SOFITEL KIA ORA MOOREA BEACH RESORT
Moorea's best-placed resort, on Temae Beach inside a marine reserve, with overwater villas facing Tahiti and the island's ferry and airport five minutes away.
- Atoll
- Moorea
- Villa categories
- 9 published
- Private pools
- Selected villas
- Getting there
- Car, about 5 minutes from Vaiare ferry pier, Moorea (catamaran ferry from Papeete) (or domestic flight)
- Kids' club
- No
- Babysitting
- Not published
Sofitel Kia Ora is the Moorea stay we suggest when a couple wants a real beach and an easy start or finish to a Polynesian trip. The Luxury Horizon Overwater Villas at the end of the pontoon are the ones to ask for — the open view to Tahiti and in-villa check-in make the difference. Dinner at K on the sand and the canoe breakfast are the two things to book.
Who it suits
Couples pairing Moorea with Bora Bora or Taha'a, honeymooners who want a beach as well as an overwater deck, and families who need the two-bedroom villa.
Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort from the air, with its overwater villas on the lagoon
9 villa categories, beach and island and overwater
Nine categories from the villa pages: four garden, lagoon-view and beach villas on land, four overwater villas on two pontoons, and a two-bedroom Family Villa. 38 villas are overwater.
- — Waterfront
- — Lagoon view
- — Gauguin-inspired interiors
- Published occupancy: King bed plus one single bed
Couples who want the water view at the entry level.
4 ways to eat, from lagoon to beach
Pure
International · French · On the edge of the lagoon, with a terrace facing Tahiti
The all-day restaurant, with Tahiti's silhouette across the water. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Terrace view of Tahiti.
K Restaurant
Gourmet · French-Polynesian · Feet in the sand under a cathedral ceiling of Kahaia wood
The gourmet restaurant on the beach. Chef Frédéric Gigou. Intimate, romantic setting.
Book ahead for a special dinner; it is the resort's gourmet table.
- Vue Bar · Cocktails · Snacks
- Cocktails and Champagne with the view to Tahiti. Facing the lagoon and the pool.
- Beach Bar · Drinks · Snacks
- Drinks without leaving the beach. On the sand at the edge of the lagoon.
Days that fill themselves
Polynesian show and ahima'a
Traditional dance with a meal cooked in the ahima'a, the underground oven of coconut leaves and hot stones.
Canoe breakfast
Breakfast delivered to your overwater deck by outrigger canoe.
Tahiti across the water
The resort faces east towards Tahiti; the Horizon villas and Vue Bar look straight at it.
- In the water
- Temae Beach sits inside a marine reserve protected for over twenty years; motorboats are restricted in the lagoon in front of the villas · Snorkelling straight from the overwater decks and the beach
- Watersports
- Activities desk with watersports equipment · Dive centre on site
- At sea
- Island and lagoon excursions arranged by the activities desk
- Wellbeing & sport
- Le Jardin spa, recently renovated, with Polynesian massages and French products · Infinity pool facing the mountains · Fitness centre
A day at Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort
Travelling with children
- Ages
- Not published
- Hours
- Not published
- Babysitting
- Not published
- Teenagers
- Not published
Baby cots are available on request in the garden, ocean-view, beach and Family villas.
Family villas: Luxury Garden Villa; Luxury Beach Villa; 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Ocean View.
- Ferry or 15-minute flight from Tahiti; five minutes to the resort either way.
- Nine villa types; 38 overwater villas across two pontoons.
- No kids' club; cots in the land villas and a two-bedroom Family Villa.
- Dive centre and snorkelling in a protected marine area.
- K Restaurant is the table to reserve for a special night; the Polynesian show evening is worth planning around.
- Ferry or 15-minute flight from Tahiti, then five minutes by road.
- No private pools in the standard categories; the Horizon villas at the end of each pontoon have the open view.
- The resort rates itself 4-star on Accor; Butler lists it for the beach, the lagoon and the easy access rather than ultra-luxury.
- Compact overwater villas (38–50 m²) and a busier, more accessible island than Bora Bora; the compensation is the best beach on Moorea and the shortest transfer in French Polynesia.
Moorea, French Polynesia
Car from Vaiare ferry pier, Moorea (catamaran ferry from Papeete)
About 5 minutes
Ferry from Papeete to Vaiare takes about an hour; the resort is five minutes from the dock by road.
Domestic flight from Faa'a International Airport, Tahiti (PPT)
About 15 minutes
A 15-minute flight from Tahiti to Moorea's Temae airport, then five minutes by road.
Moorea is 17 km from Tahiti; most couples take the ferry.
Being five minutes from both the ferry and the airport makes this the easiest Polynesian resort to reach.
How do we get there?
Take the ferry from Papeete to Moorea (about an hour) or the 15-minute flight; the resort is five minutes from both.
Which villas face Tahiti?
The Superior and Luxury Horizon Overwater Villas at the end of each pontoon have the unobstructed view across to Tahiti.
Can we bring children?
Yes — the two-bedroom Family Villa suits families, and cots are available in the land villas. There is no children's club.
