16 Best Hotels in Moorea, French Polynesia

This is the last remaining hotel of a handful that were started by the "Bali Hai Boys," three Californians who came to Moorea in the early 1960s to start a vanilla farm. Instead, they ended up running hotels and invented the legendary overwater bungalow concept. The Club is part time-share, part hotel, and it would be hard to find a more spectacular position in Moorea. It sits on the eastern shore of Cook's Bay with a perfect view of the iconic shark-toothed mountain—Mt. Mouaroa—from almost every angle. There are mountain- and beach-view rooms and beach and overwater bungalows, although the latter are only partially overwater. The five garden rooms have kitchenettes and several are large enough for families. A grocery store across the road is stocked with a good range of fresh produce. The resort is comfortable without being luxurious and has a very friendly atmosphere. It's virtually a one-stop-shop with a free dance performance on Wednesday night (preceded by a seafood barbecue), its own boat for lagoon excursions and sunset cruises, car rental desk, boutique, weekly crab races, and a sunset talk every day (except Wednesday) given by Muk, one of the two surviving "boys." Gather round over a few drinks as he shares stories of the "good old days" of Moorea and his interesting exploits. The hotel's best rates are available over the Internet.

This family-run accommodation has four bungalows that can sleep three to six people. Two bungalows have two bedrooms each and extra beds in the living room; the other two each have one bedroom and a mezzanine (upper floor) with extra beds. They are equipped with full kitchen, washing machine, living room with TV, and bathroom with hot water. The lagoon setting is perfect and kayaks are provided for exploring this quiet corner of Moorea.

Fare Hamara is nestled into the hillside overlooking Opunohu Bay, in the shadow of the shark-toothed Mt. Mouaroa. It has two bedrooms and trundle beds in the living room, making it ideal for six people. It's family friendly with a crib and high chair, washer/dryer, and TV. The villa is owned by an American couple, Bob and Mary Hammar, and bookings are made through their U.S. phone number or by e-mailing them. The minimum stay is five nights and costs US$1,325, (or 111,000 CFP); 10% discounts are given to three-week and monthly rentals.

If you want something very different and have money to spare, this luxury four-suite residence is a bit like Louis XIV meets Polynesia and it all works wonderfully. Touches run from bohemian to European with chandeliers, four-poster beds, chaise longues, Oriental carpets, upholstered tub chairs, and gilt mirrors, plus typical island decor of rattan and bamboo. There is a junior suite that can accommodate three, a prestige suite for two people, a royal suite with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a collection of exotic—and slightly erotic—art, while the presidential suite is split-level and includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with Jacuzzi), and a small "office" with Wi-Fi–ready computer and printer. The gardens are beautiful and the French owner, Eileen, who has furnished the rooms with pieces she collected in her European travels, provides a very warm welcome. Meals and half-board options are available, together with a weekly Polynesian dance show.

Opened in 2000, this resort is right in front of Mt. Rotui between Cook's and Opunohu bays. There's a 10-acre lagoon at the doorstep, and free activities include pedal boats, kayaks, and outrigger canoes. Fifty-four overwater bungalows are placed in various distances from the beach on three pontoons and are priced accordingly. Bungalows have hardwood floors and timber shutters and sliding glass doors leading out to terraces; the overwater bungalows have stunning views of jagged mountain ridges. Bathrooms have deep claw-foot baths and double vanities. Grounds are spacious and the walkway from the lobby to the main restaurant and boutique leads over a lovely pond and waterfall stocked with huge goldfish. There are three restaurants all with water views; in fact the Toata Bar is on a pontoon. It's only opened in the evening and you can dine here on crêpes and keep an eye out for stingrays and reef tip sharks below.

Location is the draw for this popular budget hotel at Hauru Point. It doesn't have a pool but it has a lovely position on the lagoon and a daytime beach restaurant with fantastic views. There's also an Italian restaurant, near the coastal road, which opens in the evening. Bungalows with fridges are near the beach or in the garden and each can accommodate up to four people, while the superior category have telephones, and 13 bungalows have full kitchens. The upscale "vanilla bungalow" has a kitchen and a living room. Interiors are bright and airy with tropical style fabrics and cane bed heads and bed bases. Free activities include outrigger canoes and bicycles. Loca Boat, a company that rents out small boats with no license required, is right next door. A smaller sister property—Tipaniers Iti—is 4 km (2.5 mi) to the east and has three bungalows, each with a kitchen.

The largest resort on the island appears to have it all—choice of garden, beach, or overwater bungalows, spa, Polynesian dancing during the week, a turtle protection center operated in partnership with the government environmental department, a special coral snorkeling park, and three resident dolphins that can be "booked" for personal encounters. A nine-month renovation program added private pools to the 17 garden bungalows and extended the terraces and added a gazebo to all-suites bungalows, in the garden, on the beach and overwater. Also new is a stunning two-level infinity pool. The resort's location is ideal on the northwest corner of the island near Le Petit Village shopping complex and several Hauru Point restaurants. The overwater bungalows, however, are not completely overwater (the balconies are but the rest is over land). Meals can vary in quality, so don't lock yourself into a meal plan but take advantage of the free pickup services from the many nearby restaurants.

This budget accommodation deep in the Vaianae Valley is designed for folks who love camping and don't mind roughing it. It's a cross between a backpackers' hostel and a guesthouse with half and full-board options. As the name suggests, the house is tucked away in a natural setting, a few miles inland from the PK 21 clockwise marker (near Haapiti). The owners are avid hikers and conduct mountain hikes and photo safaris and run camps for school children during school holidays. There are four rooms with four single beds, one room with six single beds, and one dorm with 24 beds. The four bathrooms (with warm water) are all shared. The "maison" is solar-powered, has a shared kitchen, living room, library, and restaurant.

This 50-apartment complex, high on the hill overlooking the InterContinental Resort and the lagoon, opened in July 2008. It's a new concept for Moorea and will be interesting to see if hillside self-catering apartments, with no beach access, take off in an island resort where the lagoon reigns supreme. A regular shuttle takes guests to a private island for swimming and snorkeling. The two- and three-bedroom apartments have terraces with hot tubs and views over the lagoon or to the lofty cloud-swathed mountain ranges. There's a choice of daily or weekly housekeeping (which keeps rates down) and Legends Gourmet, a delicatessen that sells groceries and other items for self-catering and also serves breakfast and lunch by the pool. The onsite restaurant La Villa Des Sens is open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner only. A new onsite spa offers massages and a range of body scrubs.

Pearl Resorts encompass the best of French Polynesia with regular dance performances and onsite dive centers to get guests into the lagoon as quickly as possible. This little gem of a resort is a short distance from the Maharepa commercial center, near the new golf course, and a 10-minute drive from the airport. There are plenty of activities to enjoy, a gorgeous spa, and even a resident tattoo artist (Herenui Teriitehau) for those guests who want an indelible reminder of their stay. Accommodations range from rooms (located in a wing) to individual bungalows in the garden, beachfront, and overwater. Eighteen of the garden bungalows have plunge pools. Kids receive a set of beach toys, snorkel gear, life jackets, and a basket of candy. The Matiehani gourmet restaurant is considered one of the best on the island.

The family owners of this five-bungalow pension will mix you a cocktail to sip while you read your e-mails (you can toast the lagoon view from the deck). The pension is on the western shore of Cook's Bay and has great mountain views. Each bungalow has a bathroom with hot water, fan, and TV. There's also a 20-bed dormitory, above the hotel lobby area, which shares bathrooms with hot water. It's a cozy little place with a 60-seat restaurant, open from 6 am until 8:30 pm daily, serving all-day snacks such as hamburgers, pizzas, and fresh fish. On Sunday at around noon everyone is welcome to take part in the Ma'a Tahiti (traditional Polynesian meal) cooked in an underground oven over hot coals, known as an ahima'a.

This friendly little self-catering pension, started by a Swiss national more than 20 years ago, was recently taken over by Edmee Imfeld, who owned a nearby diving operation for many years. The residence has a pleasant location on a small beach on the western side of the island, near Haapiti. This is the sleepy side of Moorea with few tourist facilities apart from a take-away pizza parlor (Daniel's Pizza) half a mile down the road and a grocery store a short drive away. There are nine accoommodation units—called bungalows, suites and villas, which can take varying numbers and are scattered along the beach or in the garden; the two largest ones can accommodate four and seven people. Each bungalow has rattan walls decorated with island artwork or pareos; a kitchen equipped with stove, fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker; and a bathroom with hot water. All have ceiling fans while a few also have air-conditioning. All bungalows are Wi-Fi ready (free); otherwise, there's access to dial-up Internet (fee) in the lobby. Each bungalow has a small terrace with a floor fashioned from river flagstones. This is the perfect place to have breakfast, which can be delivered by room service (1,550 CFP per person) if you don't want to make your own. The new owners have also introduced a dinner option, which can be served on the hotel's deck in a family-style atmosphere, or couples can have it served to their veranda for a romantic night in.

You'll feel marooned in paradise when you take up residence at this very stylish villa and look across gorgeous Opunohu Bay from your gently swaying hammock. It's on a white sandy beach—Robinson's Cove—which reputedly was named after a sailor (not Robinson Crusoe) who was aboard one of James Cook's ships when it moored in the bay. The experience will be totally Crusoe as you paddle your canoe to the front door and shower in the outdoor stonewalled bathroom with views across the lagoon. There are three villas: Bougainville (sleeping 2 people), Wallis (2 to 6 people) and Cook (2 to 8 people), and each has a wonderful deck offering fabulous views of the bay, one to two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and an array of funky furnishings and amenities: dishwasher, microwave, solar hot-water system, and Wi-Fi. A guide will explain the villa and the island's attractions, while a caretaker lives nearby. There's a five-night minimum stay, and villa pricing depends on the number of of people staying and the season. The Bouganville, however, has the same price year round which is US$1,890 (158,115 CFP) for two people for five nights.

Under new management, this medium-size, budget establishment on the popular Hauru Point strip has neat little beach and garden bungalows and a wing of 11 hotel rooms in the garden. New owners have upgraded the lobby and restaurant and are renovating each of the rooms with new bedding and paintwork and are adding new artwork. Each room is air-conditioned and has a bathroom with hot water and a small corner kitchenette with fridge. Bungalows are fan-cooled, have a fridge, a wide terrace, and can sleep up to four people. The hotel's beachfront Sunset restaurant is one of the most popular eateries on the Hauru Point strip and serves French, Italian, and local dishes, plus children's menus. Half- and full-board meal plans are available (5,250 and 8,250 CFP, respectively), but if you wish to eat out you can every day of the week as the Hibiscus is near a handful of cafés and restaurants. Le Petit Village is about a half a mile away.

This hotel is on the best beach on the island. Existing bungalows were recently refurbished, and 52 new garden, 15 new beachside, and 19 new overwater bungalows were added. Any room termed "deluxe" is brand-new. The lobby has a minimalist look with an array of furniture from funky chaise longues to '60s-style cane chairs. All bungalows are spacious and uncluttered with king beds draped with romantic nets, positioned to get the best view first thing in the morning. Bed heads are covered with fabric depicting scenes from two of Paul Gaugin's paintings, while bed lamps have golden shades to bathe the rooms in a warm glow. The resort has a lovely "infinity pool" and a gourmet restaurant, K, which seats just 28 diners in eclectic chairs, none of which are the same.

This villa should satisfy those who want to "get away from it all." It's on Motu Fareone, a little island minutes off the northwest coast. If you require a bit of action (supermarket, bars, restaurants), take the daily shuttle back to the main island. Four or five people could easily inhabit the spacious 3,000 square feet that include lounge, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and a separate master bedroom suite (750 square feet) serviced daily by housekeeping staff. The villa's decor is unmistakably "South Seas," with bamboo and rattan walls and furniture and tropical print fabrics. Varnished bamboo poles support the kitchen and bathroom. A one-bedroom cottage is located a few hundred feet away in the garden, and this can be rented if the villa is not occupied. Minimum stay is four nights, and three nights at the cottage. Pricing depends on the number of people staying, starting at US$390 (32,672 CFP) per night for the one-bedroom main villa for two people.