INSIDE: TAHITI IA ORA BEACH RESORT

A lot of people fly into Tahiti and quickly make their way to another island or stop over for only a night. We thank the heavens that we ended up staying for 3 nights as we got to explore this beautiful and underrated piece of paradise! We also are not sure if we fell more in love with our stay in Tahiti because of our hotel- the Tahiti Ia Ora Beach Resort Managed by Sofitel

With a lagoon style pool, overwater bungalows ( not super common in Tahiti) and just a short 10 minute drive from the airport, the hotel had everything we would want plus more!

THE GROUNDS

The Tahiti Ia Ora Beach Resort managed by Sofitel is called a resort for a reason. It is not a small little beach hotel. The grounds and property is expansive and that could very well explain why 3 nights went by in a blink of an eye there. You can spend 1 day at the sanded lagoon pool, another day on the private beach, another day walking along the coastline and another day taking part in some of the activities on site. There are various ponds that sit throughout the property with my favourite being the one that wraps around the breakfast area. It felt tranquil and peaceful eating breakfast every morning….and that says a lot when you are travelling with a 1 year old!

Design wise, the main building has a tropical art deco feel. The open concept build really makes you feel like you are away with warm breezes sweeping through as you walk around in it. It has a traditional polynesian vibe mixed with the classic contemporary touch that the Sofitel brand is known for! This design is echoed throughout the property and can be felt in the 3 different restaurants/bar that are situated on the property. We would eat breakfast every morning in the main restaurant called, La Plantation and later make our way to happy hour at Le Carre which has a beautiful deck overlooking the water and some seats that sit directly in the sand. We did leave the resort one night to try out the food trucks in town but you really don’t need to leave if you don’t want to!

THE ROOMS

With just over 140 rooms, you have the option of either staying in the main building or in an overwater bungalow. Regardless of what you choose, you will have a view of the ocean as every single room faces that direction. Win-win! We had the pleasure of staying in an overwater bungalow for 2 of the nights there and stayed in the main building for our last night. It was nice to get the experience of both and naturally, we would choose the overwater bungalow in a heart beat. Can you blame us? That’s not to say, we didn’t love the other room though! It was beautiful too but the overwater bungalow felt like a small apartment in terms of space and well, you are OVER THE WATER! The design of them is also much more modern as they were renovated in 2016 and it shows. Seriously one of the most modern rooms we have stayed at in a long time. While the rest of the resort is much more traditional, the overwater bungalow rooms feel like you are #LIVINGTHEFRENCHWAY which is the hashtag of the Sofitel brand. So sleek and visually pleasing. Each of the overwater bungalows had a glass floor piece which was so fun to watch at night and see some fish swim by! This also kept our 1 year old super occupied! Ha!

The bathroom was equipped with double sinks, a separate room for the washroom, Hermes bath products, and a massive tub that offered spectacular views of the sunset from it (and you know I indulged in that!).

The amenities in both style rooms were the same: Robes, Nespresso machines, Unlimited Mini Bar ( which included beer by the way), ocean views and a welcome bottle of Champagne!

IMPORTANT TIDBITS