PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This modern resort opened in 2004 beside the deep black sands of Lafayette Beach on Matavai Bay, where the 18th-century explorers dropped anchor. A huge, turtle-shaped thatched roof covers most of the central complex, which holds a restaurant, bar, arts-and-crafts center, full-service spa, and a cozy library devoted to author James Norman Hall. Outside is a horizon-edge pool beside the beach. Currents create an undertow here, so heed the DANGEROUS SEA signs when swimming in the lagoon. Seven hotel buildings hold the accommodations, which include standard rooms, two-story town house-style "duplexes" (their upstairs bedrooms have their own balconies), suites, and -- my favorites -- rooms with hot tubs romantically placed behind louvers on their balconies. Furnishings and decor are tropical with a European flair. The Radisson sends a shuttle to downtown Papeete each morning and afternoon, but public buses do not run out here after 5pm, meaning you will need to rent a car or take a taxi to get to and from downtown after dark. As at Le Meridien Tahiti, rush-hour traffic can make for a long trek to the airport from here.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Tahiti & French Polynesia, 2nd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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