The staff at the Manava Suites Hotel bent over backward to make our stay enjoyable. We had a minor problem the day of arrival, and staff exhibited exemplary customer service to solve the problem. The rooms are beautifully appointed and the view breathtaking. The pool is rather small, and the property smaller than we expected, but it was refreshing to stay at a place that wasn't an international mega-resort. The breakfast was delicious and plentiful; service outstanding. There is a tour guide desk in the hotel, which makes arranging excursions to Tahiti and other islands very convenient. Tahiti is extremely expensive, so we suggest that if you stay here and want to go into Papeete, take the bus (200 francs) rather than a taxi (2000 francs). Also, try the nearby roulottes (take-out trailers) for a reasonably priced, delcious dinners. They open around 6:00 p.m.

the plus: great rooms (incl great bathroom), good view, not too far from the airport, cost-efficient
the minus: breakfast below par, in-room dining somewhat disappointing, no nice beach (only pool and a drop-off jetty into the lagoon), and the hotel bus back to the airport charges more than agreed (2'000 instead of 1'500)
if you bring your own food then the kitchen in the room is well-equipped for cooking.

The Manava Suite Resort is a quiet, comfortable, pleasant hotel that also happens to be a great value, for a number of reasons.

The hotel is a 10 minute ride from the airport and perhaps 15 minutes to Papeete. It is located on the bus line if you don't want to pay the high prices taxis charge, but be aware that there is little bus service on Sundays and holidays. There is not much in the way of restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the hotel, so if you don't want to eat all your meals in the hotel restaurant you should reserve a room with a kitchenette. There is a small grocery store across the street and two larger grocery stores about 30 minutes walk away.

The hotel is new and nicely designed. We selected a garden suite and were quite pleased with its spaciousness, convenient design and comfortability. There is a large balcony, which allowed us to eat our meals outdoors. The garden suites have a view of the mountains instead of the ocean. We found the view pleasant and peaceful and wondered if the ocean view suites might not be a little noisey due to all of the pool activity.

The beds are comfortable. There is a large flat screen tv in both the bedroom and the living room. The housekeeping was first rate. The housekeepers were friendly and willing to schedule their visits around the times we went out. If I had any complaint about the rooms, it would relate to the shower floor drain leaking sewer gas. That problem was easily solved by placing a wet washcloth over the drain, but the hotel should find a way to remedy the problem permanently.

The front desk went "above and beyond" on several different occasions to help solve problems, give advice, and explain the bill. And they did it all with genuine pleasantness. We did have one instance where an important message was not passed along to us, but it is difficult to say who, if anyone, was at fault.

The restaurant serves a nice breakfast buffet with a little something for everyone's tastes and dietary requirements. Be sure to book the room package that includes breakfast because it's a little pricey if you pay separately. Don't miss the smoked fish or the poisson cru! We ate one or two other meals in the restaurant during non-breakfast hours, but the food was a little pricey and not exceptional. That led us to the decision to use the well-equipped kitchenette.

The pool area is quite beautiful and the view of Moorea from the pool is stunning. You can also snorkel in the ocean from the hotel's dock, but be aware of the location of the strong currents in the area.

I give this hotel a thumbs up.

We just returned from two weeks in Tahiti and our travel agent recommended the Manava to us. We nearly didn't stay here as there were no 2 bedroom suites available and my husband & I weren't that keen on spending all that money for us to sleep on a sofa bed in a 1 bedroom suite. However, we did stay here for 2 nights at the beginning of our trip and 1 night before we flew home and are extremely glad we did. The sofa bed was as good as a real bed with a lovely thick mattress. Suites were beautiful and spacious - well worth the money we thought. Our first impressions of this resort were also our last - what a fantastic complex!
The restaurant had closed by the time we got there so the barman recommended walking down the street to the 'roulettes' - vans which cook meals and you sit around to eat or takeaway. These were great and alot cheaper than the hotel so we used these often.
We had breakfast included in our package and it was quite sufficient. We only sat in the bar once, I would say it was ok but not really a family bar.
The pool is just awesome with great views of Moorea. You could just sit there all day and look at the view.
We got the public transport into Papeete (200 francs each) so it was cheap and a fine way to get into town.
We decided not to get transfers to/from airport in our package. There were plenty of taxis available and for around 2500 to 3000 francs you can get to the Manava from the airport. Plus you don't have the hassle at stopping at each resort for dropoffs/pickups along the way.
Staff were very friendly and helpful. Overall the whole resort was great.
Would definitely stay here again, but only for the time that we did. I think you would probably run out of things to do if you had a longer stay here. Go to Moorea, it is beautiful!!