Manava Suite Resort Tahiti review - 4-Star Ultra-Modern Hotel with Traditional Tahiti Values

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Manava Suite Resort Tahiti review - 4-Star Ultra-Modern Hotel with Traditional Tahiti Values

By Susan di Rende

The infitity pool in two shades of blue blends in with the lagoon beyond from above as well as from ground level

The new Manava Suite Resort Tahiti is the perfect tropic cocktail for an intoxicating Polynesian vacation. The resort has ultra-modern amenities and design and yet roots all of them in a deep respect and affection for traditional Polynesian culture. Even the most demanding traveler will find their every desire for comfort and amenities met and even exceeded while feeling immersed in the feel and flavor of Tahiti.

The Manava Suite Resort Tahiti has the largest infinity pool on the island.

There are beautiful, sun-drenched beaches all over the world but no place that conjures the idea of absolute escape quite like Tahiti. The Manava Suite Resort Tahiti is Polynesian to the core to deliver the South Sea Island paradise dream vacation. Other multinational hotel chains adapt their signature style with bits of local color, but the company that runs the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti, South Pacific Management, is a locally operated chain of nine luxury resorts that span the islands of French Polynesia. They don't add local elements; they are local. They chose a local architect to design the hotel, and the entire decor is rich with traditional materials and motifs made new in the hands of Polynesian artisans.

The lobby of the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti.

This meeting of two worlds struck me when I walked in the front door into the sleek and air-conditioned lobby and was greeted by a man dressed in a pareo, the traditional Polynesian cloth wrap worn by men and women alike. After spending some time on the islands without air-conditioning, I know that the pareo is the only truly comfortable outfit for its climate rather than some archaic historical costume. It was, however, odd at first to see someone wearing only a pareo in the context of the very modern lobby, but as I spent time in the hotel, I began to be at ease with the juxtaposition of old and new that is found not only at the Manava Suite Resort, but all over Tahiti.

The lobby has comfy couches and tables that were a huge plus since the in-room wi-fi was not yet working.

The lobby is flanked by two beautiful, intricately carved tikis, a man and a woman.

The lobby itself continues this duality. There is plenty of seating offered by a series of minimalist modern couches that snake along the front window with round light tables that have a very hip retro-deco feel. And then nearby, two enormous wood tikis, one male and one female, keep watch over the comings and goings through the front door like the ancient spirits they invoke would. I must say, these tikis, commissioned specially for the Manava Suite Resort, are beautiful and elaborate works of art with intricate detail and a warm natural wood glow.

Traditional materials and wood carving styles embellish and enrich the modern furnishings.

The guest rooms offer a vacation experience unique in Tahiti – part first-class hotel, part luxury condo – that invites you to make yourself at home in this tropical paradise.

The rooms are spacious and the couch converts into a bed.

Large and spacious, they have plenty of storage for clothes and baggage, there is a couch to sit comfortably and, best of all, there is a small kitchen so that you can prepare your own food. The suites have separate living rooms and the kitchens are larger with full-size refrigerators. Something about having a kitchen lets you really settle in and feel at home from the minute you arrive.

The kitchens are stocked with plates, pans, and utensils. There is a hot pot and the fixings for coffee and tea ready for you on arrival. For other staples, you will find a market within easy walking distance, though I suggest going early in the morning to beat the heat and to get your baguettes fresh. You will understand why restaurants in Tahiti are so expensive when you see the prices of basic food items at the market. The only real deal is the bread, with the price of a baguette fixed by the government at about 50 cents. I cannot pass up a breakfast pastry and so treated myself to a pineapple-filled pastry which I brought back to the room and ate on the patio overlooking the pool.

Breakfast of a pineapple-filled local pastry and fresh made coffee from the kitchen on the patio overlooking the pool.

If you don't want to cook for yourself, the hotel has a wonderful restaurant that is reasonably priced - by Tahiti standards.

The filet mignon at the hotel restaurant is generous and excellent.

The food portions in the restaurant, as elsewhere on the island, are generous. The French influence on Polynesian cooking means that there is a refinement to the menu with a nod to the latest gastronomic trends. For Americans who like their meat and potatoes, the restaurant also serves up a great filet mignon. Another nod to tourism is the variety of blended drinks available from the bar.

The Manava Suite Resort Tahiti actually has two bars. One is adjacent to the restaurant and is bright and stylish in its decor. It looks like a fun place to gather for drinks. I say looks like, because the hotel was so new when I stopped there that liquor license had not yet come through.

The other bar is part of the spectacular poolside area. This bar abuts the pool and is sunken in such a way that a person in the pool can pony up to the bar, order a drink and perch on a submerged stone "barstool" while they sip. Talk about a real "wet" bar!

The poolside bar allows you to sit in the water while you sip your drinks.

The amazing infinity pool itself is the pearl of the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti. The largest infinity swimming pool on Tahiti, it is flanked on one side by the sunken bar and the other by a spectacular waterfall fountain.

The Manava Suite Resort Tahiti infinity pool is the largest on the island.

The lounge chairs and umbrellas are set in a base of white sand. The blue pool bottom matches the two blues of the lagoon waters: the aqua of the shallows and the royal blue of the deeps. The pool has a graceful, curving silhouette and it is hard to tell where the pool ends and the lagoon begins.

You cannot tell where the infinity pool leaves off and the lagoon begins.

Across the lagoon is the romantic silhouette of the nearby island of Moorea. A sense of absolute peace descends on you the minute you walk out and look at this vista. You will want to plant yourself in a chair and stay there for your whole vacation.

The resort has its own little 'motus' - small sandy islands in the lagoon for those who prefer the salt water.

If it's a "real" sand beach and lagoon swimming you want, the hotel has two tiny motu islands just off the shore. One is accessible by boardwalk and the other is just a short swim away. The channel beyond the motus is a very busy one and the current is strong enough that the hotel arranges for you to go elsewhere for water sports.

The view from the water of the hotel and the poolside bar.

If you can drag yourself away from the water, the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti is about ten minutes from the Papeete city center. Everyone, tourists and local alike, go to the famous market, Le Marché, to shop. The building is enormous and vendors sell everything Tahiti on two jam packed floors. You can buy all kinds of local food: produce, prepared local dishes, breads, pastries, and packaged goods to carry home. The market also sells souvenirs for tourists looking for a bargain. It happens every day, but the weekends are the busiest and have the most stuff.

The hotel restaurant makes its own pastries and breads - here baignets and coconut firi firi rolls.

There are a few parking spaces out front for check-in and people coming to the restaurant or bar, but for travelers who have a car, the hotel boasts an underground parking lot. However, I would not recommend renting a car in Tahiti, The geography means that almost all traffic takes the one circular ring road to get anywhere, with resulting traffic that can jam up for hours. Not only that, the engineering of them is, well, French. If you've ever driven in the hell that is Paris at rush hour, you will resist the desire to get behind the wheel in Tahiti and instead use taxi services, take tours, or ride the public transportation.

The newly planted greenery has not yet filled in to make the living walls and decorations of the resort.

The hotel was not quite finished when I visited. As I mentioned, the liquor license had not yet come through, and half of the rooms were not open to the public. Much of the design of the public spaces uses living walls to divide and decorate the space, and while the planting was finished, the greenery had not yet filled in the mesh structures designed to hold it. Actually, all the bare mesh made me think at first that the hotel had incorporated a neo-industrial look in its public spaces. It was only when the mist spigots along the pillars came on that I realized that the mesh was merely the base of what will be in a matter of months a very lush set of gardens and walks.

Even though the liquor license was still bogged down, the vista was intoxicating enough to make my virgin drink pure pleasure.

The Manava Suite Resort Tahiti is five minutes from the airport, making it a great place to stop over for just a night if you are continuing on to one of the other islands. The kitchens and parking make it equally the perfect place if you want to settle in for longer. The rates drop if you book an extended stay, and so if you dream of running away to paradise, the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti is a perfect place to land.