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.

We booked our honeymoon package with Tahiti Legends, and the resorts happened to be the Intercontinental in Moorea and Bora Bora. I will review the Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora only here.

First, the positives:

The overwater bungalows were fully stocked with all of the amenities-glass table that opens up so you can feed the fish, 2 big screen TVs, DVD/CD players, big bathtub, shower, comfy bed, safe for valuables at no extra charge, and robes/slippers. The outdoor patio that leads down to your own private dock where you can go snorkeling or take your kayak to was amazing.

For the most part, the staff on the beach was very friendly, polite, and seemed concerned with making sure we had a great time. 2 out of the 3 concierges were great, too. A few of the servers stood out as very accommodating and friendly.

Now for the negatives:

As others have mentioned, the prices here are ridiculously high for the quality that we received. We don't mind spending the money, but the resort had better deliver. Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora did not.

At the breakfast buffet, some of the staff were just not happy to be there, much less interested in helping the guests. The omelette lady couldn't be bothered to, well, make omelettes.

One of the concierges was so incompetent that I wonder why she still has that job.

The biggest problems, however, are with the billing. Since we went with the package from Tahiti Legends, most of our services were already pre-paid and we had vouchers for them. However, we were still charged for some of the items that we had already paid for. The first time I could chalk up to an honest mistake, but to have it happen more than once shows a pattern of either sloppiness or dishonesty. The other major problem we had was regarding a bar credit that we had as part of our package. We were told by the front desk supervisor who checked us in that it could be applied to both food and drinks ordered from the bar. However, it turns out that she made a mistake and that hotel policy only allows for beverages to be applied to the credit. Since we were given wrong information and thought we had already used up our credit, we didn't order as many drinks as we could have had we known the correct information. We felt that since it was due to the supervisor's error, they should have just let us apply the credit to the food since the credit was non-refundable (we were only talking about 2300 XPF, which is about $30 USD). But instead of just eat the $30 and make two guests on their honeymoon happy, the supervisor told the manager a lie and said that she never told us the credit applied to the food. The worst part is, the manager chose to believe the supervisor and basically insinuated that we were the ones being dishonest! In all my years as a traveller, I have never been insulted by a hotel manager like that before. I was finally able to convince the manager that I was not lying, and she did eventually give us the credit, but the damage had already been done. All over $30.

With so many other better choices of resorts to stay at in Bora Bora, I cannot in good conscience ever recommend that anyone ever stay at Intercontinental Le Moana!

We booked through Tahiti Legends who provided a superb service (thanks Christine), and got a great deal of 1 night at the IC Tahiti plus 5 nights at Le Moana for the price of 3 (all breakfasts included). The hotel was everything we hoped it would be. From the initial greeting at the airport, the trip by boat to the hotel and the welcome by Stephanie and her team, to the moment we left, nothing could have been more perfect. The location, service, and overall feel of the hotel (traditional French polynesian style, small, intimate, friendly) were perfect. We joined the Priority Club before we left, and got upgraded to a horizon OWB. This is well worth joining. I joined the Ambassador programme while there, which gave us a 4pm checkout and other benefits for future IC stays - at £75pa its worth it.
We decided not to go mad on the trips available and use the time for total relaxation, which is what we went there for! Bloody Mary's for dinner was nice, although at about £50 each for a 3 course meal and drinks, it wasn't cheap. Bit of a conveyor belt though. You choose your meal from the display of the meats as you walk in. The bus driver said he would pick us up at 8 to go back to the hotel, so I was always looking at my watch. Anyway, back to the IC. We had a bad experience with the dinner show at the IC Thalasso. Again, not cheap, and we were given seats inside the restaurant and had to view the dancing through the window! To make it worse, one door was closed, so we couldnt hear the music anyway. The buffet meal was pretty awful, and the show itself was very poor to be honest, with the male dancers not really having a clue - this show is best avoided in my opinion. We complained via the Le Moana, and although Stephanie was very apologetic, and contacted the restaurant manager (Guillaume?) at the Thalasso, he didnt want to know, which I felt was very bad customer service. Spend your money on something else. This was at the Thalasso remember, not Le Moana, although they have a similar show on the beach I believe.
We bought pearls at Nico's in Vaitape, which the local people at the hotel thought was an expensive shop, so look around first.

We have just returned from a 2 week stay at Le Moana and have to say it was the most fantastic experience. The hotel has a great Polynesian feel and there is a really relaxed atmosphere about the whole place. We were greeted by Georgina and shown around before being taken to our beach bungalow. The bungalow although smaller than we saw at some of the other resorts had everything you need with the beach right on the doorstep. We upgraded for our last 3 nights to a Horizon overwater bungalow which was again excellent. The staff at the resort are always smiling and greet you every time you meet them. Francine at the bar will keep you entertained as well as providing great cocktails. The activity prices were a little high but having looked around a bit we booked our own (talk to Hibou who runs the shuttle bus from the hotel to Vaitape).
Overall a wonderful experience and I can recommend this resort to anybody thinking of a trip to Bora Bora.