ree878

Hi! I am planning my honeymoon and have received much help from these boards. I have yet another question. We will be staying three nights on Moorea. This will be after a cruise we are doing on the Paul Gauguin. My travel agent has put us in the Intercontinental Moorea, in an OWB. My problem is I have found very mixed reviews about this hotel. Some of the reviews are wonderful and others really scare me. The biggest thing seems to be that the OWB are not really over water. Can anyone please tell me what they thought of this hotel?

I greatly appreciate any thoughts/advice or words of experience.

Thanks,
Marie

AndieB

Marie,
As I mentioned in the other forum, we stayed at the Sheraton on Moorea before our cruise, but we did go to the Intercontinental for a visit. I didn't really paid attention to the OWBs, but if you look at the picture on their website, it looks like only the few premiums OWB are actually overwater; the others look only partially over. That being said, I can say that before our trip, i read many reviews and most of them said that the water was better at the Sheraton...I can certainly vouch for the lagoon there, but not at the Intercontinental. All the OWBs at the Sheraton are really overwater!! Maybe you could request map from the Intercontinental and see if how they are located.

SkaiSW

I could really be wrong, but I have come to the conclusion that because the Intercontinental is an American Hotel (It's the same corporation as Holiday Inn), American travel agents are more comfotable with it (as they more consistently get their commission?). If not, it still seems like where American travel agents like to put their American clients. If you are not happy with your research results, I would trust that and ask to stay elsewhere.

LM3682

A word of caution to the honeymooners...the hotel is very pretty but had tons of kids running around when we visited in March. Might not be what you're looking for...Look at the Sheraton or Pearl

LM3682

Sorry - I meant look at the Sofitel, not the Sheraton. I can't speak to the Sheraton.

Elia

Marie,

If you want to have the OWB experience, DO NOT stay at the IC Moorea. We just stayed there the second part of our honeymoon (just came back). While the resort is nice, the service is good and the reef around it is probably one of the best in the island, I can honestly say that the OWB bungalows here are the worst in Moorea. With the exception of only a couple of Bungalows, the others ARE NOT REALLY OVER WATER. We didn't mind this because we had booked a premium beach bungalow here (having done the OWB at the IC Thalasso in Bora Bora (which was worth every penny and amazing) and were upgraded to an OWB bungalow, but if you are looking to stay at Moorea to have the OWB experience, do not book the IC, because you will be dissapointed. My husband and I rented a car for one day to explore the island and we stopped at the Sheraton and the Moorea Pearl, and in both hotels the OWB bungalows were far superior than the ones in IC Moorea. The only thing I can say in favor of the OWB at the IC Moorea is that they seem to be bigger than the ones at the Pearl or the Sheraton. Another thing I will say about the IC in Moorea is that the resort is quite old in comparison to the Sheraton and the Moorea Pearl, and it is certainly showing its age. Also, there are a lot of kids around.

I will say, however, that the snorkeling at the IC Moorea is very good, probably the best in the island. However, since you are going on the Paul Gaugin, I am sure you will have plenty of opportunities to snorkel in Bora Bora and the other islands that the cruise sails around of, so do not book the IC only for having a slightly better lagoon.

I hope this helps.