Where to stay in Tahiti??

[JoeAndMichael]

We'll be on the Tahitian Princess out of Papeete 2/28/08 thru 3/8/08. From what I read on CC, Papeete is not a great place... unlike the other islands.

 

We'll be needing an economical place to stay at cruise-end and possibly before it leaves. Does anybody know of a gay Owned-and-Operated small hotel or B&B in Papeete.

 

If not, how difficult would it be to leave the ship in Papeete and get (return?) to the nearest beautiful location where there IS such an accomodation? We don't care (much) about the bars or nightlife, but would want beach access or at least a pool. Snorkelig would be great!

 

Wherever we wind up, we'll have to return to Papeete to take the flight back home.

 

Any suggestions? Help!!

Joe & Michael

UcruiseUschmooze@gmail.com and/or DubyaIsAMoron@Presidency.com

[twoontheisle]

Joe and Michael-

I posted a response to this under the "French Polynesia" strand on this thread. They (LeMandarine) were finishing up a total remodel so you will find it clean and acceptable. As for price, it was about $150 US per night. Easy access to the entire town/port as well.

[Oppgaard]

An economical but nice place is also the Hotel Le Royal Tahitien. It is totally mainstream but I have clients who have stayed there and been very pleased.

[pke-atlanta]

We'll be staying in Papeete on the back end of the Atlantis cruise, arriving on April 11. Before the cruise, we'll be flying to Bora Bora and staying at the St. Regis. But we're at a loss as to where to stay in Papeete. We're leaning towards the Intercontinental, but I've heard mixed things about it. Can anyone recommend the nicest place to stay for these two days? We thought about just flying to Moorea, but our departure flight back to the states requires us to spend our last night in Papeete, and it seems like too much trouble to go back to Moorea just for one night. Not looking for a budget place - looking for the nicest hotel available. Thanks!

[DougandEric]

Hi pke-atlanta,

 

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Papeete and thought it was just fine. We were told their other properties were much nicer but it worked for us. They were rebuilding the overwater bungalows on the motu and remodeling the lobby area when we were there (November 2014) but I think that should be done by the time you would stay there. We were treated very well and bellmen were very good looking in just their pareos and sandals!

 

The nicest pool is the infinity pool with a swim up bar by the Le Lotus restaurant. They also have lagoon that you can snorkel in as well a dive shop that can arrange all kinds of water based things.

 

The drawback to the property is that it is isolated from the town center and you have to take a taxi (approx. $20 each way). There are no restaurants nearby so you either have to eat at the resort or take a taxi. We ate mostly at the resort and the food was very good but pricey (as you'd expect at a resort). If you want to take a walk of about a mile, there is a large department/food store (Carrefours) to the right as you leave the resort where you can stock up on pretty much anything. They do have a shuttle service that will drop you off and pick you up in town a couple of times a day for a nominal fee or they can get you a taxi as well. The resort is also on the bus line but we didn't try that. We stayed 3 nights before our Princess cruise and booked a day room after since our flight didn't leave until 11PM.

 

Some other options could be:

Manava Suite Resort Tahiti

 

Le Meridien Tahiti

 

I would check out TripAdvisor for suggestions. Hope this helps.

 

 

Doug

[pke-atlanta]

Thanks very much, Doug!

[Adidas4fun]

We stayed at Le Meridian as well and really enjoyed ourselves.

 

However, the ferry to Moorea is just walking distance from where most cruise ships dock and is also a wonderful place to stay.

[pke-atlanta]

Adidas4fun, How long does the ferry to Moorea take? Our flight back to the states is at 7AM, so whatever we do, we'll have to stay the last night of the trip in Papeete in order to catch our flight. And we only have two total nights on the back end of our cruise, which would mean only one night in Moorea. (As an aside, the cruise we're on also stops in Moorea, so we will see it either way). And you also named the other hotel we were considering for Papeete - Le Meridien! I guess we'll just have to look at pictures and reviews of both, pick a place and go with it!

 

This will be our first time in that part of the world, so any other tips/hints you can give us of things to do and see would be appreciated. I'm not a huge shopper, but if there are good deals to be had on black pearls or high-end watches (Cartier, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Patek Philippe), I'll take those recommendations as well!

[Adidas4fun]

Here is the schedule for one ferry company: http://www.clubbalihai.com/ferry_schedule_from_papeete_to_moorea.html

 

other companies listed here: http://www.thetahititraveler.com/island-guide/society-islands/tahiti/ferries/

 

as you can see the trip is 30 or 45 ins depending on which ferry.

 

With your flight back being so early I think Le Meridian is the better choice as you can get shuttle or taxi to the airport easily (we had to check out of our room at 4.30am for our flight around the same time as yours).

 

I'm not much of a shopper so cant comment on that but really enjoyed swimming with the sharks at Bora Bora. But maybe I'm not the best to advise you as our holiday was far from economical.

[rwdtgb]

We stayed at both the Le meridian and the Inter Continental and prefer the Inter Continental. WE travel much like you, St. Regis, 4 Seasons. I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

Tom