Kelly Finnerin

We are going on our honeymoon next April. What is the nicer resort? I heard about the Dolphin Quest being a nuisance. Are its OW bungalows far enough away? Please give me some opinions. Thanks.

gail

Our local tour guide said the Sofitel was much nicer than the ParkRoyal.She felt the Park Royal was overpriced for what you got. We saw it from up above and it looked like it was in a more panoramic location as far as view.I am not sure why she said that or if it would be true for us. You can't lose with either one of these choices!

B

Hi Kelly, <BR>I haven't been there myself but I have been doing a great deal of investigating for my honeymoon. One of the main difference I used to decide on the Park Royal was location. Everyone seems to like the Sofitel, but it's location forces you to eat there because restaurants and supermarkets are too far away to walk to. ParkRoyal may be pricier, but it seems to me you would save much more money and have better meals at the restaurants and stores by the Park Royal. Plus, the Park Royal decor is a little classier from pictures I've seen and I think it is one star above the Sofitel. Hope this helps!

Jen

We just got back from our honeymoon and we spent 4 nights at the Sofitel in Bora Bora and we were supposed to spend 3 nights at the Sofitel in Moorea but the hotel bumped about 15-30 couples to another hotel for the first night. There were a lot of angry people, including us. Our stay in Bora Bora was great but the Sofitel in Moorea was terrible. It looked nice but the service was awful! My husband and I are not very picky but this was truly a bad experience. The only great thing about this hotel was the wonderful beach. I would suggest staying somewhere else then getting a ride over to the Sofitels beach.

Debi

We went to Moorea/Bora Bora/Tahiti last year. We stayed in the Parkroyal and really loved it. If you search this forum for older opinions - you will see a wild swing on opinions and experiences at both the hotels. That being said, we really liked the Parkroyal. It's an older property - but nice. There were great snorkeling locations - and as one of the earlier posters said - it was kind of right in the middle of things. We loved the service - and when you book it, make sure they know it is your honeymoon. At each of the islands, the hotels gave you neat presents. At the Parkroyal, one of the gifts was a free breakfast (anything you wanted off their menu) delivered by outrigger canoe to your deck. The servers were decked in traditional garb and it was such a neat experience. Our OWB was fairly close to the Dolphin quest - and it was no nuisance at all. It was kind of neat to walk over (bridges everywhere) the dolphin locations and see them swimming around. We drove to the Sofitel and had lunch there - it was very beautiful. I have heard some good opinions on it, the previous poster's experience was awful, though. I would have been very upset as well. I'd stay at either one, though.....and you will love Moorea!

pam

Kelly, just had to put my two cents in. We stayed at the Sofitel and LOVED it.Plan to return and that's a biggee for me as i want to see every island with a palm tree before I'm too old to see it - so usually don't repeat a trip. <BR>Parkroyal felt more like a 'usual' nice hotel - could have been anywhere [except for the OWB] where'as the Sofital REALLY felt like you were in a tropical paradise. Can't say enough about how wonderful the staff was - food was incredible, would not go all that way and not stay in my own grass hut on the most beautiful beach I've seen. Coconuts fell in our 'yard' everyday and gardner whacked them open for me. Could go on and on..I could give you hints on eating and drinking also if you want. Happy trails. Pam

Bridget

We went to Moorea for Christmas last year and stayed at the Parkroyal as well as the Sofitel. I prefer the Sofitel, as was said before the Parkroyal is older. It is kind of seculded from the grocery stores and restaurants, but you can rent a car for a half a day and buy things to eat at the store. We had a refrigerator in our room. The Sofitel's beach was also prettier than the Parkroyal and from the Sofitel you have a view of Thati.

John

We stayed at the Beachcomber in Moorea. The Dolphin Quest isn't a nuisance. It's actually kind of neat to watch them play together after all the people have left. A drawback to the beachcomber is it is not within walking distance to anything. You can get a taxi ride, but you're really not that close. Most of the restaurants and shops are in Cook's Bay and right by the Club Med. <BR>The Sofitel's beach is much nicer. I don't know about their snorkeling.

russ i

We stayed at the Sofitel and had a great time. The beach bungalows are very basic, but after reading several forms, we knew what to expect. <BR> <BR>As far as restaurants, there are 3 within a 5 minute taxi ride from the Sofitel: Le Mahagony, which was excellent; Le Cocotier, which was very good; and Le Pescher, which got mixed reviews. All 3 provide either free round trip or one-way taxi service , otherwise, it cost 500 fpf per person, which is about $3.70. You can also go to Cooks Bay for a bit more. <BR> <BR>We never ate dinner at the Sofitel, but heard bad things from other guests. I would stick with the three I mentioned. Have fun!