We were looking for simplicity with quality and were not disappointed...the overwater bungalows were amazing and the staff to match....stayed 5 nights Oct 7-12th - would go back in a minute. We enjoyed it all - the transfers were all most efficient and the boat ride to the resort was a welcome part of the day...always nice to spend a relaxing time on the water. Arriving early was not a problem, we were allowed to move into an adjoining bungalow until ours was ready then allowed to stay late for our departing flight - couldn't ask for more. Wonderful choice for anyone looking for some good solid rest and time to restore.

We stayed at the hotel between 14th & 17th October. We arrived by yacht having sailed around the Society Islands for a week. In fact we arrived a day early and announced our presence to Vatea who could not have been more helpful, allowed us to use the hotel mooring ball and then arranged for our over water bungalow to be prepared first thing the next morning when our crewed yacht left us. We were immediately impressed with the friendliness of the Polynesian staff and indeed all of the people of Huahine. This was in contrast to the rest of the Society Islands where the community were predominantly European and every beach seems to be private and protected by guard dogs and in one case a man brandishing a machete ! Te Tiare can only be accessed by boat which is a blessing to all those seeking a remote Polynesian location. Having read some past reviews we were a little concerned that the hotel would appear dated and in need of a refurb. We were most pleasantly surprised. Our room, the hotel in general and the grounds were in superb condition - having lived in the tropics for 4 years we know what an achievement this represents. The pool was also great. Lets put it this way. We stayed a the Waldorf Astoria in New York in August and the condition of that hotel was vastly inferior to Te Tiare. The food was also impressive, although we found the wine selection somewhat limited (albeit those wines that were available were reasonably priced). Our over water bungalow was situated right over a live and vibrant coral reef with nearby drop off. Again in stark contrast to the rest of the Society islands where almost all of the coral we came across was dead. The gift shop was closed however imediately opened when we expressed an interest at the front desk. We took the Motu Picnic extersion. A great 7 hour boat trip round the island that included drift snorkelling (some of it while feeding the resident population of black tip sharks !). We were allowed to keep our room right until our departure time of 3.30 PM. We gained a consistent impression of a highly efficiently run hotel: all of the staff were on the ball and tried their very best to accommodate us. We considered our stay very good value. Lets be clear Huahine is a remote Polynesian Island holding true to its Polynesian origins. We are well travelled and would put the island on a par with Mayreau in the Grenadines. Te Tiare with its 41 rooms is the biggest hotel on the island. If you're looking for packaged tourism go to Bora Bora. It took us 36 hours to travel to French Polynesia from the UK. We consider Te Tiare worth a return trip.

We believe Te Tiare is one of the best values among the over water beach resorts in the Society Islands. Our experience there was excellent from beginning to end. The hotel arranges for your transportation from the airport to their own boat terminal in the town of Fare. From there you take the hotel boat to the resort. The boat trip is within the lagoon's protected waters and takes at most 20 minutes.

Te Tiare is located in a beautiful cove surrounded by high hills and tropical forest. There are no roads to the resort, so the sense of having your own private island destination is complete. Unlike Bora Bora, which seemed overbuilt, it is Huahine's only over water beach resort.

We stayed in the over water bungalows furtherest toward the ocean. The room was quite spacious and very nice. Each has direct access to the ocean for swimming or snorkeling.
At night you could hear the surf booming on the reef surrounding the island.

In all instances, the service and management of Te Tiare was excellent. Arrival and check in was painless as was our departure. We found the restaurant to be excellent. There was a very nice beach, kayaks and canoes free for guest use, a small but beautiful freshwater pool, and the grounds of the resort were beautifully maintained.

If your aim is to find a very quiet tropical retreat from a busy world, this is a good choice. If you need to be entertained, the hotel has a weekly polynesian dance show, but that's it, so you should plan on trying some of the activities like snorkel tours, fishing, or island tours.

Overall, we were very disappointed in our stay at Te Tiare. We stayed at 4 other resorts in French Polynesia, and this was very much at the bottom of the list on many fronts; however, was the most expensive. I would never stay there again. Other resorts blew this one away.

With the right investment and service culture, this place could be amazing (given its location in a lagoon nestled into the side of a mountain). But, it definitely is not.

From a physical plant standpoint, it is definitely well past it's prime with much deferred maintenance. It is an older resort, and it shows through. Many little things could have been done to help in this regard, but hadn't been. The beach is very small, and the pool is both small and very basic concrete - with no attempt to have made it snazzier over time. Other places had amazing infinity pools. This one looked like something from the YMCA in Reading, PA.

From a service/friendliness standpoint, it was notably at the bottom of the list compared to other resorts. One reason seemed to be that they were VERY short staffed. Sometimes it felt like a ghost town at the front desk. For example, when we arrived, it took us well over a half hour to get a drink at the bar, it seemed because the bartender was out cleaning rooms. Over and over we heard all of the reasons that we couldn't get something done - when everywhere else was extremely accommodating. When we left on our last day, it was early in the morning. I just got a luggage cart and rolled our bags to the main building myself (which is a good walk), rather than deal with the service staff.

Regarding convenience, you can't get there by land, so you have to take the shuttle boat. But, the shuttle boat doesn't run from the airport and doesn't run frequently. On our arrival day, we were met at the airport by a cab - no resort staff present. We had to load our luggage into the cab by ourselves. It turns out that the cab driver had also made a deal to take another couple to a pension well off the road. When we arrived at the shuttle dock, there was no boat there, and the schedule showed that we'd have to wait almost 2 hours for the next one. The cab driver said one would come "in 10 minutes." We waited 10 minutes and no sign of a boat. It turns out that our cab driver had called the resort and told them to not wait for us (on the prior shuttle run) so that he could drop the other couple off. I ended up calling the resort (at international rates) and they informed me that we'd have to wait the 2 hours. I wondered why we were paying $80 for "airport transfer" if we were just taking their regularly-scheduled boat. After some discussion, they seemed to realize that we were resort guests and said they'd send the shuttle back. I found this odd as we had provided our flight information - and everywhere else was very on top of this aspect of service. I asked when it would arrive, and they said he'd be there in 15. After 15 minutes, I called again and they said he would leave soon. More than 30 minutes later, a shuttle arrived. All of this was extra upsetting when you then realize that its only a 12 minute boat ride. So, your only connection to get anywhere from the resort is the shuttle, which runs more like every 2 hours, and the boat captains were unfriendly.

On the plus side, the lagoon was the best one for snorkeling and swimming from your bungalow - being bit deeper and having coral and fish in it.