Tahiti Ia Ora Beach Resort

The atmosphere was wonderful, especially with locals enjoying the beach and dance festival on the weekend. The staff were so friendly that my family fell in love with them. Huge thanks to To Patrick & Jean Philip for accommodating my child’s special needs and making us happy. We also enjoyed all the tours and sightseeing recommendations, and we’ll definitely be back.

We were coming from another Sofitel in Moorea and had a 7am flight, so needed to be up at 4am. Instead, the hotel was hosting a corporate event for 800 people. Security restricted access to the pool and beach, the main restaurant was closed, and our choices were the bar or a very expensive restaurant. The music began around 6pm, and management said it was scheduled to run until 1am. A live band and DJ played all night. The hotel’s enclosed stage area made it impossible to get away from the noise. Management did nothing useful. They offered worse rooms, which would have cost extra because we’d prepaid for our selected rooms. The alternatives smelled of cigarettes. There was no refund, price reduction, or even an apology. For a luxury hotel, hosting an event that loud was outrageous, and we were extremely disappointed with both the decision and the response. We wanted to leave, but staying elsewhere would have cost another $300. The property already wasn’t worth what we paid. Three weeks later, they’re now claiming we didn’t check out properly and have charged us $400 for another night. Just an awful stay. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel at all.

We needed somewhere to spend the day after our cruise and before our evening flight, and Sofitel offered a reasonable day rate. Booking by email was easy, check-in went smoothly, and the staff were friendly. It was a relaxing place to lounge. Compared with the intercontinental, I found the service better and the rooms bigger, though theirs were more up to date. The intercontinental wanted us to pay for two nights just to use a room from 9am to 6pm, which was unacceptable.

The grounds are lovely, the location is convenient, and the whole place has a relaxed feel. Staff were friendly. Our room was spacious, clean, and well laid out, with a beautiful view of the beach and the sand-bottom freshwater pool. It was nice as is, though the rooms could use a little updating.