[review] Pool pass at Intercontinental Resort Tahiti

For our very first full weekend in Tahiti, JB and I wanted to go somewhere that looked like a postcard. I spotted several 5-star hotels on the island and chose the Intercontinental Resort Tahiti for its proximity to Papeete and its dreamy setting. The hotel offers various pool pass / day pass to give us access to its many pools and restaurants, namely:

Huriama Sunset Pass

• From 8,500 XPF tax included per person, Monday to Sunday
• Access to the Lotus pool and outdoor showers from 2 PM to 6 PM.
• 1 tapas and 1 drink (cocktail or non-alcoholic drink, excluding the Grazing board and Asian board) from the menu from 4:30 PM

Te Tiare Pass with lunch

• 9,800 XPF per person from Monday to Thursday
• 11,500 XPF per person from Friday to Sunday and local holidays
• Access to the Te Tiare lagoon pool with sandy bottom and outdoor showers from 10 AM to 5 PM
• Lunch served from 12 PM to 1:45 PM at the Te Tiare restaurant
• Lunch includes a main course, a dessert, and a hot drink (tea or coffee)
• * 50% discount on the pool pass for children aged 4-11 if the children’s menu is chosen for lunch

Le Lotus Pass with lunch

• 10,750 XPF tax included per person from Monday to Thursday
• 12,600 XPF per person from Friday to Sunday and local holidays
• Access to the Lotus pool with sandy bottom and outdoor showers from 10 AM to 5 PM
• Lunch served from 12 PM to 1:45 PM at the Le Lotus restaurant
• Lunch includes a main course, a dessert, and a hot drink (tea or coffee)
• * 50% discount on the pool pass for children aged 4-11 if the children’s menu is chosen for lunch

We chose the Day pass Lotus with lunch at the Lotus restaurant because the restaurant’s menu is crafted by chef Bruno Oger, twice starred. You can book the pass by email writing to [email protected]. They are not very responsive, so book 1-2 days in advance. But you can also go directly to the hotel on the same day.

Scooter ride

We haven’t bought our scooter yet, so we go to the hotel with a scooter rented by the minute (or by the day) from Hello Scoot. By mistake, we take the express lane reserved for cars and scooters > 125cc and drive like a turtle as soon as the road starts to slope, at 30 km/h max. It’s an extremely dangerous situation and at the moment, we don’t understand why the road isn’t adapted for us. It’s only later that we see the sign “scooters under 125cc prohibited” that we understand the huge mistake made.

Fortunately, there isn’t much traffic and the Polynesians are very zen, nobody honks and they just avoid us. But I’m extremely worried. That explains why I feel a lot of anxiety from the morning. The anxiety completely disappears when we make the right decision to leave the express lane and take small roads along the island to the hotel. Arriving at the hotel, we are very surprised to see that the hotel has a designated area for Hello Scoot. There’s even a spot dedicated to an electric car (rentable by the hour) (enjoy from Avis). Anyway, as they know their clients will have trouble getting around without being vehicle-equipped, they had the good idea to offer several solutions.

Intercontinental Hotel

The lobby is elevated compared to the pools and offers an incredible view of the main pool:

Today, there are a lot of people (weekend) so with our Lotus pass we don’t have access to the loungers of the Te Tiare pool but we can swim in this beautiful pool and in the lagoonarium (saltwater pool with corals and fish).

We go to the Lotus restaurant and get our wristbands. We go to the Lotus pool (smaller than Te Tiare) to get towels and find the two best-placed loungers, with Moorea in the background. This pool has a sandy bottom, a bar at the end of the pool. The pool is infinity and a small bridge crosses the pool with a fake island. Small but we don’t need more frankly.

There is a small freshwater shower outside. To change, you have to change in the toilets near the Lotus restaurant, which is not practical, because we don’t have a locker room. But it’s clean at least.

At noon, we go to the Le Lotus restaurant. I forgot to take a photo but here’s what it looks like:

The dishes come out. We get a main, a dessert, and a hot drink, drinks are charged extra. It’s super good! The quality is truly gourmet and it’s the first time I like all the dishes in a gourmet restaurant, usually there’s always the main or the dessert that bugs. Here, it’s perfect!

The table we have is great, we have Moorea in front, we can partly see the Lotus infinity pool, and the bungalows.

We tour the hotel and try to get down to the ocean, but we realize that only the bungalows have access, and to swim in saltwater, the lagoonarium is our only option. It’s a bit of a shame, because this part seems full of fish. However, it’s also a fairly busy place, and too deep to swim in, several boats and kayaks pass in front of the restaurant during our lunch.

If it’s to get an extra drink, you have several options, either the bar at the Lotus pool, or another very nice restaurant in the middle of the two pools.

Review

• Since we took a pass on the weekend, we paid a bit more: 12,600 XPF i.e. 105€/person
• The value for money is excellent, because the Lotus restaurant is a gourmet restaurant
• The -:
  • No ocean access
  • No changing rooms
  • No access to the gym
  • No real sandy beach; the sandy area is in the two pools
  • The service lacks some precision; I don’t know if it’s the Polynesian style, a bit too zen, but for example, when guests move the loungers to be in the shade, the staff doesn’t come to help at all, which is basic in any 5-star hotel. The umbrellas are never adjusted to properly shade the loungers. In short, small details that are more like 3-star service, not 5-star.