Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort

Average food with limited places to eat. Only 1 and a half restaurants. The K restaurant is 1/2 because it’s only open 4 days a week and only offers a set menu for $120 US with limited options The main Pure restaurant has an average buffet 4 days a week. Upper end buffets usually have a chief carving roasts. No chief here just average precuts in trays. There is a beach bar with a scaled down version of the Pure menu. Most beach bars offer more international pub food options. I gave three stars because the resort is okay

20 years ago, we visited French Polynesian after I finished Breast cancer treatment. It was our 20th wedding anniversary. We vowed to return 20 years later for our 40th anniversary. 20 years ago, I had wanted to stay, but alas the Sofitel was under renovation. We booked it this year as we had heard it was the best resort on the Island for snorkeling and it did NOT disappoint. We booked a Luxury Garden Bungalow - Beach view for 3 nights and were given room 424, which was in my opinion, the best Luxury Garden Bungalow due to its privacy and proximity to the best beach snorkeling. Loved Loved the bungalow. Sofitel put flowers and leaves on our bed saving Happy 4oth. They also provided a bottle of Champagne. The room was beautiful. Loved the balcony as it was covered, which allowed us to sit outside while it briefly rained one afternoon. The best snorkeling on the beach is to the left of the rock wall on the public beach. The reef is very nice and there is the largest Napolean fish I’ve ever seen in the waters there. We transferred to an Over Water Bungalow for our last 3 nights and to celebrate our anniversary night. As much as we loved the beach bungalow, the OWB blew us away. We had room 116 and it was drop dead gorgeous. It was larger than the beach bungalow and it was sooo lovely to sit on the balcony right on the water. OMG, the most amazing snorkeling ever. But, you have to go about 100 years off the bungalows to see the good stuff. Saw a very large stingray. We had a staring contest and then he tried to hide in the sand. I swam away and a little while later there was a wall of yellow striped convict fish, must of been 600. So, I thought the only thing better would be a shark and then I saw a 4’ black tip. Then I saw another sting ray. There were fishies everywhere. My only negative is that food is very expensive at the resort. Expect to spend $100 for hamburgers and sodas. Rudy’s and Moorea Beach Cafe will pick you up for free. Both are excellent. The Sofitel will arrange the reservations. 6PM shuttle for Rudy’s and 6:30 for Beach Cafe. Sofitel has buffets on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. They are $120 per person and do not include drinks. You must eat at the bar with a very limited menu if not eating at the buffet. So, plan your outside reservations accordingly. You can also rent a car and drive to dinner. Sofitel offers hourly rentals. First hour is $10 and every hour after is $20. It is prorated. There are food trucks by the Ferry that are open till 3PM. Sodas and water are provided in the room. Breakfast is always excellent at the resort, make sure it is included in your rate as there are no restaurants close. You can usually get a noon checkout if you ask and rooms are ready at 1, be sure to check as our room was ready well before they contacted us. The staff at the Sofitel was so warm and welcoming. I would stay here again without hesitation. I’m so glad we splurged on the OWB for our anniversary. Sofitel made it amazing.

The place is beautiful. Breakfast great. Excellent snorkeling, right from beach. Rooms very nice. However very very disappointed with whale watch. Guide was full of himself. The staff was confused. Reservations on pieces of paper. Guide went through a 1/2 hour about shark danger??? And went through a his whale knowledge. We never were in the water. Our friends went on a boat out of Hilton. They never heard any brief on sharks. They did not over go through their whale knowledge. They found whales immediately were in the water with them They simple floating raft with rope to hang onto to keep the team tight.

I decided to visit Moorea on my way back from New Zealand. Luckily, I found a cancellation at the Sofitel. However, I was very disappointed, as it is not worth the money. At one time, my husband and I were contemplating our honeymoon, and I am so glad we didn't go here. My disappointment was driven by a combination of mediocre service (most staff just made me feel like they were doing me a favor), run down accomodations (bungalows, in the middle of renovations, but i got an old one), and bad food (I did not find any Brakfast and Dinner item to actually taste good, except for the omlettes). All that... for prohibitvely expensive rate. I'm comparing it to the most amazing accomodations and best personal service I just experienced in New Zealand for the exact same price. That said, I have to give a shout out to the front desk manager, Cecile, who was professional, knowledgeable and helpful to me.

Came to Tahiti over the thanksgiving holiday and chose this resort on Moorea. We had a very early flight that got us to the resort ariund 8am. Unfortunately the room wasn’t ready so we just lounged by the pool. Eventually they gave us our keys closer to 11am, we were thankful for the earlier check in. We stayed in a lovely overwater bungalow, the direct access to snorkeling right outside our bungalow was amazing. They provided everything for snorkeling. The balcony was so relaxing, I found myself just snoozing from being so relaxed. The beach was nice too, very private not many people around and plenty of space to lounge without being to crowded. The food at the resort itself was okay, we ate lunch at the bar. I did really enjoy the burger and vanilla flan from the little beach cafe a few steps away from the main entrance/lobby. And on our last morning there we ordered room service for breakfast, I’d give it a 7/10. Overall, I’d recommend this hotel. The only reason I knocked off 1 star is because it’s slightly outdated & the food could’ve been a bit better. But if you’re looking for a great place to relax and unwind, this is definitely it.