What is the best resort on Moorea?

On our criteria, the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, for its overwater bungalows on the north-west lagoon. The Sofitel Kia Ora, on Temae beach, is a close second and may overtake it once its renovation is complete in November 2026.

Is the Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea open?

Yes. It reopened in April 2026 after a renovation; some garden and ocean-view bungalows stay closed until 31 October, and the full inventory returns on 1 November 2026.

Which Moorea hotels have overwater bungalows?

Three: the Hilton, the Sofitel Kia Ora and Manava. The InterContinental Moorea closed for good in 2020.

Which is the cheapest overwater bungalow on Moorea?

On the night we checked, 19–20 October 2026, Manava's: from €598 (≈ 71,400 XPF, ≈ US$700), against 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450) at the Hilton. Rates move with the season; compare your own dates.

Is this ranking paid for?

No. It is editorial, independent and unpaid: no hotel paid to appear or saw it before publication, there are no affiliate links, and it is not based on hosted stays.

Which Moorea hotel is closest to the ferry?

The Sofitel Kia Ora and Manava, both a few minutes from the Vaiare quay and the airport on the east coast. Les Tipaniers, by contrast, is 30 km away on the north-west coast.

Which Moorea hotel is best for snorkelling?

Les Tipaniers, opposite the ray area off Tiahura. The Hilton's overwater bungalows look down on the reef through glass floor panels, and the Sofitel sits on Temae, which the hotel describes as a marine reserve.

Does any Moorea hotel have a MICHELIN Key?

No. The MICHELIN Guide lists the Sofitel Kia Ora among its French Polynesia hotels, without a Key; the five hotels in the country with Keys are on Bora Bora, Taha'a and Tetiaroa. That is why recognition is not one of the criteria on this page.

Do I need a car on Moorea?

For a day at least: the sights are spread around the coast road. At Les Tipaniers you can manage most of a stay on foot and by kayak, and a public bus meets the ferries.

Moorea · Rankings

The best hotels and
resorts on Moorea.

Moorea has three true resorts, so this ranking includes the small hotels that earn a place beside them. Editorial, independent and unpaid.

Mount Rotui and the bays from the Belvedere

Stay · Moorea · Best resorts

Tahiti Tourisme lists ten hotels on Moorea.¹ Three of them are resorts with overwater rooms: the Hilton, the Sofitel Kia Ora and Manava. The rest are small hotels, some of them good, and a ranking of three would not be honest, so this one covers hotels and resorts together. It is built from each hotel's own published information, the official listings and the statistics institute. It is editorial, independent and unpaid, and not based on our own stays.

01 · How we ranked

Five criteria,
in this order.

1 · Water and beach: What is in front of the room: lagoon, coral, sand, and how far you swim before it gets interesting.Moorea's lagoon is narrower than Bora Bora's; position matters more
2 · The room: Overwater or not, private pools, space, and what the hotel says is in the room. Sizes and counts are the hotels' own figures.Checked on each hotel's site, October 2026
3 · Value: Moorea's case against Bora Bora is price. Published rates, what they include, and taxes count here.No Moorea hotel holds a MICHELIN Key
4 · Logistics: Distance from the Vaiare ferry quay and the airport at Temae, and whether you can manage without a car.
5 · Reliability in 2026: Fully open, or still finishing a renovation. Status is checked on the hotel's own site, not only on listings, which lag.Reviewed every quarter
The rules: Only hotels taking guests in October 2026. No paid placements, no affiliate links, no hosted stays, and no hotel saw this page before publication.Last reviewed 19 October 2026

02 · The ranking

Seven hotels,
best first.

01
Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa
On the point at Papetoai, between Opunohu Bay and the Tiahura lagoon: 104 bungalows and three bars and restaurants.² The overwater bungalows have glass floor panels over the reef; the beach and garden bungalows have plunge pools and outdoor showers; every room has a marble bathroom with a soaking tub and a minibar of juices and local beer, refilled daily at no charge.³ For one night, 19–20 October 2026, its site showed garden pool bungalows from 91,180 XPF (≈ US$895) and overwater bungalows from 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450).³ First for the best overwater product on the island and no works on site. Downsides: it is on the far side of the island from the ferry, and the beach is shorter than Temae's.
02
Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort
On Temae, a few minutes from the ferry and the airport, on a beach the hotel says has been a marine reserve for over twenty years: 109 villas, of which 38 over the water, 11 on the beach, 9 with lagoon views, 50 in the gardens and one luxury villa.⁴ The common areas, from reception to the pool and restaurants, have just been rebuilt.⁴ The resort closed from 5 January to 31 March 2026; the overwater villas reopened after 30 June, some garden and ocean-view bungalows stay closed to 31 October, and the full inventory returns on 1 November 2026.⁵ The best beach of any Moorea hotel. Second only because the work is not quite finished; it may well rank first next quarter.
03
Manava Beach Resort & Spa Moorea
In Maharepa, minutes from the airport and the ferry, with garden bungalows with private pools, beach bungalows and two categories over the water.⁶ For one night, 19–20 October 2026, its site showed garden pool bungalows from €413 (≈ 49,300 XPF, ≈ US$483) and overwater bungalows from €598 (≈ 71,400 XPF, ≈ US$700), the lowest overwater rate we saw on the island that night.⁶⁷ It runs the To'a Nui coral nursery, with the hotel since 2006, holds EarthCheck Silver certification and has a dive club on site.⁸ The resort says it stands on the site of the first Bali Hai hotel; our history of the first overwater bungalow places the bungalows themselves on Raiatea. The rooms are simpler than the top two: the standard overwater bungalow has a shower, not a bath.⁶
04
Les Tipaniers
At Tiahura on the north-west coast, 25 km from the airport and 30 km from the Vaiare quay, with an annex, Tipaniers Iti, at the mouth of Opunohu Bay.⁹ A two-star hotel with a private stretch of white sand, a restaurant serving local and French dishes, and air conditioning, a refrigerator and a kitchenette in every room.¹⁰ The ray area is opposite the hotel, and the motu are a paddle away.¹¹ Works ran from January to April 2025 without closing the hotel.⁹ The best small hotel on the island for snorkelling and sunsets; a public bus meets the ferries.⁹
05
Hotel Kaveka
In Maharepa on Cook's Bay, with bungalows and an overwater restaurant on the bay.¹² Its rates include government, sales and municipal taxes, children under 10 sharing with their parents stay free, and there is a free shuttle for shopping and banking.¹² Fish feeding from the dock, kayak and bike rental, and live Tahitian music once a week.¹³ Older and plainer than the resorts, and its website was last updated years ago, so confirm rates by email; but the bay setting and the all-in pricing make it the best-value hotel on the list.
06
Fenua Mata'i'oa
In Tiahura, Haapiti, at the lagoon's edge: a small hotel of suites in a tropical garden, listed as open every day in 2026.¹⁴ It sells itself on art and design rather than facilities. We found no published room count or rates, which is why a hotel with this setting sits sixth: we could verify less about it than about the others.
07
Moorea Island Beach Hotel
In Haapiti on the north-west coast, about 27 km from the airport and 33 km from the ferry.¹⁵ Air-conditioned bungalows of about 20 m², a guest kitchen and lounge, free kayaks and bicycles and a sandy beach to swim and snorkel from; no lunch or dinner, but eight restaurants within a five-minute walk. Listed as open every day in 2026.¹⁵ A taxi from the ferry was about 5,000 XPF (≈ US$49) in March 2023.¹⁵ The budget beach base on this list.

03 · Head to head

Hilton
or Sofitel?

Where: Hilton: The point at Papetoai, north-west.²
Sofitel: Temae beach, east, minutes from the ferry and airport.⁴
Over the water: Hilton: Overwater bungalows with glass floor panels.³
Sofitel: 38 overwater villas out of 109.⁴
On land: Hilton: Beach and garden bungalows with plunge pools.³
Sofitel: Beach, lagoon-view and garden villas.⁴
2026 status: Hilton: Fully open.
Sofitel: Full inventory from 1 November 2026.⁵
Sample rate: Hilton: Overwater from 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450), 19–20 October 2026.³
Sofitel: No public rate captured; check the hotel's site.

Verdict. The Hilton for the overwater room and the north-west lagoon. The Sofitel for the beach and a short transfer from the ferry, once the last rooms reopen in November.

04 · At a glance

The seven
in one table.

Hilton Moorea: Papetoai · 104 bungalows, overwater and pool²³Overwater from 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450), one October 2026 night³
Sofitel Kia Ora: Temae · 109 villas, 38 overwater⁴Full inventory from 1 November 2026⁵
Manava: Maharepa · overwater, beach and garden-pool bungalows⁶Overwater from €598 (≈ 71,400 XPF, ≈ US$700), one October 2026 night⁶⁷
Les Tipaniers: Tiahura · two-star, kitchenettes, beach¹⁰Ray area opposite
Hotel Kaveka: Cook's Bay · overwater restaurant, rates include taxes¹²Children under 10 free¹²
Fenua Mata'i'oa: Tiahura · garden suites at the lagoon's edge¹⁴No published rates found
Moorea Island Beach Hotel: Haapiti · 20 m² bungalows, guest kitchen¹⁵No restaurant; eight within walking distance¹⁵

05 · Overwater on Moorea

Three resorts,
half the price.

Only three Moorea hotels have rooms over the water: the Hilton, the Sofitel and Manava. The InterContinental, long the fourth, closed for good in 2020.¹⁶

The case for Moorea is price. Its hotels averaged ≈ 60,300 XPF (≈ US$590) per room-night before tax in July–September 2025, under half Bora Bora's ≈ 137,000 XPF (≈ US$1,340), at 84.4% occupancy, the highest of any island in the institute's table.¹⁷ Book early for July and August.

What you give up is the Bora Bora lagoon and its motu. What you gain is a ferry from Papeete instead of a flight, a coast road with restaurants on it, and hikes, valleys and marae within a short drive. The full comparison is in Bora Bora or Moorea.

06 · By kind of trip

Which one
for which trip.

Overwater, first time: The Hilton, for the glass floor and the reef under it.³
Beach days: The Sofitel, on Temae.⁴From November 2026, with every room back⁵
Overwater on a tighter budget: Manava, whose overwater bungalows started at about half the Hilton's rate on the night we checked.⁶³
Snorkelling and sunsets without a car: Les Tipaniers at Tiahura, opposite the ray area.¹¹
Families: Hotel Kaveka, where children under 10 sharing with their parents stay free,¹² or Les Tipaniers, where every room has a kitchenette.¹⁰
Early ferry or flight out: The east coast: the Sofitel or Manava, minutes from the quay and the airport.⁴⁶

07 · What it costs

Rates, taxes
and the alternative.

Moorea's hotels publish more prices than Bora Bora's, but still not many. On one October 2026 night the Hilton's overwater bungalows started at 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450) and its pool garden bungalows at 91,180 XPF (≈ US$895);³ Manava's garden pool bungalows started at €413 (≈ 49,300 XPF, ≈ US$483) and its beach bungalows at €473 (≈ 56,400 XPF, ≈ US$553).⁶⁷

Read what each rate includes. Hotel Kaveka quotes its prices with government, sales and municipal taxes in;¹² most others add them at the end. The island-wide average, ≈ 60,300 XPF (≈ US$590) per room-night in July–September 2025, is before tax.¹⁷

Below the hotels sit the pensions, which this ranking leaves out. For scale, Pension Motu Iti at Pihaena, 500 m before the Hilton, listed its bungalows at ≈ 10,500–12,000 XPF (≈ US$103–118) a night for one or two, tax included, and a dorm bed with breakfast at ≈ 2,650 XPF (≈ US$26) (listing updated November 2025).¹⁸

08 · Before you book

Five things
to settle first.

Ferry or flight: The ferry, almost always. Tauati Ferry charges 1,100 XPF (≈ US$11) one way per passenger,¹⁹ Aremiti 2,350 XPF (≈ US$23) for a visitor;²⁰ Air Tahiti's lowest round trip was 16,573 XPF (≈ US$162) in October 2026, for a 15-minute flight.²¹More in the Moorea ferry guide
Which coast: The east (Sofitel, Manava, Kaveka) is close to the quay and the airport; the north-west (Hilton, Les Tipaniers, Fenua Mata'i'oa, Moorea Island Beach Hotel) has the motu, the rays and the sunsets.⁹¹⁵
A car: At least for a day. Les Tipaniers is 30 km from the quay, the Moorea Island Beach Hotel 33 km.⁹¹⁵ Book a rental ahead for weekends.
Meals: The resorts' restaurants are priced like resorts. Kaveka and Manava both sell meal plans or half board;¹²⁶ the Moorea Island Beach Hotel serves no lunch or dinner at all.¹⁵
Renovations: Ask whether any building or pontoon is closed on your dates. In 2026 the Sofitel ran phased closures until 31 October.⁵

09 · Listings that lag

Check the hotel,
not the listing.

In October 2026 Tahiti Tourisme's listing for the Sofitel Kia Ora still read temporarily closed,²² while the hotel's own site was taking bookings and describing its renovated common areas.⁴ The listing reflects the January–March closure.⁵

The same official list names ten Moorea hotels.¹ Three of them are not ranked here because we could not confirm enough about them on their own sites in October 2026; they may join the list after the next review. Absence from this page is not a verdict.

The InterContinental Moorea has been closed since 2020;¹⁶ if a site still sells it, close the tab. For a pension rather than a hotel, the guesthouses are in where to stay in Moorea and the pensions guide.

10 · Questions

Questions.

01
What is the best resort on Moorea?
On our criteria, the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, for its overwater bungalows on the north-west lagoon.³ The Sofitel Kia Ora, on Temae beach, is a close second and may overtake it once its renovation is complete in November 2026.⁵
02
Is the Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea open?
Yes. It reopened in April 2026 after a renovation; some garden and ocean-view bungalows stay closed until 31 October, and the full inventory returns on 1 November 2026.⁵
03
Which Moorea hotels have overwater bungalows?
Three: the Hilton, the Sofitel Kia Ora and Manava. The InterContinental Moorea closed for good in 2020.¹⁶
04
Which is the cheapest overwater bungalow on Moorea?
On the night we checked, 19–20 October 2026, Manava's: from €598 (≈ 71,400 XPF, ≈ US$700), against 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450) at the Hilton.⁶³⁷ Rates move with the season; compare your own dates.
05
Is this ranking paid for?
No. It is editorial, independent and unpaid: no hotel paid to appear or saw it before publication, there are no affiliate links, and it is not based on hosted stays.
06
Is Moorea cheaper than Bora Bora?
Much. Moorea's hotels averaged ≈ 60,300 XPF (≈ US$590) per room-night before tax in July–September 2025, against ≈ 137,000 XPF (≈ US$1,340) on Bora Bora.¹⁷
07
Which Moorea hotel is closest to the ferry?
The Sofitel Kia Ora and Manava, both a few minutes from the Vaiare quay and the airport on the east coast.⁴⁶ Les Tipaniers, by contrast, is 30 km away on the north-west coast.⁹
08
Which Moorea hotel is best for snorkelling?
Les Tipaniers, opposite the ray area off Tiahura.¹¹ The Hilton's overwater bungalows look down on the reef through glass floor panels,³ and the Sofitel sits on Temae, which the hotel describes as a marine reserve.⁴
09
Does any Moorea hotel have a MICHELIN Key?
No. The MICHELIN Guide lists the Sofitel Kia Ora among its French Polynesia hotels, without a Key; the five hotels in the country with Keys are on Bora Bora, Taha'a and Tetiaroa.²³ That is why recognition is not one of the criteria on this page.
10
Do I need a car on Moorea?
For a day at least: the sights are spread around the coast road. At Les Tipaniers you can manage most of a stay on foot and by kayak, and a public bus meets the ferries.⁹

Sources · last verified 19 October 2026(23)

The best hotels andresorts on Moorea.

Five criteria,in this order.

Seven hotels,best first.

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa

Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort

Manava Beach Resort & Spa Moorea

Les Tipaniers

Hotel Kaveka

Fenua Mata'i'oa

Moorea Island Beach Hotel

Hiltonor Sofitel?

The sevenin one table.

Three resorts,half the price.

Which onefor which trip.

Rates, taxesand the alternative.

Five thingsto settle first.

Check the hotel,not the listing.