Hotel Maitai Polynesia, Bora Bora

Staff was great, especialy Terry at front desk. Breakfest was great and christmas dinner was awesome. Took the whole family 5 of us. Had over water bungalow and garden room both had air conditioning although over the water did not need it. Hanging out at the overwater room was a blast, Snorkling was great under bungalow and kayaking to coral gardens was incredible and cost nothing. Lagoonarium tour was best adventure of our trip, go for the full day its worth it, Breakfast at hotel was great..Many places to eat at close to hotel, food is expensive everywhere but was tasty. La Bounty was are favorite. Pizza was great too. People on Island were all very friendly. Treat them like you want to be treated and smile its a universal language.

We spent 5 days in Bora Bora which appears to be under alot of construction. Due to booking so late we got stuck with the Maitai Polynesia. It was understood that the Hotel is not high class, but there are simple things expected that even at the Le Mandarin in Tahiti, we received better. We requested an overwater bungalow and received Bungalow 106 which was nice. The hotel is split in two, by the main road which can be very loud at times, but fortunately our bungalow was far enough away. Unfortunately the OW bungalows do not have AC so if you are the type that’s always hot(like my husband) you will not appreciate this. Our bungalow to me was the best because we were perched right above a huge coral so it didn’t take much for us to dive off the side and view the fish and coral. If you are not a great swimmer you may need a life jacket. Also bring your own snorkel gear, the ones at the hotel are not the greatest. We ended switching rooms for our last 3 days due to my husbands need for AC and got an Oceanview room which gave us a wonderful view of the ocean. Unfortunately it felt as if the room hadn’t been used in months because the floors were so dirty and the blankets and sheets were so dusty and frowsy we had to call room service to change everything, which took them over an hour to come. The room overall is decent and had wonderful AC. Our first day we had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant to which we both left feeling disgusted because there were flies buzzing everywhere. Their other restaurant by the OW bungalows also suffers from a fly infestation. We also visited ‘Top Dive’ the 'bugee' restaurant there which was beautiful, but the food was not it. Very small portions for a high price and wasn’t that great. You should visit Novotel which is about 2-3 minutes walk to your left when leaving the reception area for breakfast. As for activities, we did the helmet dive which was excellent, and sunset cruise which was very relaxing. We wanted to do the Catamaroon cruise but for our last 2½ days it rained non-stop. Renting a car is cool but there isn’t much to see and even though the maps of the island may say there are picture taking spots, trust that there are non. Maybe with the 4x4 tour you get to those spots. Going into the main town was cool where we got to go to the bank, get cash and buy souvenirs. Just to let you know, things are extremely expensive, a keychain was about $12-$15 US dollars. Service was very poor because it always seemed that whenever we had questions we were frowned at or answered as if we were a bother. The staff cannot be trusted and I say this because you would expect room service to just clean the room, not clean you out. The day we were to leave we realized we were missing some of our things. I spoke with the Manager about it and her first response was "why didn’t I say something before (nice isn’t she). By then it was too late to contact the police so we ended up leaving without filing a report. The manager said she would email us with an update if anything was discovered or not. Well, I have yet to hear anything. So for your best interest, keep your things locked away if you ever plan to stay there.

i absolutely loved the bungalow over the water it was beautiful the snorkeling was great it was a fantastic experience. the service was great as well. the restaurant had great food in the evening and the breakfast's were unbelievable. there was so much good food. the chocolate crescents were to die for. the boat ride to snorkel and feed the sharks was amazing.

Just got back from Bora Bora last night. We stayed at the Maitai Polynesia for 4 nights and it was wonderful. We had room #91 which is a little hike up the hill (good workout after some fantastic meals), with a breathtaking view over the garden and the lagoon. Before the trip, I had read a bunch of bad reviews about this hotel, here and on other sites. I almost wanted to book something else, but I said to myself this can't be for real... After we first got to the Maitai, we had no clue what those writers of the bad reviews had to complain about. Everything was perfect for the fairly reasonable rate the hotel offers. Even breakfast was included. This breakfast buffet is one of the best ones I've seen all around the planet! It can only be topped by real high end resorts. Ask for eggs cooked to order, too. The beach is small, but nice. And yes, the road is splitting the hotel property like in many cases on the island. But come on, noisy? There is hardly any traffic, and this was peak season. Yeah, cats and dogs are running around all over this island... and the most gorgeous kids, too. Get real, you're in paradise. No rules! We had all our meals at the hotel (except one lunch during an island trip), even though we had not booked that in advance. We just liked both restaurants and the food. Everything is served on fancy dishes, plated like on Food TV, topped with a Polynesian smile. Prices are fair, nothing is really cheap in paradise. But if you live in Scottsdale/AZ, you are used to pay more for a dinner in a nice location. If you're on a budget, just walk a few minutes to the store (le magazin) and buy your snacks/lunches and drinks there. The people in Bora Bora and at the hotel are very nice and friendly if they are approched in the appropriate way. They seem to be very proud people, so be nice and polite and it will come back to you. Don't be disappointed if nobody is there to greet you at the airport, just get on the big Bora Bora ferry boat and you will be picked up at the pier on the main island. At the lobby, you will get a cool drink and flowers while they check everybody in. For farewell, you will get a smile and a sea shell necklace. Before we got to Bora Bora, we stayed at the Sheraton in Tahiti, which is very nice and rated one class higher than the Maitai. Honestly, we liked the Maitai better. Bottom line: The next trip to Bora Bora is in the works. The hotel will be "Le Maitai Polynesia". PS: Don't expect everyone to speak perfect English. This is French Ploynesia, official languages are Tahitian and French. If you don't know any of those two languages, it will take some compromising. Not to be misunderstood: The hotel staff is pretty savvy in English. Bonjour and merci are pretty much the only French you'll need to know.

we had an overwater bungalow that was so run down and shabby, it was almost funny! we were very disappointed and will defintely stay at one of the other resorts. We also sent a letter to them through ou travel agent and did not even get the courtesy of a reply!

There is a highway that segregates the hotel. You can hear the cars/trucks all night long. The beach is very small and not very well kept. In addition the water at the hotel is shut off for all but 3 hours a day. Showers, flushing the toilet, and washing must all be done during this time. The restaurant is ok, however the overall hotel cleanliness is poor. The hotel gave us cans of Raid to kill the bugs and insects that overran our overwater beach bungalo. After one night we had enough and cancelled our reservation, along with three other couple (unrelated to us). We stayed at the Hotel Bora Bora, which was fantastic.

The service was great. Staff was friendly and helpful. I would definantly go back there. And the view was nice too.

Great service. Large, roomy huts. Make sure you stay on or over the water. Restaurant is very nice. Remember - if you don't scuba or like the water, there's not much to do on Bora Bora. Try renting a scooter around the island or taking a HUMMER tour into the center of the island.