Hotels for families in Tahiti … is that even a thing? Well, yes and no. If you think French Polynesia is just for honeymooners, you’d be wrong. The islands (all 118 of them!) have a lot to offer family travelers, too.
Most visitors to French Polynesia first land at Faa’a International Airport (or PPT), located a few miles from the city of Papeete on the main island of Tahiti. Whether spending your entire vacation on the island of Tahiti, or just a few days here before – or after – going island-hopping, the hotel choices can be limited and expensive, especially for family travelers.
My family of four stayed at four hotels in Tahiti to determine which was best for families. Yes, it’s a tough job, but someone had to do it!
Here’s our take on four of the major hotels in the Papeete area. We’ve included a photo gallery from each property to give you an idea of what to expect.
Four Hotels for Families in Tahiti:
1: Hilton Hotel Tahiti
The Hilton Hotel Tahiti was the most modern hotel we stayed at in Papeete. That’s because the entire Hilton Tahiti underwent a renovation a few years ago, reopening in late 2021. Both the common areas and rooms are modern with elegant tropical touches.
Accommodations
The rooms are lovely, especially the suites. There are a variety of accommodation choices – standard hotel rooms are available with 1 king bed or 2 queen beds. The suites are available in either 1- or 2-bedroom. The rooms include tropical decor, in natural green and brown tones.
There’s one big negative to this property. Although the rooms are spacious, the only room type that allows four guests is the 2-bedroom suites, the most expensive room choice. This doesn’t make sense to me because we stayed in the 1-bedroom suite and the 2-queen standard room and both easily accommodate a family of four. If reserving a room for four, you might want to contact the hotel to see if they’ll make an exception.
Amenities
The hotel boasts one of the largest pools in Tahiti with views of the ocean and the island of Moorea. There are plenty of lounge chairs. Cabanas are available to rent.
Although you can walk up to the water’s edge, this hotel doesn’t have a beach.
Dining
The hotel has several on-site restaurants. We dined at all of them. This hotel has the best overall dining experience compared to the others we reviewed.
Be sure to have breakfast at least once at Moevai. It’s an overwater restaurant with an elaborate buffet serving a huge variety of international foods. It’s definitely a splurge, but it was a great experience.
For lunch or dinner, grab a table at Taitea Brasserie on the open air, covered patio, located near the pool. It’s casual, but tasty.
For dinner, there are even more choices. La Strada Italian bistro is an overwater restaurant with views of the island of Moorea. San has a wide selection of fresh sushi, sashimi and nigiri. (San is sometimes open for lunch.)
Cocktails and light snacks are available at Heiva Lounge Bar, located in the gorgeous hotel lobby.
Location
Located just 5 minutes from Faa’a, Hilton Hotel Tahiti’s also connected by skybridge to a small shopping mall. The main store being Carrefour which is sorta the French Walmart. Hotel parking is free.
Overall Opinion of Hilton Hotel Tahiti
This was our overall favorite hotel in Tahiti. The Hilton is a great hotel for families in Tahiti. We loved the modern accommodations, the huge pool, and the varied dining options. The hotel is also conveniently located near the airport, not far from Papeete, and across the street from a shopping mall.
We don’t understand the room choices available to families of four or more. The 2-bedroom suites are expensive, and may be more room than you really need.
Cost = $$$
2: Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa
The Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa is typically considered the premiere resort in Papeete. We were the most excited about this part of our stay, but we had mixed feelings about this property. Was it really one of the best hotels for families in Tahiti? Maybe.
Accommodations
The accommodations here are ok, not quite what I expected for the price. The standard resort rooms are a bit small for a family. We booked a “2 queen bed premium garden view room.” While the sleeping/living area had been nicely renovated, the bathroom was in need of some updates. Premium rooms can accommodate up to two adults and two children. Our guest room was basic – with just two beds and a small desk area with one chair. Fortunately we had a balcony that provided extra seating and ground level access to the outdoor amenities.
The Intercontinental offers overwater bungalows, a bucket list room choice for many families. As you can imagine, the bungalows are considerably more expensive and cost sometimes double the rate of the standard room. Depending on the size of the bungalow, it can sleep 3 or 4 people.
KidTripster Tip: If you’re staying on another island in French Polynesia, consider booking an overwater bungalow elsewhere. The view from the Intercontinental bungalows isn’t as picturesque or as peaceful as you might find on other islands.
Amenities
Despite having no beach access, there are plenty of lovely outdoor spaces around the resort. There are two pool areas. One has a sand bottom and a swim up bar. There’s another large pool located in the center of the resort.
The Lagoonarium is an interesting feature of the resort, basically it’s a huge man-made reef ecosystem. Guests can snorkel around the aquarium and get up close to more than 200 aquatic species.
The resort also offers water sports like kayaking and paddle boarding.
Between the two pools and the lagoonarium, we generally didn’t have a problem finding a place to sit. Although if you want the best spot at the pool, show up early.
Dining
The dining experience here was mediocre. Te Tiare was the main restaurant. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Le Lotus is an overwater restaurant serving French cuisine. It’s a more upscale experience.
There’s a lobby bar and a tiki bar that serve snacks and cocktails.
The hotel offers a festive banquet accompanied by traditional French Polynesian dance performances on certain days of the week. It’s quite a show.
Location
The hotel is located about 5 minutes away from Faa’a International Airport, and not too far from downtown Papeete. However, it’s not really within walking distance of anything else. If you want to do some exploring around the island and don’t have a car, consider booking an excursion through the hotel. Parking is free at the hotel.
KidTripster Tip: If you’re looking to just spend the day at the resort, you can purchase a Lotus Pool Day Pass. It includes a main dish and dessert plus access to the pool from 10-5. Depending on the day of the week, pricing starts at $43 for kids and $86 for adults. Reservations are required.
Overall Opinion of Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa
The Intercontinental Tahiti Resort is a beautifully property that feels authentically French Polynesian in its landscaping, food, and experiences like the traditional dance performances. This resort had a wide variety of water activities. For those wanting the overwater bungalow experience, you’ll find it here.
However, all of this comes at a cost. Prices are high. While aspects of it felt worth the cost, the accommodations and dining experiences could be improved.
Cost = $$$
3: Le Tahiti by Pearl Resorts
Our absolute favorite thing about Le Tahiti by Pearl Resorts was the location. The property sits on Lafayette Beach, a beautiful black sand volcanic beach. We were wowed by this stretch of beach. We spent a lot of time jumping waves, digging in the sand, and beach-combing.
Accommodations
This hotel offers a variety of room choices that suit families. Some rooms sleep up to six people. The hotel booking website helpfully details how many guests are allowed in each room type.
Our “premium ocean view suite” had two levels. It had a bedroom and full bathroom upstairs. The downstairs had a sleeper sofa and half-bathroom. The upstairs bathroom and bedroom appeared updated, whereas the downstairs area was still a bit dated. We had a balcony on each level. Our room was clean and well-maintained.
Amenities
When we grew tired of the beach, we retreated to the pool. There’s a large zero-entry infinity pool that faces the ocean. Exercise classes are offered at the pool during the day.
KidTripster Tip: Be sure to check the activity schedule to find out all that’s happening around the resort during your stay which includes things like arts-and-crafts. There’s also Marquesan and Polynesian dance shows two nights a week.
Dining
A big downside for us was the food. It was overpriced and it wasn’t very good. There’s one main restaurant, Hiti Mahana Restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is described as a mix of Tahitian, SE Asian and Mediterranean cuisines. One positive – the breakfast buffet had a good assortment of foods.
I have a food allergy (gluten) and there was very little that I could safely eat at the resort. Unfortunately the wait staff during our visit wasn’t very knowledgable about food allergies.
We’d recommend that you get a ride into town and grab a meal in Papeete. Although when we visited during the summer, we found that many restaurants were closed midday.
Location
The resort is approximately 20 minutes from the airport – and 10 minutes from downtown Papeete. The resort offers a free shuttle into downtown.
The hotel has an Activity Desk with lots of different excursions available. We didn’t have a rental car so we booked a sightseeing tour through the hotel.
Overall Opinion of Le Tahiti by Pearl Resorts
The beach alone makes this property a top contender for best hotels for families in Tahiti. It was great to have access to both a beautiful beach and large pool.
This hotel had the best selection of room types for larger families. The free shuttle service was also useful.
Cost = $$
4: Te Moana Tahiti
Te Moana Tahiti Resort was our least favorite hotel. However, that’s not because there was something wrong with it. The resort was just a bit lackluster in comparison to the accommodations, amenities and landscaping at the other properties.
Accommodations
Our Lagoon Suite was spacious. When traveling as a family, we always appreciate the opportunity to spread out a bit.
The one-bedroom suite had a large and modern bathroom. There was a sofa sleeper in the living room. We loved the huge balcony overlooking the pool and ocean. There was even a small kitchenette. The room was clean, and modern, but simple in its design.
Amenities
The hotel sits right on the water and has two great features: a large zero-entry infinity pool and an enclosed lagoon for snorkeling. There’s a lot of seating available in the outdoor areas. Another great features was the swim-up bar at the pool. That’s always popular with both the adults and kids in our family.
Other activities like jet skis, kayaks, and paddle boards are available here.
The activity center can also coordinate excursions like whale watching and dolphin watching tours.
KidTripster Tip: If interested in experiencing the amenities at this resort, day passes are available. Pricing depends on the included services.
Dining
The hotel has a few restaurant options. A breakfast buffet is available at Vaitohi Restaurant.
Taapuna Restaurant is ocean-side. In addition to an idyllic location, the food was pretty good, too. It’s open for restaurant and dinner.
Location
Te Moana Tahiti is just 10 minutes from the airport. Like the other hotels, there’s not much around it. You’ll need to take a taxi into town.
Overall Opinion of Te Moana Tahiti
This hotel’s a solid choice. Your family will have a variety of room choices – with the largest accommodations sleeping 6 people.
Although it’s not within walking distance of anything, it’s only a short ride to the airport or downtown.
Cost = $$
