PRICE:
Frommer's Recommended

Known for several years as the Sofitel Tahiti Resort, this seven-story building resembling a modern version of a terraced Mayan pyramid resides beside the gray sands of Maeva Beach. The murky lagoon off the beach isn't as good for swimming and snorkeling as it is for anchoring numerous yachts, whose masts slice the beach's view of Moorea. Equipped with modern European amenities (the bright, lime-green bathrooms nearly blinded me), the smallish rooms open to balconies. Odd-numbered rooms on the upper floors on the north (or "beach") side have views of Moorea, while those on the garden side look south along Tahiti's west coast. The Sofitel is good value by Tahiti standards, but don't expect the same amount of space, luxuries, or amenities as at the InterContinental Resort Tahiti or Le Meridien. I like staying here because I can walk to the big Carrefour supermarket and inexpensive snack bars in Centre Moana Nui in less than 10 minutes.

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

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