QUESTIONS ON HOTEL-SOFITEL
 

HI-Can anyone tell me about the Sofitel Marar on bora bora, and the Sofitel Ia Ora Moorea. Are they nice? <BR>Any advice appreciated!

Hi - stayed a year ago at Sofitel on Moorea. It was quite nice. Gorgous grounds - a view of Tahiti across the water. We had a garden one. Please don't expect luxury Miami Beach type accomodations. We'd been to Tahiti and Moorea before so we knew what to expect. The hut (sorry don't remember what they are called) was clean and basic. Had a nice little covered porch and we ate breakfast there many mornings. We had no air and I'm the queen of air and I did fine. I figure if I did ok, most of the rest of world would do fine. There was a ceiling fan. Some units did have AC. Our view is - we're not in the room except to shower, change clothes and sleep. I would stay there again. If you stay there, walk to the left as you face the water. About 10-15 minutes away is a neat little restaurant. Go and enjoy. It's a lovely island with lovely people.

Hi- N (farmgal43) Thanks for your input, can you tell me if there was good snorkeling by the sofitel, or if not where to go for good snorkeling. Do you by chance have the name of that restuarant? Thanks again. <BR>p.s. Are you really a farmgal? Just wondering, I am. Hobby farm horses, and a dog.

Really am a farm gal - have done it all from plowing to milking goats. Or should I say, I've done it in the past. Those days are over. Don't remember the name of the restaurant but it's the only one you'll encounter on that piece of beach. Outdoor dining under tent or roof. Owner was a chef on French Riviera - his wife serves. Good food. Good pizza also. We never snorkeled there so I can't answer that question. Food is rather expensive - we would buy pineapple and cheese while we were out and some french bread or croissants and have that for breakfast. It was nice - sitting on our porch and watching the world wake up. You can get pots of coffee from the restaurant. There were mini friges in our room. There are dinner shows - don't know how often - that are enjoyable. The music and dance of the islands. Kids are great to watch. Rent a car for a few hours and drive around the island - we enjoyed that. If you are on Tahiti itself over the weekend, be sure to go down to the wharf where the cruise ships and ferries come in.In the evening they have trucks that drive up and cook fantastic food that was some of the cheapest and best of the whole trip. Enjoy yourself - it's a great place.

Went to Tahiti in Feb 2001.Took a day trip to Moorea where we met up with other people at Le Sofitel.It has gorgeous grounds, not sure what rooms look like but it all seemed very nice. There is an American woman (think her name is Elizabeth) and she works there doing the tour opertaions.Her husband is Maco (tahitian guy) and he was our tour director.He was excellent, went on an all day boat ride, snorkeling (he fed shark) and then had a picnic on a private island with great food. Be sure to wear lots of sunscreen when snorkeling!!!

I have only been to the Sofitel on Moorea and liked it. I liked the water there better than the rest of the island. It is on a beautiful turquoise blue lagoon. They also have some boats you can paddle around in. You can take Le Truck to get around the island. We did do a catamaran trip around the island with lunch. It started near the Sofitel. Be sure and do that. We snorkeled on that trip too. Be sure and try the pineapple. It is the sweetest and juiciest I have ever had. Wish I were there now!!! Haven`t been to Bora Bora yet.

We stayed in a beach bungalow at the Sofitel on Moorea. It was fantastic. The lagoon is breathtaking, we snorkeled in front of the hotel everyday. Saw octopus and lots of different fish. The view of the lush mountains is just INCREDIBLE! We were there in 1998 and to this day think about it often. Can't wait for a return trip. ALso went to Bora Bora but you can't beat the beauty of Moorea! Food is quite expensive but we had 2 meals each day with other activities included in our package. We went with "Islands in the Sun" and had no problems whatsoever, everything ran very smoothly.

Although the Sofitel on Moorea had a wide swimming area- I found the snrokelling to be very o.k. and not spectacular compared to other settings on the island.<BR><BR>I found the staff to be unfriendly, durly in fact. We had to fight to get towels at the pool after 5pm. Ridiculous at those prices.<BR><BR>I have been at deluxe resorts in bali and all the Hawaiian islands and for the money you are not getting what you deserve on these islands. Try the Park Royal or Le meridien chains. The people we met raved about those properties.

Have to disagree with you. We found the staff very friendly and helpful. Maybe it's how you approach them??? A smile and request work wonders.

In response- I am a very pleasant person-<BR><BR>I think in principle it is absurd for a resort to demand that their towels be returned at 5pm. You are paying pover $250 a night and you should be entitled to keep the towels all night if you wish. <BR><BR>All of the guests we met at the pool - guests from Brazil and Spain- agreed that the "towel rule" was outrageous and that the staff were very mean spirited and unaccommodating.<BR><BR>Perhaps they have fired those people and new ones are there.<BR>

We stayed at the Sofitel in Moorea May 2001. It wasn't perfect but I have yet to stay in a hotel that is. The people of the islands are very friendly but they do move slowly and they all don't grasp English but we found them to be sweet and they tried so hard. We found the prices high for food, but pretty much anywhere we went it was pricey. We did however find the excursions very reasonable compared to someplace commerical like Hawaii. So go if you can afford it and relax alot, try to get into island time and you will fall in love with the place.