The scent of vanilla follows you wherever you are on the flower-shaped island — Taha'a is responsible for 80% of vanilla production in French Polynesia, earning it the nickname "Vanilla Island." ...

TAHITI French Polynesia offers more flavor to those who sail beyond the hot spots. By Mark Sissons, Special to The Chronicle Jan 1, 2012- ... a flower so rare it grows nowhere else on earth.

The first thing I learn in French Polynesia is how little I need. A swimsuit is enough. Ten years have passed since my last visit to the island of Moorea—a decade of longing to return to the ...

One of French Polynesia's Society Islands (along with Tahiti and Moorea), Huahine is considered more off-the-beaten-path and requires a 40-minute flight from Papeete to reach.

From left: A hibiscus flower in the sand on Moorea; the author’s daughter Tove aboard the Paul Gauguin as it sails past the island of Taha’a.

Strangers banded together to send 8-year-old Mathias Pascal and his family to French Polynesia after he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He’s dreamed of visiting the islands since he ...