “Passport To Europe’s Small Hotels & Inns.” Lists hundreds of choices in 23 countries (Austria to Yugoslavia). At a “fine old estate looking down on Honfleur” in France, a double with bath at the Ferme de la Grand Cour will cost you $44 U.S. Or in Cambridge, England, Beyer lists the Belle Vue Guest House with $60 rooms (double, no private baths). In London, she names an old favorite of ours, the Westland, for $86 a night with private bath. Beyer gets into some pricey spots as well. She provides some excellent tips in her introduction (packing hints, car rentals, Eurailpasses, dining, etc.). Thumb through a copy at your bookstore and see what the book offers.