Matt Jacobson

Review of Boutique SUN PACIFIC - Hôtel L...

My wife and I went to Le Taha'a for our honeymoon ...

My wife and I went to Le Taha'a for our honeymoon in January 2020 for five nights after a LOT of research. #1 criteria - overwater bungalow! We knew this would be a luxury trip, but wanted the maximum amount of seclusion and hospitality possible. Le Taha'a did not disappoint! What an amazingly breathtaking resort. Every day, we woke up to a picturesque view of the Taha'a mountainside over an incredibly blue ocean. Here are some of our opinions that should help you on your own journey to the lovely French Polynesia.

Weather:
We knew we were going during the "offseason" in January, but honestly, it was fine in terms of rain and temperatures. It was absolutely perfect most of the time. Mid-80's and beautiful. Occasionally, it would rain for a few minutes and we'd laugh about it. Then move forward with our day. When the sun comes out, it's VERY HOT. Bring enough sunscreen to deal with it. We were applying every couple hours and still got burned, but we're from Wisconsin, so....it was bound to happen. We tried. Bugs, on the other hand, were not really an issue even though we brought bug spray. We never had to use it.

The Bungalow:
Unreal. Beautiful with lots of amenities. There s a shaded table outside where we spent hours sitting at, drinking and playing cards. A ladder goes down to the water. Inside, a king size bed, bath tub, two sinks, open shower. Perfect for us in nearly every way. This is what you re here for - the incredible bungalow right on the water. Enjoy it!

Food:
Each morning, we would go to the free breakfast buffet and LOAD UP on food, knowing we would likely not eat lunch (in part because of the cost and in part because we were busy with activities). The selection was great. My wife is vegan and had a lot of options - fruit, hashbrowns, vegetables, dairy alternatives. As an omnivore, I had plenty of eggs, meats, and cheeses to choose from. For dinner, we went three of five nights. The first night (Tuesday) was the Polynesian buffet - delicious and fun with the fire dancing, but we were shocked at the end that it was $95/person. Just be careful with the costs. On other nights, entrees are generally $30+ so the total dinner cost can be high. They did have a vegetarian/vegan menu, which was a nice touch. On the other two nights, we actually ordered room service and it was a good experience. Still pretty expensive, but we had some more affordable options with the added benefit of drinking our own drinks and not having to get dressed up to go out. It was the rare time in our lives where room service was sometimes a better idea than in-person dining.

Activities:
The snorkeling at the Coral Garden next to Le Taha a is absolutely breathtaking. Only a five minute walk from the bungalow. We brought our own snorkel masks, but you can borrow masks from them if you need. Every day, we snorkeled for at least a few hours. It was the best snorkeling we ve personally ever experienced, plus free and at your own pace. It s a bit tricky knowing where to go and navigating through the Coral Garden. The current will literally DRAG you through the garden. At first, it was a little scary not knowing which way to go. It gets shallow in some spots and we did everything possible to avoid scraping against coral (luckily, we avoided it). But it became a challenge for us, and we got better at swimming hard to the left or right, or just standing up (in the sand, NOT the coral) and surveying the situation before proceeding. In the end, it was SO MUCH fun and after the Coral Garden current lightens up, there are plenty of places to explore, so many videos to take, so many species of fish to see. It was a truly unique wonder of nature.

Thank you, Le Taha a, for making our honeymoon an incredibly memorable experience. We are already planning our 10-year anniversary trip (ok, maybe 5-year)!