A thatched pension bungalow on Huahine with a veranda, hibiscus hedge and breakfast table

Stay · Pensions

Family pensions.

Licensed family guesthouses are how most of French Polynesia hosts visitors. On many islands they are the only accommodation, and the best.

A pension on Huahine

A pension de famille is a licensed guesthouse: a few bungalows or rooms around a family home, usually with meals at a shared table. Standards run from fan-cooled rooms to lagoon-front bungalows with air conditioning. Breakfast is commonly included; on remote islands half board is standard because there is nowhere else to eat.

01 · What you get

Access, not polish.

Beyond the price, a pension is access. The host arranges the boat, the bikes, the guide, the airport transfer and the introduction to the weaver down the road, and the money stays on the island. On the Australs, the Gambier, most of the Tuamotu villages and much of the Marquesas, pensions are effectively the entire lodging supply. Maupiti chose them over resorts entirely. Huahine's best beds are family bungalows above its bays.

Rooms are clean and simple. Hot water is near-universal, air conditioning is a bonus and often an extra, wifi is variable and sometimes absent. Meals are the day's fish, with poisson cru appearing often. Cash still rules on the atolls and in the Australs; cards are common in the Society Islands. Many pensions take bookings by email or message and are not on the booking platforms; the Tahiti Tourisme listings are the reliable index.

A pension dinner on an atoll: grilled lagoon fish, poisson cru, breadfruit, coconut bread.

02 · Prices, 2026

What they
charge.

Society Islands: Pension Motu Iti, Moorea: 10,500–12,000 XPF a bungalow for two, dormitory 2,650 with breakfast. Pension Titaina, Taha'a: about 18,000 for two. Fare Vai Nui, Raiatea: 19,500–39,500.Chez Guynette, Huahine: 6,500 a room
Bora Bora: Village Temanuata at Matira: about 27,000–32,000 XPF for two plus VAT. Bora Vaite Lodge: shared bathroom, guest kitchen, rates on request.The cheap end of the dearest island
Maupiti: Half board about €90, roughly 10,740 XPF, a person a night at Tiapaa Village; transfers 1,000 each way.Cash only
Tuamotu: Havaiki Lodge, Fakarava: 28,000–40,000 XPF for two with half board. Rangiroa Plage: camping 1,500 a person.
Australs: Pension Teautamatea, Rurutu: 9,990 single, 15,280 double with half board and transfers. Pension Taitaa, Tubuai: 8,500 single, 12,500 double with breakfast.
Marquesas and Gambier: Mave Mai, Nuku Hiva: from 19,500 XPF a room half board. Relais Moehau, Hiva Oa: 13,843–14,910 with breakfast. Chez Jojo, Mangareva: about 12,300 a person half board.

03 · Customs

How it works.

Booking: Direct, by email or message. Expect a deposit or cash on arrival. Tell the host about dietary needs when booking.
Transfers: Airport and quay pickups are almost always arranged; confirm the time the day before.
Rhythm: Shared tables, early mornings, Sunday quiet in the villages.
Money: Bring XPF to the small islands. Several pensions take cash or bank transfer only.
Reviews: They matter a great deal to small houses. Leave honest ones.
Language: French first; English common; a greeting in Tahitian noticed.