French Polynesia: Adventures in Moorea
On a boat transfer from our Bora Bora resort, a blond Californian, fresh from a 10-day catamaran excursion, asked where we had been during our French Polynesia travels, and I replied that we had spent 5 days on Moorea. She stared at me a moment, and then scoffed, “Huh, was there really 5 days worth of stuff to do In Moorea?”
I thought in my head, that is the same question I had about Bora Bora.
Part of our reason for choosing Moorea was the wide variety of activities available, both water sports as well as hiking. The few resorts on the island are not isolated – unlike Bora Bora, no boat ride is necessary to explore off the restort. Since we don’t tend to be the type to laze the entire day away on the beach or at the resort pool, and prefer to get off resort property and interact with locals, we thought Moorea sounded like a good fit for us. We chose correctly.
Arriving in Moorea
See our recent post for more details on how to travel to French Polynesia. A significant advantage Moorea has is that it is very easy to access from the Papette international airport (PPT) by a combination of taxi and ferry. There are also flights from PPT to the small airport on Moorea, but for connecting between Tahiti and Moorea, the ferry is cheaper and offers a lot more options due to frequent departures. For a family or large group of friends, taking the ferry as opposed to flying offers a substantial cost savings. Of note, if you start your vacation in Moorea and choose to visit other islands, no need to take the ferry back to Tahiti, you can use the Moorea airport to fly to other islands! Do note, many of the Air Tahiti flights will actually stop at several different islands – if your flight time is anticipated to be more than an hour, there’s probably a stop over somewhere, but the stopovers are fast and you don’t have to deplane.
Arriving in Papeete (PPT), it took about 40 min to clear immigration and get a COVID test. It was only 6am – a little too early for the ferry so we went to ATM to get cash and then got coffee to exchange for small bills (of note, this step was unnecessary – we didn’t have any issues paying in large bills). Good call on the airport café – there no real cafe at the ferry terminal. We then made our way to the ferry terminal around 6:30am. Budget 2500 xpf (~$23) for the 20 minute taxi ride to the ferry terminal. There are 2 ferry options to Moorea; pricing is fairly similar for either so your choice may depend on which one is leaving the soonest. Aremiti charges 1,500xpf (roughly $14) one-way, or 3,000xpf (~$28) for a round-trip ticket. Terevau is slightly cheaper at 1,160xpf ($11) in each direction. We took the less expensive ferry – which was also supposed faster, but more importantly it was the earliest departing ferry. It had outdoor space along the sides and front/back of the boat, lovely for a stretch of the legs after that long 8 hour overnight flight. The ferry ride wasn’t long, but it was a bit of a rocky ride, and I wonder if the larger Aremiti might be a smoother ride in the event of rough waters.
Getting Around Moorea
Most of the activities and destinations for visitors to Moorea are clustered on the north and northwest shores of the island. It is not necessary to rent a car, but it could be quite handy. Its depend in part how much time you will spend on the resort and doing tours (car not necessary), vs if you want to hike or explore the island on your own (car necessary). Most tour companies will pick you up from your hotel by car or boat so it’s not necessary to have a car. We also found a vast number of offsite restaurants also offer free pick up for dinner so driving to dinner is not necessary. Sometimes it can be nice to have a car just for a day or two, so an option on Moorea is to rent a car through your hotel just for a day or two. At the Hilton, this ran about $200/day, but the guest house next door advertised $60 per day. Consider picking one or two days were you plan to do a lot of offsite activities, and just rent a car for the day on those particular days. Driving in Moorea is easy, the road is wide and well-maintained, and there is only one main road circling the entire island, which is about an hours drive. Bicycles are also an option, I would opt for electric bikes which will help you cover the long distances easier.
Taxi services in Moorea: Mareva taxi 689-87286554; Gisele taxi 689-87311690; Red Car Taxi is also highly recommended but I sadly did not get her phone number as we were too busy chatting!
Activities on Moorea
Water sports dominate the day on Moorea. Whale season runs from July to November and I was sad to have missed it, but there was plenty of great snorkeling to keep us busy. The most famous spot on the island is the Sharks Sandbank off of Tiahura for swimming with black tipped reef sharks and pink whiprays (which are very friendly to humans). Both snorkeling tours we took stopped here. The earlier you come, the better – when we arrived at 8:30am with Moorea Ocean Adventures, it was just us and the rays – by 10am, it was busy.
Another prime snorkeling place is in the channel on the northwest side of the island, between Coconut beach and mainland. Here we saw spotted eagle ray (a shy variety), grey reef shark, lemon shark, white tipped shark, black tipped reef sharks, and green sea turtles. You can access this area via a nearby public beach, by booking lunch in advance at the Coco Beach restaurant, or through many available tours.
We tried out two snorkeling excursions during our stay. The first was Moorea Ocean Adventures, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. We were picked up by boat at our hotel for a half day excursion, and we had the boat to ourselves. The guides are biologists and very knowledgeable. We saw a ton of different species of fish, sharks, and rays. The highlight was watching a huge group of spinner dolphins swim with our boat off the west coast of the island. Our entire excursion was videotaped underwater by our guide, and we got a souvenir digital video – no need to bring a camera!
The other tour we took was Captain Tatiana’s Glass Boat. It was a group tour of about 12 of us. We were picked up at the hotel in a van and driven to the channel near Coco Beach. They did a group tow snorkel, where you hold on to a long rope and are pulled along by the boat while you snorkel, which is fun. We also visited Polynesian statues that had been removed from the island and thrown into the ocean. Our tour included a lunch of poisson cru and grilled meats on a private motu, and this was a great opportunity to learn how to make poisson cru (though I don’t think I’ll have the luxury to pick and juice a fresh coconut by hand to make mine back home in the Rocky Mountains!). This excursion was fun, but we enjoyed the snorkeling more with Moorea Ocean Adventures.
One of the reasons we picked Moorea was the opportunity to hike. There are several great trails (this blog shares some very detailed info on hiking in Moorea), and we found the trailhead to Mt. Roitui was right across the street from the Hilton (to find it: exit the Hilton, cross the street, and turn right. Walk about 100m and you will see a dirt driveway with a coconut tree that has a sign that says “Rotui” in red. Walk down the driveway toward the wooded area and you will see another sign directing you to the right). A car is recommended for accessing the other trailheads, including the ones near Belvedere Point (a great easy hike for those without gear). Not into hiking? Another popular option is to explore the island by ATV.
Where to Stay on Moorea
One thing I love about French Polynesia is the lack of giant hotels and condos. Guest houses and small bed and breakfasts are common. Resorts are on the small side, and on Moorea you will find only 3 larger chain hotel resorts: Hilton Moorea, the Sofitel, and an Intercontinental – all of which may be options for points and miles redemptions. The other perk? All three have coveted overwater bungalows – just like the ones you’ve seen in photos of Bora Bora. On Moorea, they are about half the price.
We stayed at the Hilton, and I liked the central location on the north side of the island; the Sofitel looked nice from the road, but it seemed too far away from where many of the activities and restaurants were located. The views from the Hilton’s overwater bungalows were also probably the best on the island – stunning clear water below, so clear you could see fish and small sharks without having to don a snorkel or fins, and the jagged ridgeline of the mountains in the background.
After I made my decision to stay at the Moorea Hilton, I signed up for the Hilton Surpass AmEx card – we don’t normally stay in Hilton resorts, but trust me, the cost savings makes choking down the $450 per year annual fee worthwhile. Hear me out. The sign on bonus was tempting, the weekend free night certificate appeared to have some great possibilities (I actually hoped it would credit in time to use in Moorea, but by the time I called, all the available rooms were “premium” and we were not able to use it, but it can be quite valuable),there is an annual $250 Hilton credit which is easy to use on any Hilton stay, and the card entitled us to a $100 resort credit per stay and free breakfast since the card comes with automatic diamond status. The breakfast alone was well worth it, especially since the buffet breakfast would have run $40-50 a person (yes, I am not kidding!!) and breakfast frequently doubled as our lunch. So, for our one Hilton stay of 5 nights booked on the card, we got the 5th night free, used the $250 Hilton credit, obtained $100 resort credit per stay, and ate a total of 10 free breakfasts between the two of us (the breakfast alone would have cost far more than the annual fee), and so with the unused free weekend night certificate and plenty of Hilton points still to burn, we came out far ahead.
We did not eat many meals at the Hilton besides breakfast. On arrival, we learned that our free breakfast entitled us to the buffet, but we could add a “hot” breakfast for $10 extra – we did not since the only “extra” with hot breakfast was an omelet station. Our free continental buffet breakfast included hot dishes such as poached egg, bacon, hash browns, etc as well as local dishes like poisson cru, which was more than enough for us. My favorite was fish with stir fried veggies topped with a special fish sauce, and we probably ate our weight in croissants. For lunch and dinner, we went elsewhere since the Hilton offerings seemed a bit blase and overpriced, and we were forewarned to skip the half priced happy hour of watered down cocktails. The one exception was the crepe restaurant – the crepes were excellent, as was the view of fish and sharks swimming below us. I wouldn’t skip this one.
If you want a luau experience, the Hilton has a show on Sunday and Wednesday nights. You can purchase the buffet dinner and sit right in front of the show (putting you at risk of audience participation – don’t say I didn’t warn you!), or if you would rather grab an earlier dinner elsewhere, just migrate to the bar area around 7:30pm and watch for free. The Sunday show included fire dancing on the beach which was a lot of fun to watch.
In the room, we had all the amenities we could ask for. Bathrooms and beach towels were provided. The Internet was fast and reliable. The mini bar was actually free and restocked every day, containing bottled water, soda, beer, and pineapple juice (which pairs well with the local coconut rum). Of course, we removed all the soda in order to make room for our liquid souvenirs from the rum distillery. There was also an espresso maker in the room, which was welcome for morning coffee overlooking the water (it was also much better than the coffee provided at breakfast).
The beach has plenty of chairs and umbrellas, but also free equipment to borrow including paddle boards, kayaks, and snorkeling gear. Jet skis were available for rent. It was pretty easy to arrange tours or activities through the hotel concierge, and they could also arrange for a rental car during the day, a bike or electric bike rental, dune buggy rental, and assist with restaurant reservations and pick ups. Hotel prices were probably more expensive than booking on your own.
The Hilton was conveniently located across from a hiking trail to the peak of Mt Rotui, which is a very challenging trail but one can ascend about 45 minutes up for pretty magnificent views without entering the more technical aspects of the trail. For a more leisurely stroll, exit the hotel and turn right, and it’s about a 10 minute walk to the public beach. Of note, on the way to the public beach you will pass a pink macaroon shop called La Macaroulotte which you absolutely should stop at.
Eating on Moorea
You will quickly discover two things about your hotel: 1. The food and drinks are expensive, and 2. Resort food is not remarkably that great for the expense. I will give the Hilton credit, as their crepe restaurant is delicious and not to miss if you are staying there, but otherwise, I highly recommend taking advantage of the free transportation to outside restaurants and try out some of the local places.
Our best move was starting our Moorea vacation with a food tour. After our overnight flight and morning ferry ride, we arrived on Moorea around 8am and we were starving! Thankfully, Heimata came to our rescue and picked us up from the ferry terminal! Heimata is a professional chef who cooked for many years in Hawaii and decided to return to his home island of Moorea to start up a culinary project. Seeing that no one in French Polynesia operated a food tour, and seeing the plethora of little mom and pop snack shops that are often overlooked by visitors, Heimata started up Tahiti Food Tours. If the timing of your flight allows, a food tour is an awesome way to kick off a vacation: a tour of the island, an introduction to the best food stops, and learning what and how to order. Food on Moorea is an interesting combination of Polynesian, French, and Chinese cuisine.
Our tour started off with a visit to a Chinese Bakery for local banana bread and a unique local sandwich of Chinese chow mein in a French baguette (perfect hangover food, or post-overnight-flight). We then visited a whirlwind of local cafes, including a visit to the local distillery. Every tour is different, depending on what is open on a particular day (most cafes and restaurants are closed 1-2 days a week, and sometimes randomly as well -you know, island style). Heimata filled us in on local insights – details about the family that has ran Snack Rotui for generations while we sampled their chicken dumplings; the introduction of Chinese cuisine to the island of Moorea; that the “secret” food stand (which I would have blown off as a tourist trap given their giant hand-scrawled “Secret” sign out front) actually served the most delicious kebabs we had on the island. Our tour ended around 2pm at our hotel with full stomachs, fun memories, and a list of where to eat for the rest of our trip (alas, we did not make it to all the recommended places!)
My restaurant advice for Moorea: For lunch, the local snack shops and food trucks offer delicious fare at a much more affordable price point. Seek out the local place that are walkable from your resort. Go earlier in the day, before the best stuff runs out. On Sundays, locals get up early and drive around to purchase items from food stands for a big Sunday lunch – and this is a big thing here. The food stands set up well before dawn, and if you start out after 7am, you have probably missed out on the best stuff.
For dinner, take advantage of the free rides provided by many local restaurants to the major resorts on the island. Ask your hotel to book a reservation with transportation for you. Note that every restaurant is closed at least one night a week, but all seemed to be reliably open Thursday to Saturday. Keep in mind: meals we had on Moorea were delicious and fresh, but relatively simple, with a heavy French influence. You are not going to find molecular gastronomy, or tasting menus on Moorea like you might see on Bora Bora….but dinner also won’t cost you $200 per person like it would in many of the fine Bora Bora restaurants.
Another cost savings? Skip the bottled water and ask for tap water. Bottled water was so ubiquitous on Moorea that I questioned the safety of tap water and we only drank bottled water the first few days. Then we were reminded by the locals that on Moorea (as well as Tahiti and Bora Bora), the tap water comes from fresh spring water and is completely safe to drink. The pervasiveness of bottled water at meals is more of a cultural preference, similar to France where you see the local French always drinking bottled water even though tap water is completely safe to drink.
Our dinner recommendations (all include transportation and take credit cards):
- Golden Lake – Moorea’s Chinese restaurant was surprisingly one of our favorites of the trip. Do not miss the skillet eggplant: eggplant stuffed with chicken with a crispy exterior – unique and unbelievably delicious! Other recommended items are the “ravioli” (potstickers – it’s a meal on its own), taro nest, and pineapple chicken.
- Rudy’s: people come here for French inspired dishes like duck and crab stuffed parrotfish; we also really enjoyed the seafood gratin, escargot, and French onion soup. Moorea beach club across from Rudy’s is also a great dinner option.
- Le Lizard on the west side of the island came recommended by our food tour guide, and looks like a prime location for sunset.
- Fare Mahata – does not include transportation but it is next door to the Hilton; I recommend a reservation at 6pm and request a table on the beach. We didn’t have the greatest experience on the day we went: they ran out of food, and service was painfully slow (they were training new people), but the shrimp we had there were absolutely delicious and freshly caught.
- Toatea is the crepe restaurant (open for dinner only) at the Hilton, and is well worth it. All tables have a view of the lagoon, where you can see fish and black tipped reef sharks swim by.
Lunch recommendations (many are cash only):
- Snack Rotui – we enjoyed the chicken dumplings (spice them up with a little dijon mustard!), tuna carpaccio (with garlic, fish sauce, pickles), fish balls.
- Snack Teanahei – also known as the “secret” food stand – the fatty tuna skewers and beef heart (yes!) were outstanding.
- Snack Mahana – open Tuesday-Saturday, we didn’t make it here but this place was recommended over and over.
- Coco beach is a great spot for both a lunch and a snorkel. Tables are reserved for the day 10am-4pm, includes a boat ride from mainland over to the restaurant. They do accept credit cards.
- Mo’orea tropical garden – open daily, and is walkable (30 minutes from the public beach, close to 40 minutes walk from the Hilton). They have a Polynesia plate special on Sundays. They also sell ice cream in many local flavors, and sell vanilla, homemade jams, and other edible souvenirs. They do accept credit cards.
- La Macaroulotte – coffee and desserts including homemade macaroons & ice cream, a 5 minute walk from the Hilton.
Making Happy Hour Happier:
As with many island nations, much of the food and drink has to be imported and therefore is quite expensive. It is not uncommon to find $20 cocktails on Moorea, and $30 or more in Bora-Bora. If you plan and enjoying a cocktail or glass of wine on your bungalow deck, you will want to pick up happy hour fixings in town. Consider having your taxi stop for you on your way to your hotel; we lucked out in that our food tour operator was happy to give us a 20 minute break to run to the grocery store for any necessities. For wine lovers, the local grocery stores have a solid selection of French wine at reasonable prices. I don’t tend to drink a lot of cocktails, but something we saw other travelers do was either pack bottles of liqueur in their checked luggage or purchase at the duty free shop in LAX, and then bring a travel mug to breakfast each morning and siphon some extra juice from the breakfast buffet back to the room for crafting cocktails (our Hilton minibar also included free cans of pineapple juice for mixing.) On Moorea, visit the Rotui Juice Factory & Distillery on your first day, where they sell many different types of rum and liquors (the coconut rum and vanilla liquor were our favorites) as well as pineapple champagne, a fun local treat to sip on the beach. You can also find premixed cocktails sold in cartons. If you don’t have a car, the distillery is a feasible 30 minute walk from the Hilton.
Have you been to Moorea? Share your favorite experiences with us! We can’t wait to go back!
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