Mar 23, 2015, 11:08 pm
Last edit by: jigri2003
Some info:
Prepaid meal plan rates as of Feb 2015 per post 1305: (breakfast price updated as of Jan 2020)
Breakfast: 4860 xpf (tax incl) per person per day
Half board (breakfast and a 3-courses dinner): 13 053 xpf (tax incl) per person per day
Full board (breakfast, a 2-courses lunch and a 3-courses dinner): 17 632 xpf (tax incl) per person per day.
Breakfast 50% discount: available only at check in time if it is taken for the entire stay. It does not apply for half board and full board. Post 1376
Guaranteed Upgrade Costs as of January 2015 per post 1293
Emerald to Sapphire: 15,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Emerald to Diamond: 25,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Emerald to Diamond Otemanu: 35,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Emerald to Diamond End of Pontoon: 45,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Full prepayment prior to arrival required
Direct Boat Transfers to/from Airport One-way: 7334 XPF (updated Dec 2019) (about 15 minutes). Resort will email you to arrange this ahead of time if desired.
Boat transfer from the Airport is not mandatory despite what any hotel emails might imply to the contrary. It's possible to take the free Air Tahiti shuttle to Vaitape (15 minutes), followed by a taxi to the IC Le Moana for 2000XPF (15 minutes), then the IC's shuttle between Le Moana and Thalasso for 3390 XPF per person one way (updated Dec 2019) (15 minutes). If all transfers go smoothly, the journey could be as short as an hour, or longer than two hours if you're unlucky.
Boat Times (as of Oct 2016, and current as of Jan 2020)
Leaving Le Moana:
7:45am
8:45am
11:45am*
12:45pm
1:45pm
4:30pm
5:30pm*
6:30pm
8:30pm
10:00pm
Leaving Thalasso:
8:15am
9:15am*
12:15pm
1:15pm
2:15pm*
5:00pm
6:00pm
7:00pm
9:30pm
10:30pm
* Boat times with a * can connect with the bus shuttle between IC Le Moana and Vaitape town, as shown below:
Bus Shuttles between IC Le Moana and Vaitape town:
Depart IC Le Moana:
9:45am
2:45pm
Depart Vaitape:
11:15am
5:00pm
The bus shuttle costs 1150 XPF RT/person.
Note: There is no ATM at the Thalasso. The closest ATMs are in Vaitape, the main town where the airport ferry stops. However, both IC Le Moana and Thalasso will give you a "cash advance" on your credit card for a fee of 5%. The transaction will post as a purchase.
XPF is also available at the airport in Pappeete from several ATMs.
POST 1795
Resort Email: [email protected]
Prepaid meal plan rates as of Feb 2015 per post 1305: (breakfast price updated as of Jan 2020)
Breakfast: 4860 xpf (tax incl) per person per day
Half board (breakfast and a 3-courses dinner): 13 053 xpf (tax incl) per person per day
Full board (breakfast, a 2-courses lunch and a 3-courses dinner): 17 632 xpf (tax incl) per person per day.
Breakfast 50% discount: available only at check in time if it is taken for the entire stay. It does not apply for half board and full board. Post 1376
Guaranteed Upgrade Costs as of January 2015 per post 1293
Emerald to Sapphire: 15,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Emerald to Diamond: 25,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Emerald to Diamond Otemanu: 35,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Emerald to Diamond End of Pontoon: 45,000 XPF + 14% taxes per night
Full prepayment prior to arrival required
Direct Boat Transfers to/from Airport One-way: 7334 XPF (updated Dec 2019) (about 15 minutes). Resort will email you to arrange this ahead of time if desired.
Boat transfer from the Airport is not mandatory despite what any hotel emails might imply to the contrary. It's possible to take the free Air Tahiti shuttle to Vaitape (15 minutes), followed by a taxi to the IC Le Moana for 2000XPF (15 minutes), then the IC's shuttle between Le Moana and Thalasso for 3390 XPF per person one way (updated Dec 2019) (15 minutes). If all transfers go smoothly, the journey could be as short as an hour, or longer than two hours if you're unlucky.
Boat Times (as of Oct 2016, and current as of Jan 2020)
Leaving Le Moana:
7:45am
8:45am
11:45am*
12:45pm
1:45pm
4:30pm
5:30pm*
6:30pm
8:30pm
10:00pm
Leaving Thalasso:
8:15am
9:15am*
12:15pm
1:15pm
2:15pm*
5:00pm
6:00pm
7:00pm
9:30pm
10:30pm
* Boat times with a * can connect with the bus shuttle between IC Le Moana and Vaitape town, as shown below:
Bus Shuttles between IC Le Moana and Vaitape town:
Depart IC Le Moana:
9:45am
2:45pm
Depart Vaitape:
11:15am
5:00pm
The bus shuttle costs 1150 XPF RT/person.
Note: There is no ATM at the Thalasso. The closest ATMs are in Vaitape, the main town where the airport ferry stops. However, both IC Le Moana and Thalasso will give you a "cash advance" on your credit card for a fee of 5%. The transaction will post as a purchase.
XPF is also available at the airport in Pappeete from several ATMs.
POST 1795
Resort Email: [email protected]
IC Thalasso Bora Bora Master Thread [merged]
Nov 30, 2018, 6:47 am
#3466
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SNA and XRY
Programs: UA PP, 2 MM; IC;
Posts: 1,043
Saw reward availability yesterday for 1/21 and now it’s gone. Was trying to book in block of 1/19-1/22 and didn’t know what I had until it disappeared. Can anyone please help? Does anyone have any in this block that they wouldn’t mind releasing? 
much appreciated! Have never been to this hotel and was looking forward to this opportunity. Thank you all!
much appreciated! Have never been to this hotel and was looking forward to this opportunity. Thank you all!
Dec 3, 2018, 7:56 pm
#3467
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 9
I have seen some people mention having the minibar emptied before you arrive is this something you must do before your arrival or can it be done when getting there? Also is there any freezer section in it? Big enough for like an Ice Cube tray? Anyone have a picture of it?
Also when staying at the Thalasso are there really any other options for supper besides at the resort or taking a private boat?
Also when staying at the Thalasso are there really any other options for supper besides at the resort or taking a private boat?
Dec 3, 2018, 8:08 pm
#3468
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 701
I have seen some people mention having the minibar emptied before you arrive is this something you must do before your arrival or can it be done when getting there? Also is there any freezer section in it? Big enough for like an Ice Cube tray? Anyone have a picture of it?
Also when staying at the Thalasso are there really any other options for supper besides at the resort or taking a private boat?
Also when staying at the Thalasso are there really any other options for supper besides at the resort or taking a private boat?
Dec 4, 2018, 5:32 am
#3470
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Frankfurt / Germany
Posts: 3
First of all big thanks to the forum and the people posting in this thread: all the infos and reviews were invaluable for me to familiarize myself with the matter and helping me to plan our trip to Bora Bora / Moorea in May next year.
Well, that finding availability for the Thalasso is more like a roulette is now pretty clear to me. Nevertheless I would of course like to try it
From reading the posts I learned that reward nights become available around 4 months prior to the desired dates and for the Le Moana this can be observed pretty well every day. I assume for the Thalasso the same "4 month in advance" rule applies - however does anyone have more about the exact time of the day when award space is usually released (which would make it easier to monitor rather than pressing F5 several times a day like I do now)?
Many thanks!
Well, that finding availability for the Thalasso is more like a roulette is now pretty clear to me. Nevertheless I would of course like to try it
From reading the posts I learned that reward nights become available around 4 months prior to the desired dates and for the Le Moana this can be observed pretty well every day. I assume for the Thalasso the same "4 month in advance" rule applies - however does anyone have more about the exact time of the day when award space is usually released (which would make it easier to monitor rather than pressing F5 several times a day like I do now)?
Many thanks!
Dec 4, 2018, 8:12 am
#3471
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SNA and XRY
Programs: UA PP, 2 MM; IC;
Posts: 1,043
Dec 6, 2018, 6:05 am
#3473
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Global Entry
Posts: 2,862
First of all big thanks to the forum and the people posting in this thread: all the infos and reviews were invaluable for me to familiarize myself with the matter and helping me to plan our trip to Bora Bora / Moorea in May next year.
Well, that finding availability for the Thalasso is more like a roulette is now pretty clear to me. Nevertheless I would of course like to try it
From reading the posts I learned that reward nights become available around 4 months prior to the desired dates and for the Le Moana this can be observed pretty well every day. I assume for the Thalasso the same "4 month in advance" rule applies - however does anyone have more about the exact time of the day when award space is usually released (which would make it easier to monitor rather than pressing F5 several times a day like I do now)?
Many thanks!
Well, that finding availability for the Thalasso is more like a roulette is now pretty clear to me. Nevertheless I would of course like to try it
From reading the posts I learned that reward nights become available around 4 months prior to the desired dates and for the Le Moana this can be observed pretty well every day. I assume for the Thalasso the same "4 month in advance" rule applies - however does anyone have more about the exact time of the day when award space is usually released (which would make it easier to monitor rather than pressing F5 several times a day like I do now)?
Many thanks!
Dec 6, 2018, 6:53 am
#3474
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Silver, whatever the Amex plat gets me and somehow still IHG Diamond after 3 years of no nights
Posts: 693
The 4 month rule isn't as obvious when looking at Thalasso because there is just so little availability, which leads to your 2nd points. But if you search for awards at Le Moana, Tahiti or Moorea, the 4 month rule becomes clear. If you look right now, you'll see a lot of availability up until April 6th and then it's completely unavailable after that. If you look tomorrow, it'll be a day further.
Dec 11, 2018, 5:38 am
#3475
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Frankfurt / Germany
Posts: 3
Thx for the feedback! Based on this I will check for availability at le moana once it is supposed to show up and then just hope to be able to find one night or so at thalasso closer to the date....what is a bit annoying is that thalasso seems to show mostly phantom availability at the moment...
Dec 18, 2018, 10:47 pm
#3477
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 9
I wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. My wife and I just returned from our vacation of a lifetime from Bora Bora and a big part of us being able to go and being prepared had to do with this thread. We were able to get a solid week on points and chase night certificates. 4 at Thalasso and 3 at Le Moana. We did upgrade 3 of our nights at Thalasso for 15k xpf and one night to the Brando suite at 60k. I would say the Brando suite was definitely amazing but one night was almost not enough really to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong it was amazing but that day flew by. Some differences I did notice from what I read in this thread was I did try to take a boat to Thalasso before 2:00 the one day I was staying at the Le Moana and they wanted to charge me for boat transfer and I didnt end up going. But I did think I read on here that you could transfer between the two for no charge before 2:00. I never tried transfering to Le Moana from Thalasso though. I did also opt for breakfast the first 3 days at the Thalasso which was really good and they have just about everything you could want. But $50 for breakfast is still a lot for 2 people in my book. We did stop at Chin Lee grocery before going over to the Thalasso so we packed plenty to get us through and the days we stayed at the Le Moana we were able to go out and get Pizza's at "The Lucky House" and also got 1/4 chicken from a tent in an empty lot just down a little ways on the same side of the street as the Lucky House for 700 xpf. I would not recommend the beef though. If you are worried about spending 80 pp per meal in Bora bora there are definately alternatives when staying at the Le Moana. At the Thalasso though you better have some stuff packed cause there isnt anyway for you to get anywhere except boat transfer.
Also something I didn't notice mentioned in here both of our rooms at the Thalasso had little lizards or geckos in them and they fast and when you first catch one dashing across the floor or wall out of the corner of your eye you definately jump a little bit. They are harmless but if your not expecting it can be a little darting.
When staying at the Le Moana we were upgraded all 3 nights without asking to an Overwater Bungalow at no charge. The staff at the Le Moana were amazing and definately work there tails off. It is much much small then Thalasso with a much smaller staff but they work there tails off to make your stay absolutely fantastic. Also I would say as far as seeing fish goes in your overwater bungalow through your coffee table there really arent any at the Thalasso but the Le Moana has a ton and you can sit in your room and feed them from the coffee table and see quite a variety of fish.
Also something I didn't notice mentioned in here both of our rooms at the Thalasso had little lizards or geckos in them and they fast and when you first catch one dashing across the floor or wall out of the corner of your eye you definately jump a little bit. They are harmless but if your not expecting it can be a little darting.
When staying at the Le Moana we were upgraded all 3 nights without asking to an Overwater Bungalow at no charge. The staff at the Le Moana were amazing and definately work there tails off. It is much much small then Thalasso with a much smaller staff but they work there tails off to make your stay absolutely fantastic. Also I would say as far as seeing fish goes in your overwater bungalow through your coffee table there really arent any at the Thalasso but the Le Moana has a ton and you can sit in your room and feed them from the coffee table and see quite a variety of fish.
Dec 19, 2018, 9:33 am
#3478
Join Date: May 2004
Location: LAX
Posts: 1,849
What shape is Thalasso in? It's been a couple of years, I remember they were doing some ongoing renovations
and we were pleasantly surprised how good everything looked. But how is it now?
Are they replacing all the roofs constantly? How about the wooden floors? The pool (remember the missing tiles)?
and we were pleasantly surprised how good everything looked. But how is it now?
Are they replacing all the roofs constantly? How about the wooden floors? The pool (remember the missing tiles)?
Dec 19, 2018, 11:17 am
#3479
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 9
As far as the rooms go from what we stayed in were very nice. Floors weren't scratched up. Roofs were being replaced while we were there. But I was told by the Le Moana they just finished rennovations in early 2018. With having our own pool we never really used the main pool so can't really comment on that.
Dec 19, 2018, 11:33 am
#3480
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 701
We stayed in the pool villa in October. It was in great shape. Little to no wear which is impressive since they wer 15 months old. The grounds and everything else was great too. I can’t speak for the pool since we never use it.