Clearly, there is not an order to my post-Tahiti and Auckland blogging style, because here I am about to write a review about the first stop of our adventure, the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa. When we returned home, I was able to get the vlogs up fairly quickly because those are an easier lift than blogging travel reviews (vlog #1, vlog #2, vlog #3, vlog #4). Once the vlogs were up, it was time to start working on updating my actual blog. In case you missed my first two reviews, check out the posts detailing our stays at Mudbrick Winery and the Hilton Moorea Lagoon & Resort overwater bungalow. In today’s post, I am sharing our experiencing staying three nights at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa in Papeete.
First Impressions
The InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa is actually well known for being a stop-over hotel for incoming visitors to the French Polynesia. Often times, international flights will arrive to Papeete in the evening after the last island hopper flights have departed. Many people who are traveling on to places like Bora Bora will do a night or two at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa and other close hotels to break up travel. We also met a few people doing the reverse, staying at the IHG before catching a flight home. Although we weren’t taking a flight to another island in the French Polynesia, we opted to stay at the IHG for three nights until our 45 minute ferry ride to Moorea. Now that you have that background, it makes sense that quite a few people from our SFO to PPT flight were headed to the IHG upon landing. After customs and the baggage claim, we found a taxi easily and took the five minute drive to the hotel. Thankfully, check-in was very quick despite it being a busy time of the evening (both international flights arriving and guests who were taking a red eye checking out).
I could have sworn I took pictures of our room, but I looked at my camera roll and couldn’t find any. Nevertheless, if you are interested in seeing what our garden view king room looked like, check our the end of vlog #1. We opted for the most basic room because we were splurging for an overwater bungalow at our upcoming Moorea stay. Plus, you really don’t spend that much time in your hotel room while in Tahiti. It is important to note, that even though we had one of the most basic rooms, Tahiti is pricey so except some shock when browsing hotels.
I will say that first impressions of our room weren’t the best. It felt like the room itself could have been cleaner and it was one of those situations where you didn’t want to look too closely otherwise, you’d find streaks, marks, and other things a clean freak like myself would cringe over. After check-in, we got settled in our room and grabbed a quick bite from one of the restaurants. When I went to take a shower, the entire bathroom flooded because the drain was backed up. Maintenance came right away to unclog the drain, which we think was full of hair 🤢 Luckily, they called in housekeeping who gave our bathroom a clean before we went to bed.
The pools
There are two pools at the IHG, and with the influx of people coming and going, we never experienced any issues with crowds or finding a seat. We hung out most of the time at the smaller pool, which featured a swim up bar that imitated the perfect blue water and white sand you’d find throughout Tahiti. In addition to the pools, there is a lagoon that people are welcome to swim and snorkel in. If you are interested in laying on the beach, there is not beach access on property so if that is your thing, I recommend taking an excursion to a nearby beach.
The food
IHG had the best food compared to the other two hotels we stayed at while in Tahiti. We started each morning at the the Lobby Bar Terrace, where we shared an açaí bowl and enjoyed a vanilla latte before finding our spot by the pool. For lunch, I had the poke bowl both days, which was my favorite. We had great experiences at all the restaurants on property and highly recommend Te Tiare. We splurged the last evening and went to Le Lotus, which is the more upscale offering on property. While quite good, I don’t think it was worth the price tag.
Overall thoughts
While the IHG is an older resort, much of the property is updated and we experienced great service, good food, and it was a fabulous start to our vacation. The only room for improvement was the cleanliness of our room. While not worth a compliant to the front desk, it was something we noticed. When it was time to leave, the bell hop called us a cab to the ferry terminal and we had a seamless check out. Our travel agent, Lisa, helped us compare hotels for this first part of our trip and we are so glad we landed on IHG.
Our travel agent Lisa (also my mom) organized our Tahiti and New Zealand vacation and ensured our trip was 10/10. If you’re thinking about booking a vacation, reach out to Lisa with Lisa’s Dream Destinations. Working with a Professional Travel Agent can save you both time and money and in turn, reduce stress that comes along with travel planning. Contact Lisa today and let her know you were referred by Miss Olivia. Says: Destinationsbylisa@gmail.com.
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xoxo Olivia
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