If you want to know how movie stars and their ilk are treated by resort staff, go to Le Taha’a. Over three trips to F.P. we have now been to seven resorts on five different F.P. islands, and all things considered, Le Taha’a is our favorite. And the contest isn’t that close. I encourage you to look at some of the videos of Le Taha’a resort on Youtube. It is even better than the videos show. Our excellent Tahita travel specialist Laurel Lauderback of True Tahiti Vacation arranged everything, from landing on the nearby island of Raiatea’s airport, to the boat shuttle to the resort, and to check-in, everything went seamlessly. Le Taha’a is not that large of a resort, as resorts go. About 60 units including OWBs and beach bungalows. It stretches out quite a distance along the shore, so be prepared for some walking through the landscaped grounds. (We were grateful for the exercise.) There are three restaurants. One is their fine dining restaurant, which was closed because it was their low season in January ’24 when we were there. Next to it, also on the second floor of their main building, is the restaurant which is open for the customary F.P. 5 star resort extravagant buffet breakfast, and for dinner (but not lunch). The other restaurant was by the pool, maybe 150 yards away from the main building, and was only open for lunch. Both restaurants featured wide selections of tasty food, and attentive service. If you like fish, you can’t go wrong, because there are plenty of choices, and it is well-prepared. I had rack of lamb once, and it was very good too. There also is a good wine list, keeping in mind you are literally in the middle of nowhere. One of my favorite experiences was the beach bar, one side of which was the pool swim-up bar. Bar stools were situated along the other sides. For happy hour (which we tried not to miss), the bartenders entertained us with ukuleles and songs. The made my pina colada by cutting up a fresh pineapple right in front of me, and blending it with Tihitian agricole rum and coconut ice cream. I had two. (By the way, the pool bar is right on the beach, and the views are amazing.) The OWBs are nice, with fine views, and it seems every time we left our bungalow someone came in to tidy up. But you can see photos of them on line, so I won’t say much more, other than some of the OWBs have plunge pools. What also sets Le Taha’a apart is the snorkeling in the adjacent “Coral Garden”. Taha’a, like other islands in the Society Island group, consists of a mountainous main island, surrounded by a coral reef. At places, over the eons of time, portions of the reef morphed into long, narrow islands called “motus”. Le Taha’a is on a motu. There are gaps between the motus, and when the tide is flowing in or out, there can be quite a current. The Coral Garden is situated in such a gap (called a “pass”) between the Le Taha’a motu and the next motu over. To snorkel the Coral Garden one wades across the pass on the lagoon side, hikes along the pass on the next motu towards the ocean, and then snorkels back towards the lagoon with the current. You can ask the water sports desk next to the pool (which is at the lagoon side of the pass) as to the timing of the currents, or Google it yourself on your phone, to get the tide charts for the day. The water sports desk will loan you a mask, snorkel and water shoes if you didn’t bring your own. Warning, at the height of the tide coming in, the current is strong, and might bash you into the coral if you are not careful. This is NOT a beginner snorkel area. For beginners, I recommend snorkeling on the lagoon end of the Coral Gardens, or figure out when the tide in the pass is very weak. There are the usual offerings of excursions available from the concierge: snorkeling expeditions, diving, trips around the main island of Taha’a, wave runners, etc. I strongly recommend you take a morning tour around the main island, and that you specifically ask the concierge to book you with Aro Ma'ohi Tours. Aro (pronounced “arrow”) is incredible, and we thank the concierge for finding him for us. His knowledge of the flora, fauna, people, land and history of Taha’s is impressive. He loves his island, and it shows. Ask him to show you copra being processed from coconuts. Three of the common stops on any tour of Taha’a are one of the two rum distilleries, a vanilla farm, and a pearl farm—all of which we begged out of because we had already done all three. (The two rum distilleries are accessible by taking the free Le Taha’a shuttle to the main island. One distillery is across the street, and the other is about a ½ mile walk to the left as the shuttle boat approaches the main island. Use your Google map.) The other two attractions we had previously visited on Huahine. Aro didn’t miss a beat, and found other interesting things to do, including frequent stops to see the flora and fauna of the island. And a group of fellows making copra. In summary, I never imagined that I would ever stay in such a magical place. I can’t wait to go back.…
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