Sofitel on Moorea- an overnight land deviation.

I stayed in an overwater bungalow at the Sofitel on Moorea as part of an overland deviation from the normal ship schedule. Becaise o exited the ship in Papeete and didn’t reboard until the ship arrived in Moorea, I needed to first get permission from HAL. You don’t need permission to stay in a hotel overnight if the ship is also overnighting in the same port, but you will need to get permission if you plan to leave the port and reboard at a different port.

Take that written permission from HAL with you and show it to guest services onboard. Once the ship docks in Papeete you will meet with the immigration officers for an official stamp and tourist visa. Once you have that, you are cleared to leave the ship and reboard at another port (in my case I left the ship in Papeete and reboarded in Moorea).

The water taxi to Moorea is about $20 and takes 30 Minutes. Located about 200 yards from where the ship docks. Super easy. No need to book ahead of time. They did make people check in some of the larger carryons, but it’s no big deal, you just drop it off and pick it up.

I made arrangements with the Sofitel for a private transfer. They met me at the ferry with a sign with my name on it. The cost for private transfer was $20. You can take the bus for $3. There were also some Taxis available but you can’t always count on them in Moorea (see my story being stranded last year).

My room (#121) was luxury superior horizon overwater bungalow. The most expensive category on the property and I highly recommend the splurge because these units are at the very end of the pier and you have much more privacy and much better snorkeling. I didn’t plan to stay in the end unit bungalows, but our ship had a last minute itinerant change and the mid level bungalows were sold out by the time I had to rebook.

There was literally an aquarium beneath the bungalow. At night you can turn on a light which shines in your private window to the underwater world. This light attracts lots of marine life. Of course, early morning hours and dusk seem to be when the larger predators come in to feed. I saw black tip sharks, manta rays, spotted eagle rays, and a massive 3 foot eel as thick as my thigh right from the pleasure of my private overwater lanai.

The resort has a lovely infinity pool, a very Long Beach with water sports rental, a beach bar, etc… all the things you need to make the most of your time if you arrive early and/or stay after you check out.

I arrived at the hotel around 9 am and spent time at the beach and pool. On check out day I checked out at 11 am but stayed at the resort until 4:00pm. I prearranged transport from The Sofitel to the ship at a cost of $60. Taxis are not readily available on Moorea (especially when a ship is in), so I do recommended prearranging all Transportation.

The beach-

The beach bar menu

The infinity pool with Tahiti as a backdrop.

Beach bungalows-

A turkey panini for lunch (and dinner). Because I had the overwater bungalow I was just going to order room service for dinner but this sandwich was big enough for both meals.

Bungalows from the infinity pool

My room came with the breakfast package. It was very extensive with lots of items unique to this area of the world (banana jam comes to mind). Of course, the coffee was exceptional and the view stunning.

The restaurant in the evening-

Beachfront bungalow. These are less expensive than the overwater bungalows.

The room has a stocked fridge with a few sodas, beers, water, and juice. There was a coffee maker and a very nice Tahatian shampoo/conditioner/lotion. The shower opened up to the outside and allowed for a nice crossbreeze thru the unit when the air conditioner stopped working. The bottle of Champaign was a very nice touch.

Shower opened to the outside

There was coke in here too …

Coffee bar and fridge

Here is a photo of the ferry to Moorea taken from the cruise ship. As you can see, it is very very close….

*****I have go pro footage to add to this post but unfortunately I can’t get it to download using the ship internet. Will Have to wait until I get better internet on Maui after the cruise. *****

If you have any questions about Moorea and/or how to arrange an overnight off the ship feel free to email me :).