Le Meridien Tahiti became Sofitel, 15 Oct. 2018 [Master Thread]
Apr 5, 2006, 1:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: 75028
Programs: SPG PLT, AA PLT
Posts: 112
Le Meridien Tahiti became Sofitel, 15 Oct. 2018 [Master Thread]
Flying to PPT next week and spending a night at the Sheraton Tahiti before heading to Moorea the next day. Any thoughts on the Le Meridien Tahiti? Admittedly it's only for a night, but with late check-out, we can stretch our time at the hotel pool/bar quite nicely, so it may worth changing. I'd imagine the Le Meridien is nicer, but would like any thoughts Fters might have.
Also, what is the best way to get to either from the airport? Taxi or Le Truck?
Many thanks in advance.
Also, what is the best way to get to either from the airport? Taxi or Le Truck?
Many thanks in advance.
Last edited by SanDiego1K; Mar 11, 2009 at 12:22 pm Reason: Sheraton Tahiti is now Hilton Tahiti
Apr 5, 2006, 3:03 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Paris
Programs: FB
Posts: 32
Tahiti
If only staying one night, the Sheraton is much nearer the airport than the Meridien - and not so far from the port in town, if you're going to Moorea by ferry. I loved the Meridien pool next to the lagoon & fine sandy beach. Since I live in Paris, enjoyed the open air beach barbecues & French restaurant. Also, sunsets were spectacular from the beach, bar or our room.
However, the rooms were a little tired & the location quite far out of town meant that le truck public bus service took forever to get into town or out to the Meridien & was often irregular. We took taxis for anything important like catching planes or boats. So, for a hassle-free overnight, with more time to spend around the pool during the day, you need the Sheraton.
However, the rooms were a little tired & the location quite far out of town meant that le truck public bus service took forever to get into town or out to the Meridien & was often irregular. We took taxis for anything important like catching planes or boats. So, for a hassle-free overnight, with more time to spend around the pool during the day, you need the Sheraton.
Apr 5, 2006, 5:58 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Programs: Etihad Guest
Posts: 1,549
Loyal as I may be to SPG, the only place to stay in Tahiti is the Beachcomber Intercontinental.
Pay $150 to be an Intercontinental Ambassador, and get an upgrade and treatment comparable to SPG Platinum (as well as one free weekend night).
It is as close to the airport as the Sheraton, has a better pool than Le Meridien, and has fabulous rooms.
Pay $150 to be an Intercontinental Ambassador, and get an upgrade and treatment comparable to SPG Platinum (as well as one free weekend night).
It is as close to the airport as the Sheraton, has a better pool than Le Meridien, and has fabulous rooms.
May 28, 2007, 3:51 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,904
Le Meridien/Tahihti worth the extra distance for short night?
I am an SPG Plat staying on an award at the Sheraton Tahiti enroute to the St. Regis Bora Bora.
I've done a quick overnight at the Sheraton Tahiti for 10,000 points and this is what I've scheduled again.
I noticed Le Meridien gets consistently better comments so I was wondering is it worth the extra distance.
It looks like the taxi fare is just a bit more but someone told me the traffic in the morning can be bad to come back to the airport.
I arrive from Auckland at 8pm and leave the next morning to Bora Bora at 10am.
Thanks.
I've done a quick overnight at the Sheraton Tahiti for 10,000 points and this is what I've scheduled again.
I noticed Le Meridien gets consistently better comments so I was wondering is it worth the extra distance.
It looks like the taxi fare is just a bit more but someone told me the traffic in the morning can be bad to come back to the airport.
I arrive from Auckland at 8pm and leave the next morning to Bora Bora at 10am.
Thanks.
May 28, 2007, 6:20 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Programs: Etihad Guest
Posts: 1,549
No way
I wouldn't consider staying at either of these properties unless I had to.
The Sheraton was built as a 3 star Outrigger, and has nasty, small rooms, and exists largely as a venue for the Tahitian elite to socialise at weekends and for cruise ship passengers to have a short transit rather like yours.
Meanwhile Le Meridien is a really good hotel, but takes AGES (and $50 more) to get to at night-time, and up to an hour to get to the airport during rush hour.
If I desperately needed the night / stay credits I'd go to the Sheraton. If I was staying several days I'd go to Le Meridien.
But if I had a short overnight stay like you, I'd probably go to the Beachcomber Intercontinental. It's a great hotel.
The Sheraton was built as a 3 star Outrigger, and has nasty, small rooms, and exists largely as a venue for the Tahitian elite to socialise at weekends and for cruise ship passengers to have a short transit rather like yours.
Meanwhile Le Meridien is a really good hotel, but takes AGES (and $50 more) to get to at night-time, and up to an hour to get to the airport during rush hour.
If I desperately needed the night / stay credits I'd go to the Sheraton. If I was staying several days I'd go to Le Meridien.
But if I had a short overnight stay like you, I'd probably go to the Beachcomber Intercontinental. It's a great hotel.
Aug 2, 2008, 4:14 am
#6
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,742
We stayed 1 night at the Sheraton Tahiti on our arrival on the island, and 1 night at LM Tahiti, just prior to departure. Both stays were so brief, literally under 10 hours each, that they were not comprehensive experiences of either property.
Tahiti Sheraton
We took a taxi from the airport for a fixed price of 2500 cpf (25 euros). It is only a 5 to 10 minute ride, so it seemed shockingly high - but we checked with the bellman, and that indeed is the set rate. The following morning, we took the ferry to Moorea. It was 1500 cpf (15 euros) to the harbor.
We were given a spacious room with a view of the water. Our inroom amenity was a plate of 5 macaroons.
Le Meridien Tahiti
The hotel struck me as being a decent Holiday Inn, roughly a 3 star property. It is somewhat in the shape of a W, with the inner part open to the beach, containing gardens and a pool with an adjacent sand volleyball court.
We were given a junior suite. The room itself was small, but it had a huge balcony that was the equivalent of a sitting room. The balcony had a desk, a sofa and comfy chair, two loungers, a table, and an easel with a set of paints. It had two ceiling fans. The view of the water was thru vegetation.
Our room was underwhelming. There was only an easy chair. There was no luggage rack, and no place to open suitcases. The TV was a very small CRT one. The floor had terrible screeches. We reported it to the front desk to indifference. I really felt badly for anyone below us, as it screeched and sqrawked when we walked.
We received no plat amenity. We asked on checkout at 1am (oh, the joys of a 3:45am flight), and they said we should have gotten something.
We had rented a car for our last day on Tahiti, picking it up at the ferry dock and dropping it off at the airport. We overshot the airport coming from the south due to lack of signage. Once we turned around, we found excellent signage coming out of Papeete. It would only have been a 15 minute drive at that time of night if we had driven directly.
Each hotel suited us given the circumstances of our transport (taxi vs rental car). If I had not had the rental car, I feel the Sheraton would have been better for the convenient access to the airport.
Tahiti Sheraton
We took a taxi from the airport for a fixed price of 2500 cpf (25 euros). It is only a 5 to 10 minute ride, so it seemed shockingly high - but we checked with the bellman, and that indeed is the set rate. The following morning, we took the ferry to Moorea. It was 1500 cpf (15 euros) to the harbor.
We were given a spacious room with a view of the water. Our inroom amenity was a plate of 5 macaroons.
Le Meridien Tahiti
The hotel struck me as being a decent Holiday Inn, roughly a 3 star property. It is somewhat in the shape of a W, with the inner part open to the beach, containing gardens and a pool with an adjacent sand volleyball court.
We were given a junior suite. The room itself was small, but it had a huge balcony that was the equivalent of a sitting room. The balcony had a desk, a sofa and comfy chair, two loungers, a table, and an easel with a set of paints. It had two ceiling fans. The view of the water was thru vegetation.
Our room was underwhelming. There was only an easy chair. There was no luggage rack, and no place to open suitcases. The TV was a very small CRT one. The floor had terrible screeches. We reported it to the front desk to indifference. I really felt badly for anyone below us, as it screeched and sqrawked when we walked.
We received no plat amenity. We asked on checkout at 1am (oh, the joys of a 3:45am flight), and they said we should have gotten something.
We had rented a car for our last day on Tahiti, picking it up at the ferry dock and dropping it off at the airport. We overshot the airport coming from the south due to lack of signage. Once we turned around, we found excellent signage coming out of Papeete. It would only have been a 15 minute drive at that time of night if we had driven directly.
Each hotel suited us given the circumstances of our transport (taxi vs rental car). If I had not had the rental car, I feel the Sheraton would have been better for the convenient access to the airport.
Aug 3, 2008, 5:59 am
#7
Moderator: Asiana & Qantas Frequent Flyer
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Thanks for the update SanDiego1k. We will be there in three weeks so your advice is very helpful. Looking forward to more impressions from your stay in FP.
Aug 3, 2008, 11:35 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Munich, Germany
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Posts: 6,174
Tahiti Sheraton
We took a taxi from the airport for a fixed price of 2500 cpf (25 euros). It is only a 5 to 10 minute ride, so it seemed shockingly high - but we checked with the bellman, and that indeed is the set rate. The following morning, we took the ferry to Moorea. It was 1500 cpf (15 euros) to the harbor.
We were given a spacious room with a view of the water. Our inroom amenity was a plate of 5 macaroons.
Le Meridien Tahiti
The hotel struck me as being a decent Holiday Inn, roughly a 3 star property. It is somewhat in the shape of a W, with the inner part open to the beach, containing gardens and a pool with an adjacent sand volleyball court.
We were given a junior suite. The room itself was small, but it had a huge balcony that was the equivalent of a sitting room. The balcony had a desk, a sofa and comfy chair, two loungers, a table, and an easel with a set of paints. It had two ceiling fans. The view of the water was thru vegetation.
Our room was underwhelming. There was only an easy chair. There was no luggage rack, and no place to open suitcases. The TV was a very small CRT one. The floor had terrible screeches. We reported it to the front desk to indifference. I really felt badly for anyone below us, as it screeched and sqrawked when we walked.
We received no plat amenity. We asked on checkout at 1am (oh, the joys of a 3:45am flight), and they said we should have gotten something.
We had rented a car for our last day on Tahiti, picking it up at the ferry dock and dropping it off at the airport. We overshot the airport coming from the south due to lack of signage. Once we turned around, we found excellent signage coming out of Papeete. It would only have been a 15 minute drive at that time of night if we had driven directly.
Each hotel suited us given the circumstances of our transport (taxi vs rental car). If I had not had the rental car, I feel the Sheraton would have been better for the convenient access to the airport.
We took a taxi from the airport for a fixed price of 2500 cpf (25 euros). It is only a 5 to 10 minute ride, so it seemed shockingly high - but we checked with the bellman, and that indeed is the set rate. The following morning, we took the ferry to Moorea. It was 1500 cpf (15 euros) to the harbor.
We were given a spacious room with a view of the water. Our inroom amenity was a plate of 5 macaroons.
Le Meridien Tahiti
The hotel struck me as being a decent Holiday Inn, roughly a 3 star property. It is somewhat in the shape of a W, with the inner part open to the beach, containing gardens and a pool with an adjacent sand volleyball court.
We were given a junior suite. The room itself was small, but it had a huge balcony that was the equivalent of a sitting room. The balcony had a desk, a sofa and comfy chair, two loungers, a table, and an easel with a set of paints. It had two ceiling fans. The view of the water was thru vegetation.
Our room was underwhelming. There was only an easy chair. There was no luggage rack, and no place to open suitcases. The TV was a very small CRT one. The floor had terrible screeches. We reported it to the front desk to indifference. I really felt badly for anyone below us, as it screeched and sqrawked when we walked.
We received no plat amenity. We asked on checkout at 1am (oh, the joys of a 3:45am flight), and they said we should have gotten something.
We had rented a car for our last day on Tahiti, picking it up at the ferry dock and dropping it off at the airport. We overshot the airport coming from the south due to lack of signage. Once we turned around, we found excellent signage coming out of Papeete. It would only have been a 15 minute drive at that time of night if we had driven directly.
Each hotel suited us given the circumstances of our transport (taxi vs rental car). If I had not had the rental car, I feel the Sheraton would have been better for the convenient access to the airport.
Sheraton Tahiti:
- crappy service
- not even a considerable upgrade
- very expensive internet
- incorrect billig, lack of Platinum recognition (during several stays)
- noise from the airport (you can see the end of the runway from the hotel)
- late checkout problematic
- no overwater bungalows
Le Meridien Tahiti:
- not perfect service, but better than the Sheraton
- upgrade to a suite (as described by SanDiego1K)
- complimentary internet (they comp the internet for Platinums, which is excellent value in Tahiti if you ask me)
- choice of Platinum amenity (took the points)
- no problems with late checjout
- property has overwater bungalows (just a few, but if available they also upgrade Plats into the bungalows)
Mar 6, 2009, 2:05 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: MIA
Programs: AA PLT 2mm SPG Gold HH Diamond
Posts: 740
What can you expect as a gold?
I am going there for a forced overnight because air tahi nui changed my flight to 7am. This is now the only SPG hotel in Tahiti now. Seems like a good deal for 4000 points and $60. Has anyone got free internet as a gold or is that only for plats? What sort of room upgrade could I expect? I am planning on renting a car just to go back and forth to the hotel. Its probably much cheaper than taking taxis.
Mar 6, 2009, 4:24 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA, UA, SQ, VA, QF, AF, BA
Posts: 2,865
Depending on what time you arrive, you can use Le Truck to get there which is around $2-3ish. I think the Puna'iaua (spelling?) Le Trucks stop running around 5pm which makes transport to LM difficult/expensive. There is a new hotel right across the street and up a hill from the airport which is walking distance though some people might struggle with luggage (I only go to Tahiti with a carry-on YMMV).
Mar 6, 2009, 9:37 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: MIA
Programs: AA PLT 2mm SPG Gold HH Diamond
Posts: 740
Depending on what time you arrive, you can use Le Truck to get there which is around $2-3ish. I think the Puna'iaua (spelling?) Le Trucks stop running around 5pm which makes transport to LM difficult/expensive. There is a new hotel right across the street and up a hill from the airport which is walking distance though some people might struggle with luggage (I only go to Tahiti with a carry-on YMMV).
Mar 7, 2009, 8:37 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,530
$30 for a renatal car is a great rate in PPT
Mar 11, 2009, 11:02 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,530
Le Meridien Tahiti - Transfer possibilities
I have booked the Le Meridien on the final night of my upcoming sojourn to Tahiti and would like to share the results of my research regarding transfers from the airport to the hotel.
The LMT is located on the west coast of Tahit near the town of Puna'auia and about 15 km from the airport.
The cost of a taxi to/from the airport is:
* 0600-2000: 2500 Xpf for two persons + 100 Xpf per piece of luggage
* 2000-0600: 3500 Xpf for two persons + 100Xpf per piece of luggage
The hotel will arrange a greeting and transfer. There are two types:
* Private (with immediate departure to the hotel) - 7000 Xpf for two
* Group (with delay until all are ready) - 4000 Xpf for two
There is also a "no show fee" which will be charged to your credit card
One other option is to rent a car. An economy car with Hertz will cost 2716 Xpf per day (car plus all taxes) plus 36 Xpf/km. That is - about 4200 Xpf for the round trip. Cars with unlimited mileage cost about $90-100
Parking is free at the hotel
As you can see, using the Le Meridien as a transit stop is very expensive.
The LMT is located on the west coast of Tahit near the town of Puna'auia and about 15 km from the airport.
The cost of a taxi to/from the airport is:
* 0600-2000: 2500 Xpf for two persons + 100 Xpf per piece of luggage
* 2000-0600: 3500 Xpf for two persons + 100Xpf per piece of luggage
The hotel will arrange a greeting and transfer. There are two types:
* Private (with immediate departure to the hotel) - 7000 Xpf for two
* Group (with delay until all are ready) - 4000 Xpf for two
There is also a "no show fee" which will be charged to your credit card
One other option is to rent a car. An economy car with Hertz will cost 2716 Xpf per day (car plus all taxes) plus 36 Xpf/km. That is - about 4200 Xpf for the round trip. Cars with unlimited mileage cost about $90-100
Parking is free at the hotel
As you can see, using the Le Meridien as a transit stop is very expensive.
Mar 21, 2009, 6:36 am
#15
Join Date: May 2000
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 1,960
Thanks for the info.... I, too, am caught by Air Tahiti Nui changing their fall schedule, and am now reshuffling my plans...
One other question about Papeete, and/or Bora Bora taxis: Is there a taxi mafia type arrangement with "fixed" (ie: ripoff) fares for tourists, is there any published information on what it SHOULD be, or are there meters (and will the driver use the meter or laugh at you if you ask)? What should it run from PPT to someplace interesting to get dropped in the city, and the return? (I've got to kill 7 hours, I guess: thanks, TN!)
One other question about Papeete, and/or Bora Bora taxis: Is there a taxi mafia type arrangement with "fixed" (ie: ripoff) fares for tourists, is there any published information on what it SHOULD be, or are there meters (and will the driver use the meter or laugh at you if you ask)? What should it run from PPT to someplace interesting to get dropped in the city, and the return? (I've got to kill 7 hours, I guess: thanks, TN!)
Last edited by SST; Mar 21, 2009 at 6:43 am