When traveling to Tahiti, it is almost mandatory that your stay at the begin and end of your vacation in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. The flights generally arrive and leave in the middle of the night. Our Air New Zealand flight brought us to Tahiti at 2:30 in the morning. The idea of hanging out in the airport after traveling for 24 hours did not strike us as the best idea. I think that if I had to stay at the airport at this point, I would have taken the next flight home.

There are many options of hotels and resorts that are near the Fa?aa airport in Papeete. When trying to decide where to stay in a room that was basically going to give us a bed to catch a few hours of sleep and a shower, I was more concerned with price than decor. Although there are cheaper places to stay, such as pensions and local hotels, the Sheraton was offering 35% discounts with a Starwood Membership. It was also only 5 minutes from the airport and I knew that we would not want to take a long taxi ride after our long flight.

After our flight landed, we got through customs, I exchanged money at the bank at the airport and then we walked out to the taxi queue to get a ride to the hotel. At 2500CFP (approximately $20) this was an expensive 5 minute ride. I later read in my guide book that Tahiti has some of the most expensive taxis in the world.

Check In

We pulled up to the open air lobby of the Sheraton Tahiti and even though it was 3:45 in the morning, we were greeted with a warm smile, a kind ?Bon Jour?, a cold towel and a glass of refreshing fruit juice. Check in was a breeze. We were given our key and directions to our room. Our bags would follow shortly with the porter. We easily found our room and maybe two minutes later, our bags arrived.

Our Room

Not impressed and not disappointed, our room looked like a typical hotel room. There wasn?t anything about it that would tell you that you were on a tropical island in the South Pacific. The walls were papered in a light leaf print and there was simple carpeting on the floor. There was a small desk with a chair and then two chairs and a very small coffee table in the corner. Across from the king size bed was a pretty cabinet that hid the TV. Next to the TV was a small mini bar with typical overpriced hotel items. At each side of the bed, there were small end tables and a radio alarm clock. In the large closest across from the bathroom, there was a safe and an umbrella.

The bathroom was also typical of any other hotel room in the world. There was a single sink set in a large counter top. The bathtub/shower combination was a little larger than the standard hotel tub, more like the size that you would have at home. We stayed at this hotel twice and we had trouble with the shower temperature each time. The water either gradually got hotter or gradually got colder. Not that big of a deal, it is just something that sticks out in my mind. On the bathroom wall there was a lighted makeup mirror and also a hair dryer. There was also a small coffee maker with a variety of coffees and teas on the counter. The only thing in the bathroom that gave you any hint that you were in someplace tropical, were the freebies on the bathroom counter. They include shampoo, conditioner, soap and bath gel that all contained Monoi Oil. If you have never heard of this wonderful concoction, I am sure that you are not alone. Tahitian woman have been using this combination of coconut oil and scent forever. The coconut oil is wonderful for the skin, hair and it evens helps to deter the sand fleas. When the scent of the tiare flower is added (almost like gardenia) is becomes a wonderful scented beauty product and natural mosquito repellent.

The only other thing in the room that made you realize that you were far away from home, was the balcony and the view from your room. All of the rooms at the Sheraton have a view of the water. Some of the rooms have view of the ferry docks and lagoon, while others have a view of the lagoon and of Moorea across the bay. The Moorea view rooms are slightly more expensive. Since we were only in the room for a few hours and we were going to be staying on Moorea, we did not upgrade to one of these rooms. The balcony had two comfortable chairs and a table for eating. The view from our first room was of the lagoon and a very small corner of Moorea. When we returned to the Sheraton at the end of our trip, we had a view of the ferry docks. We enjoyed both views. It was fun to watch the canoes race by our first day and it was great to watch the freighters come in and out and to watch the activity at the docks increase as the night continued.

Other Hotel Amenities

The hotel has a small gift shop with Tahiti souvenirs and a small black pearl shop. Both contained items that you could find for far less money at other locations, but if you need a last minute gift, it is worth a peek inside. There is also a Mandara Spa here. I did not check out the spa at this hotel, but I did at the Sheraton on Moorea and it was very nice. If you have a few days or some time to kill, this would be a nice relaxing way to do it. We also passed a hair salon and it appeared to be very popular. From the amount of people on the inside and a large number of them were local, I would guess that the salon is a very good one.

There are also three different places to get food at the hotel. We did not eat at the hotel on either of our stays, so sorry, I can?t comment on the food or service. The overwater restaurant is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. There is also a coffee shop that is open from 11am to 9pm and a bar that is open from 10am to 11pm. When we got lost looking for the lobby, I went into the restaurant to ask for directions. It looked like there was an amazing view and a large breakfast buffet.

Our Experience

We were very pleased with the Sheraton Tahiti. We were actually reserved at the Tahiti Beachcomber for our last two nights on Tahiti, but checked out and went back to the Sheraton for our last night. We thought that the Beachcomber was more beautiful and more Polynesian, but the Sheraton was much quieter and smaller. With my Starwood Preferred card, the Sheraton was also almost half the price of the Beachcomber. We never heard any noise at the hotel except for a few moments when there were some announcements coming from the ferry docks. There were many people sitting out on their balconies watching the view, but everyone was quiet. All in all this was a great hotel for spending a day at the beginning and end of your Tahitian trip. For an extended stay though, I would recommend the Beachcomber.

Other Things That You Should Know

The hotels in Tahiti have some sort of agreement that they will not provide transportation from the airport. Because of this, you will have to find transportation. If you have booked your trip through a travel agent or you have a package, you will most likely have a voucher for a transfer from the airport. If you booked the trip yourself, like I did, you will have to take a taxi to the hotel. The taxi queue is just outside of the airport and there will be many of them at all hours. The cost was 2500 CFP at night and 1500 CFP during the day. Taxis are extremely expensive in all of French Polynesia, so if you plan on using them, make sure that you exchange enough money at the beginning of your trip.

Local phone calls will cost you 75CFP from your room. There are no pay phones at the hotel so if you want to call a restaurant or tour company, you will need to call from your room or you can plan ahead and call from a pay phone at the airport or in town. Phone cards are readily available at most shops and they cost 1000CFP for 30 units.

Getting down town to go to the Market or to go to the roulettes to eat at night is simple. There is a walkway that takes you over the busy street to the other side. A local bus, Le Truck , runs all of the time and is easy to take.

There is a Europcar for renting cars at the hotel. We rented a car while there and then drove ourselves to the airport and returned it there for no extra charge.

For pictures and video of our trip, visit my website

www.tahiti.wunschl.com



Read my other reviews from our French Polynesia Trip


Moorea
http://www.epinions.com/content_70580276868

Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort
http://www.epinions.com/content_66105675396

Bora Bora
http://www.epinions.com/content_66986806916

Sofitel Motu
http://www.epinions.com/content_66291601028

Rangiroa
http://www.epinions.com/content_66400063108

Kia Ora Village
http://www.epinions.com/content_2687869060

Kia Ora Sauvage
http://www.epinions.com/content_2691276932

Tahiti
http://www.epinions.com/content_66968260228

Tahiti Beachcomber Inter-Continental
http://www.epinions.com/content_66996309636

Sheraton Tahiti
http://www.epinions.com/content_66102398596



And for more great reviews, read LordBalfor's reviews and visit his website at

http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor





Recommended: Yes