Hôtel Atiapiti

I only wanted to go to Raiatea to see the world heritage site, Taputapuatea, and for the excursion around Taha, so we only spent 2 nights, which was enough. This island is not as lovely as the others we visited. Unfortunately it rain and the ocean was very rough so no boat trip which bummed me out. The rain did let up enough for us to see the UNESCO site. I picked this hotel because it is next to the UNESCO site. Unfortunately, I chose a beach villa and not the other room type as the beach villas do not have AC. They do have a ceiling fan. I mentioned the rain because I am unsure if it caused the horrendous mosquito problem or if it is always there. This is also where the no AC comes in; there are no scenes on the windows, and I am really, really allergic, so we could not open the windows. There is a screen about 6 inches long that runs around the top of the walls, as well as a ceiling fan. We had to use a towel to open and close the sliding door to keep the mosquitos out. The room was nice and well-appointed, and the bathroom was fabulous. The staff was very good, but they spoke very little English. However, we got through that just fine—there was no Wi-Fi in the room and 6 French TV stations. Usually, we would not even know that, but with the rain we stayed in the room. The hotel is not walkable, and the restaurant was not working when we were there, but you could order from a menu, and they would deliver the food to your door. They have cars there that you can rent. You cannot drink the water so bring it with you.

I stayed at Hotel Atiapiti in a bungalow right on the beach for 3 wonderful nights. The bungalow itself is very comfortable and spacious with a full kitchen, bed and bath with a hot shower, and a nice porch looking out over the ocean towards Huahine. Marie is a gracious host, and a fabulous cook. Breakfast and lunch at the restaurant were great, and there are multiple dinner options. Thank you Marie for the delicious carpaccio! The Marae next door is very interesting, and there is a nice hike to do on the hillside above. I swam and snorkeled from the dock; and had a great manta encounter right in front. I would certainly like to return and stay longer.