Russ

I have booked rooms at the Sofitel Ia Ora in Moorea and the Sofitel Motu in Bora Bora. Could anyone who has stayed at either of those hotels let me know any advice that might may my stay more enjoyable. I'm looking for information like, "I wish we had stayed in an OW bungalow because there was no view from the beach bugalows", or "The OW bungalows were overpriced for what you get, next time I'd stay in the garden", etc. <BR> <BR>Any other useful info will be appreciated. Thanks. <BR> <BR>

Devi

I didn't stay at either Sofitel - but we did visit and have lunch at the Sofitel on Moorea. It was gorgeous. The water was beautiful and I would definitely go for the OWB at that place. I also had lunch, come to think of it, at the Sofitel on Bora Bora. I honestly don't remember noticing the rooms there, so I can't recommend either way at that location. Good luck - whatever you do - it will be fabulous! D

Jeff T.

On Moorea: <BR> <BR>Whatever you do...Upgrade or go to the Beachcomber Parkroyal. The beach bungalows are rotten looking, old, dark, and hot. Furthermore, they call them beach bungalows, when at least half are actually one row of bungalows behind the beachFRONT bungalows!!! Management claims that it is a misunderstanding!? After coming from the incredibly gorgeous, lush Pearl Beach Bora Bora overwaters, we both almost cried walking into that room at the Sofitel. Absolutely H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E! <BR> <BR>We complained every day. The room looks nothing like the brochure. You had to request wash cloths, extra towels, coffee maker, beach towels, and anything else a normal Motel 6 has. <BR> <BR>There were countless varieties of bugs in the room. Without my wife knowing (she was already very sad with the conditions of the room) I killed 3 cockroaches, let two lizards out of the room, and went without much sleep one night trying to kill all the mosquitos that were eating me alive. <BR> <BR>This is to say nothing of the construction going on for 2 days in the hut behind us and then the following days on the hut next to us (starting at an early 8am), or of the Chanel Allure perfume bottle that mysteriously disappeared from the room sometime between breakfast and dinner. <BR> <BR>Perhaps it was our imagination, but when we upgraded, the hotel and staff were tons more enjoyable, and we felt like we got better treatment. Again, maybe that was just our imagination. <BR> <BR>The upgrade rooms have all these amenities and are much nicer. Since they have air conditioning, there are better seals on the doors and windows (fewer bugs getting in). Their decor was seemingly 20 years newer too. <BR> <BR>On our last 2 of 6 days, we finally got upgraded from standard "beach" bungalow to an overwater bungalow. What a difference. <BR> <BR>I don't want to tell you how to spend your money. Everyone we hired for our wedding ended up with more money than we estimated. BUT, on your honeymoon, spend the extra $1000 or so on your upgraded room. I cannot even tell you--that money will be the best money you will have spent on the entire wedding/honeymoon planning experience. <BR> <BR>Another way to look at it is this. We spent a ton of money those four days getting far away from the hotel. Rented a car, bikes and a scooter, went to dinner off the hotel property, did the dolphin encounter, etc. If we had the overwater bungalow, we would have saved money and enjoyed ourselves more. You don't want to leave the overwaters since they're so nice! <BR> <BR>The Sofitel Ia Ora does have a good staff of people. Their grounds are beautiful. They tried to accomodate us. Their deluxe beach and overwater rooms are excellent. If they could only bridge the gap between them and the standard beach bungalows, they would have the whole package. <BR> <BR>Our suggestion to you is keep your itinerary as is and suffer extreme disappointment, or: <BR> <BR>1) Upgrade to deluxe beachfront or overwater. If overwater, even numbers face crowded beach/bar area odd numbers face much less (quieter) If deluxe beachfront, (don't know the numbers, but) If you want to be a little more isolated (out of the pool/bar area) you may want to request to be further out. A couple of the rooms are right there. Plus the ones further out have very good views of the isle of Tahiti. 2) Change to Beachcomber Parkroyal and stay on their manmade, but still nice lagoon, or stay in one of the rooms overlooking the dolphin encounter. That's what we would do if going back. Sitting on your porch watching the dolphins, with a view of the ocean just beyond would be once in a lifetime experience. <BR> <BR>Enjoy yourself. <BR>

russ

Jeff, <BR> <BR>Thanks so much for the info. I have heard such wildly varying reports about this property. Can you tell me how long ago you were there? I am curious if they have made any improvements to the regular beachfront bungalows since you were there. <BR> <BR>Also, was it more expensive to upgrade once you were there as compared to doing it with an agency in advance? I ask because we are staying at the Sofitel Motu on Bora Bora after Moorea. <BR>My logic was to save a little money on Moorea and then book an OW bungalow at the Motu, which is what I have done. So I am thinking I might wait and see how it is and upgrade there. I notice you did not upgrade until the last 2 days. Was there a problem getting a vacant room, or did you just wait until then to move? <BR> <BR>I really appreciate the thorough explanation of your experience. This is exactly the kind of infomation I was looking for.

Jeff T.

I was there last Friday, April 14, 2000. I just got back to home on Sunday. We had our honeymoon there. Still foggy from the jet lag. <BR> <BR>The Sofitel Motu on Bora Bora should be excellent! I was not there, but passed by it by boat the week before last. It is brand new I think. Don't give a second thought to that. <BR> <BR>We started on Bora Bora at the Pearl Beach which was superb. It too was on its own Motu. We actually thought that the isolation was a disadvantage to these hotels, but in retrospect, it is a nice advantage. <BR> <BR>If you are at the Sofitel Ia Ora on the weekend, you will know what I mean. All the islanders and Tahitians come to its beach. That's another reason we were devastated by the Ia Ora--felt like Wildwood, NJ or Coney Island, NY. Not a place of beach to find. Although the books say all beaches in Tahiti are public, when you get there, you'll see most are inaccessible, plus there aren't more than a couple beaches total on Moorea. The main public beach is next to the Ia Ora. <BR> <BR>I can tell you that if you do Bora Bora second, you may not be as disappointed with the Ia Ora, since you are ending with the OW. We went the other way, due to air schedules. <BR> <BR>We upgraded on the last two days, only because there were no rooms available in the upgrades. Definitely do the upgrade. After adding up our honeymoon for 12 days, including all air, spending money, etc., we spent about 10,500. If we were charged for our upgrade for the 6 days, it would have moved it to 11,500. The extra thousand (I don't know if you'll stay 6 + 6) on a relatively expensive vacation will more than make the vacation. <BR> <BR>Some of the garden rooms looked nicer than our beach bungalows. You see, the thing is, the hotel is usually packed, so you don't have much leeway once you get there. The French come over in droves to the Ia Ora. I guess it doesn't bother them as much as it does Americans. <BR> <BR>To answer your other question, we upgraded at the Pearl Beach for $100 per night through the hotel, and through the agent it was about $150 per night. The Sofitel didn't charge us for the last two nights because we were robbed, and complained about the poor condition of the room, and the fact that the beach bungalow was in the garden. <BR> <BR>I know I may not sound objective, but the condition of the room was very very bad. To give you some perspective, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriot it is NOT. If you are looking for minimally Holiday Inn conditions, you will be very disappointed. They will be more like that of a twice out-dated Motel 6...with bugs. The brochure shows the upgraded rooms. They wouldn't dare advertise the majority of the rooms. <BR> <BR>The upgrade places you into a true, high quality resort hotel room. <BR>

Louise

Just returned from Moorea, Bora Bora and Rangiroa. We met a couple who stayed at the Sofitel Ia Ora on Moorea and were so displeased they moved to the Beachcomber. Another couple just loved the Sofitel. I suspect it was probably a difference in accomodations as mentioned above and an upgrade would be in order. We stayed at the Bali Hai and loved it. Although a little older it was quite private and friendly with mostly Americans staying there.

Tim

Sorry folks, I have NO sympathy for any of you! If you study most hotel brochures very carefully you can usually tell (I emphasize USUALLY) in a second what the accommodations are going to be like! At least I have NEVER had a problem discerning this in my travels! I have many old brochures of the Ia Ora (I believe it was called Kia Ora at the time) and the rooms in those brochures look absolutely HORRID and I wouldn't even entertain the thought of staying at a place like that!! (However, the beach and ocean look quite beautiful in front of the hotel, but what kind of a compromise is that?!?) However, Jeff, thanks for a detailed and GREAT report!!

mary

Kia Ora is on a different Island "Rangiora" (not sure if I spelled It right. Kia Ora's specialty is providing the "deserted Island" experience. It is not related in anyway to the Sofitel Ia Ora.

Louise

Rangiroa Kia Ora has two very different types of accommodations. One is the "resort" type with differing prices of rooms including overwater bunglalows and the other is the Kia Ora Sauvage which is very isolated and is "an isolated island experience".

russ

Thank you all for your help. <BR> <BR>A special note to Tim. No one is asking for your sympathy. We are here to learn from other people's experiences. It's great that you have so much faith in a piece of ADVERTISING literature(because we know that they would never be prone to exageration); however, I find the first hand experineces invaluable. <BR> <BR>Since you specify that you can USUSALLY tell the condition of the rooms from the brochure, then I am sure you won't mind spending thousands of dollars based on false expectations when the resorts just happen to put one of the 10 best rooms in the photo instead of one of the 50 others that haven't been maintained in the past 30 years. I, on the other hand, like to have my expectations in line with reality. This can make the difference between an enjoyable vacation and a miserable one. <BR> <BR>So stick to your brochures. I will continue to rely on the kindness of the people who share their experiences, both good and bad.

ak0429

my fiance and i are thinking of going to moorea and then maybe 1 night in tahiti. i think we'll be staying at the beachcomber parkroyal in moorea. we are definitely considering staying in an OW bungalow. do you know exactly which rooms look out to the dolphin encounter? i love dolphins and it would be awesome if our bungalow had a view of the dolphins. any suggestions on tahiti? i heard it's really crowded there which is why we might just stay 1 night. that'll give us time to buy gifts and stuff.

russ

I recommend that you post your question under a new topic heading. You will get more replies that way, as this thread relates specifically to the Sofitel properties.

Mary

Does anyone have first hand experience with the Sofitel Motu? Peope have written that they have eaten there or taken a boat by it and that it looks nice but I would really love to hear from someone who has stayed there. Thanks!

russ

Mary, <BR> <BR>I had emailed someone previously who had stayed at the Sofitel Motu. Here is his reply... <BR> <BR>We stayed in an overwater bungalow on the motu at the Sofitel <BR>on Bora Bora and we loved it. You should defiantly try to upgrade to an <BR>overwater bungalow, worth the extra cash. But the bungalows on the island <BR>looked very nice and clean. <BR>The beach was fine there, but don't expect smooth white sand. There are some <BR>nice areas, but mainly it's coral and great snorkeling. <BR>We went in Sept. and I think the rainy season starts in Oct. But <BR>I'm sure you could look into that on the web site. <BR> <BR>There are plenty of activates to do there. I recommend the shark/stingray <BR>feeding excursion picnic and the snorkeling excursion.

Tim

Note to Mary: Believe it or not I really CAN read: The brochures I have quite clearly say Kia Ora MOOREA on the covers!! It is also SO OBVIOUS that the Bora-Bora Lagoon Resort, Pearl Beach, Moana Beach Parkroyal and Hotel Bora-Bora -- all, of course, on Bora-Bora -- are all superior properties! On the other hand, the Bali-Hai on Moorea LOOKS old, musty and run-down, and from the many negative reports I've read about that place, it certainly MUST be true!! Anybody who would choose to stay there DESERVES exactly what they get!! I, personally, would NEVER stay there! <BR> <BR>Note to Russ: Of course advertising can be misleading but I also find that people's first hand experiences can differ DRAMATICALLY and usually don't coincide with what I expected and experienced after arriving at a certain destination! Have you ever read about how many people think Anguilla in the Caribbean is the GREATEST place on earth when, in MY opinion, it quite clearly is one of the most DISMAL places I have ever seen in my entire life, especially compared to truly gorgeous Hawaii!! Ditto for St. Thomas AND St. John (they're BOTH Horrible)! So don't lecture ME about other people's "on-site" opinions! I will read them ALL with one HUGE grain of salt, thank you very much!! Also, if one of the 10 best rooms is placed in a brochure then perhaps it would be quite WISE of you to specifically REQUEST that particular room/location! It works for me EVERY SINGLE TIME!! So yes, I WILL stick with my brochures as I DO have good judgment and have NEVER been wrong in my experiences -- and I can't say the same thing about other people's travel experiences -- PERIOD!!! <BR>

Mary

Dear Tim, <BR> <BR>As my 10 year old would say "How Rude" and then drop it. But he is very mature for his age. <BR> <BR>First of all, we were talking about the Sofitel Ir Ora on Moorea which has only the word "Ora" in common with Kira Ora Moorea (a hotel I have never heard of). And Secondly, I don't see anything in my reply about the Bali Hi. <BR> <BR>Come to think of it, though - I am planning to stay at the Bali Hi and I have read some quite loveley descriptions of it by people who appear to be a bit fun loving and open minded. <BR>I know I will have a terrific time- Even if it the Ritz Carlton. (Check it out - a few opinions down there are some people very unhappy with the Ritz in Sidney - So even fancy places can be miserable) <BR> <BR>I am sorry you appear to be so offended even though I cannot fathom how you came to be so. <BR> <BR>Have a Happy day and enjoy your travels <BR> <BR>Mary

mary

oops - Sorry about my poor spelling - It is Sofitel Ia Ora and Kia Ora. Again from my research, (checking out several years of brochures) the Sofitel Ia Ora has been a Sofitel property for a number of years, if not always. So Tim's brochure must be pretty old - if they are in any way related. <BR> <BR>In my research I did find this which I think is lovely: <BR> <BR>Kia - has the English meaning of "let it be" <BR> <BR>Ora - means "Health/Good Fortune and all the good things of Life" <BR> <BR>So Kia Ora to all! <BR> <BR>(and if anyone has anymore info on the Sofitel Motu - I would love to hear from you - Thanks for the posts above!) <BR> <BR>Mary

russ

Tim, <BR> <BR>I could tell by the use of capital letters in your first letter that my reply would provoke an amusing reaction. Thanks for not letting me down. The opinion that I take with a HUGE grain of salt is yours. I can only wonder why someone who values other people's opinions so litte would bother with a forum like this, except maybe to grace us with their obviously better qualified opinions. <BR> <BR>In any event, if you choose to continue this thread I'm sure it will be equally amusing; if not, it was good while it lasted.

Accommodations

Sometimes in order to do more, in our case to experience three islands, one must accept what they know to be are less expensive accommodations. It certainly does not affect our enjoyment and quite often we find fellow tourists to be friendlier. We have traveled a lot and as long as the rooms are clean and the food is good we are happy. At the Bali Hai, the owner came every morning to have coffee with the early risers and talk and did the same at "happy hour" in the evening. I like and remember these personal experiences over all else.

Jeff T.

Regarding the Bali Hai Hotel: <BR>I did not stay there, but I spend some time on the grounds. It is considerably smaller than the Ia Ora and Beachcomber. I think the rooms are not as updated as the deluxe at Ia Ora or the Beachcomber, but the feel of the hotel is charming. The grounds are well manicured, and the beach is small, but in good shape. <BR> <BR>The owners are active participants in the hotel management. They speak english, which is really very helpful, when you are trying to ask rather detailed questions, as you invariably will want to. <BR> <BR>Again, I cannot attest to the quality of the rooms, as I did not see them clearly. <BR> <BR>Also, you are nearby a little village with shopping and groceries available, and if you are daring and want to memorialize your honeymoon with a tattoo, a clean shop is nearby. <BR> <BR>Good luck. <BR>--Jeff