Where to stay
in Moorea.

01 · The short answer

North-west for the water,
east for the ferry.

A first visit, a few nights, little driving: Tiahura and Hauru on the north-west coast. The ray area and the two motu are just offshore,¹ the hotels are on the sand, and snack bars and boat operators are within walking distance.

An overwater room: there are three, at the Hilton on the point at Papetoai, the Sofitel Kia Ora on Temae and Manava in Maharepa.²³⁴

An early ferry, a short stay or a day on Tahiti: the east coast, minutes from the Vaiare quay and the airport.³⁴

A long stay on a small budget: a pension in Haapiti, with a car or a bike, since most meals are a drive away.

05 · Which room

Overwater, beach
or garden pool?

Moorea's resorts sell three kinds of room, and the gap between them is large. On the same October 2026 night the Hilton's garden bungalows with a private pool started at 91,180 XPF (≈ US$895) against 147,486 XPF (≈ US$1,450) over the water, about 38% less.¹⁴ At Manava the garden pool bungalow started at €413 (≈ 49,300 XPF, ≈ US$483) and the overwater one at €598 (≈ 71,400 XPF, ≈ US$700).⁴¹⁵

The overwater room buys the deck, the ladder into the lagoon and, at the Hilton, a glass floor panel over the reef.¹⁴ The garden pool bungalow buys privacy and a pool of your own. The beach bungalow, where there is one, puts the sand at the door; on Temae that is the point of the Sofitel.³

A common split is two nights over the water and the rest on land, or the whole stay in a small hotel at Tiahura and a day on a motu by boat. The choice of room is set out in more detail in the overwater guide.

06 · A day from each base

What's on
the doorstep.

From Tiahura and Hauru, the lagoon is the day: kayak or paddle to the motu, snorkel the ray area opposite Les Tipaniers,¹ and stay on the beach for the sunset. Most of the lagoon boat operators work from this stretch.

From Papetoai and Cook's Bay, the island's interior is closest: the Opunohu valley, the marae and the road up to the Belvedere lookout, then lunch at one of the restaurants around the bay. The Hilton and Hotel Kaveka are the bases here.

From Temae and Maharepa, it is the beach in front of the Sofitel, the shops of Maharepa, and the ferry: Papeete's market is close enough for a morning. Manava runs its own dive club on site.¹⁷

From Haapiti, it is the quiet: the long west coast, the surf break offshore, and a drive to wherever dinner is.

07 · Eating near your bed

Where dinner is,
and what it costs.

Moorea's independent restaurants are thickest around Maharepa and Cook's Bay and in Hauru and Tiahura; the resorts each have one or two of their own. Tahiti Tourisme's 2026 price guide puts a food-truck dish at 1,500–2,500 XPF (≈ US$15–25), an ordinary restaurant or pizzeria at 2,500–6,000 XPF (≈ US$25–59) a head, and hotel fine dining above 8,000 XPF (≈ US$78).¹⁸

Several restaurants collect diners from nearby hotels; ask when you book. Many close one or two days a week, and lunch-only places stop serving in mid-afternoon.¹⁸ If you stay in Haapiti, dinner is a drive; at Tiahura or in Cook's Bay it can be a walk.

Two hotels change the arithmetic. Les Tipaniers puts a kitchenette in every room,¹² and the Moorea Island Beach Hotel serves no lunch or dinner but has a guest kitchen and eight restaurants within five minutes' walk.¹³ Kaveka and Manava sell meal plans and half board.⁶⁴

10 · Timing and status

When to book,
and what's changed.

Moorea fills up. Its hotels ran at 84.4% occupancy in July–September 2025, the highest of any island.¹⁶ June to September are the driest months on the north-west coast, about 107–139 mm of rain a month; December and January are the wettest, around 388–417 mm.²⁵ Book July and August early.

The InterContinental Moorea closed for good in 2020.²⁶ The Sofitel Kia Ora reopened in April 2026 after a renovation, with the last rooms due back on 1 November 2026,²⁷ although Tahiti Tourisme's listing still read temporarily closed in October.²⁸ The Terevau ferry was liquidated on 13 April 2026;²⁹ guides that still list it are out of date.