The Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora Hotel Review is part of the Tahiti Triumph Trip Report. It covers the following cities:
- NYC JFK
- Dubai, UAE
- Shanghai, China
- Papeete, Tahiti
- Bora Bora, Tahiti
- Moorea, Tahiti
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Hong Kong Island
- Tokyo, Japan
- Dallas, Texas
See the Picture Preview here and see how this $60,000 trip cost $1999 here. Be sure to check out TPOL’s Map, the best feature of the blog.
Getting There: Upon arriving in Bora Bora, don’t be tricked by the hotel boats. Take the free ferry which is included in your Air Tahiti fare. From there, the taxi is 200 CFP or around $20 差不多.
Prepare your angry comments, TPOL is about to complain. This hotel sucks. There I said it. It was pointless to stay here for two reasons: First, I didn’t use any points; I redeemed my annual Chase IHG free night here. Second, there’s nothing special about the property itself. Before I get into berating the hotel, I do have to say that staying here is not the worst thing in the world if you want to explore the island. If you stay at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa, you have to take a ferry back to IC Le Moana, so get your exploration done ahead of time. Now back to the criticisms.
The Staff
Could they be any less friendly, less inviting? Apart from the gentlemen from Mauritius that showed us around, the staff could not be bothered to smile.
The Weather
It rained the day I arrived. I blame this on the hotel.
The Property
The property isn’t very big. The pool was small and pretty cold considering the warm weather. Stick to the ocean, that’s why you go to Tahiti anyway.
The Prices
I was prepared for the steep prices because I was on a remote island. Paying more than home, even if that home is New York, is expected. Still, it’s the small things that bother me. For example, why it $5 for a Coke or $3 for an espresso capsule in the room? Looking back, I may have overdone it with my beef jerky rations but if I’m guilty of being frugal than the hotel is guilty of price gouging. Meet me halfway island hotels.
The Room
If you manage to get upgraded to a bungalow for free then I commend you. If not then it’s still fine. Our room was right on the water. It was private and comfortable.
The Bathroom
I like my showers enclosed bringing me back to the safety I once enjoyed in the womb. This one was open and airy.
Overall
I don’t think I was too harsh in this review. My criticism is primarily directed at the staff. I don’t care if I spent nothing on the room. I still flew all the way out here to enjoy my time. Being friendlier would not have been that difficult.
Dang… Too bad you had a bad experience. I stayed at the IC Thalasso in 2014 and the staff couldn’t be friendlier. I was always greeted with a warm smile, but I did notice on the few times I took the boat ride to IC Le Moana, they weren’t as friendly.
lol it gets worse at thalasso
hes angry at le moanna, not thalasso
The map is not working
I know, we are working through a glitch. Thanks for letting me know though
We were treated like royalties at the Thalasso when we were there last year, the hotel was almost empty so we almost had the whole hotel to ourselves!
I have to admit, I like wine as much as the next guy, but given the massive weight, wouldn’t Jager, vodka, or something along those lines have been easier to lug around? Also, what’s your espresso trick? Bring your own capsules?
You had me all excited for an unholy verbal beat-down of this hotel, only to discover but a mild spanking in the end.
I’ll agree that the service here could be generally described as “surly” in my experience. However, there is plenty special about the property. Natural beaches are surprisingly rare in bora bora, and this baby sits on one of the best (while THE best is directly across the street from the lobby). The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and the feel is decidedly more Polynesian than that of the Thalasso ( which felt comparatively sterile to me). The ocean water tends to be clearer here vs the Thalasso, and there is far better snorkeling here vs Thalasso (esp if you take a free kayak to the back side of the Sofitel private island resort which is where many paid snorkel excursions go).
Thalasso is definitely the upscale property between the two, but “nothing special” about le moana?! Come on, man!!! I think good weather could have done a lot to change your perception.
I agree with your weather assessment. I’ve connected both IC hotels and the annoyance of the first bleeds into the review of the second. That will come in the next couple days…moving so need that wi-fi hooked up to get all the pics up!
where’s the complaining? you soft homie… go back to being a irrelevant sports agent
to point a: i’m just getting warmed up for my IC thalasso. to point b: i have subpoint (i) thank you for reading this blog so much that you are attentive to my other professional pursuits (ii) ‘irrelevant’ eh? how’s your cubicle? #readthebook https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Compass-Roundabout-Getting-There/dp/1522826076
I stayed 2 nights at the Le Moana and enjoyed my stay. I found the staff to be fine. I did have to pay the difference to spend one night in an over-the-water bungalow and did not receive breakfast either. I think that they get a lot of “free annual night” bookings, so can’t be too generous about extras. I think that the weather influenced your assessment. You sounded grumpy.
what’s the espresso trick?
Bad wording: I mean it’s a trick to pretend you have espresso but really you have to pay for it.
What a cheapskate not upgrading to an overwater horizon! Ms.Levy the manager and the rest were friendly and we often saw Ms Levy walking around the property. We had rain our first day and wind another, but the other two days were perfect for paddleboarding or kayaking and snorkeling.
Welcome to my blog. Thank you for your insult. We will pass it up to management, who will promptly discard it.
In the meantime, why would you stay at that resort for more than one night when there are much better resorts and actual overwater bungalows in the middle of the ocean? Perhaps cost is a factor for you because it isn’t for me.