Winston Aldworth makes the InterContinental his base for exploring Papeete.
Location: We're about a 10-minute taxi ride from Papeete. The airport is also nearby, making this a handy place to spend your first couple of nights on a Tahitian break, particularly if your flight arrives late at night, or to finish off your stay ahead of an early morning flight.
Check-in experience: Arriving on a late flight, we're greeted at the resort entrance by some phenomenally buff dudes wearing traditional garb that leaves little to the imagination. With a smile and a cheery "Ia orana", they sling our bags on the trolley and set us off to our room. Room: The standard Guest Room of our first night was a good size. We returned to the resort for the last two nights of our stay in Tahiti and moved along to a Panoramic Room at the other end of the resort. This was a bigger suite right alongside the infinity pool, with spectacular views of Moorea and, happily, a swim-up bar.
What's in the neighbourhood? At some point in your Tahitian trip you'll probably be parking up at a beach on an outer island with a cold drink in hand. So, while you're on the mainland, make the InterContinental your base for exploring Papeete. The old colonial base wears its shabby state comfortably. Head for the market in the morning for local produce, handcrafts and colour, and in the evenings make for the roulottes, a fantastic precinct of food trucks perched by the waterfront. A 15-minute cab ride to the west brings you to the Musee de Tahiti et des Iles, a museum in the village of Punaauia. The museum was founded in 1974 to conserve and restore Polynesian artifacts and cultural practices.
Exercise: The gym is very well kitted out, with more of those killer views of Moorea. There's not too much in the neighbourhood for keen joggers unless, like me, you happen to be a plane nerd, in which case a 20-minute trot gets you views of the airport runway for some plane-spotting.
