An eight-hour flight from Los Angeles, French Polynesia consists of 118 islands sprinkled across an area of ocean almost the size of continental Europe. Of its five archipelagoes, the Society Islands are perhaps the best known to foreigners: Bora Bora, Taha’a, Raiatea and Huahine, all less than an hour by air northwest of Tahiti. Bora Bora is the embodiment of the South Pacific fantasy, and the physical beauty of its lush, mountainous landscape has to be seen to be believed. Every possible paradisiacal cliché has been written about the place and, incredibly, most of them are true. All resorts scattered around the atolls present exceptional cuisine, sophisticated spas and many captivating ways to spend your days, and the m/s Paul Gauguin offers romantic cruises in the archipelago. Whenever I return and catch my first glimpse of the electric-turquoise water of the lagoon, I experience the same rush of exhilaration that I felt on my first visit, and I’m ready to dive back in.