The Sofitel Motu on Bora Bora – You may never leave your room
Written: Jun 07 '02 (Updated Sep 28 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The most amazing service, beautiful rooms, fabulous grounds
Cons: It is a 14-hour plane ride away
The Bottom Line: Warning! You may never want to leave.
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| twunschl's Full Review: Sofitel Motu |
After leaving the disappointing service at the Sheraton Moorea, we did not know what to expect as we arrived in Bora Bora. Was this how the service was going to be on all of the islands? Boy, were we in for a surprise!
Arriving at the airport on Bora Bora
The airport on Bora Bora is like no other airport that you have been to before. The island of Bora Bora is an ancient volcano. Coral gradually formed around the base of the volcano. Over time, the volcano began to sink and the coral continued to grow. Now you have the small island of Bora Bora (the volcano) surrounded by the coral that has become small islands or motus and in between that, you have the most spectacular lagoon, sporting every color of blue that you can imagine. The airport of Bora Bora is located on one of the motus. Since you are completely surrounded by water, the only way to get to your hotel is by boat.
When you enter the airport, every hotel has a small desk set up to greet you. The Sofitel Motu was no exception and we easily found the representative. They had our name filled out on luggage tags and we were given a very pretty lei made from tiare and orange hibiscus. We were told that when our luggage came off of the plane, to put the tag on the bag and that someone would put it on the boat for us. As I was waiting for our bags, the man whom I had seen with the Sofitel Motu boat came up to me and wanted to know if I was at the Motu. I couldn?t figure out how he knew this. Then I realized that our lei was like a nametag. There must have 12 different hotels there, but everyone had on a different lei. So make sure you wear yours when you arrive. The boat driver wanted to know where my ?Mister? was so that he could get our luggage. We barely had the bags in our hand when they were taken out of our hands and we never had to carry them again.
The Taxi to the Hotel
The transfer to and from the airport is included in your stay at the hotel, so there is no extra charge. Once our bags were stored on board, we stepped onto the boat and we started the 20 minute ride to the Sofitel Motu. The day was cloudy and gray and the water was quite choppy. The plastic sides of the boat were down to protect us from the elements, so our first glimpse of Bora Bora was from behind a shroud of plastic.
The boat began to slow and as we realized that we had arrived at our hotel, we started to hear ukulele music and sound of a conch shell being blown. We looked out of the boat and there were two Tahitian men on the dock playing their instruments to greet us. We immediately knew that this hotel was going to be different from our last.
The Greeting and Check In
We stepped out of the boat and saw that besides the two musicians, another woman was walking onto the dock carrying a tray full of cold towels. There were some picture taking opportunities and then we were led to a little area just off from the dock. It was a little hide away covered in palm trees. Hidden mysterious between the palm trees was a high table that looked like it was growing out of the palm trees. We were handed large green coconuts from this table. The coconuts were drilled through the top and a straw and yellow hibiscus flower adorned each coconut. Inside was coconut water. We had just seen a Food Channel special about Tahiti so we knew that the water inside of a coconut is the most purified water since it is filtered through all of the many layers of the shell. I was shocked that the most purified water tasted like green coconut!
After a short time, we were led up an outdoor stairway that was cut into the side of the motu and made out of beautiful black lava rocks. We were immediately awe struck at the beauty of the landscape and the shocking bright greens of the foliage against the black of the lava. Once we reached the top of the stairs, we had arrived at a small outdoor patio complete with a small waterfall. Just to the left of this was the opening to the restaurant and front desk. We were escorted inside and somehow, Tepoe, the guest relations manager, instinctively knew the name of each quest. Through deduction, I am sure that it was easy to figure out, but we were impressed anyway. It was only 10 o?clock in the morning and we did not expect our bungalow to be ready. Sure enough, the other three couple?s rooms were ready, but ours was not. I was still impressed that there were any bungalows ready at all. Instead of the curt responses we had received at the Sheraton Moorea we were told that our room should be ready soon and would we care to be served breakfast in the dining room. We decided that a cocktail might be nice (it was 4 in the afternoon at home after all). As soon as our cocktails arrived, Tepoe came up to us and said that our room was ready. I got the feeling that the Motu rarely ever lets their guests sit waiting for their room very long and they pride themselves in this service.
Tepoe led us past the patio and waterfalls and then down a ramp made from the same lava rocks. As we cleared the dark cavern of foliage and black rock we were struck by the amazing blue of the lagoon. We walked over the walkway and were escorted to our overwater bungalow. Tepoe announced ?Welcome Home? as we entered our room and that is how we felt. All of the anxieties of traveling and planning were immediately washed away. We were finally on vacation.
Tepoe sat down at the desk in our room and she pulled out a short form for me to fill out. It all of a sudden occurred to me that we had not actually checked in when we were at the front desk. I then realized that there really wasn?t even a front desk. It was more like an informal setting, because after all, money and bills should not be part of vacation. Tepoe then pulled out a credit card machine from her bag, she swiped our credit card, our bags magically appeared and we were left alone in our beautiful home over the lagoon of Bora Bora.
Our Bungalow
Let?s start in the bedroom. In the center of the room, is the large king sized bed. Covered in a subdued coral spread and accented with bright blue, yellow and coral pillows, the bed is the main focus of the room. Next to the bed are two nightstands and about a gazillion light switches. There is a switch for the table lamps next to the bed, a switch for the reading light on the headboard, a switch for the light over the bed and a switch for the lights in the ceiling. Next to the bed is a two-drawer cabinet for clothing and a desk with a phone. There is also a large bureau for hanging clothes and it was perfectly suited for hiding our suitcases. In the bureau, there was a safe, umbrella, iron and ironing board. At the end of the bureau, there was a television on top of a lazy susan that had one English channel ? Bloomberg?s. Under the TV there was the mini bar. Unbelievably, there was ample room in the refrigerator that we could fit some of the things that we bought in town, such as water and coke. Tucked into a nook in the wall and underneath a large window was a couch. The couch was covered in the same material as the bed spread and had the same coordinating pillow. On closer inspection, you could see that the ?couch? was actually a twin mattress, so a third person could sleep in the bungalow. And of course, there was a glass plate in the floor to view the fish. At the Sofitel Motu, the glass is a two foot diameter circle. A glass top coffee table is positioned over the panel, but it can easily be moved for better viewing.
The bathroom is just behind the desk. The floor is a beautiful design of broken piece of black granite. There is a large double sink counter top. Each sink has a large mirror over it and in the middle of the two mirrors, the wall is actually a shutter that you can open to see the outside. On the counter, there are pretty white porcelain soup dishes that are large enough to hold a washcloth that is rolled up everyday and a bar of soap. We found that there were always ample towels in the room including large beach towels. In a hidden drawer, under the counter top, there is a hair dryer for your use. There is no need to worry about bringing a plug adapter. There were at least four different types of outlets on the wall. Two fluffy white robes hang on the bathroom wall. I love robes on vacation and these were my favorite. On the right side, there was a large smoked glass door with a large chrome doorknob. Inside is the toilet. On the opposite side of the bathroom, there is a matching door. This leads to the dreamiest shower you will ever step into. The floor is the same broken black granite and there is a glass shelf in the corner. But the feature of the shower is the rain showerhead. It really should be called a waterfall showerhead though. When you step under the water, you feel like you are standing under a waterfall. As you are pummeled by water, any stress that you could still possibly be carrying is washed down the drain.
Finally, the deck outside draws you toward it. The deck has three levels. The first contains a table for eating in one corner and there are two cushioned chairs and a small table for drinks. Down two steps, there is a large area for two large cushioned lounge chairs. There is no need for a table, it is built into your chair, just pull it out from underneath. Next you walk down about 6 steps to a concrete platform. This is where you can climb into the lagoon using the metal ladder or take a fresh water shower to wash away the salt water. But the best part of the deck is the view. All of the overwaters have a view of both the reef that surrounds the island and of the main island of Bora Bora. When we stepped out onto our deck, I felt like I could stay there forever just staring at the mountain.
The Freebies
This hotel was the KING of freebies on our trip. Upon arrival, we had a very large basket in our room filled with pineapple, kiwi, watermelon, cantaloupe and sweet grapefruit. Along with some cheese and crackers that I had brought with us, it was a perfect lunch. In the bathroom, there was shampoo, body wash, moisturizer and suntan lotion. There was also a small coffee pot with free coffee and teas for your convenience. Our first night, we also received a pareo made on Bora Bora and a Sofitel Motu t-shirt. I believe that I received these gifts because I am a Sofitel Preferred Member, but I could be wrong.
The Restaurant
Again, we really did not eat at the hotel. I had gotten into the habit of eating Oreo cookies for breakfast while we were on Moorea. It had started out of pure laziness, but laziness turned into relaxed and I never felt like getting out of the fluffy white robe to go to breakfast. For dinner, there are so many great places to eat on the main island of Bora Bora so we skipped dinner here also. I did however, eat lunch twice at the hotel, once with room service and the other time in the restaurant. Room service was very fast and it was presented beautifully on a wooden tray. When we ate lunch at the dining room, we arrived about 20 minutes before noon and the restaurant was not open yet. Tepoe said that we could go ahead and sit down, get a drink and decide what we wanted. We could order our lunch, but it wouldn?t be ready until after noon. That was fine with us. Sipping our pina coladas was good enough. But wouldn?t you know it, our lunch came ten minutes later. Again and again the hotel proved that they were all about the guest.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling from our bungalow became one of our favorite activities. We had two large coral heads underneath our bungalow and just a short swim away was another large grouping. The water was beautiful and clear and the fish would swarm around you if you carried a piece of bread into the water with you. We did not venture down to the end of the motu, but at the tip, some of the best snorkeling on Bora Bora is there. The Coral Gardens are easily accessed by walking the beach or taking a kayak. Many of the tour companies will take you here for a charge, but you can access it for free.
The Shuttle
Since the Sofitel Motu is on a motu, you will have to take the hotel?s shuttle in order to reach the main island. The shuttle here is ?on demand?. Unlike other hotels on motus that have a schedule, you can take the shuttle whenever you need it from 7 in the morning until 11 o?clock at night. If you make arrangements through the hotel for a tour, they will make sure that the boat is waiting for you so that you are not late. One day we were going on the 4 x 4 tour of Bora Bora. Time slipped away and we did not realize that we were late. The hotel called our room and told us that the shuttle was waiting for us. If you have a particular time that you need to catch a taxi or meet a tour company, notify the front desk that you will need the shuttle 15 minutes before your scheduled time. If you are just going on the spur of the moment, just call the front desk and ask them for the shuttle. By the time that you get your things together and get to the dock, the shuttle will most likely be waiting for you. All of your pick-ups will be at the Sofitel Marara, the hotel on the main island. As you depart the boat, you will take a short walk through the gardens of the hotel. Once you pass the front desk, the taxis will pick you up at the front. When you return to the Sofitel Marara, stop at the front desk and ask them to call the shuttle for you. It is that simple.
The Pool
The pool?? Why would you want a pool when you have that beautiful turquoise lagoon to swim in? No, honestly. I am not joking. There is no need for a pool. If you really have to swim in a pool, there is a small pool at the Sofitel Marara that you can use.
The View Point on the Hill
If you want to get the best views of the reef, the mountain, the sunrise and the sunset, you will need to go up. There is a small trail that winds through a canopy of trees that will take you to the top of the motu. There are chairs up at the top so you can sit and watch, well, the world go by. The trail is easy to climb, but I wouldn?t recommend high heels. Black lava rocks have been placed in strategic places to make the climb easier. Wear bug spray if you plan on going at night. Just make sure that you don?t stay too late. It will be hard to find your way down in the dark.
The Departure
The last night of our stay, we had a letter waiting for us on the bed. It was a list of our departing flight and times, the time that we needed to leave the motu and the time that we needed to check out. Nothing was left to guess. Everything went completely smooth, just as it had the entire stay at the Sofitel Motu. We departed the Sofitel Motu to the sound of the ukulele, knowing that we would someday return.
Things that you should know
There was no conditioner supply in the room. If you use conditioner, you will especially need it because of the salty ocean water. Make sure that you bring a small bottle with you.
There are only 30 overwater bungalows and 10 beach bungalows. Make your reservations early.
Overwater bungalows 111, 112 face the motu. Numbers 114 through 121 have a view of reef and the mountain. Overwaters 122 through 128 look as though they do not have a view of Bora Bora, just the reef. Numbers 129 and 130 looked amazing. They completely faced Bora Bora. And finally 131 looks as though it faces the sunset and the boat dock.
Beach bungalows number 101 through 103 have a view of the sunset and are past the boat dock. Number 104 through 107 are considered the tree top bungalows. You pass these bungalows on the way to the Viewpoint and the gardens and setting are amazing. Numbers 108 through 110 have a view of the sunset. I am not sure if these are treetop or beachfront. If some one knows, please let me know.
If you become a Sofitel Preferred Member, you will receive a 20% discount. There is a charge for this membership.
There is a small market, Te Tiare I think, that is a short walk from the Sofitel Marara. Go out of the hotel and turn left. After a short three minute walk, it will be on your right. We bought large containers of water and coke for our room. The market accepts credit cards.
If you would like to go to Viatape, the ?large? downtown, there is a bus that runs on a schedule. Ask the front desk for the schedule and make sure that you ask for a shuttle 15 minutes before the bus arrives.
For pictures and video of our trip, visit my website
www.tahiti.wunschl.com
Read my other reviews from our French Polynesia Trip
Moorea
http://www.epinions.com/content_70580276868
Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort
http://www.epinions.com/content_66105675396
Bora Bora
http://www.epinions.com/content_66986806916
Sofitel Motu
http://www.epinions.com/content_66291601028
Rangiroa
http://www.epinions.com/content_66400063108
Kia Ora Village
http://www.epinions.com/content_2687869060
Kia Ora Sauvage
http://www.epinions.com/content_2691276932
Tahiti
http://www.epinions.com/content_66968260228
Tahiti Beachcomber Inter-Continental
http://www.epinions.com/content_66996309636
Sheraton Tahiti
http://www.epinions.com/content_66102398596
And for more great reviews, read LordBalfor's reviews and visit his website at
http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor
Recommended:
Yes
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twunschl
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Location: Wishing I was back in Tahiti
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Our Tahiti pictures and video are on-line. Go to www.tahiti.wunschl.com
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