It's one of the most beautiful regions on the planet - and it's a long, long way away - so you'll want to make the very most of your visit to Tahiti and the rest of French Polynesia. Here's how.

Have a picnic on a desert island

When we say desert island, we mean it. Think picture-perfect Robinson Crusoe-style escapism, with a cluster of palm trees, azure ocean on all sides and absolutely no civilisation in sight. The trick is to head for a motu, a small sandy island in the middle of a reef, often just a short boat ride from a major island destination like Bora Bora.

A multitude of boat trips can be readily found on most major Polynesian destinations. Some will drop you off on a motu and send you snorkelling whilst they prepare a sumptuous picnic for you to eat beneath a coconut tree. If you prefer, you could arrange to be left entirely to your own devices for several hours (or even overnight), and get picked up by the boat later.

There are precious few places in the world where you can find this sort of jaw-droppingly idyllic tropical island life, and even fewer where nature has been left so mercifully pristine and untouched. We can guarantee you won't want to go back to the real world afterwards.

(Visit www.tahiti-tourisme.co.uk for more info on Tahiti and her islands. Click here to search for Tahiti flights with Air Tahiti Nui.)