InterContinental Hotels Group Stay Forum - IC Le Moana, IC Thalasso & Spa, Bora Bora, IC Resort Tahiti, Papeete

I just back from the 3 properties.
I booked my stay using points (30 000/night) almost a year ago.

I spent 3 nights at the Moana.
The transfer from the airport to the hotel is via boat. Boat cost 5500 Xpf for 2 adult, one way. It takes around 35 minutes. At the airport, someone for the Inter continental welcomed us with flower necklace. Boat arrived 10 minutes after.
When you arrive at the hotel dock, there is people from the front desk waiting for you. They bring you to the bar area and that' where you check in. When paper work is done, they bring you individually for a hotel tour and it ends at the bungalow. Because I used my point to book the room, I didn't expect anything from the hotel since it was high season but I got upgraded to bungalow #10 facing the mountain and almost the last bungalow. The room was very nice. Water was the same color as a pool. There is only one restaurant at the resort. The saturday buffet is "sea food special" but the price is not.... If I remember, it's around 125$/person. The food is not the best but it's ok. Around the hotel, there is 2-3 restaurants, and around 4-5 snack places. Outside the resort, it's quite poor but very safe. Double check your bar bill, they make mistake sometime ... like charging 2 bottles instead of 2 glasses. You can rent free DVD at the hotel store but don't expect to watch MI3 or any recent release. If you don't understand french, cable TV might be a problem.

3 Days after, I left the Moana and went 5 days to the Thalasso, again book on points. There is a free shuttle between Moana and Thalasso.
The hotel was sold out and again didn't expect anything. The welcoming is similar as the Moana but instead walking, you sit in the golf cart. The site is quite big. They bring you to the reception and you prepare all the paperwork on very nice patio furniture with a drink(free). Once it's done, they take a picture of you with the mountain as background and you go around the resort with the cart and the front desk staff. They bring you to your bungalow and you just say .... wow .... The bungalow is huge, separate living room, you can walk around your king size bed. The bed is facing a big window . Everything is perfect, there is even champagne (375ml) waiting for you (free) but it's not Veuve or moet.
I found the restaurants better than the moana but I found the food is a bit overpriced. Continental breakfast is around 30$ , regular breakfast is 37$ I think. The staff is nice but a lot are inexperienced.
Around 60% of the customers are from North America, 20% Japanese, 10% From France and UK.
They have 1 tennis court (I think it's free) and they have racket loaner.
Free Kayak and free snorkeling kit.
From the Moana, you can take a free kayak and go behind the sofitel motu, there is a lot of corals and fishes. The Tv channels are the same as the moana.


Here some of the activities with price
Shark Observer = 9300 Xpf
Submarine, 45 minutes = 24900 Xpf
Parasailing, 100 meters, 15 minutes = 25900 Xpf
Jet Ski = 25900 Xpf
Catamaran = 6600 Xpf
Jet Boat =9300 Xpf
Water ski , wakeboarding , 30 minutes = 12500 Xpf
Deep sea fishing full day = 137 000 Xpf
Boat rental 6 HP 4 hours = 93000 Xpf
Jeep Safari = 7700 Xpf
Aqua Safari = 7300 Xpf


After 5 days in heaven, I left for Tahiti, only one night.
It took 20-25 minutes to check in. They couldn't find my reservation. They asked for my reservation confirmation and 10 minutes later, they gave me a room. 24 hours later, I noticed they took 40 000 points from my PC account.
The hotel is 5 minutes from the airport, taxi will cost you 1000 Xpf + 100 per luggage. The hotel has a shuttle to go downtown Papeete but not on Sunday. On Sunday, everything is closed. The hotel is "ok" but nothing special.

If you have any question, just reply

I'd just like to expand on a few of these points.....

1) I-C Moana Beach - brilliant location, and more convenient than Thalasso for other dining options. Older than Thalasso, so rooms nothing like as majestic.

2) I-C Thalasso - best Inter-Continental rooms in the world, but location on an offshore islet still inconvenient, and St Regis and soon-to-open Four Seasons have even better rooms.

3) I-C Tahiti. I don't know whether Wakemania understood the background to this hotel. It opened 30+ years ago as a Travelodge, and so the original rooms, which have been beautifully fitted out, are just too small for an I-C. They keep them open (instead of demolishing and rebuilding) because they are used for airline staff and for cruise ship passengers who just want a cheap overnight room. No informed person in their right mind who was staying for several days and could afford a proper room would actually book these (Garden / Lagoon) room categories, and similarly, it's a bad idea to redeem points at this property because you'll get these substandard rooms.

But the Panoramic Rooms and the Bungalows are superb, and it's my favourite urban Inter-Continental in the world. The secret with this hotel is never ever use points for a room, because you'll get an old Travelodge room. Book the category just below a Panoramic Room, and use Ambassador status to confirm an upgrade to the Panoramic at the time of booking.

Thanks for the great report and follow up info. My wife-to-be and I will be going for our honeymoon and will be doing Thalasso, Moorea and Tahiti (all IC). Nice to hear you had a great time!

Has anyone else noticed that there is absolutely no award availability at Thalasso for the entire coming 12 months? I randomly checked at least three days each month and couldn't find a single award room. All the other FP properties seem to have good availability but not Thalasso. Is this a glitch in the system or have the completely blocked awards again :confused:

I looked and see the same thing myself. Not sure but I certainly feel lucky. :cool: Just last month I made our reservation for our honeymooon with 5 award nights there!

It seems I have to stay with Bora Bora rather than Tahiti?

Great report - thanks wakemania! I'm really looking forward to staying at Thalasso in October - I also booked it using points at the old rate of 30,000 per night.

Steve

Am going to these properties in Jan, and will report back. Looking forward to it after your remarks!!!

Am going to these properties in Jan, and will report back. Looking forward to it after your remarks!!!

Jan huh? I will be there as well with on my honeymoon! You should take a look at the ICHG meeting thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=585922) and add where you'll be. You'll never know who you may run into. :)

If our dates overlap pm me and perhaps we could meet up.

I am there Dec 28 - Jan 3 at Thalasso, and Jan 3-4 at Resort Tahiti...

Well, Edv, steveper, and thehaloboy... how were you trips?

Anyone have recommendations for dining while staying at the Bora Bora Thalasso?

Our Favorite was the Lagoon by Jean Georges at the St. Regis - of course very expensive but we really enjoyed. Have the concierge at the IC call and the St. Regis will pick you up at the dock and deliver you home again. Our second favorite was actually at the resort at the Reef was very good as well. They do have another restaurant called Lagoon but it was closed when we were there.

we also did a private lagoon tour who grilled us everything but the kitchen sink which was amazing! Let me know if you would like the information.

Our Favorite was the Lagoon by Jean Georges at the St. Regis - of course very expensive but we really enjoyed. Have the concierge at the IC call and the St. Regis will pick you up at the dock and deliver you home again. Our second favorite was actually at the resort at the Reef was very good as well. They do have another restaurant called Lagoon but it was closed when we were there.

we also did a private lagoon tour who grilled us everything but the kitchen sink which was amazing! Let me know if you would like the information.

We'll be there a few days so I am definitely interested.

Dining in Bora Bora is ultra expensive no matter what you do. Some people can pay $1000/night for an OWB and easily drop $40 each for breakfast and $200-$300 each for dinner. Some of us stay on points and have to watch what we spend on food too. No matter how much you watch your budget, it's going to cost you quite a bit. I would say that the snack shacks and restaurants outside of the IC's are a much better deal. Snack La Bounty was Ok for $15-$20 a person (Pizza, etc.), Bloody Mary's was good too at only $10-$15 each for lunch (Burgers, etc.), and the restaurant at Le Matai (Close to Le Moana) had reasonable food (Good french fries) too. There is a small grocery store in Vaitape or an even smaller store in Matira (About 10minutes walking from Le Moana). You can get some food and sundries at these stores and it is cheaper than eating at restaurants. If you are at Thalasso, going into town can be a pain. We would order a pizza and some fries for dinner a couple nights and that was plenty of food for about $30. If you are staying for a week or so I would consider bringing some snacks with you from the US. If you are a drinker, hit the duty free in LAX on the way. I find Bora Bora enjoyable no matter what you eat. I prefer to save my money and use it for activities like the Shark/Ray feeding tour.

I would say that the snack shacks and restaurants outside of the IC's are a much better deal. Snack La Bounty was Ok for $15-$20 a person (Pizza, etc.), Bloody Mary's was good too at only $10-$15 each for lunch (Burgers, etc.), and the restaurant at Le Matai (Close to Le Moana) had reasonable food (Good french fries) too. There is a small grocery store in Vaitape or an even smaller store in Matira (About 10minutes walking from Le Moana). You can get some food and sundries at these stores and it is cheaper than eating at restaurants. If you are at Thalasso, going into town can be a pain. We would order a pizza and some fries for dinner a couple nights and that was plenty of food for about $30. If you are staying for a week or so I would consider bringing some snacks with you from the US. If you are a drinker, hit the duty free in LAX on the way. I find Bora Bora enjoyable no matter what you eat.


This is helpful.

How did you make do with no fridge or microwave in the room?

The place called "Sunset Pizza" is very good and cheap too, but they only open at night. The nicest pizza I had ever had! It is located in between La Moana and La Bounty. When you get out from La Moana front entrance, make a right turn and walk along the road toward La Maitai and you will see sunset pizza at the opposite side of the road. I don't remember if it is before or after La Maitai. It should be somewhere near La Bounty.

Beside Bloody Mary, Top Dive restaurant is pretty good too. The atmosphere is romantic the meal cost a bit cheaper than the hotel. They do provide complementary pick up and drop off by their van, so you have to call and make reservation in advance. The concierge at La Moana or Thalasso can make the reservation for you.

This is helpful.

How did you make do with no fridge or microwave in the room?

Every room has a fridge. It's just being used as a mini-bar. I put my grocery items in with the other stuff. If you are a Royal Ambassador and you get free mini-bar, it's in your interest to let them have the room to keep it stocked. If you don't have free mini-bar, you can ask them to empty it and then use it as a regular fridge. The stores sell fresh baguettes daily and they are actually reasonable. If you buy cold drinks, I would buy the same brands that come in the mini-bar and just keep swapping them out for cold ones. The store is close enough that you could make several trips for fresh food and buy only what you are going to eat.

This has been covered to death in other threads, but make sure you take plenty of sunscreen, bug spray, and toiletries. Our luggage got delayed and we had to shop for these items. a trial-size stick of deodorant runs about $10. I strongly recommend a combination suncreen with insect repellent built in. I ordered some Coppertone Bug and Sun from Drugstore.com and took it with me. It worked great.

One more tip: There are some activities that you can book on your own and save a lot of money. Jetski trips are 25,900 XPF when booked through the concierge. We found the same tour directly from the company for 15000 XPF.
This place is right out of Le Moana and about half way to Le Maitai. It has a Pearl shop in front of it.

I hope this stuff helps....

Every room has a fridge. It's just being used as a mini-bar. I put my grocery items in with the other stuff. If you are a Royal Ambassador and you get free mini-bar, it's in your interest to let them have the room to keep it stocked. If you don't have free mini-bar, you can ask them to empty it and then use it as a regular fridge. The stores sell fresh baguettes daily and they are actually reasonable. If you buy cold drinks, I would buy the same brands that come in the mini-bar and just keep swapping them out for cold ones. The store is close enough that you could make several trips for fresh food and buy only what you are going to eat.

This has been covered to death in other threads, but make sure you take plenty of sunscreen, bug spray, and toiletries. Our luggage got delayed and we had to shop for these items. a trial-size stick of deodorant runs about $10. I strongly recommend a combination suncreen with insect repellent built in. I ordered some Coppertone Bug and Sun from Drugstore.com and took it with me. It worked great.

One more tip: There are some activities that you can book on your own and save a lot of money. Jetski trips are 25,900 XPF when booked through the concierge. We found the same tour directly from the company for 15000 XPF.
This place is right out of Le Moana and about half way to Le Maitai. It has a Pearl shop in front of it.

I hope this stuff helps....


You've been quite helpful.

If you don't have free mini-bar, you can ask them to empty it and then use it as a regular fridge.

Would you happen to know if RA's get free minibar on Reward Nights?

Would you happen to know if RA's get free minibar on Reward Nights?

Search the same thread that I quoted earlier about hotels that Respect RA benefits on Award nights. At Thalasso I got most of my mini-bar items free but I did end up having to show an email I had received stating it would be free. In Moorea and Tahiti I had no problems and got everything free.

Search the same thread that I quoted earlier about hotels that Respect RA benefits on Award nights. At Thalasso I got most of my mini-bar items free but I did end up having to show an email I had received stating it would be free. In Moorea and Tahiti I had no problems and got everything free.

Thanks--that was helpful. I did had seen that post and was wondering how universal that might be, especially since I have no such email.

One more tip: There are some activities that you can book on your own and save a lot of money. Jetski trips are 25,900 XPF when booked through the concierge. We found the same tour directly from the company for 15000 XPF.
This place is right out of Le Moana and about half way to Le Maitai. It has a Pearl shop in front of it.

I hope this stuff helps....

Yes, you have to look around the Le Moana area. Everything is cheaper, when booked direct with the company than through the concierge.

Does anyone know if there are DVD players in the rooms?

Does anyone know if there are DVD players in the rooms?

Yes, there are DVD players in the rooms. I know for sure as we bought a CD/DVD from one of our excursions in Moorea and then played it all the time in Thalasso

Does anyone know if there are DVD players in the rooms?

And they also offers DVD free of charge. But I can´t remember all the titles.

Yes, you have to look around the Le Moana area. Everything is cheaper, when booked direct with the company than through the concierge.

We are going back in February and I really want to do the shark/ray feeding trip again. It's one of the best things I have ever done. We booked it through Thalasso last time, but I would like to book direct if possible to save money. Does anybody have nay experience booking direct or know where to go?

Yes, there are DVD players in the rooms. I know for sure as we bought a CD/DVD from one of our excursions in Moorea and then played it all the time in Thalasso

Thanks.

We don't really do movies throughout the year, and usually take a couple on holiday to stay semi-literate culturally.

Do I need currency in Bora Bora for any reason or will credit cards suffice?

Do I need currency in Bora Bora for any reason or will credit cards suffice?

Well, how long are you planning on being there? I would say yes, you should definitely have some currency on you at least. Cabs, anything while walking around (lots of vending machines), etc cash is always better. Plus for tipping and the like in the room.

Do I need currency in Bora Bora for any reason or will credit cards suffice?

I would get a few hundred dollars worth of currency at the airport in Tahiti. There are ATM's there. This way you have change and you avoid foreign transaction fees on your credit cards. There was only one person at the small store in Matira that even knew how to process a credit card. We tried for 10 minutes while we held up a line of locals. It was pretty embarassing.

Thanks to both of you for your advice. I will be there a week so I certainly will need to get cash.

David,
We used Keishi tours with Pierot. It was great and included a private picnic, and a full tour. It was from 10-3:30ish.

Email contact is tk.haunui@mail.pf

He was there to pick us up at Thalasso on our agreed upon date. Paid Cash.

David,
We used Keishi tours with Pierot. It was great and included a private picnic, and a full tour. It was from 10-3:30ish.

Email contact is tk.haunui@mail.pf

He was there to pick us up at Thalasso on our agreed upon date. Paid Cash.

Thanks. Any idea on the price?

On July 15, Keisha Tours quoted me a price of 65,000 French Polynesian Francs per couple (so just under $1000 US). Estimated time was 10 am to 3:30 pm.

On July 15, Keisha Tours quoted me a price of 65,000 French Polynesian Francs per couple (so just under $1000 US). Estimated time was 10 am to 3:30 pm.

Wow! That seems really high. I think it's only around $150-$200 per person when booked through the IC concierge.

The tour booked through the concierge is a group tour with shark and ray feeding, snorkeling and a BBQ picnic on the motu as a group. The Keishi tour is for ONLY the couple and includes champagne and a lobster lunch on a linen and china set table IN THE WATER. It sounds fabulous, but I agree -- I can't justify $1000 for the experience.

David,

Keishi Tour is private - you are the only ones on the boat with the guide. I believe the other trips are with more people. Not sure about the picnic or if there is one with the other tour. There is so much food on this tour - you won't need dinner so keep that in mind (as you are aware dinners are expensive). Also includes sodas, Hinano Beer and a bottle of Champagne.

Price is correct - 650 CFP which is about 850 today. Yes pricey but we used points for the room and felt it was worth it! It was very romantic if that is something you are looking for.

Thanks for the lead on the tour. I am indeed looking for something a little less expensive. We did the group tour last year and it was great. The only food we got was some melon, but I didn't really care about food. I was too interested in the scenery and fish.

I was just hoping to book direct this time and save a few bucks. Like I mentioned before, I was able to find a jetski tour for about half the price that the hotel offered it. I guess I hoped I could do the same thing with the Shark and Ray feeding. Group tours are fine with me if anybody out there has any advice.

From what I've read, both the IC Moorea & IC Le Moana/Thalasso have free kayaks and snorkeling gear. Do they also provide life jackets as well? We are bringing our baby, and am wondering if I need to bring one.

From what I've read, both the IC Moorea & IC Le Moana/Thalasso have free kayaks and snorkeling gear. Do they also provide life jackets as well? We are bringing our baby, and am wondering if I need to bring one.

Yes to free life jackets, but I can't say if they have them for babies.

Hi all,

Instead of starting a new thread, I figured I would just piggyback on this one...

Heading to FP in April, and was looking into booking some rooms (IC Tahiti, IC Moorea, IC Thalasso). Just trying to see if I should go ahead and book now, and keep checking to see if prices go down (or up for that matter). Does anyone know if the prices at these places generally stay the same b/c of the location or do they fluctuate like at most properties?

Thanks!

Does anyone know if the prices at these places generally stay the same b/c of the location or do they fluctuate like at most properties?


I would book now. The times I have booked it seemed like the prices just kept going up. The currency will fluctuate, which will change your cost but at least you will be locked in. Look at the AAA rates if you want something reasonable that you could still cancel if prices drop.

I would book now. The times I have booked it seemed like the prices just kept going up. The currency will fluctuate, which will change your cost but at least you will be locked in. Look at the AAA rates if you want something reasonable that you could still cancel if prices drop.

One of the greatest excursions we did at Le Moana was the water jet ski ride. we got to go all around the island of bora bora and stopped on an island for a picnic.

we booked direct with concierge.

I second getting out and walking around for food. we went to the grocery store each morning and bought baguettes, butter, cheese and kept it in the mini bar.

we also went to dinner at the restaurants in town instead of at the resort.

it saved us tons of $$$

One of the greatest excursions we did at Le Moana was the water jet ski ride. we got to go all around the island of bora bora and stopped on an island for a picnic.

we booked direct with concierge.

I second getting out and walking around for food. we went to the grocery store each morning and bought baguettes, butter, cheese and kept it in the mini bar.

we also went to dinner at the restaurants in town instead of at the resort.

it saved us tons of $$$

If you are staying at Le Moana you can walk for about 10 minutes left from the hotel to a nice and cheap snack place.

I recently booked 5 nights at Le Moana and 4 at Thalasso for our honeymoon next year. All are award nights. Giddy, I am.

Just wondering if anyone can give me an idea if spending a night or two in Papeete is worth it or not. I did see the warning about spending award nights there. It might be interesting to hang out in a more populated area with nightclubs and stuff.

Most people recommend getting out of Tahiti as quickly as possible, but I enjoyed my stay there. My flight arrived around midnight, so I stayed two nights at the I/C (booked a panoramic view room, got upgraded to their best overwater bungalow, used the BOGO of course). Spent the day on a circle island tour (used Dave's VIP tours -- very well done), then into town for a stroll and dinner at the roulottes. I'm planning on returning in November of this year and will spend two more nights on Tahiti before continuing on the Bora Bora.

It might be interesting to hang out in a more populated area with nightclubs and stuff.

I would agree with this statement. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed staying in / near the city and enjoying some nightlife. Remember, once you leave Papeete it is dead at night.

Most people recommend getting out of Tahiti as quickly as possible, but I enjoyed my stay there. My flight arrived around midnight, so I stayed two nights at the I/C (booked a panoramic view room, got upgraded to their best overwater bungalow, used the BOGO of course).

This is pretty much what we did too. Got in late at night and spent 2 nights there. Highly recommended, IMHO

Spent 10 nights there during the beginning of October. 1 night in Tahiti, 7 nights in Bora Bora, 2 nights in Moorea.

In Tahiti we stayed at the IC. Taxi from airport is about 1500 CFP to most hotels (distance doesn't mater). Takes about 10 minutes to get to. Prices are higher during the night. Check in was a little slow but not too bad. You get some sort of pineapple drink while you wait. Don't remember much about the room, went straight to bed. In morning ate breakfast (Get the breakfast option if you can when you book...well worth the money as breakfast buffets run about $50 pp) Used the kayaks the following morning before my flight to Bora Bora. Checkout slow again, but they called a taxi and it came at desired time.

Stayed at Club Med in Bora Bora and IC in Moorea. Since that's not the title of this thread I won't get into it, but feel free to PM me for more info.

On way back took ferry from Moorea to Tahiti and had about 5 hours to kill so we went into town for dinner. Went to restaurant cab driver recommended. Average at best. Food isn't the brightspot over there.

Thanks for the feedback. I decided to switch our last night to Papeete. It'll be a Friday, so it might be nice to party it up a little on our way out of paradise.

Hopefully, they'll bump us up to a panoramic room or OWB from the garden view room. Since it is only one night, I figure the chances are decent, even though it is an award stay.

The Sunday brunch buffet at IC Tahiti is pretty famous and shouldn't be missed, even sophisticated local people go there often for social gathering, to see and to be seen. My wife and I had bunch of fresh raw osyters during the buffet before checking out heading to Bora Bora.

Papeete at night can be wild, we saw some local transexuals or local men who dressed like a woman hanging out the alleys behind the main road. We thought they were waitng to get picked up. We didn't dare to walk further deep into the alleys since it was a kind of dark and quiet. We did enjoy the small adventure we had in ppt.:)

Now it is still the season for watching humpback whale. Dr. Poole in Moorea launches whale watching excursion once a week on every Thursday from late July to early November.

Hope the information helps.

Hey guys,

I'm contemplating splitting my time between the Le Moana and Thalasso. The problem is that I'm not going to have much time. I should have enough reward points for two days soon. And I also have the BOGO voucher from the Ambassador club. My tentative itinerary is as follows:

3/22 - Depart LAX arrive in PPT 3/23 and fly to Moorea
3/23 - 3/26 - Moorea
3/26 - 3/30 - Bora Bora

Now, from 3/26 - 3/30, I'm not exactly sure how to do it. I'm wondering if I should spend the *entire* time at Thalasso or if I should try to split time between Thalasso and Le Moana. It seems the Thalasso is just nicer, newer, more isolated etc. But it doesn't offer the convenience (and better snorkeling) that I hear Le Moana has. Is it worth it to stay only two nights at each resort? Or should I just stay at Thalasso the whole time and depend on the free shuttle to get me over to Le Moana and go from there? Also, going to Le Moana may save me $$$ (if I use the BOGO voucher there) or afford me a better room (Beach bungalow @ Le Moana vs Coral Suite room @ Thalasso). Of course, I would likely be able to get the Coral Suite room upgraded to an OWB assuming I pay at Thalasso...

If I could use my BOGO voucher at Thalasso on Sun and Mon nights I would, but it's only good for weekend nights, and Mon is definitely not a wknd night.

One other question I had: We'll be flying out from PPT (red-eye) on Tuesday night. This means that our checkout will have to be on Tuesday morning (unless we get a late checkout because of Ambassador club). In either case, and considering we will be hauling our luggage around with us for at least 4-5 hours, what would you guys recommend we do in terms of any last-minute sightseeing or decompression before we get to the airport etc? Do we have the option of leaving our luggage in lockers or something? I just want to make the most of our time.

One other question I had: We'll be flying out from PPT (red-eye) on Tuesday night. This means that our checkout will have to be on Tuesday morning (unless we get a late checkout because of Ambassador club). In either case, and considering we will be hauling our luggage around with us for at least 4-5 hours, what would you guys recommend we do in terms of any last-minute sightseeing or decompression before we get to the airport etc? Do we have the option of leaving our luggage in lockers or something? I just want to make the most of our time.


I think I found the answer to my own question:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g311415-i869-k1774547-o10-IC_ambassador_card-Bora_Bora_Society_Islands.html


The late check out is nice if it is available, but remember they have transit rooms at the Thalasso. This is to say: The resort will hold your bags once you check out for the day and you can use the resort. They will provide you with a transit room to shower and change before your flight. This is a free service to all guests.