For our 5th anniversary, my husband and I spent 3 nights on Moorea and 4 nights on Bora Bora, staying at 3 separate properties (see separate reviews for the Sheraton Moorea Resort and IC Thalasso). There is so much written about these 3 resorts, I’m not sure how much I can add, but here goes…
We booked this property through Expedia, then called IC directly and had them add our Ambassador Club number. We arrived pretty early in the morning to Bora Bora. We had no problem finding the Intercontinental desk at the airport where we were greeted with flower necklaces and bottles of water. From the dock at the hotel, we were escorted to the lobby by the hotel manager, which was a pretty nice touch, although we didn’t realize he was the manager until later. Check-in was in the bar area of the hotel and we were presented with cool towels and a fruit drink. We were allowed an early check-in, which was really nice. As Ambassador Club members we were upgraded at Le Moana to a Horizon Bungalow, #23, and had a lovely view back toward the island and of the mountain. The bungalow was more Polynesian in décor than the Thalasso, but also much smaller. The water outside our bungalow was fairly shallow – probably about 3 ½ or 4 feet. The snorkeling here is not as good as in Moorea because there is not a lot of coral and while they are trying to grow coral under the bungalows, it is not very developed yet. We did have a group of sea urchins under our bungalow that we kept our eyes on during our stay.
The bungalow was very comfortable. The bathroom fixtures could probably use an update and the shower is kind of – different. There is no shower curtain or shower stall, just a shower head at the end of the room. We usually managed to get water all over the place when showering, but had plenty of towels to clean up with. The safe in the room is tiny. If you have a laptop, it probably won’t fit in the safe. I think it’s worth mentioning, however, that while I had read in some reviews that people had things stolen (clothes and hair accessories, I remember) while in Bora Bora, we accidentally left our safe open one day and not one thing was touched.
We actually thought the staff at Le Moana was wonderful. They were incredibly helpful, VERY friendly, and very willing to answer our questions (even when we had a million!). Everyone had a smile and an “Ia Orana” when we passed by. There is a turn down service and in addition to turning down your bed, they bring extra towels and a treat. The only “negative’ was that we were denied a late checkout. They said they needed the room and since we were checking out on a Friday, we didn’t doubt that to be true.
The breakfast there was okay, definitely not great, and the buffet is the only choice – no ala carte offered. We had lunch one day there and it was a lot better than breakfast. Dining hours are shortened, meaning food is not available all day – I think breakfast was until 10:30, then lunch was 12:00 – 3:00 and dinner was 6:30 – 9:30 (roughly – I may be a little off). They do have a happy hour from 5:00 – 6:00.
We took the van to town while we were at Le Moana, which was 800 XCP/each. We thought we could shop for cheaper souvenirs in town, but in all honesty things there are not any cheaper than at the resort, although there is a little more variety. We also walked over to Matira Beach for the sunset.
I made reservations before leaving home at Le Villa Mahana. The staff at Le Moana re-confirmed for us and made sure the transportation was being provided. Le Villa Mahana was definitely our best meal while in French Polynesia. It’s a great experience to eat there – Damien is incredible. He took our order and also came out and said goodbye and asked if everything was alright. My husband had the fish of the day, Red Snapper, and I had the Mahi Mahi – both were excellent. The chocolate cake with a gooey center was recommended for dessert and it was also excellent with ice cream. Lots of reviews I read said that Le Villa Mahana books up months in advance. I was able to get a reservation about 2 weeks before our trip and a couple that rode over with us actually made their reservations THAT DAY, so don’t assume it’s booked – it’s worth it to try.
In summary, this property is quaint, while the Thalasso is definitely flashier. The rooms are a lot smaller, but are still quite comfortable and although I’ve seen some negative reviews regarding the service, we had excellent service here during our stay.
