Hotel Review: Intercontinental Resort Tahiti

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Tara

Sadly our trip to French Polynesia was over. We had seen some amazing birds on Ua Huka and Rimatara and now we were heading home. Our flight left at 7:30am so we needed a hotel near the airport and preferably available on points. The Intercontinental Tahiti Resort fit the bill perfectly. Rooms cost 40,000 points which is a decent value and this is a pretty spectacular “airport hotel”!

It is easily reachable from downtown or the airport on any Outamaoro bus. They drop you right at the driveway and you just walk down to the entrance.

My platinum status (courtesy Chase IHG Mastercard) got us upgraded to an ocean view room!

Small turtle pond in the garden

Overwater bungalows. I didn’t seek an upgrade to these as it was only an overnight stay with check out at 4:30am.

Lagoon and overwater bungalows

Watching the sunset by the swimming pool

Happy hour!

Planes coming in to land

Cabana boy with conch shell

The next morning we were up at 4:00am and checked out around 4:30-ish. The one thing I don’t like about visiting French Polynesia is the uber-early morning flights! We walked out to the main road, prepared to walk with our backpacks to the airport. A bus came along and we flagged it down. No need to pay $25 for a taxi to go a couple kilometers! Check-in wasn’t too crowded so we quickly checked in and passed security.

We were in economy so no lounge for us, the main terminal is pretty comfortable anyway. Goodbye French Polynesia and keep looking after your birds!

Shopping In Papeete

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Tara

It was mostly “window shopping” as souvenirs in Tahiti are not cheap! We had a few XPF to spend before going home so we ended up with a couple pareos. The jewelry is amazing but costs a fortune!

Leaving the ferry terminal

Cool artwork on a cafe

Pirates greet you at this cafe

These stunning necklaces were out of reach for me

But these pareos were around $10 each!

Farewell Moorea, Ferry Back To Papeete

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Tara

I really wish we could have stayed in Moorea 2 nights (especially since we got upgraded at the Intercontinental) but the flight home departed at 07:30 so there was no way we could leave Moorea on time to make that flight. I do want to point out that we have been to Moorea before we got into the miles and points game and already done the touristy things like a snorkel trip and the Tiki Village which is lots of fun! So the main purpose was really to check out the IC Moorea.

This time we had reception book us a shuttle back to the ferry terminal at 1250 XPF each so we could just relax and enjoy the scenery.

Hitting rush hour traffic

in more ways than one!

Back to the ferry terminal

Terevau arrives on time.

Arriving in Papeete ferry terminal

Papeete On A Budget (And Where To Splurge)

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Tara

You don’t often see those two words in the same sentence! But believe it or not, it is possible to save money in Papeete by doing what the locals do!

1. Locals use the buses. Unfortunately the colourful “Le Trucks” have disappeared and been replaced by normal buses. Bus fares from the airport to the town centre or Intercontinental will be around 200 XPF and a bit more to the Radisson. Weekdays, buses operate roughly every 15 to 30 minutes from around 5am until about 5.30pm. If you are staying at the Intercontinental, the Pape’ete-Faa’a-Outumaoro line supposedly operates 24 hours but in reality gets very quiet after 10pm. We did manage to get this bus to the airport at 5am but since we only had backpacks we would have walked otherwise. Sunday services are less frequent.

2. Locals eat at the Grande Marche or in the evening at the roulottes. Hotel food is really expensive and you’ve probably seen other blogs talking about $50 breakfasts and $100 dinners. You can save a bundle by visiting the food stalls at the market and buying sandwiches or plates of food to bring back to your room. We also brought packets of Crystal Light to mix with water rather than paying $5 for a bottle of soft drink. Here’s an idea of what to look for at the marche.

If you are feeling festive or planning on attending an island night (luau) you can buy leis just outside. The cheapest pareus (sarongs) are also found on the sidewalk outside the market but it’s cash only!

There are a few jewelry stalls near the tourist office.

3. Free maps and booklets at the Tourist Office.

4. Souvenirs are cheaper in the grande marche or just outside and some shops take credit cards.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST – THE SPLURGE!

I really wish I could have afforded these beautiful bird paintings on wood but they started at around $300! Yikes!

There are some nicer wood carvings and other objets d’art near the Place Vaima. You can also get a SIM card for your cell phone.

We got to see the Miss Tahiti crown on display as the pageant was happening the week after we left. Nearby, you can find some Tahitian haute couture!

Air Tahiti Nui – Even Economy Was Pleasant

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Tara

The one thing I really like about some of the Pacific Island airlines is the way they incorporate their culture into their national airline. Air Tahiti Nui won’t be the choice of those seeking aspirational awards because J class is only a recliner, not lie flat. See my post on how to book award seats on Air Tahiti Nui.

But the economy is a good deal for those redeeming economy as the cabin has a 2-4-2 layout so couples can grab seats and be sure of not having to share a 3 seater with a stranger. We got lucky with a plane that had lots of empty seats so my husband shifted into the aisle across while I kept the 2 seater so we could spread out and pretend we were in J.

I loved the blue and green colour scheme and the way the FA’s wore typical Tahitian clothing, it makes you feel like your holiday has started already!

The most important tip I can give you about seat selection is AVOID THE MIDDLE ROWS INBOUND TO TAHITI!

Upon arrival at PPT, they disembarked from both the front and rear staircases, leaving the middle row passengers as the last ones off the aircraft.

A Hawaiian Airline plane had arrived just before us and the immigration lines were horrific! They seem to take forever processing each person and there were only 3 officers on duty. They do try to make it bearable by having a nice Tahitian band and dancer to welcome and entertain the new arrivals.

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