Pre-Cruise at IC Tahiti. What is best overwater Motu bungalow?

[ALB0711]

HI PG-ers

Will be pre-cruising 2 nights at IC Tahiti in our first ever overwater bungalow. Has anyone had any luck requesting a specific bungalow and getting it? Any recommendations on the best Motu overwater bungalow? Hoping I can at least put a request on the reservation and with a little luck have that request fulfilled.

Thanks!

[Tikiintahiti]

After viewing map here tell them what your wanting, ie; view of Moorea on more private east side (left side of map).

[rcandkc]

The motu bungalows are on the right in this map ( closer to airport). We stayed here in May 2012. You want to be able to see the sunset. I have mixed feeling on the motu bungalows.
Pros:
great location
Easier to walk to main bar and restaurant
Porch much more private than in the main buildings
Loved watching the local teams practice in their long canoes
Con:
The part of the bathroom with the toilet and bath/ shower is open air....no a/c and it made me not want to go in there. It was VERY HOT AND HUMID. Housekeeping turned off the a/c in rest of room when cleaning and left door to open part of bathroom open. Rude awakening when we returned to room after a day in the sun.

[Escriteur]

We stayed in a motu bungalow as part of our pre-cruise package (July 26-28). The rooms were pre-assigned; when we showed up, they had a separate table for the PG pre-cruise group, and they had the paperwork and room card key already set out for each guest. So I'm not sure whether they take requests for a specific room, but it can't hurt to ask in advance.

The motu bungalows are those on the right half of Tiki's pic. Ours was #486; it's the 6th one in from the left. (There are 6 bungalows with entrances facing the lagoonarium, a small bridge, and then another 10 or 11 bungalows fringing the "Grand Motu".) I was very happy with the location of ours; we had a lovely view of Moorea from the deck (also visible from bed!), and the lagoonarium was just steps from our front door. There were also a couple of hammocks out there, as well. We also liked that it was just a short walk to the Tiki Bar, the pool, and Tiare restaurant (where the included breakfast buffet is served).

The rooms are nicely decorated and have a tropical feel. As for the bathrooms, it's true they're not air conditioned; it's not exactly "open air," but there's a stretch of wall that has opaque white glass (or fiberglass) along the center, with narrow screens running along the top and bottom. It can get a bit stuffy/damp in there, but we never found it unbearable. (Of course, the weather wasn't overly humid when we were there.) The double sinks/mirror are in the air conditioned part of the room. On the plus side, the screens allow you to hear the waves lapping the motu while you sleep - such a nice "lullaby".

One thing - I didn't really swim in the water beyond our deck, because there were sea urchins all over the place. (They have spines that can prick/sting you if you touch them.) So be forewarned if you were hoping to dive in; I felt the deck was better for taking in the view than as a jumping off point for a swim. But the swimming in the pools and lagoon was fantastic!

[ALB0711]

Based on Tikis photos and your comments - I'm thinking the best of the motu bungalows are those facing what appears to be north on the photo. They would have a view of Moorea and maybe a sunset to the left. Looks like those facing right might be less desirable?

I'm guessing we won't really have a choice - and in the end will be quite happy wherever our room is.

Bathroom will scare my DW - sea urchins scare me!

[charlottegirl]

Consider joining Intercontinental Ambassador Club which should get you an upgrade to the Overwater Lagoon Bungalows. They are quite large and the bathroom is airconditioned. We were given a bungalow at the far end of the row which had a fantastic view of Moorea and was very private to sit out on your sundeck overlooking the water and Moorea. The water there is actually 10-15 feet deep so we could comfortably snorkel off our dock. The room service fee is also quite reasonable so we just ordered food and drinks to be delivered so we could enjoy our little paradise. Room service was quick, food hot and drinks cold. The Club membership of $200 was well worth it as you also get late checkout (4:00 I believe) which gives you the full day to enjoy before getting on the boat.

[Trend]

Many years ago we stayed in those rooms and ours was second from the end. The vies of Moorea was beautiful and the boats that would practice for paddle races would come by and wave. Very private and great swimming as well you could watch the fish in the glass floor.

[rcandkc]

The sliding doors to the sun deck or balcony are very easy to accidentally lock which is a problem if all guests are out there. The lagoon rooms have a phone out there so easy to get help, not the motu rooms Believe me, I know!

[Escriteur]

Originally Posted by ALB0711

Based on Tikis photos and your comments - I'm thinking the best of the motu bungalows are those facing what appears to be north on the photo. They would have a view of Moorea and maybe a sunset to the left. Looks like those facing right might be less desirable?

I'm guessing we won't really have a choice - and in the end will be quite happy wherever our room is.

Bathroom will scare my DW - sea urchins scare me!

I would guess that any of the bungalows that face Moorea (according to Tiki's map) would have a great view; and it looks like the majority of them do face that direction. But you're right - no matter which bungalow you stay in, you're sure to enjoy your stay in paradise!

Honestly, the bathroom isn't very scary. (Apart from the fact that the screens looked rather dusty.) It's little humid/stuffy immediately after a shower; but since the mirror, sinks, and blowdryer are in the air-conditioned area, it's not like you'll really be spending much time in the tub/shower/toilet room.

Yeah, the sea urchins scared me, too. I did wade out just far enough to take some photos of our bungalow from the water, but the water was buffeting me around a bit and I was afraid of getting off-balance and bumping into the rocks where the sea urchins were, so I didn't go much further. We didn't have snorkeling equipment until we got on the ship, so I didn't mind that the waters of our deck weren't really deep enough for swimming.

Oh, and for the record, our motu bungalow did have a phone out on the deck. (We didn't actually use it, but I'm assuming it worked.) Maybe it was added later after other people got locked out? However, it's a good idea to heed rcandkc's warning; the handle on the sliding doors has sort of a "lip" on it that locks into place when the door is closed. (You also need to push on the handle to lift the lip before you try to slide the door open.) We always left the slider open when we were on the deck, so it was never a problem - but I can see how it would have been if we slid the doors all the way shut behind us!

charlottegirl - I'm curious how the Ambassador Club membership worked; since the pre-cruise hotel stays are booked through the cruise line, did you have to inform PG of your membership, or did you tell the IC when they checked you in? Are you guaranteed a lagoon bungalow if you have the membership? The late check-out would definitely be a perk. I was happy with the motu bungalow this trip, but I might consider joining the club and trying for a lagoon bungalow when we return to French Polynesia (which probably won't be for another 10 years or so...).

[rcandkc]

Interesting, our motu bungalow did not have a phone on the deck. Neither did our neighbors on each side of us. This was May 21st and 22nd of this year. We were more around the bend, more towards airport. I wonder if they are redoing these rooms and they had not made it that far? Also, at first I was afraid we would not see the sunset from our location. To my surprise we were able to see it great as it set behind Moorea. I think since it was close to the official beginning of "winter" the sun was further north in the sky....like here the sun is further south in North America in the winter ....they of course are on the other side of equator so opposite. It was very warm and humid when we were at the IC so the "open" part of the bathroom was uncomfortable. It did not help that housekeeping turned off our ac when cleaning the room. If they had not, maybe it would not have bothered us as much, but walking in to a hot and humid room when you are already hot is unpleasant and it took awhile to cool it back down.

[Escriteur]

Originally Posted by rcandkc

Interesting, our motu bungalow did not have a phone on the deck. Neither did our neighbors on each side of us. This was May 21st and 22nd of this year. We were more around the bend, more towards airport. I wonder if they are redoing these rooms and they had not made it that far? Also, at first I was afraid we would not see the sunset from our location. To my surprise we were able to see it great as it set behind Moorea. I think since it was close to the official beginning of "winter" the sun was further north in the sky....like here the sun is further south in North America in the winter ....they of course are on the other side of equator so opposite. It was very warm and humid when we were at the IC so the "open" part of the bathroom was uncomfortable. It did not help that housekeeping turned off our ac when cleaning the room. If they had not, maybe it would not have bothered us as much, but walking in to a hot and humid room when you are already hot is unpleasant and it took awhile to cool it back down.

We had a phone below the outside light that was on the side wall above the deck chairs. I have to say that our room doesn't look as if it was recently renovated, but it's possible that the outdoor phone is a new addition, or maybe they don't have them in all of the bungalows...?

I'm glad to hear you had a good sunset view even from the rooms that were "around the bend". I honestly don't remember seeing the sunset from our room (it was dark when we arrived the first day, and we headed over to the dinner show the second day); but the misty dawn colors were very pretty. And we did enjoy seeing all of the boats/paddlers go by.

I don't remember them turning off the A/C when they cleaned our room. But then again, maybe I just didn't notice it - we went back and forth to our room several times during the day, so I'm sure if it was off we would have turned it back on when we got in. It was in the 80s when we were there, but not particularly humid. I can definitely see how the stuffy bath paired with a humid, non-air-conditioned room would be uncomfortable!

[charlottegirl]

In reply to Excriteur. Yes our reservations were made by PG, but I was able to contact Intercontinental weeks in advance and they noted on our reservation that we were Ambassador Club members. I also sent an email to the Hotel directly to assure that they had it on record that we were Ambassador Club members. I recall it says an upgrade is guranteed if available. There was only one additional Lagoon bungalow occupied during our stay so I don't know if that is the norm or just the time of year (April).

[ALB0711]

I spoke to my TA about the Ambassador club, she talked to someone at IC who told her with the membership we would get an upgrade from the motu bungalow to the lagoon bungalow if they had availability and if they didn't have availability we would receive a refund for the price difference between the motu bungalow we've booked and the next class of room down which I believe is a view room.

My plan is to check availability of lagoon bungalows a month or two before we go, and if there is availability will buy the ambassador membership knowing we have a decent chance at the upgrade.

[Escriteur]

Thanks for your input on the Ambassador Club perks, charlottegirl and Allen - I'll have to look into that for our next trip!