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Sofitel Maeva Resort, Tahiti

Posted on February 04, 2009 by: Traveler

Closest City: Papeete, Tahiti
State:
Country: French Polynesia

Sofitel Maeva Beach Resort, Tahiti

Leaving Paradise: With a bittersweet feelin, Danielle and I left behind Tetamanu Village on the island of Fakarava to begin part three of our French Polynesian island hop. An Air Tahiti (inter-island) flight was taking us back to Papeete, Tahiti (Faa’a Airport) where we would be spending the next three nights at the Sofitel Maeva Beach Resort. During the planning of our Polynesian honeymoon, we spent a considerable amount of time coordinating flights to different islands and also in determining the length of time we would stay at each respective location. After eight days at the remote Tuamotu Archipelago, we were flying back to Tahiti.

Our arrival to the South Pacific and first landing at Faa’a Airport was after boarding the international Air Tahiti-Nui flight from Los Angeles, CA. All international flights land at Faa’a Airport in Papeete as it is the largest populated area of the five island groups. Danielle and I decided to begin our Poynesian adventure at the remote Tuamotu Archipelago and then bounce around the Society Island Group, which Tahiti is a part of. More remote (Rangi and Faki) meant less flights, so upon our initial arrival to French Poynesia I inwardly smiled at how the, “Hurry up and wait,” mantra of the Marine Corps rang true. After an eight hour international flight and then a four hour layover in Faa’a Airport we were finally looking at a one hour flight to the Tuamotus.

Tahiti was the only island we planned to “wing it”. We did not have reservations or an itinerary prior to our arrival at our second location of Tetamanu Village, Fakarava. So, during one of our lazy spells at the over-water restaurant at Tetamanu, Danielle and I began to browse through our guidebook, Lonely Planet’s “Tahiti & French Polynesia”. I mentioned our possible choices to Annabelle (our proprietor along with her husband Sane’) and asked if she had any knowledge of those locations. Annabelle promptly scrapped all our choices and told us she had a contact at the Sofitel Maeva. She told us it was a beautiful hotel with manicured grounds… and she could get us a decent price. It is not that we didn’t like the description of the Sofitel Maeva from the guidebook (with thirteen nights left) the price was out of our budget range. The guidebook stated the price (tariff) ranged from 21,600 CFP to 43,200 CFP; and this didn’t include the half-board (breakfast and lunch of an additional 5,800 CFP (per-person). Now the U.S. Dollar’s exchange rate was around 90 CFP so that easily put the daily “tariff” over $350. We trusted Annabelle so a quick call and that was that!

Mini Car Rental: Our second landing at Faa’a had Danielle and I going straight over to the car rental to pick up a mini, mini car. I didn’t think our luggage would fit but after a few swift kicks they all popped in. Danielle got a bit nervous upon learning all car rentals in French Polynesia are stick shift. It had been a couple years since my last time driving stick but I figured it would be like riding a bicycle… she still wasn’t convinced. I figured I would be able to show this non-believer masquerading as my newlywed at how expertly I could negotiate the mean streets of Papeete in search of the Sofitel Maeva.

Where’s She At? After a few grinds of the gears, we were off. Shortly after setting out a torrential downpour began. That is precisely what led me to get turned around and lost. Excuse me, I mean misdirected (former Marines such as myself never get lost). After a couple more “misdirected” turns down (one-way) streets, a nice local allowed us to follow him back to the coast road heading in the right direction… away from Papeete. “Go under the large bridge and the entrance of the Sofitel will be on the right side.” The bridge came and went and I didn’t see any entrance signifying a hotel was near. Soon enough we came upon a large store called Carrefor (France’s super-chain, Wal-Mart style store) and I remembered the second set of directions, “If you see the Carrefor, you’ve gone too far.” One more set of directions and we (Danielle) finally figured it out. All I wanted was to just see what was beyond the Sofitel J.

First Impressions: Admittedly, we were not terribly impressed with the exterior look of the Sofitel Maeva from the parking lot. Huge tropical trees were growing out front and there was a nice landscaped area leading to the main entry. It was all very nice looking just that it looked too much like, well, a hotel. On our previous two islands in the Tuamotus, Danielle and I stayed in a bungalow yards from the lagoon (Rangiroa) and a thatched roof bungalow right in the high tide of Fakarava’s lagoon. We were cordially greeted with a, “Maeva,” (welcome) and our luggage was taken to the bell desk. Our first glimpse inside the cavernous lobby immediately erased all thoughts of a so-so environment. Was that… air conditioning? Ahhh! Immediately after noticing the refreshing air flowing all around, we realized there were no mosquitoes competing to latch onto our exposed skin. Walking toward the back of the main floor we saw large windows exposing the Sofitel Maeva’s backyard playground. The sight included an outside restaurant, a large pool and a beautiful beach with the mountains of Moorea jutting up to the distant skyline. NOTE: Moorea is Tahiti’s closest neighbor at only a 30-minute ferry ride (departs every hour or so) or a 7-minute inter-island flight (several times daily). Looking out to the pool area with the beach beyond, we instantly knew why this hotel would have otherwise been out of our price range. We could hardly wait to get out there to relax on the beach and as soon as we dropped the bags off, that is exactly what we did. NOTE: The rooms at the Sofitel Maeva Beach Resort are nicely appointed and the beds are comfortable, but the real action lies outside.

The Sofitel Maeva is part of the larger chain of “Accor Hotels & Resorts.” They have worldwide operations and have perfected their game. The hotel offers Wi-Fi to guests and has many amenities should you be mixing business with pleasure. There are two restaurants, the outside restaurant Bougainville and inside Le Sakura where sushi lovers delight. Pamphlets outline the day’s activities (on-site as well as the numerous tours departing from the hotel) and there are also handouts detailing world events. Being so soon after the December 26^th Asian tsunami which (coupled with the event itself and ensuing disease, has reportedly extinguished 400,000 lives) most of the newswires reported on that cataclysmic event. Interesting to note though, from this resort in the South Pacific; we learned Southern California was on par to have its rainiest season… ever!

What To Do? Danielle and I had picked “rough ideas” for our time on Tahiti. We definitely wanted to drive around the entire coast road passing waterfalls and roadside blowholes. Danielle wanted to hit the Papeete Market on Sunday (two days time) where everything from produce to Polynesian wares could be haggled over. We both wanted to enjoy a couple drinks at one of the bars in Papeete and have a meal at the Roulotte’s. These small, open-sided vans we were especially interested in checking out after reading the funny description in our Lonely Planet guidebook.

Venturing over to Papeete was what we planned for our second night because we had already scheduled to eat at the Bougainville restaurant. On this night (and every other I’m sure) traditional Polynesian dancers would be performing. It was kind of pricey but we decided to do the “touristy thing” and see at least one traditional dance show while on the islands. As usual, I was running late. We were seated as the dance performance was in full swing and only caught the tail end. What we saw was interesting enough but decided there was no point in paying to see another performance elsewhere. I don’t even remember the food being that tasty.

Day 2; Coast Road Drive: The next day, Danielle and I set out early to travel the island road. That was a gorgeous drive circling around the entire section of Tahiti Nui and then taking the isthmus connecting to Tahiti Iti. We only drove along the southern coast road of Tahiti Iti near the famous surf break called Teahuopoo. For more details and pictures on our second day’s coast drive see; Tahiti Coast drive.

The Roulotte’s: After returning to the Sofitel Maeva on that second night, Danielle and I took a short taxi ride over to Papeete to eat at the Roulotte’s. The beginning of Lonely Planet’s “Tahiti & French Polynesia” description of the Roulottes stated, “Good food, good fun and the best prices in town – that’s Les Roulottes, quayside in central Papeete every evening until around 1 am.” As the description says, they are located at the wharf area of Papeete (where the ferries depart for the island of Moorea) and a short stroll from Papeete’s nightlife. We saw a huge gathering near the Roulotte’s and realized a concert was going on. We stood shortly on the peripheral of this concert but our hunger took precedence. Not knowing what to expect, we began to wander through the hustle and bustle of rows of parked vehicles. It seemed like the Roulottes were a place to come and enjoy a night out because at some points there was standing room only. This truly is something every visitor to the island of Tahiti should experience, even if you choose to not eat. The names of the Roulotte’s all seemed to begin with “Chez” something. It was Chez this and Chez that. The price menus were posted out front of each Roulotte on large plywood signs. Compared to what we had spent on one meal at the Kia Ora Hotel (Rangiroa), the cost of our meal at the Roulotte’s was going to be a pittance. Danielle and I read a bunch of menus and finally decided on a Roulotte called Chez Mamy.

My Chez Mamy cuisine was a filling dish to say the least (chicken something) but you have to understand the difference between Danielle and I regarding the food we eat. I simply eat to live but Danielle… she lives to eat! If it is not some exotic new entrée then she isn’t about to try it. I continually revert back to the same dish at restaurants because I know I liked it the last time. I think, “Why would this meal be any different?” I’ve usually decided within 30 seconds of reviewing a menu what I’m eating. When asked if we have any questions, Danielle unleashes multiple inquiries ranging from the spiciness (gotta be hot) of a dish to the ingredients in the sauce. It is futile for me to hurry her decision process along by stating she liked this or that our previous time at a restaurant here or there. Even if Danielle raved about how good a meal tasted, the selection process remains unchanged in search of an equally tasty meal.

After the Roulotte experience, we walked across the street (Front de Mer) to bounce in and out of Papeete’s nightlife. We sat down at a pub called “Les 3 Brasseurs” and had a drink. This place was absolutely packed and we were lucky to be standing next to a table when a group got up to leave. A micro brewery, the bar/restaurant has postcards depicting “La Pin-Up Blonde” and saying Les 3 Brasseurs, 5 Generations de Traditions Brassicoles… The atmosphere was excited and vibrant but we soon became tired from the full days activities of hiking and being in the sun. Back to the air condition we went.

Day 3; The Papeete Market? Our final full day (Sunday) meant we would start out at the open-air market in Papeete. This time I drove the rental into town and we found parking near-by the large, open building which occupies a city block between Rue du 22 Septembre and Rue Cardella just one block back from the water and Boulevard Pomare. Constantly upgraded throughout its 250-year existence, the Papeete Market has been torn down from various events such as cyclones and “Ze Germans” during WWII. The guidebook advised us to arrive early so that’s exactly what we did. I could have slept in for another couple hours, but this is something Danielle really wanted to see. We began to walk over the market area at the super-early hour of 9:00 am. “Oh good, they are just beginning to set up everything”, we thought. Then we realized that everything the vendors were picking up was being transferred from the tabletops to boxes below. I found a roaming security guard and asked him when the market would open. He smiled and said, “Already closed! The market opened at 6:00 am!” Woops, I guess our early was not in line with the locals.

The rest of our final day was spent lazing around the Sofitel Maeva. The hotel obviously allows everyone to walk right though the lobby and down to the pool and private beach area because it was crowded with local families. Nothing wrong with that, bring in more business by allowing everyone to eat, drink and be merry. Danielle and I managed to snag a beach table with a small thatch umbrella and enjoyed our time there. Off to the right was a volleyball game between the locals and the French Gendarmerie (Police). The locals seemed to be hooting and hollering louder, so I took that as they had the advantage over the Alpha-dogs. I got to see a free daytime performance of Polynesian dancers that made me regret paying the extra money at our first night’s dinner. You can see some of the performance in my YouTube video on the first link below.

Le Sakura: Our last night’s dinner ended up being one of our best meals on the islands (definitely the most entertaining). Danielle and I ate at Le Sakura Japanese restaurant. The fare is served Teppan Sushi style. We shared a table with one other couple and had an entertaining chef. He seemed to pay more attention to us but I will attribute that to the fact I was sitting with the prettiest Tropigal in all of Polynesia. The food was excellent and we would have eaten there every night had we known about it.

Departure: At checkout, we learned our discounted hotel price was around $80 per night to stay at what would have been double that had Annabelle not hooked it up and called her friend. We enjoyed our time on the island of Tahiti but were eager to go scuba diving again. Our next flight out in the morning was heading to the TopDive Resort on the island of Bora Bora.

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