Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort: the Good and the Not-So-Good

The good:

• The hotel staff is friendly, professional and very welcoming.
• Our overwater bungalow had an indoor/outdoor shower, which was a super fun feature.
• The snorkeling directly off our overwater bungalow was epic, and there are a couple of spots across the resort where the snorkeling is equally amazing. There wasn’t much boat traffic near the Sofitel, which made it feel like a really safe place to be in the water.
• The hotel hosts a traditional dance show every night, and once per week they pull out all the stops with incredible fire dancing.

The not-so-good:

• The service in the restaurant was hit-or-miss. We expected that service in French Polynesia might sometimes be slow, but once or twice the waitstaff forgot about us entirely.
• The windows in our bungalow didn’t close completely, so mosquitoes and lizards ventured into our room at night. This is pretty typical of an island resort, but we were a bit disappointed to be bothered by mosquitoes (especially with Zika all over the news).
• Our bungalow had white curtains, which did very little to block the sunlight—although on the plus side, we were woken up by some stunning sunrises.

Other tips:

• Moorea is very very expensive (even though it’s not as expensive as Bora Bora). Budget at least $100 USD per day for food and drinks.

The upshot:

• The Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora is the best hotel on the island, especially if you plan on snorkeling.