Location: Moorea Beach Lodge is nestled on the west side of its French Polynesian namesake. It’s a 45-minute drive down the island’s singular wending road from Marina Vai’are, where the Aremiti ferry travelling from Tahiti docks (an easy 30-minute crossing), and from the airport, should you fly via Air Tahiti from Papeete.
Style: The vibe here is tropics meets Hamptons, where thatched roofs and a towering banyan tree marry handcrafted wood, flax-weave rugs and modern furnishings that seem as if they were plucked straight out of a coastal edition of Architectural Digest.
Perfect for: A secluded island getaway with postcard-perfect beach access, where the sun loungers are almost always unoccupied (at least when I visited) and the sunsets are a heady orange-red.
The central building at Moorea Beach Lodge functions as a hub for guests to relax or dine. Photo / Supplied
First impressions: I arrived after a morning spent on a food tour around the island, or nearly didn’t, as we almost drove past the lodge. Its frontage, complete with a long sliding gate, is simple and unfussy, to the extent that you’d be forgiven for wondering if this is, in fact, your hotel.
You need an access code to enter the facility, which, after a quick phone call, saw the door open to a quiet, lush little paradise where turquoise waters act as a curtain to the rest of the property.
Rooms: There are only 12 bungalows, varying in view and size from Garden to Beach, Honeymoon to Family House, each with white walls and queen beds (plush and comfortable), air conditioning and a ceiling fan (both separate but important, depending on the time of year you visit), a small refrigerator, a wardrobe and safety deposit box, a bathroom complete with a shower, and a deck.
The decor remained on theme in my room, where relaxed luxury and a generous amount of pillows shared space with a framed conch shell, diaphanous curtains, wooden flooring and a velvety armchair.
At night, there’s only the sound of lapping waves, save for a rare screech that I was initially startled by and am now convinced was a gecko. You might also hear the lulling cluck of chickens come morning.
Ocean bungalows at Moorea Beach Lodge are mere metres from the water's edge. Photo / Supplied
Bathroom: A generously sized shower is separated from the vanity and toilet, with a single basin. Shampoo and conditioner aren’t supplied, but you’ll find some locally made hand soap, and towels.
Food and drink: Guests have full use of a communal kitchen located in the lodge’s central building that acts as a sort of hub for eating, drinking and generally relaxing, from 11am to 11pm.
The only food the lodge offers is a continental breakfast from 7am to 9am at an additional charge, a lovely medley of fresh bread and decadent pain au chocolat, a fresh fruit salad and an omelette with cheese and crispy bacon, enjoyed a mere breath away from the oceanfront.
For dinner, I walked a few minutes up the road to Casa Vincenzo. On a Saturday night, it was heaving, with a wait time of two hours (the reality, a staff member casually told me, of making the island’s “best pizza”). Stubborn and craving carbs, I waited, a worthwhile effort for a mouth-watering buffalo mozzarella pie with wood-fired bubbles and pillowy crusts.
For Tahitian fare, there’s also Le Lezard Jaune (The Yellow Lizard) an equally short walk nearby, serving poisson cru (a popular dish of raw fish lightly tossed in coconut milk), grilled mahi mahi, mashed taro, flambe banana and coconut cake. Or head to the casual Le Coco D’Isle, for fish curry and pina coladas, and where the floors are sand.
Moorea Beach Lodge offers a continental breakfast at an additional charge. Photo / Supplied
Facilities:Water activities are basically mandatory at a place best described as paradise, and the lodge has free-to-use kayaks for such a requirement. Paddle around the lagoon’s coral – it’s shallow here, where clusters of marine life brush the water’s surface – or, if you’re feeling confident, out to a motu – a palm-dotted islet – like Motu Tiahura, famous for its restaurant Coco Beach, stretches of white sand and snorkelling.
Bikes are free to use too, with scooters available on request, and free parking for your rental car. Wi-Fi is also included (but occasionally patchy), the communal lounge is built for reclining with a book (it has some), and there are big cushions under the shade of the outdoor dining area.
In the neighbourhood: At some distance from the island’s main town, save for a few shops, this place is about respite – after your day spent hiking against this locale’s rich backdrop of mountain peaks or swimming with blacktip reef sharks and rays in the glass-clear lagoon, or from a particularly laborious work schedule, where your idea of a holiday is to do absolutely nothing somewhere uncomprehendingly beautiful.
Family-friendly: This is a lodge best suited to grown-ups, where the rooms are intimate and perfectly calibrated for couples.
