Taha’a Maitai

French Polynesia’s tourism service, in its guide for sailors, calls it one of the best restaurants on Taha’a. The guide singles out Bruno, a keen sailor, and his menu built around vanilla. The spice is part of life on Taha’a: the same guide lists vanilla plantations that welcome visitors, a vanilla shop and a four-wheel-drive vanilla tour.

Order from the vanilla-based menu and ask Bruno which dishes he recommends that day. Tahiti Tourisme files the cooking under Oceanian cuisine.

Haamene Bay is one of the deepest bays in the Leeward Islands. At its head, two mooring buoys give access to the village, over a muddy bottom that is well sheltered from the prevailing winds; the quota is two yachts for up to 24 hours. Tie the dinghy at the pier in front of the restaurant, but keep clear of the Raiatea to Taha’a ferry, which uses the same pier. Nearer the mouth of the bay, Hibiscus restaurant has two private moorings and a dock of its own.

Tahiti Tourisme lists lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Thursday, dinner only on Saturday and lunch only on Sunday, with the restaurant closed on Monday and Friday. Book by phone. Haamene itself has doctors, a pharmacy, grocery stores, a post office and a cash machine. For a walk, an old four-wheel-drive track crosses the island from Haamene to Patio over the Vaiautea pass, about three hours on foot.