Family/Valentine's Day vacation at Sofitel Moorea

This was our third stay at Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora. Even though through the years we have discovered many great romantic and family vacation hotels worldwide this island and this hotel one remains our favorite place for a relaxing vacation. The Valentines Day provided a good excuse to get out from the chilly Seattle and revisit the place we spent out honeymoon at, albeit again with kids. It was the first time I was staying at Sofitel Moorea as Platinum member as previously I used to take advantage of 10-15% cheaper rates available though online travel agents with coupons or deals.

Getting there: Moorea is an island close to Tahiti reachable by ferry (30-40 minutes ride) from Papeete ferry terminal or by plane from Faaa International Airport (PPT) airport with Air Tahiti (domestic airline of French Polynesia). Taxis from Moorea ferry dock to Sofitel Moorea cost 1500 CFP (as of February 2018). If you arrive by ferry, you may want to buy some local fresh fruits (I recommend Moorea pineapples) at the ferry dock prior to taking a taxi.

Our Beachfront bungalow (#423) was in located on the beach almost at the end of the resort offering more seclusion and quietness plus an unobstructed view of the lagoon and the island of Tahiti across the strait. The bungalow was spacious (we stayed in a similar one before so we knew what we are getting), very clean, with a large bathroom, bedroom, dresser, and veranda. Housekeeping during our stay was consistently excellent. They not just cleaned the inside and replaced linen, bathing supplies, etc., but also made sure to sweep all sand from the veranda as well.

In-room gift: We had a great in-room welcome gift prepared for us on arrival. All fruits were fresh and the champaigne was really good! There was also a welcome letter from the resort manager, which you can use towards getting welcome drinks at the Vue bar (though they would not return that letter back to you). The hotel is not using welcome drink paper coupons like all other Sofitels we have visited. 

The resort enjoys a very convenient location (just 5 minutes ride from the ferry dock and the airport) with a beautiful view of Tahiti island and has the most picturesque beach on the island. The resort grounds are very beautiful with many palm trees, flowers, plants and tiki statues. Everything is well maintained, though perhaps mosquito spraying is not as frequent as needed to avoid getting bites during evenings. Some of the hammocks on the beach need attention as well as they are not in a good shape.

The resort has two restaurants: K (fine dining) and Pure (everyday dining). We booked a table at K restaurant for Valentine's Day dinner several days prior to our trip. They had a 5-course set menu on that day. Since we have memories from our honeymoon visit having a dinner at K on the beach close to the water, at the time of booking I made a special request to get the table closest to the water. They confirmed over email that this request will be passed to the restaurant. At the check in I asked them to reconfirm that this request was passed to the restaurant and they said it was and not to worry. We booked a nanny via the resort and went to the restaurant a few minutes early. Upon arrival we were shown the table closest to the entry located as far away from the water/beach as it gets. All other tables were already occupied. So, that special part of the idea got ruined. The food and service during the meal were very efficient though and everything tasted good. Sommelier service was good as well.

Since we really wanted to relive those moments from our honeymoon on the next few days we went to dine at Vue (the bar with some tables offering a view of the strait between Tahiti and Moorea) which had a food menu from Pure restaurant. On day two we approached an unoccupied table with a view of the water and set down only to be approached by a waiter telling us that the table was reserved. He moved us to an adjacent table with leftovers from previous customers still being on the table. He removed those, cleaned the table and did not come with a menu. Thirty minutes later I stood up, approached another waiter, explained that we have been waiting while all tables near us have been serviced but nobody even brought us the menu. The table that they claimed to have been reserved stayed empty for a while and than several people set down, looked at the menu, and suddenly just left. Anyway, once we asked for service everything went smooth. I highly recommend trying Poisson Cru (raw fish marinated in lime with coconut sauce and green salad) or fish of the day. Fish of the day will not be listed in the menu (there is just no such item there), so do ask what it is. It was great every time we ordered it.

On the next day we called to book a table at Vue with a view of Tahiti island, got a confirmation that we will get one, arrived 30 minutes after the call at the set time, but were told that no tables there are available. My impression is that seating requests are simply ignored despite reassurances that they will accommodate them. The service was flawless during all next visits to Vue though.

We also visited an outside restaurant (Rudy's) for dinner at the recommendation of the concierge and thought Vue/Pure offers pretty great combination of price/quality of food/service in comparison.

Breakfasts: We had breakfasts included in our rate. The breakfasts are served at Pure restaurant every morning until 10:30AM. We found the food offerings as varied and tasty as during our previous visits (read excellent), although it did seem that they did away with offering smoked salmon and fresh squeezed orange and pineapple juices which were previously available along with exotic juices from Rotui (local juice company offering packed juices from concentrate). Also the baguette bread was usually not replenished during the last hour of breakfast service. The service (tea/coffee) was attentive and fast. The restaurant manager dressed in black was very attentive and kept directing staff to help customers whenever he saw someone trying to get their attention.

Very efficient. They pick up your luggage from the bungalow and bring it to the taxi/shuttle area. The check out was fast and convenient (they even included the cost of the return taxi into the bill saving us from spending all our cash in local currency). We received a complimentary late check out as well as part of the status recognition which was great and very appreciated.