Ta’aha, French Polynesia

Flower-shaped Taha’a floats in the same turquoise lagoon as Raiatea and Bora Bora—close in distance, yet a world apart. It may not share their spotlight, but the island carries its own quiet charisma. Step ashore and you’ll feel it; the scent of vanilla drifts on the breeze, and family-run estates share their stories of how each orchid is hand-pollinated in a ritual known as “marrying the vanilla.” Taste the island’s spirit—literally—in small-batch, artisanal rum distilled from heritage sugarcane and infused with vanilla or local tropical fruits. Head back to shore for a quiet afternoon beneath the broad leaves of a breadfruit tree, sipping cool coconut water and watching the lagoon’s changing shades of blue melt into the sky.