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Hotel Class: 
5 Stars - 8 Reviews and 338 Opinions
BP 28, Maharepa, Moorea, 98728, French Polynesia
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of people enjoy staying here
346 Opinions
jmpncsu
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My wife and I spent part of our honeymoon (3 nights) in Moorea at the Sofitel Ia Ora Resort, booked through Tahiti Travel Planners. When we arrived, the porters took our luggage and we were given fresh pineapple juice as we filled out paperwork. The staff were friendly and helpful and upgraded us from Lagoon View to Beach Bungalow for our honeymoon. The room was absolutely beautiful. We were near the end of the property so had some privacy and our front porch faced directly to the beach (well there was a hammock between us and the beach and that sure got used). The breakfast buffet was included in our stay, which we really enjoyed - especially the wonderful fresh fruit and juices. For lunch and dinner, the food was good, nothing great and quite expensive, but to be expected in Polynesia. We also went diving with Ia Ora Diving. It was our first real dive since becoming certified and we had a great time. I wrote a separate review for the diving. The snorkeling at the resort was great too. From the beach, head north-ish towards the public beach (Temae) and just a few meters in the water there are great little reefs with an abundance of sea life in waste-deep water. We even saw an octopus here, just a short ways away from our bungalow. Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would highly recommend Sofitel Ia Ora and Tahiti Travel Planners to anyone planning to go to Moorea. We hope to go back for our ten year anniversary.
Unique Quality: Great snorkeling just north of the beach. The Toatea Overlook is just above the hotel.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: Beach Bungalows
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TemperatureWuss
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Even if you don't stay here, the beach is public access. Some of the locals there may come up to you on the beach an try to charge you a fee... don't pay it! It's EXPENSIVE, but beautiful.
Unique Quality: The beach and overwater bungalows are what everyone dreams of when they think of French Polynesia.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: Over the Water Bungalows
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Canadian_Traveler
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The pool area is very nice but I have to admit, I don't think I saw a single person in the pool the entire week we were in Moorea. The beach/ocean is so incredibly beautiful you likely won't make it to the pool either.
The water was warm and there was a small kids' pool attached to the main pool. Neither is very large, but again, you'll likely spend most of your time on the beach / in the ocean.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: A View from the Pool
Canadian_Traveler
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We stayed in the furthest into the ocean overwater even though we paid for 5 nts. beach hut / 1 nt. overwater...not sure if it was a mistake or an upgarde but we were VERY pleased and have to give this hotel serious props!
The overwater is absolutely perfect. The restaurants are good (but expensive) and the service was very good, not exceptional but we didn't need much.
I would higly recommend staying here and would also reccomend stopping at one of the grocery stores near by to stock up on some food and drinks (there's a mini fridge in room) so you don't have to pay the high prices of the hotel and also so you can hole up in your bungalow for much of the vacation....especially if you're honeymooning. :)
Unique Quality: The upgrade was most outstanding. Also, after visiting most of the other major hotels/resorts, I would have to say that the beach at the Sofitel is by far one of the best (the Sheraton is also very nice).
The pool is fine though we never actually went in it because the beach was so great.
Snorkeling is amazing...lots of different fish, mostly small but very, very colourful!
The view of Tahiti at night is awesome. If you're staying in an overwater, try to e-mail a request in advance for one of the bungalows furthest out, with a view of Tahiti. You won't be disappointed.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: A View from Above
MakeMake
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Good hotel with excellent shallow lagoon and opportunity for snorckeling
Unique Quality: Great beach
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort
wadekorzan
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When you are booking your hotel room, of course it sounds so nice to be right there on the beach if you are going to stay in a bungalow. However, the price can be much higher for a beach front room and you might not be that much closer to the beach after all. We stayed for most of our stay in a garden bungalow, and we could still see the ocean from the room and we were just a few steps away from the beach anyway. We were glad that we saved the money as we were able to do alot of other things when we were not in fact at the hotel.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: Garden Bungalows, Sofitel Ia Ora
wadekorzan
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Unique Quality: We thought it was incredible that the coffee table inside the overwater bungalow is actually like a window to the sea. he top is made of glass, and you can open up the table so as to look directly down at the water. At night, the lights under the overwater bungalow attract alot of fish so it is almost like a natural aquarium. It really is a very unique feature of staying in a room like this.
More information is available through the website of the Sofitel Ia Ora Hotel.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: "The natural aquarium"
wadekorzan
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We stayed 5 nights at the Sofitel Ia Ora, and it was very very nice. For most of the stay we had a garden bungalow, which is less expensive than the beachfront bungalows or the overwater bungalows. However, the last night we splurged and stayed in an overwater bungalow---we just had to do it. Yes, it is embarrassingly expensive to spend so much money on something like this, but, we really did enjoy it. We were in Room #20, the furthest one out over the sea, and went swimming and snorkeling right from our room by diving into the water. It was great.
The hotel has a very nice pool, a great bar, decent food, and nice shows in the evening, as well as lots of water activities, etc. For more info, check out their website.
Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort Photo: Room #20 Overwater bungalow
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Hotel Sofitel, Moorea Did not stay overnight, but spent a good part of a day here. Great shallow water snorkeling, 5-6 ft, lots of fish, coral, nice view of Tahiti. A French resort so you will see many topless women!
I had a chance to go in one of the overwater huts, and what a paradise! The coffee table was glass with a view of the coral and fish below. At night it's lit up.
We stayed at Le Meridian on Tahiti but visited the Park Royale (Intercontinental) which was very rundown looking and the swimming pool had been drained. The Sofitel Ia Ora on Moorea was the best place we stayed on our 3 island tour. The one place where the service was almost friendly, the food a notch better and a tad cheaper. Great snorkeling.
As mentioned in my summary, this is more "rustic" than the big fancy corporate resorts (Sofitel Ia Ora, etc). If you stay here, you *won't* get in-room TV, over-the-water bungalows, a/c, mints on your pillow, etc. You may find that you have cracked countertops or some cobwebs, and you'll most likely have geckos in your room. It's not super-fashionable or swanky in the least. It IS very relaxed, cozy, friendly, and very homey overall. You *will* get chickens and land crabs (it's not Tahiti without them, in my opinion), a cat or two, friendly staff (we even had their kids visit in Halloween masks), very natural surroundings, great coral and fish, and overall a homey place to stay. Happily, all the other guests at the resort were very friendly, and always felt like there were people to visit with.
So, if you're looking for polished, fancy lodgings, stick with the Sofitel or other resorts. If you want to experience the "real Moorea" check out the Kaveka! really nice coral, stunning mountain views, friendly staff and owners, great value for the dollar!
The snorkeling was wonderful here - lots of shallow healthy coral near shore, and off the end of the long dock, it drops to 40 feet of crystal clear blue waters. Fish and sea creatures everywhere!
The package through Tahiti Vacations or Discover Wholesale Travel was fantastic - Airfare from LA, 7 night's Lodging, transfers and breakfast for $699!!
Hotel Sofitel, Moorea
Sofitel Ia Ora
Sofitel Ia Ora, Moorea
Just wondering if anyone has any feedback for the Sofitel Ia Ora in Moorea. We are staying for 6 nts. for our honeymooon :) and will be staying in a moderate beach hut for 5 nts. and an overwater for 1 nt. Any comments or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
We thought it was incredible that the coffee table inside the overwater bungalow is actually like a window to the sea. he top is made of glass, and you can open up the table so as to look directly down at the water. At night, the lights under the overwater bungalow attract alot of fish so it is almost like a natural aquarium. It really is a very unique feature of staying in a room like this.
More information is available through the website of the Sofitel Ia Ora Hotel.
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Address: BP 28, Maharepa, Moorea, 98728, French Polynesia
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