Forget your hotel points, in the Marquesas, you will be staying in small guesthouses with the locals called pensions – and that’s half the fun! Pension Maurice et Delphine is in the village of Hokatu which is the best location if you are hoping to see Ultramarine Lorikeets.
You can’t beat the loction, on a cliff with a great view of the sea!
We stayed 3 nights and the first night we were the only guests. We were lucky enough to get the bungalow Mata Otemanu which is on the corner of the property so we had views of both the sea and the valley. This valley is where I got my first glimpse of the beautiful Ultramarine Lorikeet as pairs flew swiftly and sporadically through the valley.
The bungalows themselves are small but cute. They don’t have kitchens but they do have a kettle so you can boil water for ramen noodles! No hot water so we had to take quick showers in the afternoon before the sun set and it cooled down.
Wild horses (which can be seen from the verandah) were not going to drag me away from my lazy birding!
Most people book demi-pension which gives breakfast and dinner. In June 2014, this was 5900 XPF per person. The breakfast is a typical island continental breakfast of bread, fruit, coffee, tea and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Dinners will have a variety, usually seafood but they were very accommodating when I told them I don’t eat seafood. My husband was loving the island style food (like he grew up with)! Meals are served at Maurice & Delphine’s house which is a short walk from the bungalows. At night, there are no street lights so you will need a torch/flashlight to get back.
My husband got into some ukulele jamming with the family after dinner!
Maurice & Delphine have a small convenience store and Maurice is a master wood carver so you can see his workshop and buy souvenirs if you want.
In front of the house/shop you can see a typical Polynesian vaka or canoe.
Maurice & Delphine are lovely people. This is one of the reasons people visit the Marquesas – to see how the locals live and interact with them and you can’t ask for friendlier people! Delphine’s English is better than Maurice’s so be prepared to communicate in French. The bird guide (whom I will talk about in a future post) is their nephew and they are happy to organize any birding or sightseeing you need on the island at reasonable prices. There is no internet or email here so you have to call them by phone to book accommodation and once again, be prepared to speak basic French! Airport transfers are 2000 CFP return.
Contact Information
- Address: Vaipae’e, Vaipaee, Ua Huka, French Polynesia
- Phone: /92–60–55