Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and Spa
Location:
Located about 1 mile east of Tahiti’s only airport, it only takes about 10 minutes to reach the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and Spa by taxi after landing. Situated between the city of Papeete, about 4 miles away and the town Punaauia, just over a mile away, the hotel provides a pre-bookable shuttle to and from the city of Papeete three or four times a day at a minimal charge. Punaauia is within walking distance of the hotel where there is a small marina, large supermarket and a few shops. The cost of a taxi from the airport is about $20 and for guests joining a cruise the port area is right in the heart of the city of Papeete and costs about $25 by taxi.
The hotel grounds are large and sit on a little peninsula jutting out just off the main road out of Papeete towards Punaauia. The resort is directly on the sea front with views over to the island of Mo’orea from all angles. The proximity to the airport and the runway does mean that the sound of the planes taking off and landing can be a bit alarming when you first hear them, especially when they take off literally in the middle of the night! Thankfully there are not many jet planes coming in or out of the island and mostly it is small island hopping propellor planes and helicopters which are a delight to watch land and take off.
Our room (Premium room):
We chose to stay in a premium room rather than the rather more expensive overwater bungalows which are located at either end of the resort. There are eight main buildings on the site, one of which houses the main public areas and the rest are all accommodation. The premium rooms are further away from the main building and we were allocated a room in building eight which was the furthest from the main building near to Le Lotus pool, restaurant and overwater bungalows.
The room itself is spacious and luxurious with a large bathroom located near the entrance door housing a large oval bathtub, a separate shower, double sink unit and a separate toilet closet. One of the loveliest things about the bathroom is the large window looking out from the bathroom to the external view, meaning you can clean your teeth or take a shower whilst taking in the sea view. Never fear if you are a private person, there is a blind on this window that can be shut from the bathroom if you would prefer some privacy. Opposite the bathroom is a double wardrobe housing a large safe (always a popular choice for us), a large double drawer unit, plenty of hangers, an iron and ironing board, robes and slippers.
The main bedroom area is large with a lovely wooden floor and the bed situated at an angle in one corner of the room so that it faces out of the large fold back glass doors out to the expansive balcony. The bedding is sumptuous and soft and that, along with the view, makes it very difficult to get out of in the morning. On one side of the room is a large desk unit with a flatscreen TV on it and plenty of room to keep any incidentals. Alongside a dressing chair this unit also houses a fridge in one of the end cupboards and a kettle and tea/coffee making facilities (which are restocked daily) in the other. Aside from this the only other furniture is a small occasional table and chair, and though the room could easily take more furniture we didn’t spend much time in our room, choosing instead to throw back the doors to the large terrace outside. The terrace has wooden deck flooring and a table with two chairs. Since we were on the third floor we had a beautiful view over the resort, sea and out to Mo’orea. We would recommend requesting a high floor if you have the chance. The only niggle we had with the room was the lack of furniture on the vast terrance - it could easily take a lounger or two and would make it a more relaxing place to spend some time.
Public areas:
Reception: upon entering the reception guest the reception desk is on the left hand side, and although the queuing lanes may seem a bit unwelcoming their necessity becomes obvious when a plane load of people all arrive at once to check in from one of the few flights that bring passengers into the country. Beyond the reception is the lobby bar area with views from its third floor location out over the pool and beyond to the lagonarium. On the right hand side is the extremely helpful concierge desk, usually manned by a team of two, who are able to arrange pretty much anything you might want to do during your stay on the island, from private tours, taxis and water based excursions. Simply ask and they will deliver.
Lobby, shops and lobby bar: the lobby bar is located at the rear of the reception are and is open 24 hours a day for drinks and snacks - very handy when you arrive on one of the late flights and don’t get to check in until nigh on 11pm. There is comfortable seating surrounding the bar with open views over to the pool, lagonarium and beyond to the island of Mo’orea. The lobby bar seating is bar style stools which are perfect for enjoying an early morning coffee and snack from the deli style counter whilst taking in the views over to Mo’orea as the sun rises from behind the building. There are also comfortable patio style lounge chairs and wicker chairs to choose from in the spacious and welcoming area off to the right of the bar. Alos located in this area are a couple of shops selling pearls, jewellery, clothing and souvenirs.
Main Pool - the main pool is located in front of the main hotel building and is the preferred pool for families and children. There is a large walk in shallow area which is roped off from the deeper infinity edge pool beyond. At one end of the pool is a lovely waterfall feature beneath which is a separate whirlpool. The pool is surrounded by comfortable sun loungers, plenty of parasols for those that like shade and a view over to the overwater bungalow gardens and lagonarium.
Lagonarium - the lagonarium is a natural sea water pool complete with tropical fish and small coral gardens. Guest can snorkel in the large lagonarium or simply come and watch the fish gather around the member of staff that feeds them from the wooden bridge every afternoon. The lagonarium is surrounded by areas of garden and beach, dotted with sun loungers both in the sun and nestled under the gardens trees for natural shade. Beyond the Lagonarium and its surrounding garden area are the ten large, luxurious Motu overwater bungalows.
Lotus Pool - the Lotus pool is located at the far end of the resort away from the main building and towards the other set of over water bungalows. This pool is the suggested adult only pool, though this is only advisable and not strictly adhered to. The walk-in beach style, sandy bottomed pool was our favourite of the two pools, particularly the small surrounding ‘beaches’ with lovely thatched parasols and loungers looking out over towards Moorea. The large pool has a long infinity edge overlooking the ocean and a swim up bar making it the perfect place to take in the glorious sunsets over Moorea with a cocktail in hand.
Gardens - the gorgeous gardens located between the accommodation buildings and the pool and sea fronts are immaculately kept and provide a lovely walkway from one part of the resort to the other. The variety of plants create a beautiful backdrop and the cockerels wandering the gardens bring them to life. The gardens also house a small cage housing precious vanilla plants and a lovely turtle pond creating a little diversion every time you walk through. The gardens are obviously a magnet for birds with the birdsong at sunrise and sunset an absolute joy to just sit back and enjoy.
Gym and Spa - the hotel has a spa which is centrally located in one of the accommodation buildings off of the main gardens. There is also a small but well-equipped, air-conditioned gym accessed using your room card. The equipment is well maintained and includes a good variety of cardio and weights equipment, as well as a small area for free weights/yoga. The treadmills are located in front of windows looking out onto the gardens and sea beyond, making the chore of running a little easier.
Te Tiare Restaurant - this is the large open air restaurant located on the ground floor of the main building overlooking the main pool. At breakfast time there is a large self service buffet with a variety of breakfast foods, from freshly made omelettes to fruit and pastries and everything in between. The tables are located on terraces starting ‘within’ the restaurant (though there are no physical windows or doors) stepping down to a decked, canopied terrace in front of the pool. During the day and into late evening the restaurant serves an extensive menu with waiter service and occasional special events. The choices are good and although not cheap (nothing in French Polynesia is) it is plentiful and delicious, with a variety of dishes such as burgers, poke bowls, salads and sharing plates.
During our stay there the restaurant hosted a buffet evening with entertainment from a local Polynesian drum and dance group who kept us riveted to our seats for nearly an hour with their incredible show.
Tiki Bar - this popular and vibrant bar is located next to the main restaurant with a 4.30-6.30pm happy hour attracting a lot of guests to come and enjoy one of their delicious specialty cocktails whilst watching the sun set over Mo’orea. The bar is open throughout the day until late at night with an expansive drinks menu and a delicious food menu offering the usual burgers, wraps, nachos, pizza and sharing platters. We loved spending the evening here drinking their delicious cocktails, ordering one dish after another and enjoying the lively atmosphere as we people watched from the open terrace.
Le Lotus restaurant - Le Lotus restaurant is the fine dining overwater restaurant located next to the Lotus pool at the far end of the hotel. The menu includes some dishes created by two-star Michelin chef, Bruno Oger, and although not a cheap option is definitely worth a visit at least once during a stay at the hotel.
The setting is very romantic with most of the tables situated around the edge of the overwater building so resist can enjoy the sea breeze and listen to the sound of the waves as the lap on the shoreside whilst the eat their dinner.
There are a variety of pricing options depending on the number of course you choose - we chose to have a main course and a dessert which was plenty for us, especially given the two divine amuse bouche dishes that came out first and the rather delicious bread which was accompanied by vials of vanilla oil, ginger oil, balsamic and sherry vinegar. For our main course we chose the Bruno Oger fish dish and the beef fillet both of which were delicious and for desserts we chose the pineapple savarin and Bruno Oger signature chocolate dish. It was all divine and in our opinion worth the cost. The service was outstanding and the setting beautiful, a real treat whilst on this amazing island.
Summary: Although we had intended to use the hotel as a base to explore the island of Tahiti and Papeete town, once we were there we found we simply didn’t want to leave. The hotel was so welcoming with some lovely places to relax and enjoy the wonderful weather and views, and our room was so comfortable we took the opportunity to simply take some time out and enjoy the resort. The restaurants served enough variety of food for the time we were there and though the hotel was not cheap, a quick stock up of basic supplies from the local supermarket and a very good happy hour meant that we were happy to simply stay put and relax.
The only minor criticisms we had were the necessity for guests to exchange a card for a pool towel at one of two booths located near either pool. For a luxury resort we found this a little strange, but more than that, it was often difficult to get your card back at the end of the day when there was no-one manning the booth when you took your towel back. The other thing we found a little lacking was the pool service, with the appearance of someone offering to get you a drink or snack to enjoy around the pool being such a rare sighting we did wonder of we had dreamt it. But these minor issues did not take away from what turned out to be a wonderful three day stay. So much so that we returned after our cruise to spend the day there whilst we waited for our very late night flight.
We stayed at the Intercontinental Tahiti for four nights on a bed and breakfast rate in a Premium Ocean and Moorea view room in April 2022. We booked our stay directly with the hotel and paid just over US$2000.00 for the whole stay.
Following our stay at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and Spa we joined a Windstar 7 day Society island cruise on the Wind Spirit. If you liked this post then please subscribe to our newsletter below and keep an eye out for the blog about our Windstar cruise. If you are interested in booking a cruise with these or any other luxury cruise lines then we would recommend contacting a connoisseur at our trusted cruise partners Panache cruises - please mention that you have been referred to them through Visit With Us.
If you enjoyed this blog why not take a look at some of our other luxury hotel reviews, such as the Mandarin Oriental in Santiago or the Four Seasons Nile Plaza in Cairo.
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