When you're spending several months salary for a 9 day vacation it can make anyone nervous. We spent 5 days on Moorea at the Moorea Pearl Resort in a garden bungalow then went on a day trip at Bora Bora Pearl Resort that ended with a helicoper ride to La Tahaa where we stayed for the remaining 4 nights in an Over the Water Bungalow. (see part 1 of this review)

There are plenty of mixed reviews on all of the resorts and what I have gathered from reading is that your experience really depends on staying at a resort that is "your style". Jean Louis helped us do just that and we loved out trip! We were lucky in that a friend of the family works with him so that's how we found him. But he has a house on Moorea and really researches the resorts so that you can really trust his opinion.
Here is his contact info:

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We loved our stay at the Moorea Pearl Resort as well. Smaller resort but on a bigger island with more to do. Local restaurants would provide transportation for you to come dine with them. All the fresh sushi/tuna you could want. AMAZING. I was actually worried about eating because I don't like French foods but the Polynesian flare was perfect!

The Scuba at the Moorea Pearl was fantastic! My husband and I went with the dive master and his 2 assistants! That's it. We swam with sharks and turtles and a million species of fish. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

We splurged because it was our honeymoon and I would do it again in a heartbeat- if he'd only let me!

L&D
HB, CA

We celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary in August by taking the dream trip of a lifetime in French Polynesia. After a week on Regent's M/S Paul Gaughin, we concluded with five days at the Pearl in Moorea. In my opinion, we save the best for last.

A little about Moorea first. We stopped at Raitea, Taha'a, Bora Bora and Moorea. It's true that Bora Bora has beautiful water, but we found Moorea to be cleaner with richer vegetation and more interesting landscape. I relate it a bit to the way Kauai is different than the other Hawaiian islands for it's unspoiled natural beauty. If we had to choose one, Moorea would be our choice.

Arriving in the lobby of the Pearl was almost magical. It's an open-air lobby with thatched roof, nicely decorated with lots of tropical plants and spacious seating areas. We were immediately greeted by a bellboy who took our bags and a smiling woman in long floral printed dress who served us fresh pineapple juice in a glass with a little umbrella sticking out of it.

Check-in was quick and painless. The woman who checked us in was very friendly and took us on a tour of the resort, showing us where all the amenities were, answering any questions we had, and walked us to our room.

We stayed in a premium overwater bungalow. The one on the far right end as you face the ocean. Expensive, yes - but we felt it was well worth it for two reasons. That particular bungalow has the perfect angle for a beautiful view of the coastline as well as the ocean. It's also angled out enough towards the ocean that you have a great deal of privacy on the balcony.

When we entered the room, we found it to be even more beautiful than pictures we had seen. The bed was decorated with fresh red hibiscus blossoms in the shape of a heart, and a bottle of champagne was waiting on ice (although I was pregnant, so I couldn't drink it).

Throughout our stay, we would get a knock at the door and answer to find some sweet woman presenting us with a gift. They didn't always speak much English, but that was ok. I had not expected everyone to be so gracious and hospitable. We had read mixed reviews about that, but our experience was nothing but positive in that regard. The staff cleaned our room every day thoroughly and left us fresh towels - we never had to ask.

We are snorkelling enthusiasts, so we spent a lot of time in the water. The bungalows all have private docks with ladders into the lagoon. The resort provides snorkel gear and has an impressive conservationist effort going on to keep the coral healthy and growing as well as bringing in fish to populate the lagoon. We have snorkelled on several islands in Hawaii, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas, but we have never seen coral that was this healthy, colorful, and populated with fish. In short, the best snorkelling experience we have had to date, and because the lagoon is protected by a reef about 200 yards (I am guessing) off shore, you are protected from the surf and can swim freely for quite some distance with minimal fatigue. I think the reduction in waves due to the reef is also why the water is remarkably clear, moreso than the other places we have been that I listed above.

The horizon pool was stunning. We are from the southeastern United States, so we were also a bit stunned the first time we saw a woman sunbathing topless by the pool. Be prepared to see a fare amount of that.

I would concur with the other reviews that say the food at the resort is expensive. We found several great restaurants (Le Mahogany, Alfredo's, Te Honu Iti) outside the resort which were less expensive and would come pick you up if you call them, and we ate breakfast at Carmeline's almost every morning. It's just a short walk down the road (turn right out of the resort's driveway). The croissants are fresh every morning and fabulous.

Definitely rent a car for a day and drive around the island, and the shark and sting ray feeding tour is a must. And we would highly recommend the spa at the resort for a relaxing message. We did a couple's massage for 30 minutes and wished we had done longer. The spa has a distinct island, almost primitive feel to it. Not like the spas in the states. Very clean, very nice, but very natural. A much more relaxing atmosphere, I thought.

We have pictures and video of our trip here:
http://www.marvinandshea.com/pictures/pictures_travel_tahiti.htm

We have a baby on the way, so it will probably be a long time before we get back, but we definitely hope to go again someday.

My husband and I Stayed at the wonderful Pearl Resort for 5 nights post cruise from the 25-30th August, as part of our 25th Wedding anniversary celebration.
We went to visit it during a dirve around the island two days previous during our visit to Moorea on the Tahitian Princess to check it out. It was small but beautiful, the staff were very friendly and the receptionist remembered us when we arrived on 25th, we were welcomed with a Lei and cool drink and driven in a buggy to our premium OW bungalow room 426 THE BEST ONE IN THE RESORT TOTAL PRIVACY! Within 10mins complimentary Champagne arrived followed by a phonecall from the receptionist to make sure we were happy with our room, She told us it was their best and everyone wanted that one, she also told us that is was because we had called into the hotel previously that she remembered us and given it to us. We had an uninterupted view of the Sunsets and a drop off of well over 100' directly under half of the bungalow, the other half had coral teaming with fish, we could dive directly off our platform, we spent most of out time swimming and laying on our sunbeds on our own private piece of paradise. We had an American breakfast plan which I think was excellant value, fresh fruits, Yoghurts, Cereals, pastries, pancakes and hot breakfast, ommelettes cooked as you waited, we were so full which meant we weren't really hungry again until dinner, a bag of potato fries/chips from the local supermarket filled the gap along with a few beers. We used to sneak some sausage from the restaurant to feed the fish, they just went mad, and totally surrounded us.
We took our own snorkel gear but they have a box with their own you can use. The kyaks were nearly always available, we did room service on the first night which was about $18 for a lovely stacked burger with fries, the most tastiest meal on the island and the cheapest, you can sit in the bar restaurant and eat it there for the same money if you want to be sociable. We went to Alberts on the Sunday night listened to the Scottish singer sing old American songs, great sing-a-long but soooo pricey 1 starter, 2 side salads 3 main courses [went with a friend] garlic bread and 2 bottles of wine $348 unbelivable, once they take the menu away they say can I bring a side of salad and garlic bread with your meal, well that alone must hvae been $80, due to the restaurant being empty by 10 they wouldn't serve coffee as they wanted to close early, probaly would have cost another $30, maybe just as well! However the waiters were very friendly and we did have a fun night. Went to the Kevaka very pretty overwater restaurant but need to get a better chef, food not good, presentation very poor, could do so much more, considering its location. We hired a car for the day $80 from Alberts accross the road and drove around the Island, went to the Linvera floating restaurant for lunch good food and excellent snorkling well worth a stop, went to the Intercontinental, and was gad not to be staying there, beautiful but manifactured lagoons, huge complex and very cooperate, not our cup of tea, the Sheraton {we had stayed at the Sheraton pre-cruise this was excellent} was lovely, larger than the pearl very pretty but nowhere really to walk to, however unlike the Pearl the view of the ocean was not blocked out by the OW bungalows, we had considered staying there, but due to location had decided not to. We were just as happy to go back to the Pearl.
So if you cant afford a Premium OW then go for the beach bungalows instead is my opinion.
Moorea is the best Island and the Pearl is the best hotel!

I wonder if those who write negative reports about this resort were actually staying at the same lovely spot from which I just returned. Yes, the bungalows contain two separate dwelling units, but the soundproofing between the two allows for complete privacy. The two meter, attractive, wooden fence surrounding the small garden and lighted plunge pool allows for the same degree of privacy. There was an almost total lack of small children: perhaps two or three were there, the youngest appearing to be about six. Plenty of honeymooners seemed to be enjoying themselves successfully. The ambience created by French and Spanish speaking guests was charming. The hotel food was good, but not in the realm of really fine cuisine, except for one or two signature dishes. The seafood buffet was impressive. Within walking distance or a short drive there are a couple of really good French/Polynesian restaurants. I did find the breakfast price highly inflated--and a continental breakfast is only a couple of dollars less than the full buffet. Again within walking distance, there are charming cafes where it is possible to get a wonderful croissant or quiche and coffee for about 5,000 francs (roughly five bucks). A couple of roosters crowing in the pre-dawn hour provided impetus for an early morning dip in the infinity pool. I met some really cool pool workers, too. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the Black Pearl immensely and would return anytime. Arizona Traveler