Hilton Moorea Resort and Spa: A Review

If you’re looking for incredible turquoise water and overwater bungalows in French Polynesia, look no further than Hilton Moorea Resort and Spa. Widely considered to be the best resort on Moorea, the Hilton offers outstanding service and updated amenities, plus killer views at every turn.

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Check In

Kevin and I arrived at the Hilton Moorea one humid February morning. The staff greeted us with ice cold face towels, pineapple juice, and a flower necklace. The staff took our bags even though they informed us that our room wasn’t yet ready, since we were several hours early for check-in. The lobby is open-air and filled with bright tropical flowers and dark wood, with Polynesian touches everywhere. The staff all wears colorful flower outfits and flowers in their hair.

After filling out all necessary paperwork, we sat down with the concierge so she could inform us all about the resort. She also told us about my benefits as a Hilton Honors Gold Status, which had really helped us make the decision to stay at the Hilton in the first place. I’ll discuss those benefits a little later in the post.

We decided to visit French Polynesia during the low season, to try to take advantage of fewer crowds and lower prices. This also turned out to be construction season for the resorts. The Hilton was incredibly accommodating, however. One of their restaurants was undergoing a renovation, so they offered all kinds of extras to make up for the inconvenience. They had a daily boat service that would take guests to a small motu (island) nearby to swim and snorkel, which was incredible. On top of that, they credited us 5000 French Pacific Francs per night, which roughly came out to about $45USD.

In Search of Lunch

With our heavy bags taken care of and drink coupons in hand, we went to explore the resort and find the lunch restaurant. We walked up and onto a small dark wood bridge and over a koi pond, with tropical plants and Polynesian touches all around. Soon we entered the walkway between the boutiques on property, which sell staples like sunscreen but also luxury items like Tahitian pearls. We never ended up shopping at either store, but I think I can safely assume that the prices were relatively high.

The walkway wound upward and we ended up at the Eimeo bar, which supposedly has the best happy hour on the island. They offer 2-for-1 drinks between 4 and 7 P.M., which is a relatively good deal compared to the rest of the offerings on Moorea. This puts your bar bill for two cocktails at about $16.

Heading to our right we came to Rotui Grill & Bar restaurant, which was where lunch was served. This is also where they served a buffet-style breakfast. Normally the breakfast is at the Arii Vahine restaurant, which was the one under renovation at the time.

I ordered a cheeseburger and Kevin had pasta carbonara, plus our 2 free rum drinks with the coupon we received at check-in because of the wonderful Gold Status. Of course I ordered a Mai Tai! The cheeseburger ended up being super delicious. I was definitely surprised at the quality of the beef, because I assume that it was shipped in. The meal was pricey (it came out to about $45 USD) but wasn’t as much as I thought it would be, and the free drinks really made it seem worth it. It was an exceptional first meal, and was made even better by the view of the overwater villas and turquoise water. Literally a dream come true!

Our Garden Bungalow

After lunch we found out that our room was ready! We booked a garden bungalow, all of which come with a private plunge pool. The room was a good size, with a large king bed. There two large and comfy chairs and a coffee table at the foot of the bed, with a view of both the plunge pool and the TV. I loved that the room had a coffeemaker with espresso pods, but my favorite was the mini bar. Inside were a large bottle of water, 2 Cokes, 2 Coke Lights, and 2 cans of local beer, and it was all included! They even restocked daily. Definitely a highlight, as many resorts charge a premium for their mini bar contents.

There was plenty of natural light, as the room featured a sliding glass door on two of the walls. They lead out to the large deck, which wrapped around two sides of the bungalow. The outdoor space made the room feel even larger than it was, which was nice. It was very clean and modern, with plenty of plugs. Most of the plugs were European-style and required an adapter, although there was an American-style plug in the bathroom.

The bathroom was basically one large room. I found one feature to be curious, there was a pass-through opening from the bathroom into the rest of the room. There was a shade you could lower to afford some privacy, but there wasn’t a ton of separation. The toilet was enclosed by large frosted glass walls, which almost felt like an afterthought when they realized maybe one might want a little more privacy. The bathroom was large, with lots of space to dry swimsuits and counters for toiletries. The best part was probably the large claw-foot tub, which I now wished I used when I was there!

Overall we were very happy with our room category. Since we used credit card points to book the room, we opted not to upgrade as the overwater options were quite a bit more expensive.

Hilton Moorea Overwater Bungalows

Even though we weren’t staying in one, we were lucky enough to get a tour of an overwater room from the Hilton marketing team. One main pontoon went out over the water, where it then split into two. In total there are 54 overwater villas. They undoubtedly have the best views and locations! The room was almost identical to ours, however. The overwater version isn’t any larger, and it actually had less outdoor space since the deck didn’t wrap around. But you pay for the access to the incredible water right outside of your door, and it looked worth it! There was a ladder to the water at each villa, along with an outdoor shower to rinse off after a swim.

There are actually four categories of overwater rooms, although they are all the same size. They only differ in beds (1 king or 2 twin) and view, which account for the price difference.

Some other unique add-ons to your overwater experience are breakfast delivery on a flower canoe, and an outdoor massage on your deck. Expect to pay a large premium for these types of experiences, though. If you weren’t staying in an overwater room you could still book an outdoor massage, it will be just out at the end of the pontoon where there is a large common deck.

Activities

Despite having the world’s most beautiful ocean water right outside your door, Hilton Moorea also offers a large freshwater swimming pool. There are loungers surrounding the pool, although there didn’t seem to be many. The resort was not crowded when were there, they might put out more chairs during the busier times. One end of the pool has a graduated entrance, and neither end of the pool was deeper than about 4 feet. The water is heated and the temperature is soooooooo wonderful.

There is a shack next to the pool where you can find all of your recreational equipment provided by the resort. They offer snorkel gear, stand-up paddleboards, and kayaks free for guest use, which provides tons of value. You really won’t run out of things to do at the resort, and if you need something the concierge is happy to help. She arranged a super-easy scooter rental for us so we could explore, as well as the purchase of a flower crown. The crown was just added to our bill and they even dropped it off very early in the morning so we could take photos with the morning light.

During the weekdays the resort offers some free workshops if you want to learn a bit more about Polynesian culture. You can learn about cultural activities such as preparing raw fish or making a flower lei. You can also reserve a spot at a sunrise yoga class out over the water, for a fee.

Other Hilton Moorea Dining Options

The first night we were there we decided to visit the Toatea Creperie and Bar, which is located on the pontoon with the overwater villas. It didn’t seem too crowded, but they recommended we make reservations just in case. They only offer crepes to eat, but we loved it. We were given a bottle of wine as a welcome gift when we checked in, and they allowed us to bring it to dinner. The drinks were on Hilton Moorea the whole day! That definitely added value to our stay.

The cool thing about the creperie is that they shine light into the water after dark, so you can see the small sharks and stingrays swimming around. We only saw a few that night, but we came back the next night just to look and there were quite a bit more. I would say go between 8 and 9PM if you want the wildlife show with dinner. We ordered one sweet and one savory crepe, and they were delicious! Our bill came out to be about $30 USD, so not too bad.

The buffet breakfast was served at the Rotui Restaurant while the other restaurant was being renovated. I was incredibly impressed with the options given to us! There were stations upon stations of food, and literally the best fruit selection I’ve ever seen at a buffet. You could get eggs to order, as well as hot international options such as miso soup and fried rice. They may not want me to say this, but they even had all the ingredients to make a couple of sandwiches if you wanted to save a few bucks on lunch. We may or may not have done this 😉 Overall Hilton’s beautiful and delicious breakfast spread really impressed me.

Gold Status Benefits

The best thing about being a Hilton Gold status is the FREE breakfast!! This benefit literally saved us hundreds of dollars on this trip, because after Moorea we went to Bora Bora and stayed at Conrad Bora Bora Nui, another Hilton hotel. If you can believe it, in total we saved $700 USD just on breakfast alone on this trip!! The Hilton Moorea offers breakfast buffet style at $50 per person. You can opt to have it included with your room rate, which offers a slight savings. However, I still think Gold Status (or higher) is the way to go.

Do you know how I got that status? A little ol’ credit card! Yep, that’s it! I didn’t have to stay a crazy amount of nights or spend a ton of money. Just a little Hilton Honors American Express with a $95 annual fee. If you like staying at Hilton hotels (or even if you just want to stay at Hilton Moorea, it’s totally worth getting the card!) click here to apply! We both get extra rewards this way 🙂

I should also mention that the bottle of wine we took to the creperie? That was a free welcome gift because of the Gold Status as well. AND they even gave us a coupon for 2 free rum drinks when we checked in, saving us around $30. It was soooooo worth having the credit card, even if it was for this trip.

Polynesian Dinner Show

In between our aquatic adventures and daily exploration, we opted to splurge on the Polynesian dinner. For all intents and purposes, it’s akin to a Hawaiian luau. We paid approximately $90 per person for a buffet dinner and a show with live music and dancers. I told you it was a splurge! They held it in the same restaurant where we ate breakfast, although I suspect it’s normally held in the Arii Vahine restaurant closer to the beach. The buffet included lots of seafood, a carving station, and a robust dessert section. The price also includes one alcoholic beverage, which of itself makes the high price almost worth it.

The dancers did a great job on the show, which was a mashup of various South Pacific cultural song and dance. At one point the whole audience moved downstairs to the sand to watch a fire dance, and then we went back to our seats to watch the rest of the show. I imagine that guests don’t have to move around when they hold the show in its normal location. It was definitely a show for tourists but overall we had a great time. I felt it was worth the cost for the entertainment we got out of it. We were not on a super tight budget, however. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s probably not worth it for you.

Final Thoughts

Overall Hilton Moorea Resort and Spa really impressed me. The construction was a bit of a bummer but they added so much value to our stay to compensate for the inconvenience that I didn’t even care. The rest of the resort was very clean and well-kept, and every staff member we encountered was pleasant and helpful. Although I would describe most of the experience as casual, it was as 5-star as casual can be.

After reading reviews of the other resorts on the island, I was confident choosing Hilton Moorea because it seemed to be the only one that wasn’t described as “dated”. It’s true that this resort has a slightly higher price tag than its competitors, but I would say it’s worth it. If you can afford it or have credit card points, you won’t be disappointed.

 

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