Hotel Atiapiti

We picked this hotel because it's next to the UNESCO site, Taputapuatea, which was one of the reasons I went to Raiatea. Our other plan was an excursion around Taha. Two nights was enough for us. I don't find this island as lovely as the others we visited. Rain spoiled things, and the ocean was so rough that our boat trip was cancelled, which was disappointing. At least the rain eased enough for us to visit the site. I chose a beach villa, but should have picked the other room type because the villas don't have AC, only a ceiling fan. I don't know if the rain caused the horrendous mosquito problem or if it's always like that. I'm really allergic, and there are no screens on the windows, so we couldn't open them. There is a screen about six inches long running along the tops of the walls. We used a towel to open and close the sliding door to keep mosquitoes out. The room was nice and well appointed, and the bathroom was fabulous. Staff were very good, though they spoke very little English, and we managed fine. There's no Wi-Fi in the room, and the TV had six French stations. We'd normally not know that, but we stayed in because of the rain. You can't walk to things from the hotel. The restaurant wasn't operating while we were there, but we could order from a menu and have food delivered to our door. They have cars to rent. You can't drink the water, so bring some.

A hands-on French owner and a lovely family-run place. They gave us good suggestions for things to do nearby, and you can hire a car right there. The dog is amazing too. We had a wonderful experience.

I tried to book a three-night family stay at Hotel Atiapiti on Raiatea for mid-July earlier this year. I contacted them directly using the email on their website. They quoted XPF 108,600 (EUR 910), and I said I wanted to book the bungalow. That same day, someone asked me to transfer the full amount to a bank account. I didn't think much of it at first, since other places on my Polynesia trip had also asked for full payment in advance, and I had paid them. Later, I was told the money hadn't arrived and asked to send it again to a different account, with a promise they'd refund me if the first payment wasn't returned. That made me suspicious. I found that my booking email had been automatically forwarded to a Gmail address, and that address had sent the transfer instructions. I later learned the person using it was acting fraudulently. Someone, either at the hotel or outside it, must have interfered with the conversation and set up the forwarding. I emailed hotel management several times at the original website address to explain what had happened and ask for clarification, but got no reply. While in Raiatea, I went to the hotel and spoke to the owner. She wasn't cooperative or helpful. Sarcastically, she said I'd just had bad luck and should get over it. When I asked why she hadn't answered my emails asking for help with the suspected fraud, she gave no coherent answer. Only after I went to the police the next day to report it did she offer, through the investigating police officer, to let me stay the three nights “without having to pay”. By then I had lost trust in the place and booked another nearby hotel for twice the price. I'll probably never know whether anyone on the hotel staff was involved, and it's not for me to judge. What prompted this review was management ignoring my emails about a potential fraud connected to the hotel and being uncooperative when I visited in person. To this day, I've had no feedback from the Raiatea police, so I consider the money lost.

Marie is a great host. The bungalows are comfortable, and it's easy to get to Taputapuatea, snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, and the motu from here.