So, you decided you wanted to go to paradise, also known as Tahiti, but where should you stay? I will list the amazing, the good, and the not so good parts of our experience at InterContinental Tahiti Resort, so YOU can decide if InterContinental Tahiti Resort is the best fit for your vacation.
The Overwater Bungalow (the amazing)
We stayed in an overwater bungalow and to this day, it is one of the best overwater bungalows I have ever stayed in – worldwide. That’s a big statement to make. When you first walk in, the views of the ocean are stunning. It’s truly what dreams of made of. The bungalow is modern, tastefully decorated, and clean. There are several places that have glass on the floor for you to view the coral reef below. The first thing your body will recognize is the air conditioning. It works well and made us incredibly comfortable. Natural light pours into the space from the floor-to-ceiling windows. There are plenty of outlets to charge devices and the wifi is strong. I could easily upload videos and photos without a delay. The bed is amazing. Ken said, he got the best sleep of the entire trip while we stayed at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort. The water pressure is strong in the shower and the bathtub faces the ocean for another amazing view. There is plenty of storage, as we packed for a 21-day trip. The bungalow is around 400 ft and feels even bigger due to the high ceilings. The biggest highlight is the outdoor deck with loungers, an umbrella to offer shade, a dining table and chairs, and the final touch: stairs that lead directly into the ocean to swim or snorkel at your leisure.
Staff offered us welcome drinks on arrival and a surprise in our room – macaroons. There were multiple floral arrangements throughout the bungalow that smelled amazing. Complimentary bottles of water were placed in our room and there is a small fridge to keep drinks cold. I appreciate the warm welcome and attention to detail.
Room Type: King Bed Motu Suite Overwater Bungalow
(the not so good)
If you book an overwater bungalow at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort, you have the option to enter the water from your bungalow. It’s a huge perk. The activities desk loans snorkel equipment to guests, but they only allow you to have them for one hour at a time. It is a bit of a walk to get to and from the activities desk and the worst news is the activities desk closes at 3:00 PM. It doesn’t get dark until 6:00 PM. Let me paint the picture: you enjoy sleeping in after traveling 20 hours, you pay more for an overwater bungalow that has a ladder into the ocean and you don’t have snorkeling equipment readily available. Ken noticed that the snorkel masks were in poor condition and leaking. I told him to bring his own snorkeling gear, but alas sometimes we must learn the hard way. I brought mine and didn’t have an issue. So, heed these words. The best advice would be to bring your own snorkel equipment to save time on walking back and forth from the activities desk and so you can ensure the equipment works well.
There is a design flaw with the bungalow. Ken hit the top of his head multiple times while venturing out to the outdoor deck. The thatched roof hangs so low that you can’t help but hit your head every time you go outside or back inside. We are short people, so imagine if you are taller than 5”7. We pointed this out to management, so hopefully, they fix this design flaw for future guests.
InterContinental Tahiti Resort has mayflies. Ken found three of them on our bed during our two-night stay. The hotel didn’t verbally mention them but they have a document in their welcome binder that mentions them On the pamphlet, it says they can’t control or treat the villa for mayflies, but the bugs are harmless. As a reference point, I didn’t stay in an overwater bungalow in Manava or Tahiti Beach (both resorts in Tahiti) at the same time of year and I didn’t see one bug there.
The Location and Landscape (the good)
Europhia struck me when I realized we would arrive at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort in less than 5 minutes from the airport. The location is outstanding. You will see airplanes fly by, but they do not roar loudly. I understand seeing planes may be a negative for some travelers, but we thought it was cool to see how close the planes would fly by.
The landscape is beautiful with a turtle pond, lagoonarium (where they do daily fish feedings) and various places to swim (two pools, one lagoon, and a swim-up bar). By one of the pools, they created a man-made beach, which is a nice feature since they don’t have a natural beach. We don’t require a beach on vacation, but I understand this may be a deal breaker for travelers wanting a beach vacation.
Entertainment (the amazing)
We enjoyed the Polynesian dancers at the brunch. They delivered an energetic performance and this was a great start to our trip. They perform every Sunday from 8:30 AM-9:30 AM. The price is steep at $60 per person, which includes a buffet breakfast and the performance. The breakfast spread was expansive with multiple hot stations, an omelet station, and a variety of fresh tropical fruits, yogurts, and pastries. Due to our status at IHG properties, our breakfast was complimentary.
Transit Room (the amazing)
Since we were flying from the States, we arrived in Tahiti around 6:00 AM. At check-in, we were told our room would not be ready for a couple of hours. Thankfully, InterContinetal Tahiti Resort offers a transit room, where we were able to shower and refresh, which was greatly appreciated after such a long journey.
The Food (the not so good)
We ordered a $32 pizza at happy hour and it reminded me of delicious frozen pizza. The food is overpriced here, but let it be glorious. I don’t mind paying for expensive food if it’s delicious. The food sadly misses the mark. Unfortunately, another couple at the resort said that they couldn’t eat the ribs, because they don’t provide you with a chainsaw to cut them – their words not mine. The cocktails weren’t anything to rave about. We also had a sit-down dinner at the Te Tiara restaurant (complimentary but more on that later) and again, nothing was memorable. I love food so it breaks my heart.
Customer Service (the not so good)
It was fun to kayak in the ocean; however, the activities desk was staffed by 3 people and no one offered suggestions on where to kayak, places to avoid, or any assistance to help us put the kayak in the water. Not sure what exactly they are there for besides making sure we use the sign-in/sign-out sheet and informing us that kayaking stops at 3:00 PM.
Simple requests such as turn-down service are delayed and minimal. We called the front desk and requested turn-down service and they informed us – it would be their pleasure. We return back to the room and it didn’t happen. The following day, we saw the housekeeping staff and asked if they could remove the decorative pillows and draw the blinds and they responded “that’s not what they do.”
Remeber that $32 pizza? Well, we didn’t finish it at happy hour, so we asked for a to-go container. The staff told us it would be sent to our bungalow, so we wouldn’t have to carry it back. We never saw the pizza again.
Management Stepping In (the good)
Management wanted to rectify pizza-gate by offering us a complimentary meal. My husband didn’t want anything, but I requested a burger and a margarita cocktail. The burger arrived to our room, but the margarita didn’t. Instead, a Margherita pizza arrived. I would like to note that we didn’t put in the order, management did. We had to call management again to figure out what happened. The chef apologized and offered us a complimentary dinner at Te Tiara. Management dropped off snorkel masks and fins so we could enjoy snorkeling without a time limit on our last day.
Conclusion
InterContinental Tahiti Resort has the best overwater bungalow in Tahiti. The property is lush and tropical and the Polynesian show is worth seeing. The food leaves a lot to be desired and customer service, in general, could be improved. Overall, management did their best to rectify our issues and we would gladly stay here again.
Do you plan on visiting Tahiti? Would you stay at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort? Let us know!
We stayed at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort for two nights and then we are off to the Hilton in Moorea for two days before our 17-day Norweigan cruise to Sydney!
