4 Stars Hotels in Windward Islands, French Polynesia

On our way to Moorea, we stopped over at the Hilton Tahiti for a couple of days. But those couple of days ended up being a lovely mini-vacation in itself. This property is exquisite because of its location and because it is very well managed. Usually we prefer an upper floor location, but upon checking-in, the very friendly front desk agent, Here, responded to our request for a ”quiet” room with a lovely ground-floor location with a large patio overlooking the flowering gardens and the ocean. Exquisite! The room was very clean, very comfortable and very quiet. (Veryx3!) It was also well designed and thoughtful in its detailing. Breakfast was served in the main restaurant and as Diamond members, we had a reserved window table each morning overlooking the water and the colorful inhabitants. What a thoughtful and simple touch that goes a long way in recognizing Hilton loyalty, and we noticed more of those simple yet graceful touches demonstrated by the staff during our stay. It seems that this property, like most hotels on the island of Tahiti, is used as a launching pad for guests to travel to the other islands and also as a stop on their way home while waiting for a red-eye flight out of PPT. Because of that, there are always a number of people and groups coming and going at all times. And this hotel handles it beautifully. While some properties might show their strain under such pressure, the Hilton actually shines brighter by being able to treat each guest with the wonderful hospitality and friendliness that graces all of French Polynesia. Māuruuru Hilton Tahiti for a marvelous introduction to the beauty of this lovely paradise!

Check in and our room were fine. The biggest problems were at the bar and restaurant. At the poolside bar, they never came back asking for refills. Had a hard time getting bar tenders' attention. When we finally asked for refills after waiting for 20 minutes, they gave us bills to be signed before serving us drinks. When they asked us to sign the bill, we said we wouldn't unless they give us the drinks we ordered. This went on for three refills. We finally got fed up and left for the restaurant. We did not have a reservation (just two people) and they simply said ”no seating without a reservation”. The front desk never suggested it nor the restaurant staff checking to see any openings at different time slot. This was our last night of our vacation and we were looking forward to a nice final dinner and drinks. But instead, we had to leave with a bitter taste in our mouth. Very disappointed.

Loved everything about our stay... Wonderful friendly service, great location. Our over the water bunngalo was heavenly surrounded by chrystal clear water, it was like living in an aquarium. The activities desk, arranged thee fantastic experiences for us. Could not be happier! Oh and did I mention the massage...it was dreamy, by far one of the best I've ever had! My husband and I had massages by twin sisters who were fantastic, if you get lucky enough to have either on, you will not be disappointed!

We have been waiting through the Covid years to go to the Le Bora Bora Pearl Resort on Bora Bora and since a layover in Tahiti was required, we decided to stay at the company’s Tahiti resort for 2 nights because there was a good combo deal with the Bora Bora hotel. The late night arrival, one full day and another night ended up costing us about $US1000, including lunch and dinner but not breakfast. Do I think it was worth the price? Probably not. (BTW, the breakfast buffet, while expansive, costs around $US35 per person). The room was spacious with a good bathroom. The bed was comfortable though the pillows were a bit flat. The balcony overlooked the black sand beach and the sea. It is a pretty resort. Moorea can be seen from the beach and you can swim or walk. The pool was nice but right next to the restaurant which seems to be common. There were cane chairs on the lawn and poolside lounges to sit and relax. The staff are helpful and friendly. Issue number 1 is the TV. CNN is the only English speaking station and it’s not worth watching anymore. The problem with all the French speaking stations is that the only subtitles available are also French. So no value for any later night television. Issue number 2 is the food options. They were OK without being exciting. And if you happen to need gluten-free, then your meals will be steak and salad. I probably expected more from a high class resort. Issue number 3 was the bath tub plug. It was broken and unusable. It was one of the pushdown models and it had snapped off. Now obviously we could have called about that and it would have been fixed with a bit of effort. However for an upmarket resort, it shouldn’t have been broken in the first place. It should have been noticed before our stay. Issue number 4 is “kill the rooster”. They have a wandering rooster and chickens. All very free range and natural. But the rooster crows not just at dawn but all day and more seriously, all night long. Our sleep was interrupted several times both nights by the random series of crowing at all hours. There are many positive things about this resort, which probably compensate for the few negatives. However, I just don’t think it was worth the expense. It is difficult to compare to any of the other resorts on the main island without having been to any. This may be the standard. I was expecting a bit more.

The stay was very comfortable, the staff was very welcoming, and not far from the city, the breakfast was rich. It is also convenient to the surrounding attractions and the hotel can also park for free. It's relatively clean.

On our way to Moorea, we stopped over at the Hilton Tahiti for a couple of days. But those couple of days ended up being a lovely mini-vacation in itself. This property is exquisite because of its location and because it is very well managed. Usually we prefer an upper floor location, but upon checking-in, the very friendly front desk agent, Here, responded to our request for a ”quiet” room with a lovely ground-floor location with a large patio overlooking the flowering gardens and the ocean. Exquisite! The room was very clean, very comfortable and very quiet. (Veryx3!) It was also well designed and thoughtful in its detailing. Breakfast was served in the main restaurant and as Diamond members, we had a reserved window table each morning overlooking the water and the colorful inhabitants. What a thoughtful and simple touch that goes a long way in recognizing Hilton loyalty, and we noticed more of those simple yet graceful touches demonstrated by the staff during our stay. It seems that this property, like most hotels on the island of Tahiti, is used as a launching pad for guests to travel to the other islands and also as a stop on their way home while waiting for a red-eye flight out of PPT. Because of that, there are always a number of people and groups coming and going at all times. And this hotel handles it beautifully. While some properties might show their strain under such pressure, the Hilton actually shines brighter by being able to treat each guest with the wonderful hospitality and friendliness that graces all of French Polynesia. Māuruuru Hilton Tahiti for a marvelous introduction to the beauty of this lovely paradise!

Check in and our room were fine. The biggest problems were at the bar and restaurant. At the poolside bar, they never came back asking for refills. Had a hard time getting bar tenders' attention. When we finally asked for refills after waiting for 20 minutes, they gave us bills to be signed before serving us drinks. When they asked us to sign the bill, we said we wouldn't unless they give us the drinks we ordered. This went on for three refills. We finally got fed up and left for the restaurant. We did not have a reservation (just two people) and they simply said ”no seating without a reservation”. The front desk never suggested it nor the restaurant staff checking to see any openings at different time slot. This was our last night of our vacation and we were looking forward to a nice final dinner and drinks. But instead, we had to leave with a bitter taste in our mouth. Very disappointed.

We have been waiting through the Covid years to go to the Le Bora Bora Pearl Resort on Bora Bora and since a layover in Tahiti was required, we decided to stay at the company’s Tahiti resort for 2 nights because there was a good combo deal with the Bora Bora hotel. The late night arrival, one full day and another night ended up costing us about $US1000, including lunch and dinner but not breakfast. Do I think it was worth the price? Probably not. (BTW, the breakfast buffet, while expansive, costs around $US35 per person). The room was spacious with a good bathroom. The bed was comfortable though the pillows were a bit flat. The balcony overlooked the black sand beach and the sea. It is a pretty resort. Moorea can be seen from the beach and you can swim or walk. The pool was nice but right next to the restaurant which seems to be common. There were cane chairs on the lawn and poolside lounges to sit and relax. The staff are helpful and friendly. Issue number 1 is the TV. CNN is the only English speaking station and it’s not worth watching anymore. The problem with all the French speaking stations is that the only subtitles available are also French. So no value for any later night television. Issue number 2 is the food options. They were OK without being exciting. And if you happen to need gluten-free, then your meals will be steak and salad. I probably expected more from a high class resort. Issue number 3 was the bath tub plug. It was broken and unusable. It was one of the pushdown models and it had snapped off. Now obviously we could have called about that and it would have been fixed with a bit of effort. However for an upmarket resort, it shouldn’t have been broken in the first place. It should have been noticed before our stay. Issue number 4 is “kill the rooster”. They have a wandering rooster and chickens. All very free range and natural. But the rooster crows not just at dawn but all day and more seriously, all night long. Our sleep was interrupted several times both nights by the random series of crowing at all hours. There are many positive things about this resort, which probably compensate for the few negatives. However, I just don’t think it was worth the expense. It is difficult to compare to any of the other resorts on the main island without having been to any. This may be the standard. I was expecting a bit more.

On our way to Moorea, we stopped over at the Hilton Tahiti for a couple of days. But those couple of days ended up being a lovely mini-vacation in itself. This property is exquisite because of its location and because it is very well managed. Usually we prefer an upper floor location, but upon checking-in, the very friendly front desk agent, Here, responded to our request for a ”quiet” room with a lovely ground-floor location with a large patio overlooking the flowering gardens and the ocean. Exquisite! The room was very clean, very comfortable and very quiet. (Veryx3!) It was also well designed and thoughtful in its detailing. Breakfast was served in the main restaurant and as Diamond members, we had a reserved window table each morning overlooking the water and the colorful inhabitants. What a thoughtful and simple touch that goes a long way in recognizing Hilton loyalty, and we noticed more of those simple yet graceful touches demonstrated by the staff during our stay. It seems that this property, like most hotels on the island of Tahiti, is used as a launching pad for guests to travel to the other islands and also as a stop on their way home while waiting for a red-eye flight out of PPT. Because of that, there are always a number of people and groups coming and going at all times. And this hotel handles it beautifully. While some properties might show their strain under such pressure, the Hilton actually shines brighter by being able to treat each guest with the wonderful hospitality and friendliness that graces all of French Polynesia. Māuruuru Hilton Tahiti for a marvelous introduction to the beauty of this lovely paradise!

Check in and our room were fine. The biggest problems were at the bar and restaurant. At the poolside bar, they never came back asking for refills. Had a hard time getting bar tenders' attention. When we finally asked for refills after waiting for 20 minutes, they gave us bills to be signed before serving us drinks. When they asked us to sign the bill, we said we wouldn't unless they give us the drinks we ordered. This went on for three refills. We finally got fed up and left for the restaurant. We did not have a reservation (just two people) and they simply said ”no seating without a reservation”. The front desk never suggested it nor the restaurant staff checking to see any openings at different time slot. This was our last night of our vacation and we were looking forward to a nice final dinner and drinks. But instead, we had to leave with a bitter taste in our mouth. Very disappointed.