Va'a i te Moana

The people running it were very kind and helpful. Our room and bathroom were large. It felt like home.

More variety for breakfast such as eggs or fruit would be nice. The coffee was excellent.

It’s at the Tiputa end of the island. Close to the pass where the dolphins can be seen jumping. Within walking distance of two shops and 4 snack places. Free bicycles.

The dorm room is hot in the afternoon, evening-it’s gets the afternoon sun. It is in a garden so there can be mosquitoes but bug spray can solve this.

Owners are very dear. Location, if you are diver.

Price/quality ratio

Bikes availability

Close to the Tiputa pass

Close to the ocean to see the dolphins, port and bounty road for swimming, large room, ok bed and pillow, traditionally sown coverlet, locker, light, electric sockets, good shower with toileries, kitchen, filling breakfast possibility, lovely family, daughter spoke perfect English and arranged diving, île aux récif, blue lagoon and Les sables roses-all superb

My Italian expresso maker too small for range, very hot even with fans at night (will be installing ac in the near future), garbage cans need covers, rambunctious puppy and docile cat if allergic.

The property was stunning, even better than I could have expected. I stayed in the 4 person dorm and it was so comfortable, beautiful, and clean! It was in very close proximity to the local restaurants, the dive shops, and they had lots of bikes for us to use to get around! The owners were so friendly.

Very friendly and helpful hosts, they organized the transfer from/to the airport as well as an excursion for me. The daughter, Mana, also speaks very good English, and provided me with lots of useful information about the island on check-in. The dorm has only single beds (no bunks!), and is quite spacious. The outdoor area is quite large as well - and there are even some hammocks in the shade. The free bikes offered are a great way for exploring the island - just do not expect them to be in perfect condition. I had to fiddle with the chain after it came off at least once a day.

It can be quite hot in the dorm, even despite the fans (as there is no A/C). I still slept quite well, though.

The overall stay was amazing. It is very close to the Tiputa Pass for diving and all of the dive operations. We rode bikes to our boat. The room was very clean & comfortable. The hospitality of the operators was 15 out of 10. The hosts Anapa, Matiata and Mana are absolutely amazing. They will take care of you soooo well. You really feel the Polynesian hospitality with them.

Everything at the stay was awesome. Keep in mind you are on an atoll and there isn't much food open or available. Most of the time the grocery stores are closed as well as restaurants. So make sure you go to the grocery store and get supplies for food to be in the fridge and available when you need them.

Mana and her family could not have been more welcoming. From morning till night, they were there with smiling faces to help us with our every need. They felt like family by the end of our 7-day stay. We had booked a double room with a private bathroom. The bedroom was a good size for the two of us, and the bathroom was lovely and spacious. Breakfast (included) was very good. Everything was homemade, and the pancakes were delicious. When we had early excursions, they kindly served it to us at 7:00 AM instead of 7:30 AM. Our water bottles were refilled whenever we requested it, and we requested if a lot! You can not do laundry at the guesthouse, but the laundry thet Mana recommended was wonderful. For 2,590 xpf, they washed, dried, and folded a 5 kg bag of laundry and returned it the same day. The free bikes were invaluable. One day, we cycled to Avotura via the Pearl Farm (excellent explanation in both French and English), Ikimisho Pearl Shop (highly recommended), and Chez Rua (great lagoon-side food shack). Another day, we took the bikes on the ferry to Tiputa and cycled around there. Our favorite excursion by far was DD's drift snorkeling. We ended up doing it 3 times! It was an excellent value for 6,000 xpf. We drifted down the Tiputa Pass 2 or 3 times, snorkeled in the aquarium, and got to swim with dolphins (the highlight!) The Blue Lagoon trip was good, too, but you have to pay cash if Mana books it for you. If you book it online, you can pay by credit card. We under-estimated how much cash we would need and had to bike to the ATM at the airport for more! We ate well at both Puna and Chez Lili. Cards are accepted if you spend a minimum of 2,500 xpf at Puna and 3,000 xpf at Chez Lili. Our favorite restaurant, however, was Reira Lagon, where Mana made reservations for us twice.

For an honest description of the rooms at Va'a i te Moana, go to their website. Booking.com's description of the room we booked was very misleading. It stated that there was both a garden view and an inner courtyard view. In fact, the room had only one small window overlooking the garden (and a small window in the bathroom). There is no sea breeze, so the room got very stuffy. The fans were a godsend! It claimed the room had a coffee-maker, which it didn't. It failed to mention that the 'kitchenette', (which is in the hallway outside the room), is shared with the room on the other side of the hallway, as are the terrace and patio furniture. None of this impacted the enjoyment of our stay in the end, but it was an initial shock. I shall put less trust in Booking.com's descriptions of properties in the future.