King Overwater Bungalow Stay at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, Tahiti
Overwater Bungalows are something special, and when you get the chance to stay in one, it’s always a luxurious feel and never faults – ok maybe when the weather isn’t in your favour and it rains every day (but you can’t control that!).
The King Overwater Bungalow accommodation is nothing short of magnificent at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa in Tahiti. There are elements of a traditional Polynesian-style thatched roof island bure, updated with modern internal room furnishings and features.
At the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, there are 54 overwater bungalows in total and you can upgrade your overwater bungalow – mainly for improved privacy and better unrestricted views – to King Panoramic (which is farther out on the pontoon) or King Premium Panoramic (located at the far end of the pontoon, offering more privacy). Imagine an octopus and it’s tentacles, and that is how the bures are laid out, so further away from the beach, the more private they become, and the water views are more expansive.
On arrival, we were taken by a private buggy to our room – there was a lovely welcome card, champagne and delicious macaroons waiting for us!
At 62sqm, each overwater bungalow is of the same size (regardless of the upgraded bure or not), with a private deck and direct access to the lagoon, incredible ocean and island views, and a glass floor viewing panel in the main room.
We stayed in a standard bure that overlooked the ocean and had rugged mountain landscapes afar. We were fortunate to experience epic sunsets from our room each night and didn’t see the need to upgrade. We felt our accommodation was still quite private, and only really saw our neighbours when we’d come out on the deck of an evening to have drinks and watch the sunset.
The deck was perfect direct access to the lagoon. There were private sun deck loungers on the deck for you to rest on when you returned from your swim. I’d wake up and jump in for an early morning swim (something I don’t commonly do in Sydney that is), and pinch myself at how aquatic blue the water was – just like the postcards, and only in Tahiti! The water was calm most days, and not overly deep either, so I felt safe heading out and coming back without drifting too far. You could also see through the clear water pretty well, so no issues with swimming out from the bure deck.
Oh, and before I forget – I highly recommend for you to book in a “private romantic dinner” in room if you’re staying in a bure. We stayed here for nearly a week, and whilst the “white sand beach” romantic dinner option sounds amazing, it is hosted in front of the Eimeo Bar. Don’t get me wrong, it is intimate between yourselves on the beach – they only take a maximum of two beach dinner bookings per day – but not as private as you may think and feel, knowing others over the balcony can see you. Alternatively, the “end of the pontoon” dinner option is further away from peering eyes, and may be preferred if you’d like to still have a different location away from your bure.
Our waiter for the evening, Toriki, was fabulous! He didn’t stand around all evening waiting, but more so, ran to his own schedule, checking-in on us every now and then, giving us ample space and time in-between dinner courses.
Also, do enquire about the timing of the flies that can appear at dusk (attracted to light), as we saw this affect people’s outdoor dining. You’re on an island remember, and we intentionally scheduled our dinners after sunset, because the flies kept appearing. Otherwise, they fly around in abundance and people are swatting the flies about whilst dining.
If you’re deciding between organising a canoe breakfast delivery, or the romantic dinner, we enjoyed the quality time and dinner experience more. The canoe breakfast is still a great experience, and I got a short canoe ride around the overwater bungalows as we waited for the breakfast to be set up.
I did find the bathroom area being semi-open through to the main living area a little odd. It is separated by a pull-down blind, but you could still hear through it if that makes sense – even if you’re just washing your hands etc. Of course, not a issue to avoid staying here, just something I noticed when we stayed, that the bathroom was not fully enclosed.
The marble bathroom featured a beautiful claw footed bath and separate rain shower.
Your room includes a variety of teas and a coffee machine. The in-room mini bar is re-stocked daily (usually in the afternoon) and includes bottled water, four cans of soft drink, and two Hinano local beers.
Transport around the island can be arranged with a buggy pick up or drop off service (depending on their availability), otherwise it is relatively easy to walk around the hotel grounds.
Address
BP 1005, Papetoai, 98729, French Polynesia