In this post I”ll provide a review and pictures from our 5 night stay at the Hilton Moorea in French Polynesia. This post is part of a larger trip report from our two week “Year of the B” trip to French Polynesia. For this trip we used 150k Delta miles each to fly on Delta and Air France in business class. We used 200,000 Hilton Honors points for our 5 night stay at the Hilton Moorea hotel. This was the first island stop on our two week award stay in French Polynesia.
If you are looking to earn more Hilton points, consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
Hilton Moorea Review – French Polynesia Trip Report
French Polynesia Trip Report:
- ATL > LAX in DL Business Class and an over night at the Andaz West Hollywood
- LAX > PPT in Air France Business Class and ferry to Moorea
- Hilton Moorea Hotel Review
- Moorea Activities
- InterContinental Bora Bora
- Villa Mahana Restaurant Bora Bora
- Le Meridien Tahiti
- Ritz Carlton LAX and LAX > ATL in DL Business Class
Journey to Hotel
As described in my last post, we took the ferry from Tahiti to Moorea. We arranged for Hilton transportation from the Moorea ferry dock to the Hilton for 3000 cfp. They were on time and very friendly….to us, more on that in a moment. Prior to leaving home we had emailed the hotel at activity@hilton-moorea.pf to request transportation. A day before we left I asked for and received double confirmation the car would be available. The double confirmation proved extremely worth the effort.
The same couple from my last post continued in Moorea with their unlucky streak. When we first met them they had just got off a flight from DTW in LAX and had ran across the parking lot within 20 minutes to catch the AF flight to Tahiti. They ended up making that flight covered in sweat but their checked luggage didn’t. So they got off the ferry with no luggage, sweaty clothes after a 9 hour flight in coach, and tried to flag down the Hilton van as we were pulling out of the parking lot. Unfortunately the van driver was not willing to let them in for the 20 minute journey. When we asked the driver she said they get people asking for “free rides” all of the time. We spoke with the couple at the resort and they said they had emailed the hotel for a transportation request, but never received a confirmation. Lesson learned, make sure you confirm your transportation.
The check in area is a large open air seating area with plenty of seating. When we arrived every seat was taken. Check in was a bit chaotic but we managed to get through it in about 20 minutes. I was a Diamond member at time of reservation but a Gold member at time of check in. The hotel mentioned that as a diamond member I would be entitled to a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe garden bungalow with a pool. Since we travelled all the way to Tahiti, I wasn’t willing to gamble on getting an overwater bungalow.
I emailed in advance and asked what the rates would be for an overwater bungalow. They quoted 14999 xpf + 14% taxes the first time I asked, but I did not confirm. Then when we got closer to our travel dates, I asked again and was quoted a price of 17999 xpf + 14% taxes. They were kind enough to honor the original rate which ended up being about $170 USD per night.
Hotel
This was our first stop on our trip and we knew what to expect from reading reviews online. There was a small pool, dining area, and nice beach. We never used the pool and only went to the beach once because the overwater bungalows had everything you needed. The garden bungalows are fairly private except for the ones along the beach path. There is a long wooden walkway out to the overwater bungalows. To help with the long walk they provide complimentary bike-enabled transportation. They removed the golf carts as part of their green initiative. This hotel used to be part of the Sheraton chain and has switched over to Hilton several years ago. But the Sheraton lives on with the linens, wonder when the Hilton will change those.
As a gold member we were offered free buffet breakfast every day. The breakfast spread was impressive and a great way to start the day. The people here were so friendly before and throughout our entire stay.
Room
Since we paid for an upgrade in advance, I was able to select our overwater bungalow. I believe we selected the best one with the most privacy. Trust me on this one, overwater bungalow number 87 is the best overwater bungalow. We were at the very end of the bungalows on the middle row. There is an argument that 86 or 107 and 109 are better, but I disagree. Number 109 and 107 are right next to the common dock area and number 86’s deck is in plane view of the other bungalows.
We arrived at our room and promptly received our pre-ordered bucket of 4 Corona’s for $26 USD. We were already in the water, so they brought the delivery out to our deck. After the first round of drinks at the Hilton we found a local shop to stock up on supplies for the week. You can read about some of the drinks we made in our Martini for Moorea post here. The bungalow itself is in great condition. The large bathroom is to the right when you walk in and has a clawfoot tub. The living room has a small glass top table that you can see right through to the ocean. The best part is the deck. The bungalow has an upper (thatch roof covered) deck and a lower (full sun) deck. This was probably the most unique place we’ve ever stayed (even beat the Hilton Seychelles villa) mainly because we had direct access to the crystal clear water.
All this for 5 nights with only 200,000 Hilton Honors points, what a deal.
Number 87 provided us maximum privacy and we had perfect sunrise views.
Sunset Views
If you are looking to earn more Hilton points, consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
Resources
Hilton Moorea Villa Map (old one from when it was a Sheraton)
Tahiti Explorer Travel Forum
Moorea Ferry Website
Bottom Line
The Hilton Moorea is one of the best hotels on Moorea. Hilton really takes care of their elite members by providing complimentary upgrades to deluxe garden villas and complimentary breakfast. I would recommend spending the extra money for an upgrade to the overwater bungalows. Its not very often you find yourself in French Polynesia.
My next post will cover our Moorea activities. Then I promise I’ll get the Bora Bora trip report up very soon.
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Points Redemption Summary
-We used 200,000 Hilton Honors points for a 5 night stay
-14999 xpf + 14% for the upgrade to the Over Water Bungalow
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About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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Hi, this was a great report! I’m going there in January and 87 is already reserved. Would you suggest 86 or 109 instead for privacy?
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
@Kevin – That’s a great decision to have.
My preference would be 86. I think you’d still get sunrise and sunset views.
In 109, you’ll get sunset views, not sure about sunrise, but you will get the evening couple of two at the end of the dock. Both are great, but I would go with 86 if you have a choice.
@Kevin – Not sure I mentioned this above. Their speaker system didn’t work with the new iPhone 4 but did work with an old ipod. If you want music in your room, you can use the radio or bring an ipod to hook up to their system, or bring your own iphone speaker.
@Kevin – Check out this Youtube video on room 109. Look at 2:48 to get an idea of how close the next villa’s deck would be to yours. I don’t think you’ll have that proximity issue if you go with 86.
Also this video of 75 looks pretty cool. At the 28 second mark you can see 87 in the distance.
Thanks for the info! I think I’ll go with 86 with 75 being my second choice.
For what it’s worth, I negotiated the Overwater Bungalows to 10,000XPF and the Panoramic Overwater Bungalows to 12,280XPF. I’ve heard of people getting lower rates than that so I guess it’s all in how you do it!
@Kevin — Which room did you go with? Congrats on getting a low upgrade rate.
We’re going with 86!
I’m looking forward to your next post on Le Meridien Tahiti as well. Were there taxi’s waiting for you outside the airport or did you reserve one in advance through the hotel
Thanks for all your info, it is perfect timing with my trip so I have lots of questions, haha!
You ask and you shall receive. The post on the Le Meridien hotel is going up in about 20-30 minutes.
Very helpful! I am planning a trip out there. Thanks!
what time of year did you go? and when and where did you negotiate that over the water upgrade price? im assuming you used your points for the basic king garden guest room?
Hi Derick Tormey – We went in May. I negotiated the rates about 3-4 months before arrival.
how did you find reward nights at the Thalasso? ive looked through 11 months from now and there is nothing ever open online for rewards
Hi awesome report!
When you say you used 200,000 Hilton Honors points for the 5 day stay, were those base points or bonus points?
What i am getting at…i am looking into getting a Hilton Honors Amex and wondering if those points that i get from using the card can be used for the stay?
Say i eventually get around 200,000 bonus points just by using the card will i be able to use the bonus points for the stay or are those 200,000 points only base points?
Thanks
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