Review: Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa

Tahiti is one of my favorite places to visit because of the food, the people, the culture, and the beautiful weather. I few Delta from SLC to LAX, and then LAX to PPT on Air France.

a plane on the tarmac

Arriving in Faa’a International Airport

a plane on the tarmac

people walking in front of a building

The arrival hall to paradise

The entry process is quite easy. Even with multiple international flights arriving around the same time, I have always found the entrance to Tahiti to be an easy and welcoming expeirence.

people standing at a counter

The checkin desk


The distance from the airport to the Intercontinental is only 2 miles away. It is easy to get there by taxi.

With a lot of people arriving early in the morning, I feel for the Intercontinental staff who have to deal with the constant influx of people showing up at 6 am wanting to be checked into their rooms. I was able to beat the rush and was fortunate to be able to get into my room. I have Platinum status through IHG and I’m not sure if that helped or not. After I had taken my stuff to my room and headed to breakfast, the lobby was quite full with people waiting in the lobby with their luggage.

My room was located far away from the main lobby by the tennis courts which was actually nice as it made for a nice and quiet stay.

Intercontinental Tahiti Map

Map of the resort (courtesy https://tahiti.intercontinental.com)

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and Spa

A comfortable bed

a bed with a floral design on it

Looking at the window

a tv on the wall

The TV

a bed with a pillow and curtains in a room

Walk out to the lawn

a table and chairs outside a glass door

The patio

a table and chairs on a patio

The patio

This was one of my favorite parts of this room – the ability to walk out onto the patio, sit down, and just relax. There wasn’t a lot of foot traffic and it made for a serene environment.

a view of a beach and a body of water from a building

a table and chairs outside of a house

View from the lawn to the patio area

a room with a bed and a television

a bed with a lamp and a mirror

a bed with pillows and a lamp

a hallway with a door and a wood floor

a bathroom with a glass shower door

The shower and toilet

a bathroom with a sink and a mirror

The bathroom sink

a bathroom with a glass shower

a toilet in a bathroom

a shower with a glass door

a shower with a shower head

The shower

a bathroom with a mirror and sink

a shelf with a safe and a bag

The room safe

a closet with ironing board and swingers

The closet with iron and ironing board

I headed down to the breakfast buffet that was included with my room rate. There is an incredible varied assortment of food including an omelette station. The restaurant is all open air looking out to the pool area.

a table with jars of jam

a wall of donuts on a table

The donut wall

a buffet table with food on it

a group of baskets of bread

My favorite bread

There was a small device that had two prongs on it that spun around constantly to keep the flies away from the food.

a table with food on it

a table with a pot and utensils on it

a table with plates and bowls on it

a group of cereals and grains in containers on a table

a group of glass jugs with orange juice in it

Cold drinks

a table full of fruit and vegetables

food in a buffet pan

a table with food on it

a bowl of bread on a table

Pool area
There is a large pool area that includes a waterfall. The most underutilized part of the pool area is the hot tub, mostly because the temperature is warm enough where it really isn’t needed.

a pool with tables and chairs outside of a building

View towards the hotel

a pool with palm trees and a hut

a pool with palm trees and a beach

a pool with a rock formation and a body of water

a thatched roof with a sign on it

The main stage for performances

a body of water with trees and a small island

a pool with a metal railing

The whirpool

a pool with palm trees and chairs on a sunny day

a body of water with palm trees and buildings

a palm trees and a body of water

Though I didn’t attend, the Intercontinetal also has dance performances with a buffet dinner at night featuring some of the local dance troupes. They also have a “mini-Heiva” which is usually held after the biggest dance competition in Tahiti – the Heiva. The mini-Heiva will feature some of the winners from the Heiva.

If you haven’t been to one of these shows, I would highly recommend it. Having stayed at multiple properties in Papeete, the Intercontinantel Resort in Tahiti is my favorite property from the rest. You will enjoy a comfortable and pleasant stay. I would also recommend that you try their property is Moorea and Bora Bora if you get the chance.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the recently deceased General Manager, Bernard Rickenbach. Bernard was always so friendly and helpful managing this property. He was also an avid photographer and a fan of everything stemming from Tahiti. He always went out of his way to make stays that much better over the years. I was sad to hear of his passing and my thoughts are with his family.

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