My family and I recently visited French Polynesia and loved it, so I thought of writing a few reviews of the hotels and restaurants that we stayed and dined at, in the event that any of my readers may be interested in “following our footsteps”. 😉 You can read all about our holiday here.
Manava Suite Resort
For our short stay in Tahiti, we wanted a hotel that was reasonably close to both Papeete and the airport. After doing some research on the web, we decided to go for the Manava Suite Resort in Punaauia, which is located about 15 minutes from the town centre. The location was good (but if you want to be even closer, you may want to consider the Intercontinental which is literally 5 minutes from the airport) and all together we were quite happy with the hotel.
I suggest you do not book a transfer from the airport, as going there by cab is much cheaper (it is about 2,350 xpf at night and 1,750 xpf during the day, plus 100 xpf per suitcase). No fear of getting scammed, as these are all fixed prices and there is a printout with the tariffs for various destinations at the taxi stand. Keep in mind that if you need a cab very early in the morning (or at night), the prices will be slightly higher.
The Manava has a very nice reception area, modern and smart looking, with a big round fountain in the middle. Checking in was smooth and easy.
The hotel has 121 rooms divided in 4 buildings: 2 of which have fantastic views over the lagoon and Moorea.
We did not care about the view, so we booked a Garden Suite (#3201 – building 3, 2nd floor, room 1) which was perfect for us. It had a small equipped kitchenette, a bathroom, a living room with a double sofa bed for the kids and a separate bedroom for us.
We also had a big terrace overlooking the lush gardens.
The room facilities were a bit run down (the walls were dirty and the shower a little mouldy in the corners) and I would not stay here for a full holiday, but it is clean and comfortable enough and I do recommend it for a couple of nights.
The hotel also has free internet via a normal LAN cable so it is good if you are carrying a laptop. Since we had our laptop we did not ask about wireless but it did not appear that they provided free wireless internet.
The hotel has a nice infinity pool with views of Moorea, and a spa which we did not have time to use.
There are also 2 bars and a restaurant (scroll down for my review). There are also some food trucks (roulottes) just opposite the hotel. We did not try them, but one of the cab drivers we had, highly recommended them.
The gardens are beautifully kept and full of flowers.
There is also free parking under the hotel, which was great for us, as we rented a car and did not have to worry about overnight parking.
Vaitohi Restaurant
The Vaitohi Restaurant is on the ground floor of the Manava Suite Resort.
Unfortunately, I only have 1 photo of the great food we ate there. Even though we ate there twice, we were so tired that we forgot to take more pictures!!! However, I clearly remember what we ate.
My husband ordered a local beer (Hinano), French Onion Soup and Roasted Scallop and Porcini Risotto with prosciutto shavings and aged Parmigiano Reggiano (3,550 xpf), both times.
I instead had a BBC – Bailey’s Banana Colada and then ordered from their bistro menu: Salad with pine nuts and crunchy goat cheese and sundried tomato parcels (1,500 xpf) and Steak with chips and green pepper sauce… both times.
Both my husband and I enjoyed our meals so much, that we were very happy to have the same food on both occasions. The service was good and fast.
They also serve a little amuse bouche before the appetisers and they have very good bread. Instead of serving the warm bread with butter, they have extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in little spray bottles, both of great quality.
Kids eat from the kids menu (1,500 xpf) and they can choose 1 main and 1 dessert. My girls went for cheeseburger and ice cream and were quite happy with both. They shared just 1 menu as the portions are quite large.
I would definitely recommend trying out this restaurant if you are staying at the Manava, as the price is reasonable and the food quality and service are excellent!
CONTACT INFO
MANAVA SUITE RESORT TAHITI
PK 10,5 côté mer – BP 2851 – 98 703 Punaauia – Tahiti
Ph : 47 31 00
Fax : 47 31 01
Email : [email protected]
For reservations:
Ph: 50.84.45
Email : [email protected]
http://www.spmhotels.com/resort/tahiti
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