PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

Rudy Markmiller made a fortune in the overnight courier business in California and then spent more than a decade -- and a sizable chunk of his loot -- building this luxury resort, one of French Polynesia's finest. Although it's on the main island, guests are ferried here from Fare, which makes this seem like a remote offshore resort (never fear: a shuttle boat makes the 10-min. run to and from Fare every hour from 5:30am-11pm). You will land at a thatched-roof, overwater structure housing a reception area, lounge, bar, and dining room serving excellent international cuisine. A long pier connects this central complex to a westward-facing, white-sand beach with gorgeous sunsets over Raiatea and Tahaa out on the horizon. The lagoon is not deep here, but it's still good for swimming and snorkeling over coral heads close to shore. You can use canoes, paddleboats, and kayaks, or cool off in a beachside swimming pool equipped with its own terrific bar serving libations and snacks all afternoon. Diving, sailing, fishing, picnicking on a motu, horseback riding, and touring the maraes cost extra. Jet skis and water-skiing are available, though not in front of the resort. The 41 spacious bungalows are as luxuriously appointed as any in French Polynesia. You won't have a fish-viewing glass panel in the floor, but you can step out to a huge L-shaped deck, half of it under the shade of a thatched roof. The decks also have privacy screens so your neighbors can't see you dining in the nude, or whatever. Steps lead into the lagoon from the decks of the 11 "deep overwater" bungalows that have spa tubs as well as showers in their bathrooms (all other units, including five "shallow overwater" models, have large showers). Six bungalows sit beside the beach, but the garden units (the least expensive here) don't have unimpeded views of the lagoon.

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

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